It must be tricky for the brains at Lego to keep coming up with new and interesting ideas, and yet they always seem to manage it. With the Retro Radio we have a fantastic utilisation of the rarely-seen sound brick, which when coupled with some wonderful design and another seriously cool feature I’ll cover later leads us to a set that not only looks the business and will look great in pretty much any room, but can also serve as an entertainment option and wonderful conversation piece. Let’s dive in and take a look.
On the outside you’d think that the Retro Radio was a fairly simple build, but once you start poking around you’ll quickly see the quality and functionality that has gone into this design. The main detail is, as you’d expect, on the front of the radio. Here you’ll find a pair of round buttons: an on/off button and a tuning knob. With the power button in the “off” position not much happens when you turn the tuning knob; sure, the tuning marker moves up and down (thanks to some fantastic technical work inside) but you won’t hear a peep out of the sound brick. But as soon as you turn the power to the “on” position you can start to actually tune the radio and hear audio coming from the set. At various points you’ll meet some resistance in the tuning, and after a satisfying click you’ll hear a short snippet of radio from the sound brick. There’s a range of sounds to hear all played at random, so whether you want a snippet of tomorrow’s weather, the “Lego FM” jingle or an awesome 50s guitar riff from Everything is Awesome, it’ll be a little while before you’ve heard them all. I really love the fact that you only get the audio when the radio is switched on, and having built the mechanics behind the system you’ll even get to see exactly how it all works as well. It’s very, very cool.
As for the other great feature I mentioned in the intro, the radio is quite hollow apart from the workings of the power and tuning, and this space has been utilised really well. By popping off the easily-removed back plate you’ll find a gently sprung holder to allow you to slot your mobile phone into the back and hold it neatly in place. from that point you can put something on to listen to and treat the radio as an actual music, radio or podcast device. The only issue there is the slightly rubbish sound that most phones make, but the good news here is the space is big enough for a slim Bluetooth speaker instead which will not only give you a better sound but also let you control it without having to constantly take your phone in and out. It won’t replace a proper stereo setup if you’ve got one, but it’s a great option and will definitely impress any visitors you might have!
For a build that is at times quite complex, the instructions are crystal clear. More intricate stages are broken down into smaller steps, while the more straightforward structural sections move at a slightly more speedy pace. You never feel like your time is dragging while building this, and the numerous radio-based facts spread throughout the instructions give a nice breather for a minute when you’ve been building solidly for a while. There’s also some really nice piece usage, the most visible example being the swimming flipper that gets used as the AM/FM selector switch (which, if you’re wondering, is just a visual effect and doesn’t impact the sound brick’s functionality), and Lego’s ongoing drive for sustainability continues with the total lack of plastic packaging in this set – all of the bags are paper, so any confusion about recycling is completely wiped out.
The Retro Radio set is a very well designed and enjoyable build. Clear instructions with regular radio facts throughout really help, and with the nice complex movement systems included there’s a decent amount of challenge without ever becoming overwhelming or confusing. At the £90 mark it’s probably just out of the realm of an impulse buy, but if you like your retro tech and want something that you can show off to people and act as a part-time speaker of sorts, this could be just the right build for you. Lots of fun, and highly recommended.