31 January 2025

Sets review: LEGO® Fortnite™ October 2024 sets and PaB availability in 2025

Posted by Zachary Hill

The LEGO Group has treated gamers to a number of video game collaborations, though few go as deep as their Fortnite partnership. What started as broad inclusion of LEGO® elements and minifigures in-game has now rifted over into the physical world with four sets that are almost as varied as the numerous LEGO game modes within Fortnite. Having already reviewed new parts in LEGO Fortnite sets, today I look at the actual models.

A collage of the four 2024 Fortnite sets

These sets released in October 2024, and many of their new elements arrived on LEGO Pick a Brick earlier this week. Check out the recoloured elements and new moulds on New E's list of new PaB elements for February!

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.

Over three dozen of the new Pick a Brick elements are recoloured parts seen in LEGO Fortnite sets, along with a few rare elements returning from the past with new element IDs. Printed parts from licensed sets are usually absent from PAB, but The LEGO Group and Epic Games' tight partnership did beg the question of if these few elements would be IP-locked. They unfortunately are not on PaB – despite the generic versatility of the printed eye tiles in 77071 Supply Llama and 77072 Peely Bone.

77070 Durrr Burger

Fortnite burger box and build
  • Release date: 1 October 2024
  • Pieces: 193

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Lego Fortnite 77070 Durrr Burger 

The LEGO Fortnite theme starts strong with an affordable set which packs in some advanced building techniques and lots of colour and personality. Almost the entirety of 77070 Durrr Burger's exterior is made up of newly recoloured parts, including the orange corner pieces (6515840 | 49612 & 6515842 | 24599) and vibrant coral curved panel (6510319 | 18910), all of which are on Pick a Brick in February.

More than meats the eye

interior core build of the burger

Durrr Burger's derpy wall-eyed stare needed more technique than your typical studs-up slider. The belly of the beef hides a loose but secured 4x4 round brick, rotated 45° with attached 1x1 pyramids (22388, 35343, 35344) filling out two corners. The pyramids' 45° slopes fit almost perfectly, leaving just a little wiggle room and most importantly, the white round brick's axle hole is rotated 45° from the lower half of the build.


gif of the burger coming together

This rotated axle hole is for the skewer, akin to some massive sandwich. The ¼-round bricks forming the top bun are supported with some of the new 1x3 discorectangle plates (77850) that Kev analysed recently, though each ¼-round corner is only truly secured with one stud at their bottom corners. Their top studs each slot into an incomplete antistud of the 4x4 round plate, making the top bun too fragile for play, and even normal handling might cause this burger to durrr-sintegrate.


underside of the burger build

The bottom bun does have some corners cut — the center, actually. But who's looking at the bottom anyway? The very end of the Technic axle which skewers the build is visible here, tempting builders to elongate it and make the bulbous burger spinning signage for a Durrr Burger restaurant or use it as the head of a Beef Boss character.

77071 Supply Llama

Fornite llama and set box
  • Release date: 1 October 2024
  • Pieces: 691

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Lego Fortnite 77071 Supply Llama

The Sims developers Maxis claimed llamas as their mascot first, but in Fortnite, llamas are everywhere. They first appeared in Save the World, the original Fortnite survival-crafting game mode which preceded what's now considered the "main" game mode, Battle Royale. Many different in-game iterations of this fuzzy friend exist and 77071 Supply Llama is based on the Battle Royale version, faithfully matching its colourful body and vacant stare.


core of the llama's contruction and support

In-game, Supply Llamas burst like piñatas to match their papier-mâché exteriors. Translated into physical bricks, however, they have a sturdy core with hinged panels through which loot is loaded and launched with the help of double ramps inside.

What loot is in the llama?

gif of the llama shaking out it's interior content

Llamaaah-choo! More than just the panels are hinged, allowing movement of the head, ears, mouth, legs and tail. The 2x2 round dot-eye tile (6491091) will be useful to many builders, but it's not come to Pick a Brick yet (you can check availability here) and perhaps never will.


the various small build items contained within the llama

The LEGO Group's partnership with Fortnite doesn't place LEGO elements directly in a violent Battle Royale, so instead the Supply Llama's contents are items found in the co-operative LEGO Fortnite Odyssey mode. Some of these items do exist in Battle Royale, just not in brick form. 

From left to right, this llama contains:
  • Dynamite, used against enemies or to quickly break builds and resources.
  • Slurp Juice, for providing healing to players over time.
  • Slap Juices, offering a mix of health and stamina restoration.
  • Rough Ruby, a crafting resource found in dry valley caves. The in-game model is built using geode pieces (49656), absent here.
  • Good Luck Charm, to increase the chance of finding rare loot. This iteration omits its in-game gold boat stud bottom (2654) in favor of existing dark tan.
  • Backpack, which contains players' inventories and is dropped upon player death.
  • Grappler, to quickly reel the player toward whatever the plunger hits. The body is mostly dark bluish grey in-game.
Several of these appear in 77073 Battle Bus as minifigure accessories too, further down.

