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#2388 SET REVIEW: 10334 Retro Radio

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This sleek model is packed with fun features, clever building techniques, and some cool new LEGO elements. But who will it appeal to: AFOLs, music lovers, or fans of vintage electronics?

#2388 SET REVIEW: 10334 Retro Radio £89.99 $99.99 €99.99 for 906 parts Our score: 20/25 This sleek model is packed with fun features, clever building techniques, and some cool new LEGO elements. But who will it appeal to: AFOLs, music lovers, or fans of vintage electronics? Tune in for our full review! Image of 10334 Retro Radio, saying “Listen up! I have a few things to say as well…”

Tune in for our full review!

[Review products provided by the LEGO group, but all opinions are our own and honest - we don’t have to praise sets to keep receiving them.]


Featuring @dimexart


Part selection: New recolours: Sound brick in Light Aqua x1, 1x1x2/3 Modified plate with stud on top in Light Aqua x4, 1x1x2 Bracket in Medium Nougat x3, 1x2 bracket in Light Aqua x4, 1x2 Technic brick in Light Aqua x12, 2x2 Modified brick with inverted curve x6, 2x3 Curved Technic panel in Medium Nougat x4, 2x4 Modified brick with curved slope in Light Aqua x2, 2x10 plate in Light Aqua x3, 6L bar with stop in Flat Silver x1, Minifigure Accessory Wand in Red x1. New prints: 1x2 Panel in Bluish Light Grey with AM/FM pattern x1, 2x2 Round tile quarter circle in Bluish Light Grey with On pattern x1, 2x2 Round tile quarter circle in Bluish Light Grey with Off pattern x1, 2x4 tile in Light Bluish Grey with black LEGO pattern x1, 2x4 tile in Light Bluish Grey with black AM/FM frequency pattern x1, 2x6 tile in Light Bluish Grey with black AM/FM frequency pattern x1. Rare parts: 1x1 Modified tile with O clip in Orange x2, 1x2 Modified plate with inverted slope in White x2, 2x2x2/3 Modified plate with studs on side in Light Aqua x3, 1x2x3 Panel in Light Aqua x4, 1x2 Modified plate with shield slope in Light Bluish Grey x1, 12-tooth Technic gear in Blue x1, 20-tooth Technic gear in Dark Azure x1, 2x2 Modified brick with gear worm screw hole in Black x1, Gear worm screw in Light Bluish Grey x1, Technic axle connector in Lime x1. Parts in bulk: 1x1 round plate in Blue x25, 1x2 Round plate in Black x20, 1x2 Modified plate with grill x39. Images of all elements above. Retro Radio includes exclusive new prints, marvelous recoloured parts, several rare pieces, and the sound brick, but in very low quantities. Part Selection: ⅘.

Features: This radio hides some surprises! Image of the set with the following callouts: Moving frequency indicator Handle supports the full weight of the set, and can be raised or lowered. Antenna rotates, moves back and forward, and clips into “down” position. (Image of how the antenna attaches with technic hinge elements). On/off knob activates the tuning knob mechanism. Front grill is partially perforated for better acoustics. Tuning knob moves the frequency indicator and triggers the internal sound brick. Moving band selector. The back panel opens to reveal the sound brick and a smartphone holder (Image of the back of the radio with the back panel removed and an iPhone Pro Max held inside). BONUS: Surprisingly good acoustics when a smartphone is played inside!

Alt text:

The standout feature of the Retro Radio is the second appearance of the LEGO sound brick.

Although the short (3-10 seconds) sound clips included are fun, there are only 10. Due to the small speaker size, the sound quality is not great, and not in a vintage way!

The sound brick made 31 unique sounds in its first appearance in 76429 Talking Sorting Hat

Image of 76429 Talking Sorting Hat.

Image of the LEGO sound brick surrounded by the following:

static

“LEGO FM” sung like a radio station intro

“Tomorrow’s weather: another beautiful, sunny day!”

“There’s the attempt!” “It’s gonna be close…” “Goal!”

