LEGO Ideas and its obsession with retro builds will not die anytime soon. The vintage Polaroid SX-70 camera, the ingenious Tetris LEGO set, and now the LEGO Icons Retro Radio set are proof enough. The new 906-piece set is a nod to the musical era of the 50s and 60s when radio was an integral part of life.
The set is a part of LEGO’s Icons collection and is all set to arrive June 1 for $99.99 in LEGO stores worldwide and official online stores. The set will initially be exclusive to LEGO Insiders and from June 4 onwards anyone can get their hands on this one. While the set cannot (unfortunately) play your local radio station, it has something that’ll please online music listeners.
Designer: LEGO Ideas
Reviving the retro element are the bright color accents in white and brown of the bygone era. You’ll be more than keen to put it together and highlight it as your living room centerpiece or reserve the prime spot on your shelves. When fully assembled, the bricky radio stands over 13 inches high, 9 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep, making it a LEGO model that more than meets the eye. While we can go on talking about its nostalgic faux wood-colored trims, pastel bluish green exterior, classic speaker slits, extendable antenna and the tuner window; the functionality doesn’t take a back seat in any way.
The radio LEGO comes with prerecorded tunes such as fake sports stations that can be toggled using the dials. You can turn the dial to switch between these channels with the white noise of the radio taking you back in time. Another knob is used to switch on or off the unique radio While we believe the designers could have gone a step further by fitting in a transistor radio unit, you’ll have to emulate the feeling of listening to the good old radio by playing it on your phone. Yes, you can plug in your smartphone in a concealed compartment on the back panel and play your favorite music. Of course, you can play Spotify or Apple Music on this radio but we’ll stick to playing the classic music just to be in the retro feels! But to really enjoy a more authentic retro music experience, this Portable CD Cover Player lets you dust off your CD collection, slip in the cover jacket, and enjoy your favorite tunes wherever you go, without worrying about the player accidentally falling apart brick by brick.