Quality control issue

visual proof of the inconsistent 1x2 cheese sloops

There is one apparent problem with this llama, not in its design, but in its materials. Several of the 1x2 cheese slopes (85984) are off-center, which affects their relative spacing. Note the medium azure slopes vertical offset when placed on Supply Llama's front (top left image), the oversized gap when pointing left (top right), the different front and back wall thicknesses (bottom left), and the touching parts which places stress on the slopes (bottom right). Those slopes are pressed tight enough together that the plate is actually bending up a smidge!

A similar issue was noted in our review of LEGO® Icons 10317 Land Rover Classic Defender 90, on its bonnet's 2x4 tiles. Thomas Jenkins also found it difficult to make the gaps in LEGO® Marvel 76269 Avengers Tower consistent, as this variation is present on that set's 2x2 tiles. Outside of reviews I've also noticed it on 1x2 grille tiles in the midi-scale LEGO® Star Wars 75375 Millennium Falcon so this defect isn't limited to one theme, colour or part — instead it seems to be plaguing parts with fingernail grooves at the bottom, likely from some misalignment between the two halves of these moulds.

New Elementary has shared this trend with The LEGO Group directly and we hope to have a resolution soon.

77072 Peely Bone

Peely set and the set box
  • Release date: 1 October 2024
  • Pieces: 1414

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Lego Fortnite 77072 Peely Bone

 

Few Fortnite characters are as iconic as Peely, and the Peely Bone outfit variation makes for an intricate statue model aimed at 18+ builders. After all, Fortnite isn't only for kids. Peely has been in Fortnite in basic unmutilated banana form since February 2019, with his body becoming half-peeled for Halloween-themed Fortnitemares later that year. Given that persistent smile, I don't think Peely really minds the flesh-ripping transformation.

Calcium and potassium incarnate

Peely posed with his accessories

77072 Peely Bone is rigidly affixed to his base with static legs but his arms are poseable. Three accessories can be removed: the Peely Pick pickaxe, Paint Launcher weapon, and Banana Bag backpack.


images of how his arms are contructed, both with and without skin, plus accessory pics

Both halves of this bone-ana are significantly different, with some similarities between the left and right hands' construction. Technic pins secure the Peely Pick and Paint Launcher to Peely's palms, allowing a little poseability, and the possibility of twisting the tools enough to pop off Peely's fingers.


a from behind cross section of Peely

Having arms ripped from their sockets would hardly be the worst Peely has endured, so we've done some light dismemberment to better look at the torso underneath. At this scale, Peely Bone keeps every detail seen in game, including ribs, a spine, guts, and lots of shapely slopes on the banana half.

Peely Bone's skull uses some exciting round corners which are a perfect spherical octant (6518954 | 5907). These were introduced first in LEGO Star Wars 75398 C-3PO in August 2024 but those haven't yet been added to Pick a Brick — now this shape and a matching straight curved slope have come to PaB in white.

Sturdy angles

close up of how Peely's leg and hip connect

Compound angle connections give Peely's banana leg an out-turned and stepped-up posture, like some kind of intrepid, nightmarish explorer. LEGO® Mixels joints rotate this hip outward from within while the visible pins make a steadfast angled connection. 


Close ups of Peely's two different legs

Hidden inside the rocky terrain and ankle, the same pin arrangement connects Peely's foot — or maybe it's a boot? — to the leg with matching pitch. The same Mixels ball joint connection as above matches the yaw above with curved slopes holding it all in place, visible through the bottom of the base.


Peely's base and how the figure connects to it

The skeletal foot also connects with pins, albeit straight here, but with the new 1x3 Technic brick (5565, not available on PaB at time of writing but you can check here) which was introduced in LEGO® Sonic the Hedgehog sets.

A serious build with abundant silliness

the one banana sticker included with this set

Stickers are divisive among the LEGO fan community but we might be able to agree on this sole sticker in the set. Much like a stock-keeping sticker, one blue "NANA NANA" decoration adorns this banana.


Peely from the front and then the back

Despite the horrors Peely has been through, that face still smiles. Looking for more smile-inducing builds? Check out the winners of New Elementary's Mind that Banana contest, five of whom won their own 77072 Peely Bone.

77073 Battle Bus

The fortnite battle bus set and box
  • Release date: 1 October 2024
  • Pieces: 954

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Lego Fortnite 77073 Battle Bus

 

The one playset here ends the LEGO Fortnite theme on another high note with a nice build and nine detailed minifigures. For a close look at each of the characters, check out New Elementary's LEGO Fortnite parts review.

Characters galore

The battle bus and the wide variety of minifigures that come with the set

This squad of Epic Games' most recognizable Fortnite original characters all closely resemble their in-game counterparts. From left to right we have Cube Assassin, Brite Bomber, Drift, Meowscles, Adventure Peely, Cuddle Team Leader, Raven, Battalion Brawler, and Trespasser Elite. We've seen their Slap Juice, Slurp Juice, and Grapplers accessories in 77071 Supply Llama, supplemented with standard minifigure pickaxes.

