Lighting kits for LEGO sets, something I’ve been a fan of for a number of years now, are everywhere. AFOLs are embracing them as the ultimate upgrade for their LEGO collection, and there are more options for suppliers than ever before.
When LeLightGo offered me the opportunity to review one of their kits, I jumped at the chance to try a new supplier and when given the chance to light up the Elven sanctuary of Rivendell I was all in.
But what was I letting myself in for? Lighting kits can be exceptionally fiddly things to install, especially on sets you’ve already built, and Rivendell is one of those sets that, whilst wonderfully designed, has a number of delicate areas with pieces that’ll fall out if you look at them a little funny. A good challenge for LeLightGo, a potentially painful experience if it all went wrong.
First thing I’d say is, much like other suppliers, the lighting kit came exceptionally well packaged. A solid card box, protecting the contents well inside and sealed well. The individual components inside were grouped into tight, resealable numbered bags of high quality. It’s clear that LeLightGo take great care to ensure the product arrives to you in perfect condition.
It’s important to note as well, that the lighting kit comes with both a USB connection, and a battery pack.
Packaging is so much more important when it comes to kits like this because of how delicate some of the components can be, so I was very happy to see such high quality here.
One thing that did initially concern me when opening this pack, was the lack of instructions. Every other lighting kit I’ve had in the past has always came with a printed copy of the instructions to follow. It’s a concern that quickly faded when I realised that all instructions are downloadable directly from the companies website, easily accessible from their home page. That being said, if you prefer a physical copy of the instructions, that’s one negative here, personally I prefer the digital approach.
The instructions themselves are very easy to follow, with high quality images taking you step by step through the process, easily indicating which numbered bag and which component you need at any given point. From start to finish, and Rivendell is far from the simplest or smallest set to install a lighting kit to, I had no issue following the instructions with ease.
The single most important thing for me when installing a lighting kit, especially on a set as complex as Rivendell, is how much needs to be taken apart in order to install the kit. The last thing you want to do is spend the vast majority of the install time rebuilding a LEGO set that you’ve already dedicated hours to putting together.
LeLightGo’s lighting kit tackles this extremely well with a number of really well thought-out design choices which utilise the existing builds hidden spots, tucking wires into areas hidden behind other bricks. The kit also uses the sets own segregation to make the installation easier. What I mean by this is that the sections that split apart as part of the sets design each have their own circuit of components which then all connects at the end. It makes the whole install process so much more seamless and from start to finish, there’s actually very little that needs to be deconstructed to install.
Another design choice, and one that I’ve not seen with any other supplier, is the different coloured wires used. In almost every other lighting kit I’ve used the wires are either black or white, but there’s a standard across the set.
LeLightGo has a variation, and there’s a really good reason for it. They’ve used the different coloured wires to camoflage the wires better within the set, using white cables in areas with lighter bricks and black where either the cables are much easier to hide, or the bricks are darker – such as the tree trunks. For me, this subtle design decision pushes this supplier up there with best, it’s brilliantly done, and yet such a simple thing.
Another area that impressed me about this kit is that some of the lighting components used were made flexible, with a sticky back, meaning that there were more options available for installation without the rigidness usually associated with LEGO. It meant the lighting above the archways in the main part of the LEGO build could be placed perfectly to match the contours of the design without having to remove any bricks.
The components used throughout the kit are high quality, similar to some of the best that I’ve seen from other suppliers, and they use what has become the standard in this niche industry in terms of connections, meaning that cables and splitters from other kits are fully compatible as well.
That might not seem like an overly important point when installing an entire kit independent of anything else, but for those of you like me that have many, many lighting kits hooked up to each other and with more complex larger collections, it’s good to know that LeLightGo hasn’t decided to go completely off on their own tangent with something so different. Also, it’s good to know that replacement components can be found, should they ever be needed in the future.
The variety of components used in the set is also something to note, and whilst a lot of the kit does revolve around the standard light blocks and led stud lights, there are a couple of really nice exceptions that make the finished install so much better.
One highlight for was the green light strip wrapped around the large tree in the middle of the set. It’s such a prominent part of the build, rising up above everything else, it needed something special is stand out and LeLightGo delivered, as you can see in the image above, the effect is superb.
Similarly, the installation includes a light strip being slid in behind the statues at the bottom of the tower. The end result is a component barely visible until you switch on the light and get a beautiful green glow silhouetting the grey minifigure statues.
Overall, what could have been a painful experience installing a lighting kit on such a complex set turned out to be such a delight.
LeLightGo’s lighting kit is well designed, high quality, and easy to apply. It ticks every box for me in terms of what I look for in a great lighting kit. In addition, it applies design choices above and beyond some of their competitors – the different coloured wires definitely a highlight for me as hiding the wires is a big part of a good lighting kit install.
The only downside is there’s no physical copy of the instructions so you do need to either be near a device to use the digital ones, or print them yourself.
The only real improvement point I’d say is that some suppliers are now integrating wireless connectors into their kits. This kit could potentially benefit from that technology given the size of the set. It can be a fiddly experience disconnecting wires when there’s a need to move the set. That’s more of a wishlist item than any kind of critism, this is a great lighting kit and the end result speaks for itself.
As mentioned right at the beginning of the review, this kit was provided to me for review purposes, but every word is my own. I’m wholehearted a fan of this lighting kit.
If you’re interested in purchasing anything from LeLightGo, then use my promo code LIFEINBRICK at the check-out for 25% off all kits.
