Review: 21350 Jaws from LEGO® Ideas

Growing up near many of the Massachusetts shooting locations for 1975's Jaws, my interest was understandably piqued when The LEGO Group announced development of a set based on the film. Now, just a year-and-a-half after that announcement, I'm excited to examine the final set and the parts it contains. Fortunately, almost all of these elements are now available for purchase via the LEGO® Pick a Brick service, if desired in quantity.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

21350 Jaws

• Pieces: 1,497
• Release date: 3 August 2024

Price:

• US$ 149.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 199.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 129.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 249.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 269.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 149,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 149,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 149,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 659.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 1949,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 1299.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

Recolors

Three months after the release of the Jaws LEGO set, 8 recolored elements remain exclusive to the set:

• 1x Cable, Flexible 21L with 2 Connectors and Bars in Medium Nougat (6504266 | 2630)
• 2x Wedge Curved 4 x 8 No Top Studs in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6504269 | 5382)
• 1x Window 2 x 8 x 2 Boat in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6504265 | 89648, 50402)
• 1x Glass for Window 2 x 8 x 2 Boat in Transparent/ Trans-Clear (6509591 | 89649, 50401)
• 3x Plate Special 16 x 16 x 2/3 with Eight Recessed Edges with 1 x 4 Studs and Four Recessed Centers with 2 x 4 Studs in Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6504268 | 69958)
• 2x Equipment Shepherd's Crook / Staff in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (6506067 | 49492)
• 2x Plate Special, 1 x 1 Stud with 3 x 3 Ring in White (6508327 | 3917)
• 3x Tile Round 1 x 1 Special with Clip-Bar in Black (6504712 | 77813)

Rare elements

The following elements appear in only one additional set:

• 1x Wedge Sloped 45° 3 x 3 Left in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6473421 | 42862)
• 1x Bracket 3 x 2 x 1 1/3 with Bottom Stud Holder in Sand Green (6484672 | 73562)
• 1x Hips and Bright Light Blue Legs with Black Pockets, Button print in Light Royal Blue/ Bright Light Blue (6440397 | 103950)
• 2x Wedge Sloped 2 x 5 Right in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6431187 | 3505)
• 2x Wedge Sloped 2 x 5 Left in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6431186 | 3504)
• 1x Wedge Sloped 45° 3 x 3 Right in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6473419 | 48165)
• 2x Tile Special Round 2 x 2 Inverted in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6508095 | 3567)
• 1x Hair and Hat, Short Hair and Beanie Dark Blue pattern in Sand Yellow/ Dark Tan (6504271 | 5492)
• 3x Bar 2L with Towball in Black (6509664 | 22484, 67692, 67853)
• 1x 79194 Plate Round 1 x 1 with Hollow Stud and Bar on Underside - Long Space in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6510222 | 79194)
• 1x Bar 6L with Stop Ring in Silver Metallic/ Flat Silver (6474270 | 18274, 28921, 63965, 93790)

The following elements appear in only two additional sets:

• 1x Technic Panel Fairing #7 3L Very Small Smooth, Side A in White (6511002 | 2387)
• 1x Wedge Plate 6 x 2 Right in Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6385259 | 78444)
• 2x Wedge Sloped 2 x 5 Right in Black (6475202 | 3505)
• 2x Brick Special 1 x 1 with Clip Vertical [Open O Clip, Hollow Stud] in Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6484604 | 65460)
• 1x Hinge Brick 1 x 2 Base in Light Royal Blue/ Bright Light Blue (6383077 | 3937)
• 1x Wedge Plate 6 x 2 Left in Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6385253 | 78443)
• 2x Wedge Sloped 2 x 5 Left in Black (6475203 |  3504)
• 1x Tile Round 2 x 2 Half Circle in Medium Nougat (6474122 | 5520)
• 4x Arm Skeleton [Bent / 2 Clips] in Sand Yellow/ Dark Tan (6484017 | 93609, 26163, 49752)
• 1x Top Hat with Pin and Anti-Stud in Black (6485111 | 77108)
• 1x Wedge Sloped 45° 3 x 3 Right in Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6440474 | 48165)
• 1x Wedge Sloped 45° 3 x 3 Left in Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6440475 | 42862)
• 1x Bracket 3 x 2 x 1 1/3 with Bottom Stud Holder in White (6491605 | 73562)
• 7x Slope Curved 1 x 4 with Stud Notch Left in White (6477768 | 5415)
• 7x Slope Curved 1 x 4 with Stud Notch Right in White (6477766 | 5414)

Printed pieces

The set includes 9 exclusive printed elements, split among tiles and pieces used for the minifigures Chief Martin Brody, Matt Hooper, and Sam Quint:

