LEGO Reviews Ideas40487

Sailboat Adventure

Name: LEGO Sailboat Adventure 40487
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 40487

80 · HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: A2021330 pcsHigh agreement · 93%

Expert reviews

5analyzed

Owner ratings

BrickScore

Highly Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"Widely regarded as one of the best gift-with-purchase LEGO sets ever made for its elegant color scheme and faithful fan-design execution, the Sailboat Adventure earns a BrickScore of 79.6, though prospective aftermarket buyers should be aware of reported white-piece quality inconsistencies that affected a subset of units."

The Sailboat Adventure (40487) earned near-universal praise from expert reviewers as one of the finest gift-with-purchase sets LEGO has ever released, with The Brothers Brick and JANG both calling it aesthetically exceptional and noting it faithfully preserves the spirit of the fan-submitted Ideas design. A small number of LEGO.com owners flagged genuine quality-control issues with discolored and imprecise white sail pieces, which created a visible split in the owner pool: overall the 7 LEGO.com ratings land at 4 out of 5, with 70% recommending. Experts focused on the design; some owners focused on the QC disappointment.

Where they split: Expert reviewers were uniformly positive on design and aesthetics, but a vocal subset of LEGO.com owners (who gave 20/100 scores) reported serious white-piece quality-control failures, describing visible gaps and yellowish discoloration. This owner-vs-critic split is worth noting: critics reviewed design, some buyers received QC-flawed copies.

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LOVED (7)

01Dark tan hull, dark orange deck, and gold highlights deliver a classic, elegant color scheme
02Complex interior construction for the scale, including brackets and gold flex-tube gunwales
03Brick-built sails using standard bricks and slopes, consistent from both sides

+4 more with Collector

CRITICIZED (5)

01Nautically inaccurate rigging: boom rotation direction and main sail connection differ from correct seamanship
02Bowsprit assembly is too long for the boat's scale and has structural stress points causing pieces to separate
03Minimal cabin interior with only a small table and limited standing space

+2 more with Collector

Build Facts what critics report

⏱ Build time

58 minutes

🧩 Difficulty

intermediate

🎯 Audience

adults

In Their Words most-used terms across every critic review

designcabinoriginaltechniquesgoodrigginghighsmallboatremovabledisplayplaysizeinteriordolphinsgreatspenddetaileddetailspacedecksailorrodseasilythresholdobtainschemedark

What reviewers are saying

"For a free set, Sailboat Adventure is remarkably detailed and cleverly designed."

True North Bricks

"The Éloïse is a lovely little sailboat, and definitely one of the best that LEGO has produced at this scale."

The Brothers Brick

Ecosystem

Vintage Car (GWP) — Sailboat Adventure joins the ranks of the top GWPs alongside Vintage Car, Amelia Earhart, and Mini Adidas Originals Superstar.

Amelia Earhart (GWP) — Positioned as one of the top GWPs from 2021, though reviewer has not yet built Amelia Earhart.

Mini Adidas Originals Superstar (GWP) — Grouped as one of the top GWPs of 2021.

40448 Vintage Car 78 — Like the Vintage Car before it, this set shows that designs pulled from fans can have a novel approach, bringing lots of great detail to subjects that have traditionally been quite simple LEGO models.

🎨 Designer Yan Chevalier (named by critics)

IdeasInvestment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

True North Bricks 🇨🇦

Expert Video Source

BUY

"For a free set, Sailboat Adventure is remarkably detailed and cleverly designed."

Key Pros

✓Remarkably detailed and clever design for a small set
✓Excellent build techniques (SNOT, shell pieces)
✓Printed wooden board tiles are a standout detail

Key Cons

✕Cabin is too small to accommodate minifigures
✕Front rigging rods are extremely fragile and fall off easily

JUMP TO REVIEW

The Brothers Brick

Expert Video Source

BUY

"The Éloïse is a lovely little sailboat, and definitely one of the best that LEGO has produced at this scale."

Key Pros

✓Lovely color scheme: dark tan hull, dark orange deck, gold highlights give it a classic, elegant look
✓Complex interior construction for its scale
✓Two minifigures with appropriate sailor costumes

Key Cons

✕Lack of rudder beneath the stern's til
✕Anchor is attached amidships rather than at the bow, which is not a great place for an anchor

JUMP TO REVIEW

3 more critic reviews + 7 buyer takes

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Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Critics discussed this set's investment case

Buy-now vs wait consensus, value drivers, exclusivity and resale outlook

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Minifigures & Standout Parts

In this set (2)

Sailor

Standout parts (per reviewers)

1×4 printed tiles designed to look like wooden boards
Reviewer explicitly highlights these as a favorite detail: "There are also a number of 1 4 tiles printed to look like wood boards. I love those."
3×8×2 shell pieces used for hull construction
Novel approach to building a ship hull rather than using traditional ship elements
Dolphins (2 pieces)
Included as special accessories to create a jumping-from-water effect
Trans-blue crystals (3 pieces)
Used to simulate water splashes around the dolphins
Printed 1×4 board tiles in dark orange
Same pattern as the new board tile from 21325 Blacksmith Shop, except without nails. Eight included.
Trans-light-blue crystals
Have been somewhat scarce with only a few large sets containing one each in recent years