Since its debut in 2020, the LEGO ART series, with its focus on mosaic art and strategy of targeting adult LEGO fans, has not only attracted more toy enthusiasts into the world of LEGO but has also pushed LEGO bricks further into the realm of fine art! For this Toy-People unboxing review, we're diving into the hottest new product from the LEGO ART line: "31208 Hokusai - The Great Wave"!
The masterpiece "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" by the Japanese ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai depicts various views of Mount Fuji from Japan's Kantō region. Among them, the most renowned piece, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," portrays a colossal wave overwhelming fishing boats off the Kanagawa coast. "The Great Wave" is not only Hokusai's most iconic woodblock print but also a world-famous work of art. Whenever ukiyo-e is mentioned, the image of this immense, churning wave is sure to come to mind. This set recreates the artwork in the form of a framed picture, using LEGO elements as its medium.
▼ The front of the box features a black background that makes the "31208 Hokusai - The Great Wave" model stand out, beautifully complemented by the English name THE GREAT WAVE on the left! We've brought in the Green Ninja for scale this time.
▼ The back displays lifestyle images and the dimensions of the completed piece, which measures 52 cm in length and 39 cm in width, giving it a substantial presence.
▼ Opening the box reveals a stunning instruction manual with "The Great Wave" printed directly on the cover.
▼ The back even features the artist's signature—so cool! However, due to the binding style, you need to be careful with the bending angle when flipping through the pages, or this beautiful manual could get creased easily. I hope my copy was just an anomaly.
▼ Opening the manual, you'll find information on the life of Katsushika Hokusai and an introduction to woodblock printing.
▼ A unique feature of the LEGO ART series is the QR Code. Scanning it takes you to the official LEGO website where you can listen to the exclusive soundtrack, "Riding the Wave." It's nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes long and includes interviews with various experts and art curators, as well as more stories about "The Great Wave"... however, it is only available in English.
▼ The parts include 6 baseplates (four tan and two black), bags numbered up to 15, and an additional 25+1 unnumbered bags of parts. There are 1810 pieces in total; no stickers.
▼ Let's start building!
▼ First, let's look at the best printed parts in this set: the title plate "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa" and Hokusai's signature.
▼ This set uses a lot of these right-angle triangle pieces to outline the shapes.
▼ After the frame is assembled, a space is left. You first snap the main artwork into place, then push in the Technic pins to secure it.
▼ And it's complete! Aside from the artwork itself, the rest of the surface is smoothed over, eliminating the studded texture and giving the entire piece a very sophisticated, adult feel.
▼ There are two wall-mounting elements on the back.
▼ Now let's take a look at the details. According to Fiorella Groves, the creative lead for "31208 The Great Wave," the most challenging part was using LEGO elements to depict the raging sea and the boats leaping amidst the giant waves.
▼ To more dynamically represent the lively sea foam, this build uses a large number of leaf and bird pieces. "Hokusai originally captured a three-dimensional scene and gave it tension in a two-dimensional format, but now LEGO is doing the opposite, trying to imagine the scene that Hokusai saw and creating the most fitting build design." Thinking about it this way makes this set truly fascinating.
▼ I personally feel that "31208 The Great Wave" falls somewhere between a standard LEGO ART set and the previously released Ideas set, "21333 The Starry Night." It possesses a multi-layered, textured depth but isn't as three-dimensional as "The Starry Night," making it genuinely more suitable for wall display.
▼ Viewing it from eye-level, you can see many little birds, which is instantly adorable.
▼ The people in the small boats battling the great wave are represented by printed 1x1 round tiles.
▼ In stark contrast to the great wave is the miniature Mount Fuji, set far in the distance.
LEGO 31208 "The Great Wave" Unboxing Conclusion:
The most interesting part of the building process for this LEGO "The Great Wave" is outlining the sea foam. The repetitive action of placing pieces onto the already constructed sections provides a feedback loop that feels almost like painting! The construction of the frame, aside from the artwork itself, is quite uniform, which helps to speed up the overall build process. The moment you personally place The Great Wave into its frame is truly unforgettable—it's just that beautiful!
For display, it is highly recommended to hang this piece on a wall. Unlike "The Starry Night," it doesn't have an additional third point of support. If you stand it upright on a flat surface, it's only supported by a base about six studs wide, making it quite prone to tipping over. So, hurry up and clear a suitable spot on your wall for this Great Wave, fellow toy fans!
LEGO 31208 Art "Hokusai - The Great Wave"
Recommended Retail Price: NT$4,099, Total Pieces: 1810, Available Now