Bring Home the Classic A Close Shave Ride: LEGO 21371 Wallace & Gromit

LEGO Wallace & Gromit: A Build Full of Character

LEGO Ideas 21371 Wallace & Gromit combines two expressive characters with a red motorcycle and sidecar from A Close Shave. Its appeal comes from how the pieces work together: broad curves suggest clay-shaped limbs, small eye elements carry personality, and the vehicle gives the pair a shared adventure.

Key Takeaways

• Character building depends on proportion, facial detail and posture working together.
• The motorcycle and sidecar bring a different set of building problems: curved bodywork, a readable vehicle silhouette and connected assemblies.

Printed details, movable parts and film references give you reasons to look closely as you build.

These specifications come from LEGO’s official product information. The observations below examine the design choices and what a builder can learn from them. lego.com

Why Does This Motorcycle Scene Work So Well in Bricks?

The riding scene puts the two characters into a relationship you can read immediately. Wallace leans into the handlebars while Gromit sits beside him. Their vehicle supplies a common direction, so the figures feel involved in the same moment.

The source is the 1995 film A Close Shave. Its official synopsis places the pair in a window-cleaning business, with a wool shop, mysterious sheep rustling and Wallace’s inventions woven into the story. That mixture of everyday work and improbable adventure gives the motorcycle its context. Wallace & Gromit

Fan designer Sébastien Esnault, known as Pidelium, chose a scene that connected strongly with his memory of the characters. In a designer interview, he described using rounded elements and repeatedly revising Wallace’s head to balance recognizable proportions with sturdy construction. Brick Fanatics

That is an interesting challenge for a character building set. A face can contain the right colors and still feel unfamiliar if the eyes sit too far apart or the head has the wrong outline. Here, the proportions deserve as much attention as the finished details.

How Do Curved Pieces Capture Wallace and Gromit?

Curved pieces let the figures retain the rounded appearance associated with their screen counterparts. Look at the relationship between the hands, limbs and heads: each part contributes to a consistent character style.

A good way to appreciate the build is to pause before the last facial details go on and study the underlying shapes.

What Makes Wallace Recognizable?

Wallace’s broad hands, curved fingers and rounded limbs carry much of his outline. His white shirt, blue overalls and red tie then organize the figure into clear areas of color. The pale face and white helmet keep attention near the top of the build.

The smile adds another layer. Its printed shape supplies detail that would be difficult to express at this size using separate pieces alone. The surrounding head still has to establish the right proportions for that smile to belong to Wallace.

For a builder, the useful lesson is to consider the face and body together. Enlarged hands would feel disconnected on a figure with entirely different proportions; here they help establish the same visual language from the handlebars to the helmet.

Why Did the Eyes Need New Printing Technology?

The designers wanted rounded eyes that resembled the puppets’ prominent eye shapes. According to their published explanation, the small 1 × 1 dome element could not originally be printed using the available process, so the team developed technology to decorate it. Brick Fanatics

The innovation lies in printing on an existing curved element.

A curved eye has both a graphic surface and a physical profile. Seen from an angle, it still projects from the face. That helps explain why a seemingly tiny part was worth so much development effort.

How Does Gromit Convey Personality?

Gromit’s face depends on the relationship between the eyes, nose and head angle. His goggles add another possibility by changing how the eyes appear through the lenses. The arms and hat flaps supply further gestures without requiring a rebuilt head.

Try changing one movable feature at a time after assembly. Turn the head slightly, then adjust an arm, then compare the goggles raised and lowered. This makes it easier to see which change creates the expression you like.

That exercise is useful beyond this model. A character can gain a sense of attention or hesitation through a small change in posture; adding more facial detail is only one route to personality.

What Makes the Motorcycle and Sidecar Interesting to Build?

The vehicle introduces a different rhythm from the figures. The motorcycle’s wheels, engine forms, seat and red bodywork must read as a coherent machine, while the sidecar needs a rounded shell that accommodates Gromit. Joining them brings those separate shapes into one scene.

Look at the contrast between the black mechanical areas and the red outer surfaces. The darker sections make the visible structure easier to distinguish, while the larger red forms establish the vehicle’s outline.

These are useful details for anyone interested in motorcycle building models. You can study how a recognizable machine emerges from the relationship between a few large shapes and a series of smaller mechanical details.

Why Is the Sidecar Shape a Building Challenge?

Ellen Bowley described the sidecar as egg-shaped in the designer roundtable coverage. Creating that form required building in different directions, with limited space left inside for Gromit. Brick Fanatics

For the builder, watch how the attachment direction changes as a subassembly grows. A curved panel may face outward even though the section holding it was assembled from another direction. Following those changes is more helpful than assuming every section will stack vertically.

