Do kids still watch E.T. these days? We don’t know. Heck, we don’t even have any idea what streaming service you have to use to watch it on your streaming device. If you were around before the turn of the new millennium, though, then there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic more than a few times. As you’ll also likely be interested in the LEGO Ideas E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial set.
That’s right, LEGO is going back to the well of pop culture nostalgia with a model of the iconic alien from one of the 80’s most beloved movies. Whether you grew up with the character from back in the day or a new fan after seeing it on your big screen OLED TV in the living room, this thing lets you build a tabletop version of the lovable alien who found himself stranded on Earth.
The LEGO Ideas E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial lets you build an articulated model of the beloved alien, allowing you to recreate any of his poses from the movie. There’s plenty to do here, too, as the model can tilt its head up and down, rotate its head 360 degrees, open and close its mouth, move its arm up and down, rotate its wrists, and even open and close its fingers. And yes, you can make its fingers point anywhere, so it can show you which star it calls home.
The model takes on quite the impressive likeness, too, recreating not just the alien’s unusually-shaped head, but his wrinkled skin, lanky body, short stubby legs, and general appearance. Suffice to say, you won’t mistake this model for any random alien out of any other sci-fi franchise. That is to say, this thing is remarkably sculpted for a LEGO model, with whoever the designer definitely taking the time to get the overall look right.
The LEGO Ideas E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial also comes with a red light brick that’s installed on E.T.’s chest. To the unfamiliar, the alien’s chest cavity would glow in a pulsating red light in the movie whenever any time it tried to connect with the living things around it, whether it’s bringing a plant back to life, sharing emotions, or trying to communicate telepathically. A switch in the back allows you to easily turn the red light on and off, so you can incorporate the character’s glowing chest in your display poses. Very fun. Oh yeah, they also included a flower pot with sunflowers growing on it to recreate that scene where the alien uses its powers to bring the dead plant back to life.
A total of 1,226 pieces are included in the set, so this can make for an immersive build that won’t eat up too much of your free time. Once assembled, by the way, it measures 9.5 x 8.5 x 6 inches (height x width x depth), so you can put it side by side right next to your 1:6-inch action figures. In case you were wondering, this is LEGO’s first buildable E.T. model, with the only previous one they made being a minifigure.
The LEGO Ideas E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial comes out August 1st, priced at $139.99.