LEGO Ideas 21350 Jaws review

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, along comes LEGO Ideas 21350 Jaws – but is it the catch of the day?

The LEGO Group has already carved out an impressive selection of secret Steven Spielberg models over the years, but 21350 Jaws may be one of the most highly-anticipated. Based on a winning LEGO Ideas submission by Jonny Campbell (aka Diving Faces), the fan designer’s second version of the set was chosen to become a physical set as part of the third review of 2022. Let’s see if this 18+ diorama has any bite…

Release: August 3 (Insiders), August 6 (wide), 2024 Price: £129.99 / $149.99 / €149.99 Pieces: 1,497 Minifigures: 3 LEGO: Order now

Da dum… da dum… da dum…

Considering the enduring popularity of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 summer blockbuster (the first of its kind), it does seem somewhat surprising that it’s taken this long for a LEGO set based on Jaws to finally surface.

The good news is that the wait was definitely worth it, as fans of the smash hit movie have been rewarded with an impressive brick-built diorama that accurately depicts a dramatic snapshot of the film’s climactic third act. 21350 Jaws essentially follows in the dino-sized footsteps of 76956 T. rex Breakout, although this time with a seawater-themed display base on which to place the completed Bruce the shark and Orca builds.

Arriving in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peter Benchley’s original book in 2024 and the 50th anniversary of the film next year, 21350 Jaws not only manages to improve on Jonny Campbell’s successful submission, but also delivers a stand-out 18+ display piece that can be reconfigured in a number of ways.

‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat’

In Jaws, the real-life Orca was a originally a lobster boat called Warlock that was purchased by Universal Studios and rebuilt to become Quint’s famous vessel, complete with mast pulpit and oversized windows. The brick-built ship in 21350 Jaws closely matches the look of its on-screen counterpart, with a black and deep red colour scheme complemented by tan, white and brown pieces.

Successful LEGO Ideas submissions often go through a number of changes before the finished model is finally released, but this time around the theme’s design team have stuck pretty closely to the overall look of Jonny Campbell’s version of the ship.

However, while the Orca may look the part, the LEGO Ideas model is a little fragile in some areas and it’s one that you’re unlikely to handle too often. For starters, the bow of the boat is constructed upside down and then slotted on to the rest of the hull, but pressing too hard on the sides of this section (while holding everything else in place) can cause the whole thing to collapse in on itself, as happened to us. Three rebuilds later and the Orca was successfully completed, but not without a slight sense of frustration and some gaps on either side of the ship’s bow.

The Orca includes a detailed cabin with removable roof, an adjustable boom and rigging, five yellow barrels (matching the same number in the movie), Quint’s fishing chair, parts of a shark cage, spears for harpoons, fishing rods, silver oxygen tanks and much more. There’s no engine room below deck (due to a lack of space), but that’s only a very minor omission from the build.

The interior of the Orca has even more nods to Jaws, with printed tiles of a map showing the locations of recent shark attacks and a copy of the Amity Gazette (complete with a report of an unfortunate shark attack on the set’s fan designer), as well as a small red couch and table that you can just about squeeze the set’s three minifigures into.

The exterior of the LEGO Ideas ship also features a printed Orca tile on the stern, stickered boat markings and clever use of two white handlebar pieces to recreate the bony teeth of a shark. A big thumbs-up for resourcefulness on the part of the LEGO Ideas design team also has to go to the ship’s bow sprit, the platform at the front of the Orca that’s constructed from a flexible 21L piece attached to Battle Droid arms and sausages.

The shark is still working

When it comes to the apex predator itself, the shark in 21350 Jaws may not quite match the pointy-headed look of Jonny Campbell’s submission of the film’s original poster, but it does still capture the fearsome nature of the mechanical monster affectionately dubbed ‘Bruce’ by Steven Spielberg.

With dead black eyes, NINJAGO armour elements for gills, posable fins and a large, gaping mouth that (frustratingly) only opens part way, the shark is constructed in two separate sections. The back half of the beast is attached to a brown display base with a printed LEGO Jaws tile, while the front can be removed and placed onto a raised platform on the display base in order to simulate the shark lunging out of the water.

The effect works surprisingly well, especially when carefully balancing the Orca on the other end of the base. The only slight problem with that though is that the boat doesn’t actually attach to the base as such, merely resting on it, with the potential to be damaged if accidentally bumped. Once assembled, you’ll soon discover 21350 Jaws is definitely much more of a display piece to be admired rather than a play piece to be handled.

Another minor issue with 21350 Jaws is that if you choose to show off the LEGO Ideas set as recommended, you’re left with the tail end of the shark to place… somewhere while the main sections of the model are on display. It’s not a big problem though, as most fans will undoubtedly opt for the full recreation of the movie scene and stow their fish tail in storage.

21350 Jaws’ seawater display base is primarily comprised of dark blue, white and black elements, with small areas representing crashing waves and foam. Also included is one yellow barrel bobbing in the water, a small, angled platform on which to place the shark and a printed tile featuring Chief Brody’s famous line, ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat.’

Minifigure first mates

When it come to the three minifigures included with 21350 Jaws, the LEGO Ideas team has definitely managed to stick the landing with this set. Featuring spot-on likenesses of Roy Scheider’s Chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss’ Matt Hooper and Robert Shaw’s shark hunter, Sam Quint, the characters are a real delight for fans.

All three minifigures boast new torsos with front and back printing, with Brody and Hooper having double-sided head prints. The marine biologist also gains an impressive dual-moulded hat and hair piece (a recoloured LEGO DREAMZzz element) that we hope will appear in future sets, while Amity Island police chief Brody also gains a pair of dual-moulded arms.

In addition, 21350 Jaws’ minifigures also come with a selection of appropriate accessories, such as a harpoon gun, knife, binoculars, pistol, camera and more. Everything you might need to recreate the film’s climactic sequence seems to have been included with the LEGO Ideas set, although we’d have liked to have had a full shark cage build for the sake of completion.

The LEGO Group has also managed to hit the sweet spot once again when it comes to pricing for a model based on a popular movie IP, with 21350 Jaws coming in at £129.99 / $149.99 / €149.99, roughly matching the cost of another Spielberg-centric set, 77015 Temple of the Golden Idol. 

For that price you’re getting 1,497 pieces with which to construct a detailed version of the Orca, a shark that can be displayed in multiple ways and three exclusive minifigures, making 21350 Jaws a must-have addition for fans of the blockbuster with bite.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO Ideas sets using our affiliate links.

Our honest opinion: Definitely much more of a display piece than a playable model, LEGO Ideas 21350 Jaws still deserves a place in every fan’s collection.