Review: LEGO 10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine
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LEGO Icons starts off 2025 by taking to the skies with 10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine, an accessible Icons set that pays tribute to Leonardo da Vinci’s dreams of flight.
It’s equal parts a historical homage to the Renaissance icon, and a marvel of LEGO engineering, as designer Antica Bracanov delivers LEGO’s own interpretation of da Vinci’s ornithopter design brought to life!
Retailing for US$49.99 / AU$99.99 and coming in at 493 piece, it’s a charming set that won’t break the bank, and a delightful start to 2025 that will hopefully open up more explorations of history in the LEGO Icons theme.
- 10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine – US$49.99 / AU$99.99 / £54.99 / €59.99
Let’s jump into a quick review of 10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine before it launches on 1 January 2025!
Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for review.
If you’re planning on purchasing or pre-ordering this set, please consider using the affiliate links in this post. I may earn a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do on the blog!
10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine Set Details
10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine –
10363
Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine
1
493
US$49.99 / AU$99.99 / £54.99 / €59.99
1 January 2025
Antica Bracanov (@antea.art), Graphics/Minifigure by Nathan Davis (@obvian)
At 493 pieces and a US$49.99 / AU$99.99 it’s one of the cheapest non-Botanicals Icons sets and a breeze to build as it only has 4 bags and goes quickly, making it an ideal Icons set to bust out if you want a quick build that won’t take up your entire desk or dining table.
There are no stickers in the set, which is a big win, and there are 3 fabric wings included, which mimic linen wings which Leonardo da Vinci would’ve envisioned using for his flying machine and ornithopter designs.
Here’s a look at the instructions manual, which has some nice bits of information about Leonardo da Vinci, and his flying machine designs, plus a profile of the set designer Antica Bracanov.
The build was immensely enjoyable especially if you are curious about Renaissance-era engineering and designs, and it felt unlike anything that LEGO has put out at this scale. There’s a deftness to the techniques used, which is even more apparent at builds of this size and scale, as you can’t really hide behind complexity or size.
I really like the simplicity of the design, which is made to look like it was constructed out of string, linen and wood. Very lo-fi and primitive, just like the famous designs that Leonardo da Vinci sketched up.
Here’s a look at the Leonardo da Vinci minifigure which is a very cool addition to LEGO’s growing collection of historical figures. The Leonardo da Vinci features a new face print, and also decorated torso and legs which is really nice.
He does look a little bit like Dumbledore with his blue robes, but I think the minifigure is meant to depict da Vinci’s self portrait which is arguably one of the most iconic depictions of the Renaissance polymath.
Here’s a look at his face print, which I was surprised to find was a new and so far exclusive print!
Here’s a look at his back print and the new printed tile which contains a diagram of da Vinci’s ornithopter, contrasted with a bird which I think is a very clever and cool tile to complement da Vinci’s minifigure.
da Vinci also has a convenient little spot on the display stand, atop the printed name tile featuring the set’s name.
Here’s the completed build which looks really tailor-made for display thanks to the black stand, which orients da Vinci’s flying machine in an upright manner, making it look as if it were darting towards the sky, in defiance of gravity.
The skeletal and primitive look of the Ornithopter makes for an interesting subject, and I like that you can see through the the frame, as well the colours, where various shades of brown contrast nicely against the tan wings, and string.
The fabric wings, and bits of string that tie the moving parts together are really attractive and add a distinct look to the Ornithopter.
But where da Vinci’s Flying Machine truly rises to the occasion is the play functions. You can easily detach it from the stand, and swoosh it around, and in a triumph of engineering, the designer has managed to incorporate a way to flap the wings and tail in a manner that is both functional, but also in a way that’s authentic to how Leonardo da Vinci envisioned his Ornithopter working!
There’s a small trigger at the base which you pull (like a pistol), which then pulls the strings to flap the wings, enabled by a spring Technic shock absorber in the middle.
Here’s a video of it in action! Another really impressive thing about the wings flapping is actually the sound it makes, which does kinda sound like a bird’s wings flapping, albeit laboriously. I’m not sure if the sound was an intended feature, but I appreciate how well its translated.
What I liked:
- A novel, innovative build that introduces something new to Icons
- Accessible price proves that not all Icons/Adults sets need to be expensive
- Leonardo da Vinci minifigure looks great
- Printed elements and new fabric wings
- Superb to display, even more fun to play with
What I didn’t like:
- Price discrepancy among regions is odd
Final Thoughts
I was so enamoured by 10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine that I was very close to awarding this a perfect 5/5 rating. In some ways, I do think that this history meets engineering-themed sets is quite flawless.
From start to finish, the build was interesting and fun, and you can really appreciate the engineering and lo-fi techniques used to bring this LEGO Ornithopter to life. It’s like nothing else from LEGO at this point, and it’s truly an engineering and design marvel for a set that comes in at less than 500 pieces!
The da Vinci minifigure is a great addition to LEGO’s growing lineup of historical figures, and it’s a complete package that’s fun, a sensible display model and a demonstration of just how ingenious LEGO designers can be if they’re afforded the opportunity.
Where the set comes slightly unstuck isn’t anywhere near the design, but rather the pricing. For someone in the US, I’d consider this a perfect 5-star set, as you can enjoy it for only US$49.99. For the rest of the world, Australia included, it seems like we’ve been slugged by a 30-40% premium, which doesn’t make much sense.
Maybe LEGO are readying another blanket price increase in the New Year when Trump’s tariffs hit? Who knows.
That said, apart from this weird regional pricing quirk, I can heartily recommend 10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine. It’s a super fun build, and opens up plenty of potential for LEGO Icons to explore historical figures, structures and more, and best of all, this set won’t break the bank like most adult sets.
Final Score
Audience rating
10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine will be released on 1 January 2025, will be available from LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store.
Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this early look at 10363 Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine!
What do you think of this Leonardo da Vinci homage? Would you like to see more affordable Icons sets or history-based models?
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