Retired LEGO Architecture set re-released in China

The LEGO Group has resurrected a long-retired LEGO Architecture set and re-released it exclusively in China (so far).

21039 Shanghai originally debuted roughly in the middle of the Skylines subtheme’s run in 2018, and hung around on shelves until the end of 2020. It’s currently survived by evergreen skyline sets 21028 New York City,  21034 London and 21044 Paris – but the LEGO Group has now resurrected the Chinese cityscape from the retired LEGO sets pool with a brand new set number.

As spotted by Dylan Chow in a LEGO Store window in Shanghai, the new set is numbered 21068 Shanghai – so carries a mainline LEGO Architecture product number – and includes 597 pieces, which is exactly the same amount in the original set. There appear to be no differences between the two models other than their set number, which will be a relief to anyone angling for a complete collection of these builds (but not their boxes).

The instructions for the set are also available on LEGO.com’s Building Instructions portal, and while the opening pages have changed slightly – the quotes from various speakers have been removed, and there’s now a Hanzi translation of the original English text too – the rest appears identical. But 21068 Shanghai is not currently available on LEGO.com in other regions of the world, suggesting it will be exclusive to China for now.

We’ll have to wait and see if that changes, but in the meantime the original 21039 Shanghai skyline is available on BrickLink for just a little over its original RRP if you want to add it to your collection.

Featured image: Dylan Chow

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