• 1x Torso, Dual Molded Arms with Jacket, Pockets, Black Shirt print, Light Bluish Gray Sleeves Pattern, Light Nougat Arms and Hands in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (6504674)
• 1x Torso Jacket, Bright Light Blue Shirt, Light Nougat Chest print, Olive Green Arms, Light Nougat Hands in Olive Green (6504699)
• 1x Torso Shirt, Pockets, Open over Light Bluish Grey Undershirt print, Medium Blue Arms, Light Nougat Hands in Medium Blue (6504677)
• 1x Minifig Head Chief Martin Brody, Reddish Brown Eyebrows, Lopsided Smile / Silver Glasses, Neutral Print in Light Nougat (6483644)
• 1x Minifig Head Quint, Dark Bluish Grey Eyebrows, Moustache Sideburns, Smirk Print in Light Nougat (6483646)
• 1x Minifig Head Matt Hooper, Dark Tan Eyebrows, Bears, Silver Glasses, Smile with Teeth / Stern Print in Light Nougat (6483648)
• 2x Tile 2 x 4 with LEGO Logo, Red 'JAWS' print in Black (6483642)
• 1x Tile 2 x 6 with Copper 'ORCA' print in Dark Red (6483643)
• 1x Tile 2 x 6 with White "You're gonna need a bigger boat.", 'CHIEF BRODY' print in Black (6483641

To date, none of the printed pieces have been added to Pick a Brick.

Stickers

Despite containing minimal stickers, those present in the set feature several Easter eggs. The sticker for the Amity Gazette features a reference to fan designer Jonny Campbell, while the map actually depicts the island of Martha's Vineyard where Jaws was filmed, with many of the original shooting locations highlighted. 

Building process

Construction begins with Quint's fishing boat, the Orca. The vessel is built in stages using 7 of the set's 13 bags of parts. The hull of the boat and cabin are assembled first, as is the base of the afterdeck.

The bow of the ship is created next and utilizes a combination of ball joints and hinged plates to achieve the shaping of the section using reflected triangle geometry. Curved slopes are then attached to brackets on the outside to achieve a smooth transition between the bow and hull.

After the bow is added to the boat, the front walls of the cabin are completed and a pulpit is constructed. The pulpit takes advantage of the recently introduced Tile Round 2 x 2 Half Circle (5520), which is mounted to a Technic Beam 1 x 15 Thick with Alternating Holes (71710) using a Technic Pin 1/2 with Friction (89678). This allows the pulpit to come to a rounded end.

The mast of the boat is constructed next and features some of the cleverest parts usage in the set. Notably, the bell at the top of the mast repurposes Top Hat with Pin and Anti-Stud (77108), which originated in the LEGO® Friends range of sets, and the boom is held in place by a Leg Tall, Skeleton (23769, 65412), which is primarily associated with LEGO® Minecraft.

Finally, the boat's flybridge is assembled and the afterdeck is decorated. To allow access to the interior cabin, the flybridge can be easily removed from the rest of the vessel.

Once again, it's worth highlighting the unexpected usage of parts. The set of shark jaws affixed to the front of the flybridge are replicated using a pair of Handlebars with Angular Handles (98397), while the side rails of the ladder leading from the afterdeck to the flybridge are formed with Equipment Shepherd's Crook / Staff (49492).

At this point, focus shifts towards the man-eating great white shark from the film, which is built in two distinct halves. The brick-built shark is incredibly accurate to the model used for the film (which today resides in the Academy Museum), featuring even minor attributes such as the pelvic fins, claspers and back dorsal fin.

The back-half of the shark is constructed with a built-in display stand that allows the shark to be displayed outside of the rest of the set. The front-half of the shark, all the while, can be easily disconnected and displayed within the context of the larger set if desired.

The last portion of the set to be assembled is the ocean display base which despite being a relatively straightforward build does an effective job capturing the turbulent ocean and whitecaps from the climax of the film.

Final model

The finished model is commendable for its accuracy to the original source material, including the minifigures of Chief Martin Brody, Matt Hooper, and Sam Quint, and the flexibility in how it can be displayed.

While most marketing for the set shows the boat, shark, and ocean scenery displayed together, it is simple to remove the shark and boat from the larger display if tight on space. This level of customization is greatly appreciated and is something I would love to see appear in future LEGO sets geared towards display.

Looking past the completed model, the set contains a welcome variety of elements in some of the secondary, more muted colors in the LEGO palette, which I see appealing to many town and fantasy builders.

21350 Jaws

Search for loose pieces on Pick a Brick

Product recommended retail price:

• US$ 149.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 199.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 129.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 249.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 269.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 149,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 149,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 149,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 659.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 1949,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 1299.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

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