LEGO ICONS Natural History Museum 10326 Review

Professor Killroy from 1999’s Adventurers theme has opened a museum!

It’s that time of the year again; a new Modular building! It”s the LEGO ICONS Natural History Museum.

Thanks to LEGO, we get to take a look at the LEGO City’s equivalent of the Natural History Museum. It is being chaperoned by none other than Professor Killroy from the 1999 LEGO Adventurer’s line. Remember the one that featured Johnny Thunder and antics all across Ancient Egypt, the Orient and event dinosaurs!?

Straight up from face value, this is a decidedly different build compared to the daring antics of Killroy. But that doesn’t mean that isn’t a modular building without it’s charm. Or is it?

There is only one way to find out if this is a building for the new era or better left as a relic, read on!

LEGO® ICONS™ Natural History Museum (10326)
RRP AUD $449.99 – CA $389.99 – EUR €299.99 – UK £259.99 – USA $299.99
4,014 pieces
Available from LEGO.com and LEGO Stores for pre-order now, ahead of a 1st December 2023 release.

Outside The Museum

LEGO Icons Natural History Museum that joins our line-up immediately lets us know that isn’t your average modular building.

The build has a strong sense of grandeur. As well as having two levels for the build instead of a traditional three. Also at a different height to other modular buildings.

Outside of the sports an olive green colour with hues of dark tan and tan, really cementing an older styled building.

We have two statues out the front of the build, using the same statue torso prints that were introduced in 10316 Rivendell.

There isn’t a lot of standout fancy building techniques like other modular buildings. But I do admit I like the fence design using arrow bolts and the newer 1×3 rounded plate.

Otherwise, we get treated to some new plastic banners and recolours of the ‘Nova hair’ of Friends 2023. Pink and white plant elements and lots and lots of olive bricks.

Inside Ground Level

Our interior ground level spots quite a few little beauties inside, all somewhat crammed but not-too-crammed together.

We have a slew of items, such as prehistoric bird eggs, a sabre-cat skull, Ammonite fossil using a whip piece to pull off the spiral effect. Plus a geode, crystal remnant of Rock Raiders, a stalagmite, some smashed pottery and even a wall posters showing the Earth’s Mantle. There’s even a gift shop too!

Another big thing of the set is the Brachiosaurus fossil, which is quite a neat little build. I’m a big fan of how LEGO used bananas for the ribs, as well as made stands/stalks to hold it up in place much akin to how actual museums do it.

What I don’t quite like about this is that there are a lot of grey clips used in the build. An element which does come in white thanks to the LEGO Super Mario line.

Maybe this was a way to try and help the use of the angled Minifigure display pieces holding the ribcage in (because this piece isn’t white), but we’ll never really know.

Is it a technique to help segment the next sections? We won’t know until I have enough of them to try it out for myself.

Inside Level 1

In the upstairs area of the museum continues with some more current/future exhibits than the ones downstairs. Being said, that doesn’t stop our dear Brachio head sticking up from the lower floors to say hello.

We have a lot of Space, with a solar system accurate Orrey. Comprising of all 8 planets and the sun, a wall decoration featuring a shuttle over the Americas. As well as a rocket with take-off platform nearby. All simple builds, but neat ones at that.

What was a bit of a surprise was the presence of Classic LEGO themes. It is a LEGO museum after all! Classic Pirate are represented by the Black Seas Barracuda, Forestmen by the Forest Hideout and Castle by the Classic Yellow Castle.

The Roof

Its roof of our modular is a convex shaped curved glass roof, allowing a lot of natural light into the museum. In addition to this, we also have a small hideaway up the top for our curator, Professor Killroy from the 1999 Adventurers theme.

Being the very young child that I am, I had hoped to see a lot of classic references to the old Johnny Thunder Escapades in this little nook, but alas I find little to none.

There are some rough references I can make out with maps and such. But I wish I had something a little more concrete and akin to what we saw in the Haunted House set with Sam Sinister. I like that it is retro in here, but it isn’t quite enough.

You have to love the shape of the nook and the techniques uses to emulate the curve, but it’s a little of a downfall in my opinion.

Minifigures

Our Minifigures of this set are comprised of three museum staff, three visitors, and one subcontracted window cleaner. Only if you ignore the statues, which are technically an extra two of course.

Of the figures, I’m happy to report the prevalence of double sided faces! With lots of expressions to emote with our residents, and I’m a big fan of this.

I was worried that the ‘special’ minifigure of the set, Professor Killroy in Grey, would only have one face like his 1999 version, but he does have two.

Also the first time we get our hands on the Paperboy hat in brown in a set. As well as another chance to pickup the amputee Minifigure legs if you didn’t already have it.

Are the figures fantastic? Well, not entirely. I do love some of them. Others, such as the window cleaner uses a generic torso element that can be assembled from sets elsewhere. It’s been a simple printed used for years, I was hoping for something a bit more unique or trickier to find, but it is what it is.

Verdict

Overall, the Museum of Natural History is a very pretty modular that would fit in with most modular builds. But it does very much feel like a what-you-see-is-what-you-get.

There isn’t anything in the build that really made me go “Wow!” like other previous modular did. There isn’t an interesting recolour of a part used in an unconventional way. Or some sort of hidden story hidden amongst the figures.

Brick Bank had a heist. Detective’s Office had a small mystery. Parisian Restaurant had a proposal and the Police Modular had a donut thief, cell and escape route hidden away.

This modular has a story, but no super captivating hidden story. The closest we get is a staff member (or dog) accidentally smashing some of the pottery or a bulldog stealing a bone.

If you think that you would like this modular based on what you can see on the box, then this set is for you.

No denying it isn’t well made. But if you’re hoping that there is something a bit more than what you see, then I’m afraid you’re out of luck.