“It’s good for the astronauts, and good for your family: ham salad!”

“Okay caller, guess that sound!” (sound effect) “A refrigerator breaking down?”

“Okay caller, guess that sound!” (sound effect) “A blue whale burping?”

“Okay caller, guess that sound!” (sound effect) “A squeegee on a windshield?”

Waiting room-style brass band instrumental music

A bar of Everything Is Awesome in twangy, country guitar instrumental music

Volume up to listen!


Techniques: An intricate assembly of gears creates the mechanism that controls the frequency indicator and sound brick. Image of the top of the set with the mechanism revealed and the following callouts: Turning the on/off knob engages the tuning knob with a clutch gear. Turning the tuning knob moves the frequency indicator. Image of the on/off knob with the following callout: Technic balls rotate as the tuning knob is turned, pushing down a striker that activates the sound brick. Image of the back of the set with back panel removed, with the following callout: This compact Technic assembly behind the front grill adds tension to the smartphone holder using a single rubber band. Image of the side of the radio and its connection points, with the following callout: The sides attach securely with two clever connection points using headlight bricks, bars, and exposed SNOT bricks. Image of a headlight brick with a 2L bar pushed through from the back.

Image of the radio’s frequency indicator with the following callouts: The frequency indicator is hinged into place by a modified plate attached to the gear worm brick. The indicator moves along the frequency chart as the gear worm screw is twisted. NPU alert: The AM/FM band selector is formed by a black minifigure flipper attached to a modified plate with bar! Images of the AM/FM band selector and the two pieces that form it. Image of the front and back of the front grill with the following callout: Behind the clean-looking front grill is the support for the smartphone holder. The techniques used in this 18+ set are notably compact, and are designed to function with extreme precision in a limited space. However, this does make some of the functions tricky to build. Techniques: ⅘

Accuracy: Ever since they were introduced in the 1950s, portable transistor radios have come in a variety of colours, shapes, and sizes. Retro Radio was inspired by designs from the 1960s and 1970s. It combines the colourful, rounded style of the 60s with the boxy, gridded aesthetic from the 70s. While not meant to depict any particular model, this set does an excellent job of capturing the outward appearance of a typical transistor radio. Images of a 1960s portable radio, 1970s portable radio, and Retro Radio. Accuracy: ⅘

Display Value: Image of LEGO Retro Radio with the following dimensions indicated: Width: 9in (23 cm) Height 7 in (18cm) Retro Radio’s colour palette, details, and proportions are just stunning. Thanks to its almost completely tiled surfaces, it looks incredible on display. It could easily be mistaken for a real vintage radio from the 70s! Though limited, the sound functions are intuitive, adding playability and an extra dimension of realism to the set. Display Value: 5/5

Value for Money: Finely detailed prints help add accuracy and authenticity to the Retro Radio. Unfortunately, with tiny text continuing on adjoining tiles, minor alignment issues are inevitable. Image of slightly misaligned tile printing. The radio case’s use as a smartphone amplifier is extremely well considered. Its sturdy back panel can be easily removed and replaced to access the interior (in order to control a smartphone inside or switch batteries in the sound brick). Image of the back of the set with the back panel detached. With a price per piece of $0.11, Retro Radio is a decent value. Its price tag is offset by the inclusion of its LEGO sound brick, a host of exclusive prints, and some extremely rare pieces. Value for Money: 3/5

Final Thoughts: We love Retro Radio’s cool, colourful appearance! But it would have been even nicer to see a design that captured the funky curves and angles that typified electronics from the 1960s. Image of a vintage radio MOC by @dimexart. A lot of effort went into creating a very realistic frequency chart with a moving indicator—which is then somewhat obscured by transparent elements. Image of the frequency shart obscured by transparent elements. As a brick-built smartphone holder, Retro Radio greatly improves upon the concept introduced in 21347 Classic London Telephone Box. Image of 21347 Classic London Telephone Box. Will you be picking up this portable radio or does it make you want to change the station? Let us know in the comments!


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