San Francisco

This is the best of the skyline series, SF gives a real sense of place where other kits in the series are more just famous buildings in a row. The San Francisco kit gives you the hills of the city, the steep streets with the streetcars, the painted victorian houses, some famous skyscrapers and the Golden Gate crossing the the Marin County headlands, plus Alcatraz! Definitely a kit to get while you can. more less

From the first time that I saw this set, I knew that I had to have it. It's absolutely stunning to see in person. The main focus point is obviously the Golden Gate Bridge. Although it's built in a maroon color rather than the bright red orange color it actually is, the Lego designers captured its beauty perfectly with the swinging cables. This part of the model is what made this set a must-have in my book. The other buildings in the set are pretty well captured too. The designers did a great job with the Transamerica Pyramid. I also love the printed bricks used in Alcatraz Island. Overall, the Lego designers really hit a home run with this set. It was a really fun build that looks awesome! more less

This build has a wide range of highlights and lowlights, making it more difficult to summarize than most of the other sets in the series. On the one hand, we have a convincing suspension bridge that explores forced perspective to achieve a greater feeling of depth than past sets. We also have a lot of lovely smaller details including an intricate rendition of Alcatraz Island, an attractive house-lined hilly street, and an inspired but simple design for the Transamerica Pyramid. Unfortunately, we also have some disappointments in this model, most notably the boring and poorly captured model of Salesforce Tower. The fact that it is a brand-new building that many people don't yet associate with the city doesn't help. I really do not like that the water appears patchy because it has a mix of black and blue plates beneath it. We also can't forget that the model relies a bit too much on printed parts for my taste, and the printed parts weren't printed very well. more less

The landscaping, additional buildings and the clever perspective of the bridge set this skyline apart from others in the series. Often they look look like the structures have been plonked on the base somewhat randomly but that's not the case here. I've never been to SF and don't know the significance of most of the buildings but I still feel that the spirit of the city -- its steep roads, colourful old houses, modern architecture, and of course that bridge -- has been captured superbly. In fact, it makes me want to visit, so from that regard it's a successful model! more less

I am torn over this set. In many ways it offers a unique Skyline build experience, and it definately captures San Francisco. Lovers of 'SF' will get a lot from it, those who moved away and are looking to relive some old memories. However, those who love Architecture sets or Skyline sets may find it too simple, and that it doesn't quite have the realistic look of other sets. At $50 it's not a cheap set either so it's hard for me to 100% recommend it. more less

What works so well about 21043 San Francisco is just how much of the city it manages to incorporate, and the more you look at it the more you'll notice. Whether you buy it because you love the city, or because you love the Architecture range, don't hesitate – it's a must have for 2019. more less

The Architecture line is probably one of the most progressive LEGO themes. Comparing the earliest models to what we have today, it has come a long way from stacking headlight bricks to innovative part use. Marketing the sets as a premium product for adult collectors used to price them out of the realm of parts packs for MOC builders, but those days are over. In the past two years, I've found myself buying some of the Architecture sets purely for parts. Despite their small size, they offer some neat techniques and look gorgeous on the shelf. more less