Little expense has been spared in accurately portraying these characters with leg front printing on every minifigure and five new head moulds in total. Still, their digital versions aren't limited by printing costs and more leg side printing and arm printing is found in-game. Decorations on this set's Battle Bus are stickers instead of prints, but I strongly prefer printing budget go to more detailed minifigures than bricks.

With no other printed LEGO Fortnite parts coming to Pick a Brick we had expected zero minifigure parts to appear, but two heads are indeed arriving. Cuddle Team Leader and Battalion Brawler's heads (6491075, 6491050) will be available. Two human heads in warm tan and light nougat with dual expressions will be versatile for many non-Fortnite minifigures, although if builders want to recreate other Fortnite characters, these are also the faces of the generic Ramirez and Jonesy models. These models are the bases for Cuddle Team Leader and Battalion Brawler, as well as hundreds of other Fortnite outfits.

Unusual pricing across the LEGO Fortnite theme

Normally, licensed sets with copious character inclusion are marked up by about 20% more than TLG's in-house themes. Fortnite sets eschew this norm, with the two largest sets priced at US$100. Including 1400+ pieces like 77072 Peely Bone or nine minifigures like 77073 Battle Bus are rare offerings these days, even for LEGO original themes, so what gives?

The LEGO Group invested heavily in Epic Games in 2022, to the tune of US$1B or 3% of entertainment supergiant Epic Games' 2022 valuation. For this reason, we can argue Fortnite is not a third-party licensed IP, rather something closer to a second-party partnership in making both LEGO Fortnite game modes and these sets. The tight partnership between TLG and Epic gives more room for negotiation, and attracting new fans to the game which sells high-margin microtransaction cosmetics may outweigh profit to be made from LEGO sets.

Lastly, Fortnite is a pop-culture and crossover powerhouse, but all of these sets rely entirely on Epic's IP. With no real-world actors to pay for their likenesses, cost of production goes down, and thankfully that appears to have been reflected in this whole theme's pricing. Considering this, it was uncertain whether LEGO Fortnite minifigure parts would be available on Pick a Brick, though now we know two heads are. Surprises still happen sometimes though, like the ocarina introduced with Legend of Zelda which hit Pick a Brick earlier this month (and promptly sold out, sigh...).

Big, blue, and buoyant

two full shots of the large battle bus set

77073 Battle Bus might not have a (relatively) sky-high price, but it does have the equipment to sail through the air like in Fortnite Battle Royale and LEGO Fortnite Odyssey. A manageable hot air balloon is the top's centrepiece and support arms are flexible to allow front door access or lay flat when removed.


top down view of the battle bus showing how the balloon segment detaches from the bus section

Unlike in any Fortnite game mode, the inside of the Battle Bus actually exists! There's no telling how 100 characters fit in there during Battle Royale, but there is enough room here for all nine included minifigures.


top down view of the bus' interior

A much larger 12-stud-wide version of the Battle Bus exists in LEGO Fortnite Odyssey, but there's still plenty of room inside this 8-stud-wide build. Meowscles' tail means he's standing for this ride.


frontward and backward shots of the bus

Little can be said of advanced techniques in this build, as almost the entire bus is built studs-up. Regardless, plenty of nice details are throughout, like the sci-fi equipment added to the bus's grille and topside. Most of those appendages are secured well, with the exception of the small propeller which came off multiple times with light touches during review. Overall this set is sturdy and suitable for play, just don't expect to carry the whole bus by the balloon as that's meant to come off.

Digital bricks, too

screengrab of exclusive printed parts and small builds available in the lego fortnite Brite Starter pack
© The LEGO Group & Epic Games 2024
Scanning the QR code on the front of each LEGO Fortnite instruction booklet gives builders the opportunity to claim a code usable on fortnite.com/redeem for the Operation Brite Starter Pack until 30 September 2028. This pack is no longer available for standalone purchase in the Fortnite Shop; previously it sold for US$3.75 — though given the revolving nature of the store, it might be available again later. Sharing extras from multiple sets is possible if each QR code redeemer has their own LEGO.com accounts.

A theme off to a strong start

Fortnite's place in gaming history is already cemented and evolving, so any physical LEGO adaptations had to start strong to catch up. I'd argue they've done it, as the widely varied theme has something for builders of different styles and these sets are priced competitively. The question remains to be answered if TLG will produce more LEGO Fortnite sets, but given their substantial investment in the brand I'd be surprised if the theme ended here.

READ MORE: International LEGO® Day 2025: test your injection moulding knowledge with our quiz

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2 comments:

  1. Skye Barnick31 Jan 2025, 17:19:00

    Good review! I especially love the gif of the Llama sneezing and dumping all its contents — really goes to show how expressive the design is, even with relatively few points of articulation. Not a Fortnite fan myself, but from what I can see LEGO did a really nice job with this theme.

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    1. Zachary Hill1 Feb 2025, 05:21:00

      Thanks, that gif was fun to make. Chances are TLG drove a few more new gamers in Fortnite's direction with this theme, which does TLG good when they're literally invested in its player count.

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