LEGO Reviews Ideas21313

Ship in a Bottle

Name: LEGO Ship in a Bottle 21313
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 21313
Rating: 4.65 (910 reviews)

82 · HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: A2018962 pcsHigh agreement · 94%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

910

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Highly Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"Ship in a Bottle holds a BrickScore of 81.6 and earns its Highly Recommended status through near-universal praise as one of the most display-worthy Ideas sets produced: 910 owners average 4.65/5 and 88% recommend it. Anyone wanting a sophisticated, conversation-starting display model will be very well served, provided they go in knowing this is a pure builder-display piece with no play functions."

The Ideas Ship in a Bottle earns a BrickScore of 81.6, placing it in the Highly Recommended tier, and owner sentiment reinforces that verdict with 4.65 out of 5 across 910 ratings and an 88% recommendation rate. Reviewers and owners alike treat this as an exceptional display centerpiece, praising the clever bottle-building technique, abundant transparent pieces, printed details, and the set's ability to pass as genuine home decor rather than a toy. The main caveat, flagged repeatedly, is pure display orientation: LEGO's own play experience signal sits at 3.59/5, making clear this is a build-once-display-forever piece rather than a play set.

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LOVED (8)

01Stunning, realistic display quality that looks like genuine home decor from a mantle or shelf
02Clever bottle construction using large quarter-circle 4x4 plate cutout pieces
03286 trans-blue 1x1 water studs creating a convincing sea interior
04Printed pieces including wax seal, ship sails, and compass rose
05Detailed wooden stand with compass and nautical rope-style name plate
06Decorative globe accessories at each end of the stand
07Satisfying multi-technique build with varied construction challenges
08Reintroduction of large corner bottle sections not seen since the 1990s

CRITICIZED (5)

01Original MSRP considered high by many reviewers, partly attributed to the reintroduced large corner pieces
02Placing the ship inside the partially built bottle is extremely fiddly and requires patience
03Many small transparent pieces are difficult to distinguish from one another during the water-base construction
04No playability: purely a display piece with no minifigures or interactive elements
05Some felt the ship could be more visible through the bottle walls

What reviewers are saying

"this is practically one-to-one scale to many real ships in a bottle especially the bottle part itself it actually ends up being a little bit larger than many liquor bottles are and so I think this is a great scale in fac…"

JANG's LEGO Reviews

"Nevertheless, 21313 Ship in a Bottle is an absolute delight!"

Brickset Reviews

Ecosystem

6285 Black Seas Barracuda — The miniature Leviathan ship is almost exactly the same size as the miniature Black Seas Barracuda from 40290. Many fans wondered if the Barracuda would fit inside the bottle; reviewer confirmed it does (with flag removal) and 'looks fantastic' inside.

10253 Big Ben — Similar compass printing technique on trans-clear parabola was previously used on Big Ben; the technique continues to impress here.

IdeasTier 2Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

JANG's LEGO Reviews

Expert Video Source

Key Pros

✓Perfect scale relative to real ships in bottles
✓Excellent build detail and craftsmanship throughout ship model
✓Beautiful cap and cork design

Key Cons

✕Non-ABS transparent pieces have high clutch power, making assembly difficult and risky
✕Requires finesse and patience, particularly challenging without small fingers

JUMP TO REVIEW

Brickset Reviews

Editorial Source

BUY

"Nevertheless, 21313 Ship in a Bottle is an absolute delight!"

Key Pros

✓Outstanding bottle design and shaping
✓Beautiful stand resembling carved wood with consistent color scheme
✓Clever compass printing technique on trans-clear parabola

Key Cons

✕Price of £69.99 in UK feels too high for set size
✕Ship significantly reduced in size from original submission

READ FULL REVIEW

Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Buy now (0)Wait for sale (1)

Exclusivity

JANG's LEGO Reviews: LEGO Ideas exclusive; non-licensed fan-driven design

Brickset Reviews: LEGO Ideas exclusive (fan-designed set that went through Ideas submission process)

Resale

Brickset Reviews: Reviewer does not explicitly state resale expectations, though notes past LEGO Ideas sets have gone on sale, suggesting moderate aftermarket activity

Minifigures & Standout Parts

Standout parts (per reviewers)

Transparent non-ABS hard curved panel pieces (bottle shoulders and panels)
Extraordinarily high clutch power due to material surface, making assembly challenging but pieces very springy; rare curved transparent elements
Round 1x1 plates with bar extension in new color
Believed to be new color for these relatively recent pieces; used for banister-style railing on rear quarter deck
Wax seal printed piece
Exclusive print with LEGO designer initials (controversial choice per reviewer)
Ship name panel (front of stand)
Exclusive printed piece
Sea serpent prints on main sails
Center sail portions have gold shimmer details
Compass dish printed on underside
Clever technique—printed on opposite side so viewer sees underside

What Owners Say · summarized from 50 written reviews (LEGO, Amazon, Walmart)

Owners love the display appeal and unique design, but many struggle with the tedious build involving countless tiny clear pieces and structural fragility in the bottle.

COMMON PRAISE