#10282 Adidas Originals Superstar is $79.99 (89.99€ / £79.99 / 109.99 CAD / 159.99 AUD), 731 pieces, ages 18+. The set comes to just $0.11 per piece in the USA, which is not a particularly good price. (The set includes a lot of large and printed parts and licensed sets are often more expensive.)

#10282 Adidas Originals Superstar – Shoebox and hidden box cover.

#10282 Adidas Originals Superstar will be released worldwide on Thursday July 1 at LEGO.com, and LEGO-brand retail stores, and Adidas stores.

First Impressions

While I applaud The LEGO Group’s recent efforts to reduce packaging waste and produce smaller boxes, I’m not immune to well-executed packaging. In the case of this LEGO set, what we are presented with is a cheeky but faithful reproduction of a typical shoebox.

That’s no ordinary shoebox!

On one end, we have a label that normally contains sizing information, and the rest of the box features the iconic three stripe design that even I recognize immediately as Adidas. When you open the flap, you will find a more typical LEGO Set cover, featuring the dark background and slender stripe along the bottom which we have come to expect from sets in the relatively new 18+ product line.

I think the packaging is brilliant; it will evoke a ton of nostalgic feelings for anyone who has ever purchased a pair of sneakers. We can only hope that this collaboration brings new fans into the LEGO hobby (especially since they will also be available at Adidas stores).

Contents

The box has unusual dimensions for a LEGO set, but a very familiar shape and size for a shoe box (albeit a bit heavier)!

• Box Size: 32 x 19.6 x 11.5 cm (12 5/8” x 7 3/4” x 4 1/2”)
• Box Weight: 1.22 kg (2.69 lbs)
• Box Density: 1220 grams / 7.21 Liters = 169 g/L
• LEGO Parts Weight: 735 g (1.62 lbs)
• Weight per part: 735 grams / 731 pieces = 1.00 g/piece
• Price per piece: $0.11 per piece
• Price per gram: $79.99 / 735 g = $0.109 per gram
  By comparison, #31203 World Map is $0.062 per gram, and 10292 Friends – The Apartments is $0.084 per gram.

Box contains 7 numbered bags, instruction booklet and sticker sheet.

Box Contents:

• Stage 1: 1x large bag (marked 415S1), and 1x medium unmarked bag.
• Stage 2: 1x medium unmarked bag.
• Stage 3: 1x large bag (marked 615S1).
• Stage 4: 1x large bag (marked 615S1).
• Stage 5: 1x large bag (marked 615S1).
• Stage 6: 1x large bag (marked 415S1).
• Stage 7: 1x small unmarked bag.
• 144-page instruction booklet. 21 x 16.5 cm (8 1/4 x 6 1/2”)
• Small sticker sheet (containing Adidas Superstar shoe facts).
• 1x loose 72° 12×6 Wedge Plate, Left (part 30355) in White.
• 1x White Tissue paper. (nice touch!)

Build Process

Bag 1

The first bag has sole—it’s seven plates thick and comprised of a nice arrangement of brightly colored pieces. I suspect that the bright colors are meant to approximate the multi-layer plastic sole, which is clad with a white exterior.

Plates of several colors are buried inside the sole.

The curvy shape of the sole is approximated using a mix of round and angled parts, but it’s closer to the shape and size of a real shoe than I would have guessed! The attention to detail is especially noticeable as we finish the first stage, since they included several printed tiles for the insole.

Build time: 18 minutes.

Bag 2

The rest of the footbed is created as a snot assembly and laid in place using brackets which attach to the plates in a normal orientation below. We will have to wait and see how the exposed towball connectors will be used.

The second bag completes the footbed.

Build time: 6 minutes.

Bag 3

The artful sculpting continues as we build three modules that come together to sculpt the rear end of the foot which hugs your ankle. The attention to detail is very high; they even included three printed tiles to decorate the insole which will be hard to see when the model is completed. This whole set feels like a love letter between two of the biggest brands in the world.

Bag 3 builds the heel cup using three SNOT assemblies.

I am surprised to see so many unique parts despite the small relatively small overall part count. Historically, LEGO has avoided including too many different parts, especially in a smaller set. From what I’ve learned, this increases the risk of having to stop production because a single part is delayed. (The increased supply chain risk increases costs.)

Build time: 9 minutes.

Bags 4 & 5

This review is starting to have too many superlatives for me to be comfortable with, but this set really is a master class in sculpting everyday objects with LEGO bricks!

The first of two sculped side panels.

In this bag we are crafting the side of the upper, which is able to recreate the three stripe pattern which is well known in Adidas footwear by using stripes that are two studs wide.

To achieve the required angle, the upper is connected to the lower using color coordinated Towball connections. This is easy to assemble, but still allows a very specific angle without many gaps!

The two side panels are connected to the base using towball joints!

Build time: 19 minutes.

Bag 6

The last big bag contains a huge printed part and what looks like shoelaces; cool! The tongue is straightforward enough, but the real joy comes from attaching the real shoelaces through all the eyelets—completing a surpisingly realistic brick-built LEGO shoe!

Printed parts and shoelaces in Bag 6.

The build concludes with a small stand that you can prop the shoe up on. I feel like it’s completely unnecessary, but it’s something that people who decide to display the finished model will probably enjoy. (It also begs the question whether we should expect a whole line of brick-built Adidas footwear in the years to come.)

Just lacing up my shoes at the beach…

Build time: 10 minutes.

Bag 7

It turns out that the seventh bag is not actually part of the build experience. Instead, you will find near the end of the instruction manual that those are additional parts which you can use to create the left shoe if you bought a second copy of the set. Well I am myself a righty, I really appreciate that they took the time and energy to ensure that they were being inclusive in their approach to this kit.

Extra parts if you want to build a left shoe instead.

I’m sure that both LEGO and Adidas are hopeful that this encourages many collectors to buy more than one copy of the set!

Conclusion

After just over an hour of inspired building, I am holding one of the most realistic LEGO re-creations of a common household object that I’ve ever seen. As anyone who has ever watched the LEGO Masters TV show has probably already seen, it’s really hard to capture the essince of a small curvy object using LEGO. Not only is it good looking, but the instructions are easy to follow and the finished model is pretty sturdy; a truly heroic effort by the designers at LEGO.

Completed shoe on the included stand (sticker not applied).

Most of all, the building experience is inspiring. Because of the relatively small part count and the constant use of advanced building techniques, the only “boring” part of the build is the black stand which you build at the end (and feels completely optional).

The brick-built shoe is based on a US 7.5 Shoe Size, as compared to my size 10 Adidas ZX 8000 LEGO Shoes.

Thankfully, The LEGO Group did give me one thing to complain about… The set is a bit too expensive based on both an assesment of price-per-part ($0.11), as well as the price-per-gram (also $0.11). To make matters worse, the price outside the USA is much higher, for example 89.99€ in Europe. (That’s $109 based on current exchange rate – 37% higher than in USA.)

The classic looking shoe is based on a 52 year old design.

At the end of the day, I have to show my respect to the team at LEGO for designing an absolutely stunning LEGO model. The build experience is significantly elevated by the shoebox packaging, tissue paper insert, and generous printed parts.

That’s why #10282 Adidas Originals Superstar earns our coveted Must Have (5/5 star) rating, especially if you can get it for close to the $79.99 price in the United States.