Shanghai

Name: LEGO Shanghai 21039
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 21039
Rating: 4.79 (1322 reviews)

83 · HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: A2018597 pcsHigh agreement · 98%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

1.3K+

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Highly Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"With a BrickScore of 82.6 and 1,322 owner ratings averaging 4.79 out of 5, the Shanghai Architecture set is a clear standout in the Skylines lineup, delivering unmatched architectural variety and a genuinely clever twisted-tower building technique that critics from both JANG and Brickset praised as the best the subtheme has produced."

Both expert reviewers agree that the Shanghai Architecture Skylines set stands as the most impressive entry in the Skylines subtheme, praised for its architectural diversity, scale, and innovative building techniques. JANG called it his personal favorite Skylines set, while Brickset highlighted the eight-building lineup as the most varied of any Skylines release. Real buyers echo the enthusiasm strongly: 1,322 owner ratings average 4.79 out of 5, and 94% say they would recommend it, though the LEGO platform's value-for-money signal came in at 4.0, consistent with the critics' mild concern about price.

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LOVED (6)

01The twisted Shanghai Tower, built using 3x3 curved half beam elements and flexible tubes, praised as a standout engineering achievement across the entire Architecture theme
02Architectural and historical diversity spanning ancient temples, colonial-era buildings, and modern financial district skyscrapers, all in one model
03Eight buildings, more than any prior Skylines set, creating a compelling and varied skyline silhouette
04Varied build techniques including SNOT, inverted building, and a mix of upside-down and right-side-up construction
05New and interesting parts including 2x3 tiles, 1x3 modified tiles with two studs, dark gray Bionicle Rock Eyes, and medium blue jumper plates in new sizes
06Overall display quality praised as head-and-shoulders above comparable Skylines sets

CRITICIZED (7)

01Smaller heritage structures such as the Chong Wang Meo Temple and Longhua Pagoda look too simple relative to their cultural importance
02Visible studs on the Radisson Blue Hotel slightly break up the aesthetic
03Lacking green accent details on the Oriental Pearl Tower terraces
04Shanghai World Financial Center wedge plate angles not quite capturing the building's organic shape, with warping visible on the rear
05One section of the Shanghai Tower does not twist consistently with the rest
06Jin Mao Tower notably absent, drawing complaints from multiple owner reviews
07Dense use of small pieces makes the finished model feel lighter in hand than the price implies

What reviewers are saying

"this is a much larger set than most of the skylines have been to date as a matter of fact it may be the largest of them"

JANG's LEGO Reviews

"Shanghai is definitely among the most architecturally diverse cities in the world and therefore seems ideally suited to this series."

Brickset Reviews

Ecosystem

Other LEGO Architecture Skylines sets — This is my personal new favorite Skyline series set from Lego architecture although it's not particularly Fair given how large this is you know it's not entirely fair to compare it directly against the others

One World Trade Center (implied) — The Shanghai World Financial Center uses similar tapering techniques to approximate a difficult shape previously attempted with One World Trade Center

Chicago — Shanghai is much larger than Chicago in terms of overall display size and number of buildings

London — Shanghai is much larger than London in terms of overall display size and number of buildings

ArchitectureTier 2Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

JANG's LEGO Reviews

Expert Video Source

"this is a much larger set than most of the skylines have been to date as a matter of fact it may be the largest of them"

Key Pros

✓Largest Skylines set to date with impressive scale
✓Varied and interesting build techniques throughout
✓Good architectural representation of Shanghai skyline

Key Cons

✕Small structures like Chong Wang Meo Temple and Longhua Pagoda look simple despite importance
✕Visible studs on Rison Blue Hotel break up aesthetics slightly

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Brickset Reviews

Editorial Source

BUY

"Shanghai is definitely among the most architecturally diverse cities in the world and therefore seems ideally suited to this series."

Key Pros

✓Represents diverse architectural styles spanning ancient, colonial and modern eras
✓Eight buildings (more than any previous Skyline set)
✓Architectural variation is marvellous and encapsulates Shanghai's history

Key Cons

✕HSBC Building should have included a pinnacle above the dome
✕Spherical observation decks of Oriental Pearl Tower are not actually spheres

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Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

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Exclusivity

Brickset Reviews: Wide retail release

Minifigures & Standout Parts

Standout parts (per reviewers)

2x3 tiles
Relatively new to the LEGO world, used ample amounts in Shanghai World Financial Center
1x3 modified tiles with two studs on top
Used extensively for the tapered design of Shanghai World Financial Center
Inverted tiles
Brought in for consistency on undersides of plates
Flexible parts
Used inside the Shanghai Tower to create the twisted effect
Bionic Rock Eyes (dark gray)
Old Bionicle piece used in dark gray color; reviewer predicts these will be sought after for custom builds and predicts many MOC builders will use them in the future
3x3 curved half beam elements
Used unusually in an official set for structural purposes in the Shanghai Tower, creating the twisting design

What Owners Say · summarized from 30 written reviews (LEGO, Amazon, Walmart)

Owners praise the set's innovative building techniques and display appeal, especially the distinctive twisting Shanghai Tower, but express frustration with its small size and occasional quality control issues.

COMMON PRAISE