This is also a reminder that an outer shape and its internal connections solve different problems. The red shell establishes the contour; the connections underneath determine where that shell can sit.

How Did Two Designers Bring the Scene Together?

Tom Gerardin worked on Wallace and the motorcycle, while Ellen Bowley developed Gromit and the sidecar. In their interview about the collaboration, they described working alongside each other and testing chassis iterations. Brick Fanatics

That division offers a useful way to read the finished set. Each half has its own character and building demands, yet both have to meet at a consistent position and angle. The connection between them is part of the design work.

For anyone who enjoys building with another person, this is a familiar problem: separate sections eventually need to become a coherent whole.

Which Small Details Tell a Bigger Story?

The seat compartment contains crackers, a yarn ball and a diamond, as listed by LEGO. They reward opening a small part of the vehicle and looking inside, adding a second layer of discovery after the main shapes are recognizable.

The film connections are enjoyable to explore. Yarn fits naturally with the wool-shop setting of A Close Shave, while a diamond recalls the heist in The Wrong Trousers. These connections let the small accessories point beyond the motorcycle scene. Wallace & Gromit

There is also a useful distinction between the decorations. New Elementary’s parts and building review identifies printed eyes and Wallace’s mouth, alongside a sticker sheet. The visible detail comes from several methods, each doing a different job. www.newelementary.com

As you assemble a model like this, notice when a tiny decoration changes what an object means. A small tile becomes recognizable packaging; a printed mouth helps identify a character. Piece count alone does not capture those choices.

How Can You Get More From the Building Experience?

Give yourself time to notice the decisions between major assemblies. This project combines character shaping, vehicle construction, decorated elements and pose adjustments, so there are several ways to enjoy the process beyond reaching the final page.

Keep the numbered sections separate. The supplied building review describes 10 numbered bags and two instruction booklets. Follow their organization so similar curves and small connectors remain easier to identify.

Check orientation before adding pressure. Compare the current instruction step with the piece in your hand, especially when curved elements look similar from above. A brief check is easier than undoing several layers.

Look at a connection before covering it. When an outer section is about to hide the attachment beneath, pause to see how the parts meet. Those moments can teach you more about construction than the completed surface reveals.

Take care with decorated parts. Check sticker placement against the instructions before pressing it down. Keep fingers away from the adhesive as much as possible while aligning it.

Adjust the finished pose gradually. Move the intended joints gently and support nearby assemblies. Working one feature at a time helps you judge the result without disturbing the whole scene.

These are general building suggestions; follow the set’s instructions for the actual assembly sequence.

What Can This Set Teach You About Choosing Your Next Build?

Consider the kind of problem you enjoy solving. Some builders are drawn to expressive figures; others want to see how familiar vehicle shapes can be recreated. This Wallace and Gromit building set gives both interests room within one project.

When choosing another building set, look for photographs and descriptions that explain those aspects clearly. Ask which parts of the assembly you want to spend time on, alongside whether you like the finished subject.

If you enjoy characterful models and detailed vehicles, explore BRICKREGAL building sets for your next hands-on project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Gromit have no lower body?

The rounded sidecar leaves limited room inside. In the designer interview, Ellen Bowley explained the space constraint, while Tom Gerardin noted that an upper-body puppet was also used for sidecar shots in the film. The brick-built version follows that composed riding scene. Brick Fanatics

Are all the small details printed?

No. The eyes and Wallace’s mouth use printed elements, while other decorations use stickers. Check the instructions before applying a sticker, especially when a curved surface makes its alignment easy to misjudge.

Can two people build the set together?

The two instruction booklets cover independent sections, giving two builders a practical way to share the project. Agree who will build each section and coordinate when the motorcycle and sidecar come together.

Do you need to know every film to enjoy the build?

Familiarity adds another layer to the accessories and character choices. You can also approach it as a study in sculpting faces, shaping bodywork and combining figures with a vehicle. Those building problems are understandable without knowing every reference.

How long should you allow for assembly?

Let your pace and experience decide. The 1,038-piece count cannot predict a single completion time: sticker placement, checking curved subassemblies and experimenting with poses all affect how you spend the session. Choose convenient stopping points between major sections.

Sources and Independence

This article draws on LEGO’s official product information, original designer interviews published by Brick Fanatics, New Elementary’s building and parts review, and official Wallace & Gromit film resources. Interpretations of the design and general building suggestions are BRICKREGAL’s editorial analysis.

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site. Wallace & Gromit and associated intellectual property belong to their respective rights holders. BRICKREGAL publishes this independent building guide.