Altair reviews the designer set 4401: Little Creations!

Ok, this is my first review on this site, and surely it’s not an easy one!

WARNING: this review is long, and since not all of the creations in the set have instructions (only images), I cannot guarantee that I built all of them right, but I am 93% sure I did.

Now let’s start the review of what I think is one of the most fun and timeless Lego sets ever!

The set was around 6€ at the time of release (2003) and it’s made pretty clear by how small the box is.

Front shot.

Back of the box.

And then here are all the other sides.

If you’re interested in buying the set, I suggest getting one still with the box, because it offers more angles for the models without the instructions.

Here’s the Idea Book, where you can find instructions and inspirations for all the models. It’s the smallest Lego booklet I’ve ever seen! It can easily fit into my hand.

Here it is.

Look at the tinyness!

Anyway, at page 2-3 you can see a list of the creations that have instructions, and their “build level”.

And here are all the pieces included in the set, extra ones too. As you can see, they are not many, but very versatile.

All right, now we can get into the “Little Creations” that the set is named after!

Pages 4-7 contain the first three, that you can build all at the same time, and they are all colorful tiny birds! It’s pretty clear that they don’t represent real life species, and are just work of imagination.

The first one is the simplest, and has no articulation at all. Instructions for this one are included in the Idea Book.

Yeah, this one (and one other near the end) is kind of lame, but it’s nice to start simple.

Then we get into a very funny looking one, which can move the feet, and the eyes can go up and down.

He can also move the little antenna-like “ears”, but unfortunately the wings are fixed in an open position.

The third one is the largest, and easily the best, of the three. There are two points of articulation in the legs, and the wings are hinged. It’s also surprisingly stable.

This bird is also seen in the booklet close to the next one we’re going to build, but it’s impossible to have them both built at the same time.

Pages 8-10 are dedicated to this very nice, big, bird, which is very colorful and nice to look at. It’s also one of the trickiest to build if you don’t have the box.

This bird features articulation in the little legs (two points), in the wings, and in the tail. Very nice creation overall.

Pages 11-25, then, featue pictures and instructions for the stars of the sets! The two animals can be built at the same time, and look just awesome.

The first one is, just like the previous creations, some kind of bird (looks a bit like a blue blackbird to me), but he has funny antenna-like feathers on the head too.

This one has plenty of articulation, on the beak, the legs, and the wings, but it’s not very stable though.

The fish… man, it looks so blocky, but yet so perfect! It’s a very nice display model.

The articulation is kinda lacking, since the tail can only go to one side, but this is still my favorite creation of the entire set!

After introducing the underwater environment by leaving the sky and the birds, the booklet introduces us, at pages 26-32, to some very funny looking (and kind of abstract, actually) water creatures.

The first one is clearly a little fish, and instructions are provided for this guy. I quite like this one, but it’s not nearly as awesome as the previous fish.

This other one is pretty useless though, I’m not a big fan of it.

Then there’s this weird creature. It’s obviously a completely made up animal, and it’s very funny, especially with those tiny legs on the back.

He can move the eyes up and down too, so that’s a plus!

The next one looks a bit like a developing frog to me, and it’s one of the few creatures to have a mouth.

The only real points of articulation are the small rear legs, but it’s still a fun thing.

The next pages ( 33-39) are dedicated to this gorgeous looking seahorse. The articulation is very limited, but it’s pretty big, and looks great!

This one is probably the largest creation (in terms of size) of the set, and it’s quite colorful too.

Then, at pages 40-42, we have this very happy looking group!

The turtle looks pretty amazing I think, especially considering the pieces it’s made of.

The only points of articulation are the hinges on the fins though. Not a big deal.

Next we have this very fat butterfly. I don’t like this model all that much.

This little scorpion though… soooooo cuuuuuuute!!! :blush:

Then we have this even cuter creature. Looks like an insect, but walks on two legs.

The antennae have articulation too.

And, lastly, this pretty useless bird with no articulation at all. Nice to have something more though.

Page 43, the last one, features a couple of pictures of this very well done bug creature. The build is very interesting, and a bit more complex than the others, so it makes sense to have it for last.

As far as articulation, this guy has plenty. The antennae move, and the legs are very posable, having two joints for the front an rear legs, and only one in the middle legs.

Overall I think that this set is great. It offers endless possibilities, and 17 very nice and well done models, for a very reasonable price, and everything looks fun and awesome. Since there are just a couple of creations I don’t like very much, I strongly recommend getting one, if you find it somewhere.

Final verdict:

What do you think of the set? Let me know with a comment!

10 Likes

Very in depth.
Good job.

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Hey, I remember those guys.

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They’re so cute. :blush:

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Cool set, radical review.

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