Lego Fortnite Peely Bone (77072) review: "A highly detailed model, but it won't appeal to everybody"

I'm not going to lie – when I first saw that Epic Games and Lego had included a large model of Peely Bone in their first line of sets based on the battle royale, I really didn't know what to make of it.

I could understand the appeal of building and displaying the Lego Fortnite Battle Bus (77073), Lego Fortnite Supply Llama (77071), and even the miniature (by comparison) Lego Fortnite Durrr Burger (77070), as they are all iconic parts of the game. While Peely is clearly a popular character, with over 20 different versions of his outfit available, focusing on the Halloween-themed Peely Bone variant felt like an odd choice to me, especially as it was unlikely to have the same universal charm as his more conventional look.

So, could this banana bandit win me over? I can tell you that yes, against the odds he ultimately did! While the Lego Fortnite Peely Bone (77072) won't be to everybody's taste, if you're looking for a visually striking (and slightly gruesome) model to display then this may be one of the best Lego sets you can pick up.

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Lego Fortnite Peely Bone (77072) features

• Quite expensive
• Impressively hefty
• Peely has guts!

Lego Fortnite Peely Bone will cost you around a hundred bucks, which means it's definitely considered to be in the premium price territory – if you're considering purchasing it as a gift for gamers, then make sure it's going to be suitable for them first. While this price tag matches that of the Lego Fortnite Battle Bus, you are getting almost 500 additional pieces here, though no minifigs which balances things out somewhat.

The first thing you notice with the Lego Fortnite Peely Bone set is the heft of it, with the box weighing in at an impressively heavy 3.75lb (1.7kg) when it arrives, and once fully assembled the model still clocks in at over 2lb (almost 1kg). It also stands at over 14in (36cm) tall and at least 6.5in (17cm) wide depending on how you pose the arms, which means you'll need a sturdy shelf with a reasonable amount of space around it for your display.

Those poseable arms are one of the key features of the Lego Fortnite Peely Bone model, and thanks to some subtly integrated clips in the hands, they maintain a solid grip on the detailed Peely Pick Pickaxe and Paint Launcher accessories. They offer segmented bi-directional movement at the shoulders as well as bending at the wrists, which opens up a wide variety of stances.

Build

• A longer build that you may need to divide up
• Clear instructions throughout
• Some of the later steps can be tricky

It shouldn't come as a surprise that a build featuring over 1,400 pieces will take a decent amount of time to complete, but it's definitely something to consider. It took me around nine hours to assemble Lego Fortnite Peely Bone, working methodically and carefully though the stages that involved lots of small parts. There are a total of 15 paper bags containing all of those pieces, which provides plenty of opportunities to take a break along the way.

The weighty tome of an instruction booklet includes more than 200 pages with almost 500 steps in total to run through, and although there are some fairly complicated building techniques used to keep the model standing, these were never difficult to follow. It was really interesting seeing it come together over time, as after constructing the base and legs the body began as a nondescript, colorful chunk of blocks, then was gradually built up in layers until it took on a recognizable banana form.

While the majority of the build was quite straightforward, things do get a bit tricky when you have to initially connect the heavy main body to the narrow legs to make the model freestanding. This results in the structure being a bit wobbly at first, which feels somewhat dicey when you have to then attach additional pieces to it, though you do eventually shore everything up to become considerably more stable. There were also a couple of fiddly steps installing lots of small parts, such as the ribs of the skeleton and the guts, but thankfully they were few and far between.

If you don't enjoy the stress of applying stickers to your Lego sets, then I have great news! From the mouth and bruised patches on the banana skin to the detailing on the side of the Paint Launcher and the nameplate on the display stand, all of those are printed pieces that look great. There is just a single solitary decal included – a banana sticker to go on Peely's back – which is actually a funny little touch.

Design

• Clever building techniques add interesting angles
• Sturdy despite the size and weight
• Lots of little details to spot

It's clear that a lot of thought has been put into the design of the Lego Fortnite Peely Bone model, to make it as interesting as possible. Having the two legs starting at different heights and angles but still connecting solidly to the body is an incredibly impressive feat of engineering, and you'll discover some really interesting building techniques as you assemble the set that make this possible.

There are a number of Easter eggs tucked away during the build that only you will know about, such as a hidden heart and brain for Peely in contrast to his other, more visible internal workings. There are also some fun uses of unexpected pieces if you look closely, such as white boomerangs and sausages employed as bones, and a yellow telephone forming a heel.

As well as the fun sticker I mentioned earlier, Peely also has the Banana Bag Back Bling strapped on behind him, complete with several additional bunches of bananas hanging off it. This is not only a cool accessory, but it also cleverly acts as a counterweight to the model, increasing its stability and allowing for more poseable positions of the arms.

Should you buy the Lego Fortnite Peely Bone (77072)?

The Lego Fortnite Peely Bone is a highly detailed model, but it won't appeal to everybody, so the answer to whether you should buy it or not comes down to personal taste. If you're not going to have fun looking at a half-banana, half-skeleton figure with its guts out, then clearly this isn't for you, but if you enjoy the quirkiness and have a soft spot for ol' Peely himself then this would be a great addition to your collection.

Ratings

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested the Lego Fortnite Peely Bone (77072)

I built the Lego Fortnite Peely Bone (77072) set over the course of a day in three separate sessions, which totalled around nine hours overall. Having done this, I would personally recommend dividing it up over a couple of days to avoid building fatigue, and with 15 bags of parts in total there are plenty of easy points to take a break until the next session.

For more, check out our guide to how we test products.

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