1,228 pieces, lots of purple and a mysterious burger: Lego’s Olivia Rodrigo set review
1,228 bricks, a 229-page manual and an album on repeat: my attempt at building Lego’s Olivia Rodrigo Dual Guitar set. An ocean of purple, minuscule pieces that refuse to come apart and a giant butterfly that drives me up the walls: Did this set manage to win my heart, both as a fan and a Lego builder?
You should know that I rarely build Lego sets. But ever since Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album dropped, I’ve been a die-hard «Livie». The last time I put together a box of bricks was five years ago and it was the Hogwarts Express. That was easy. Olivia’s guitar, on the other hand, looks more complicated. The guitar is two-tone and has two parts. According to Lego, it shows the two sides of Olivia Rodrigo: the electric guitar for her punky side, the acoustic guitar for her softer side. To be honest, if Lego hadn’t described it that way, I wouldn’t have guessed. I just thought it looked cool. Maybe I’m not that big a fan after all.
Starting off
I decide to construct the set on the floor. That’s how I played with Lego as a child, and that’s how I’ll do it now. Time for the big moment: opening the box and tearing open the ten little bags – feels almost like Christmas. Except that this is just the beginning. Wait, I forgot step 0.5: putting the record on – «You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love», Rodrigo’s latest album. I wonder how many times I’ll be listening to this album before the guitar’s complete. Will I get sick of her?
Anyhow, it’s time to get down to business, so I open the instruction manual. At 229 pages, it’s as thick as a magazine. No need to feel overwhelmed, though. I’ll simply take it one step at a time.
Prep work
That’s a lot of purple, I think to myself when I open the first bag. I make good progress, but by the end of the first bag, there are some pieces left – spare parts, as it turns out later. Honestly, sorting your bricks beforehand is worth it to keep everything organised. Sure, it’s time consuming, but it also allows for a structured approach.
After I’m done with bag number two, the album’s playing for the second time. I’m struggling to picture what I’m constructing at this point. Trust the process, right? From bag number three onwards the guitar’s body slowly starts taking shape. I treat myself to a cup of coffee and look forward to the next steps that feature Olivia’s figurine. Her red glittery dress and the megaphone she’s clutching are a tribute to her 2024 «guts» tour. Olivia winks at me and sticks out her tongue. I take it as a motivating gesture.
The make-up table’s up next and I’m not impressed. What’s that brown thing to the right of the mirror? A hamburger? A drum? A misplaced stool or just make-up? A bit of research reveals that the brown thing is in fact a hamburger. Apparently, Olivia Rodrigo eats one after every major show. A cute touch, but there’s no way I would’ve guessed. What I do like, however, is the lettering on the mirror – a reference to Rodrigo’s album «guts» – as well as the holder for her electric guitar.
After listening to the full album a second time and working with full focus, I can tell how I’m becoming increasingly sloppy. My prep work isn’t what it was at the start either. Nevertheless, I soldier on and can see the progress.
A tentative halfway conclusion
The acoustic part of the Dual Guitar is complete and took three hours and 40 minutes. After listening to the album from front to back twice, I put on Olivia’s set at the Daisy Chain Fields Festival to make a change. I just spent the last hour in silence. After all, calm and focus are key. In hindsight, I probably should’ve taken more breaks. Instead, I was a bit overenthusiastic. I blame the guitar for that. Its two parts made me feel compelled to finish one side in a single sitting. Olivia Rodrigo would probably say, «It was a bad idea, right?»
New day, new energy
I’m back! Full of enthusiasm, I get to work on bag number seven, which presents me with more purple. I’m back on the floor again for the assembly work ahead. Rodrigo’s latest album is on rotation again. Unfortunately, my motivation quickly gives way to frustration after accidentally squeezing two small pieces together so tightly I can no longer pry them apart. To separate them, I reach for a pair of tweezers. I was holding a brick separator in my hand right at the beginning, but then totally forgot about it. These tiny pieces – my personal end bosses – look a bit battered after I worked on them with the tweezers. Again, I make sure to read the instructions carefully and not to rush. After the full album’s been on again, I’m done with the background music.
