My summer does not officially begin until I watch Chief Brody and Hooper start paddling back to shore. It’s my one and only summer tradition. And this year it never happened. I never saw Jaws. Not a single scene! Don’t feel too badly for me, because I found an amazing way to appreciate one of my favorite films ever. LEGO sent us its new set based on Steven Spielberg’s seminal 1975 blockbuster, and piecing together the Orca and big ole Bruce more than made up for not seeing them on screen. But just like Alex Kintner never should have been allowed in the water that fateful day, this advanced LEGO Jaws collectible is definitely not for kids.
The new Jaws LEGO set is the latest fantastic design to come out of the company’s LEGO Ideas. Jonny Campbell of Belfast submitted this concept back in March of 2022. His original layout is still very much present in this spectacular set, which adds lots of detail and kinetic energy to his submission.
The official set consists of two main pieces, the Orca and the enormous shark that took it down. You can display each on their own, with “Bruce” getting his own little stand and movie nameplate. Or you can attach them both to an intricate base that recreates movement of waves and whitewash. (Along with some yellow barrels that giant shark is somehow dragging along.) But getting to those finished products takes some work. This is very much an 18+ set.
The Orca features a ton of great details and touches. There are fishing rods, spears, a shark cage, and more. It also includes a very full interior cabin that feels cramped as you are building it, but it looks fantastic when it’s done. While some portions of the boat are straight forward to and not especially difficult to make, I found the front especially hard to piece together. It’s very delicate. It was hard to know if I was doing something wrong or it was just made that way to give the boat a sense of vulnerability. I lean towards the former because I had some issues later that I obviously created and needed to very carefully correct. That’s on me, but just be aware that bag 4 (of 13) poses some trouble if you aren’t extra cautious.
Some of the details that make this ship feel like it might really sail away are also extra tricky. You have to tie the rope segments onto the tiniest possible pieces. That was not exactly a day at the beach for my sausage fingers. Also the ropes ultimately run through the very tall, very flexible mast. The mast’s lack of sturdiness adds authenticity, which this set has in abundance. But determining the exact amount of slack to use on the ropes is frustrating and time consuming. Ultimately it’s worth it, but only when you’re done.
The shark speaks for itself. It’s moderately difficult to snap together, as some portions are easy while others are not. It looks great on its own, but also easily separates so you can put most of its body on the base where it chases down the Orca. The best thing about the set’s shark is its size relative to the Orca. They’re almost equal in length, which wonderfully recaptures the moment in the movie when it swims right by and Quint assesses its size at 25-feet and “three tons of him.”
On that iconic ship, you’ll also find three of the best LEGO minifigs ever. Those legendary characters also contain an amazing little joke. Brody and Hooper’s heads give you two options, a happy side and a serious side. Quint, fittingly, only has a serious side. It’s perfection.
But describing what’s in this set and how challenging it is to build is like describing Jaws as a movie about the ocean. It doesn’t capture what’s really important. I’m not kidding about watching Jaws every summer. It’s a perfect movie and I never get sick of it. Actually constructing the Orca and seeing it come to life in my hands was genuinely thrilling. I was geeking out the more it came together. And ever time I added a new portion of detail, I was thinking about specific scenes from the film. I could hear the dialogue. It was a tactile experience that conjured up vivid memories of a thing I love.
At around 8-9 hours of build time, this 1,497-piece collectible isn’t a huge undertaking. The set’s time commitment doesn’t reflect its $149.99 price tag, though. If you also love Jaws, when you’re done you’ll have something that is definitely worth the price. Especially if you plan on making sure you have it right by your side when you watch Jaws every summer. And I promise I will not be missing out on rewatching it when the weather turns warm next year. That is, unless LEGO makes a second Jaws set.
I hope there is another one… just so long as LEGO doesn’t base it on Jaws 2. Not watching the sequels is another summer tradition of mine.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.