Now it’s time for more stickers. I have to admit that sticking them on straight is definitely not one of my strengths. I briefly consider using the tweezers to put them in place, but decide otherwise. After all, this isn’t an operating theatre, but an activity that allows for a little creative freedom.
A sore back and shoulders get the better of my stubbornness about sitting on the floor, so I move to the table. Two pleasant surprises await: the second Olivia figure, and the moment you put the two halves of the guitar together! This figure definitely looks gentler with her white dress and acoustic guitar. The outfit is reminiscent of her performance at last year’s Glastonbury.
As I’m building, I keep asking myself who designs something like this? How do you become a Lego engineer or designer? Who’s the genius behind it all, making sure that everything fits down to the last millimetre when it all comes together? A quick search gives me the answers: creative set designers. They usually have professional backgrounds in architecture, industrial design or are Lego fan community members. Mechanical engineers or materials scientists are responsible for the precision of the set. They ensure that each brick is identical, allowing for a minimum deviation of 0.002 millimetres.
I’ve reached the last leg of my Lego journey, but the next challenge already awaits. Time to tackle the guitar strings. Are some parts missing to join the strings? Looks like I’ll have to improvise. I flip back a few pages in the instructions. Turns out the two ends of the strings aren’t identical, and I got ahead of myself. This means I have to take it all apart and put it back together again. It doesn’t look perfect in the end, but it’s good enough for now.
Light at the end of the tunnel
Finally! Looks like Lego wants to make the final stretch particularly hard for me with 13 stickers waiting to be applied. In hindsight, it’s not the stickers that are the problem, but rather how the elements are attached to the guitar. A module called «Olivia» won’t click into place. I check the instructions and it’s not my fault this time. There’s just not enough space. I shift it slightly, and lo and behold: it fits. My inner perfectionist isn’t happy, but never mind. In contrast, everything works perfectly for the «Rodrigo» lettering.
The pièce de résistance is the giant butterfly, and it’s really testing my patience. You have to assemble and press all the tiny pieces together, and they seem to come apart again all the time.
The guitar set is complete!
I did it and am exhausted after a whopping six hours and 15 minutes. The guitar’s much bigger than I expected. I get the tape measure and am surprised to see that it’s 60 centimetres tall. With a width of over 23 centimetres, the guitar takes up quite a bit of space, but it fits in well as a decorative piece alongside my record collection. Although the Dual Guitar fully reveals its potential and details when open, I prefer it when it’s closed. It’s just a bit OTT for my taste when it’s open. Which details do I like best I hear you ask? The two miniature guitars and figures. The butterflies – a nod to Olivia Rodrigo’s album Sour – and the make-up table minus that stool-shaped burger are also nicely done. What I really don’t like, though, is the mechanism and the lacking visibility of the make-up table. You can pull it out, but only halfway. On top of that, the giant butterfly takes away from it. I feel the price of 88.90 francs is reasonable. Although you have to invest a lot of time in assembling it, you do get two products in one: The open and closed guitar.
Will it take me another five years again before I build my next Lego set? Definitely not. It was fun. But it would probably be more fun if you did it as a team. I’d also divide the assembly over several sessions. One thing that definitely helps is being a Livie (an Olivia Rodrigo fan) and playing her music in the background. The best part? I’ve listened to her latest album three times and am happy to say that I’m not sick of it.
In a nutshell
Fun but time consuming
To assemble Olivia Rodrigo’s Dual Guitar, you’ll need a long attention span or enough free time to work on it for several days. But what do they say? Good things come to those who wait. Indeed, the final result’s impressive. The details – like the stage and the two Olivia minifigures – are the icing on the cake. Whether it’s open or closed, the guitar looks great as a decorative piece. Putting it together is a pleasure thanks to the clear albeit lengthy instructions. As a Lego newbie, I take full responsibility for any questions or confusion I may have created.
Pro
- Beautifully decorative, both open and closed
- Well-crafted and detailed elements and minifigures
- Clear and easy-to-follow instructions
Contra
- All the purple and violet gets a bit boring after a while
- Many small, fiddly parts
- Requires a fair amount of patience and sitting still
- Lots of stickers – 13 just for the name
- The butterfly hides the pull-out closet
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