Little Bricks Charity - The Mission Continues

I first mentioned Little Bricks Charity back in November 2021. With the Bricks for Bricks campaign to give funds to the Ronald McDonald House in Northwest Florida still going through the end of June 2023, I thought it would be a good opportunity to highlight others that are using the brick to give to those who could use a boost in life. Before I do that, just a quick plug for the Bricks for Bricks campaign. 15% of the profits from the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink shop will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Northwest Florida. No work or extra fees required on your part to participate. You buy retired sets and minifigures and we’ll send funds directly at the end of June 2023. This donation is timely as one of my co-workers at my non-LEGO job is using the House so it’s much appreciated. Okay, that was a long aside. Back to Mr. Cassevah… He is visiting BrickFest Live events around the country this year and making donations along the way. This past weekend, he was in Connecticut. Here are two news clips on the event. Number one and number two.

If you’d like to donate to his cause, you can find out more HERE.

Thanks for supporting and helping to give bricks!

Beware When Ordering LEGO from Walmart.com

I used to purchase a lot from Amazon.com here in the US. They had some great deals and the free shipping with orders over $35 was reasonable since it’s very easy to spend more than that amount on LEGO sets. Then Amazon just gave up on quality shipping. As I posted here, my orders arrive with little to no packaging in larger boxes and the sets looked like they had been used in a soccer game as the ball. The last straw was when I would order a larger set and they wouldn’t even put it in a box. They would just stick the shipping label on the outside and call it good. I went to the UPS Store to return one and the worker asked why I didn’t re-package it. It was because that’s how it was packaged when I received it. Needless to say, I think I purchased one or two LEGO sets from Amazon.com over the past year.

More of my orders went to Walmart. The discounts were often the same and the shipping quality was much better. I received well packaged sets in boxes that arrived looking brand new. This went on for a while, but has recently gone down hill. At first, I started receiving sets in padded packages. The items would get smashed and I had a lot of returns. The final straw came when I received this…

I’m sorry, but nothing in the item description said I was going to receive a set where the front packaging was peeled off. How did this even happen? My suspicion is that when Walmart does their pickup in store or home deliver orders, they typically put big stickers on the items. People didn’t want LEGO sets with big stickers on them so they return them. Apparently LEGO just recycles those sets back into their inventory and you get this. And get these…

It’s been a great run, but unless Walmart can guarantee that I am going to receive a new set or if they can tell me that the set will arrive damage (and give me a substantial discount for the damaged set), I’m not interested anymore.

Target has been the holdout so far. They continue to package items well and I don’t receive beat up sets. We’ll see how long that lasts. The unfortunate part is that Target has not had the sales that Walmart and Amazon have had.

Let met know in the comments what your experience has been. Have you found a way around receiving beat up sets from any of the big retailers? Have you received worse?

Set Review - #10312-1: Jazz Club - LEGO Icons - Modular Building

Thanks LEGO! You’ve hooked me onto the modular buildings and now I’m addicted. 2023’s modular building is #10312-1: Jazz Club. It was released on 15 December 2022 and it contains 2,899 pieces. The set retails for $229.99 and costs $0.079 per piece. It consists of a Jazz Club with an office on the second floor and a practice room on the third floor. To the side of the building is a small pizza parlor. Above it is a tailor shop. At the top of the smaller building is a green house. I’ve heard/read a number of reviews, but tried to go into it with an open mind. So here goes…

The front of the box shows the full set with a black background. It appears to be in a spot light. The set name is in the upper left with a number of architectural type drawn buildings and in small letters it says “modular buildings collection.” The Icons logo is on the bottom with the 18+ greebling in the same brick red color as the top two floors of the jazz club.

The back shows the set placed in-between #10278-1: Police Station and #10297-1: Boutique Hotel. In the upper right is a drawing of the set with dimensions. On the left side shows the different floors of the set. The bottom shows some of the details on the inside of the set.

Onto the build…

The set contains some parts bags and then a white box with parts bags. When you open up the box, there are 22 parts bags numbered one through 15. There is a light grey baseplate and then the instructions are in a cardboard envelope.

The instructions come in a white book which helps you see the set build better versus the previous darker colored instruction books. There is a page about the set inside before going into the build. Throughout this set, there are small references at the top of some pages about how certain parts of the build relate to previous modular buildings. This didn’t do too much for me and I could have done without the connective storyline LEGO tried to build. I like the modulars because they are fun to build and I can connect them up to make a larger city. I don’t need to know how the story goes between the minifigures who live there.

Bag one builds the floor of the buildings. You build the sidewalk and then you start building the flooring of each building.

Bag two adds to the walls of each building and finalizes the floor designs. You also build the stage with a drum set and a drummer. There’s a saxophone on a stand too. In the center of the building is a small bathroom. In this bag you build a small sink and a toilet.

Bag three builds the walls higher all around. You add in a door to the outside and in the back, you build a small case to put in “wood” pieces for the pizza shop store. Inside the Jazz Club, you add in some tables and chairs. There is also a string bass player with a bass, bow, and a backpack case. The pizza place has a wood stove and a chef minifigure who is working on a pizza with some toppings nearby. Instead of a 2x2 round printed pizza tile, the pizza is four quarter rounds placed together which is different from past sets. Above the bathroom are stairs that go up to the next floor.

The fourth bag tops off the walls and adds tiles with a few studs to connect to the second floor. You add in a front façade with windows, structural decorations, an advertisement on a window for an upcoming show, and some space for the entryway in a future bag. The pizza shop adds in some windows, a door, a light, and a small structure on the outside with plants growing on it.

The fifth bag finishes up the first floor. In the front of the Jazz Club, you add in the entryway. Instead of a flat space, you add in a 45 degree offset door area with a ticket booth and signage above. This is a neat design that helps to break away from the flat look of a normal façade. In the pizza shop, you add some awnings over the windows in the green, white, and red pattern potentially reminiscent of the Italian flag.

Inside the Jazz Club, you add the curtains around the stage and some spot lights to shine down on the stage. This section is easily removable if you want to change it up as it just clips into place.

Bag six starts the second floor. On the left side of the picture is the Club Manager’s office. There’s an opening in the floor so you can watch and listen to what’s going on below which is interesting. Not sure I’d want that in my office, but it works okay here. The right side has an opening for the stairs and then an opening to connect to the second floor above the Pizza Shop.

Bag seven continues this floor with some more office details to include a desk, lamp, phone, and record player. The manager minifigure also comes in this bag. I have her placed at her corner desk. The walls continue to get higher and you add in some Technic pins to connect to the other side of the modular. I was trying to figure out why this was done and I can only assume it’s because they wanted to keep the walls the same color on either side. I guess that works as the red and yellow sides are separate, but it’s not super sturdy. When you go to remove the second floor once the whole thing is finished, you need to make sure you grab it the right way or it will come apart pretty easily. The good part is that it’s easy to reassemble if it does come apart.

Bag eight just about finishes up this side of the second floor. The walls are higher, the windows are added in, there are some decorations on the front façade, there are doors between rooms, and then windows on the back.

The ninth bag starts assembly on the tailor shop which can only be reached by going through the Jazz Club section of the building. Not really a big deal, but interesting that they share a stairwell. The tailor shop is the same yellow as the pizza shop. Inside is a big sewing machine, some rolls of fabric, a mannequin, and the chimney from the pizza shop continues through this room. This bag comes with a minifigure to work as the tailor.

Bag ten wraps up this floor. You add tiles and a few studs around the tops of the walls to make for easy connections with the higher levels. You also finish up the front façade for the tailor shop with some windows and plants.

Bag 11 starts the third floor of the Jazz Club. Besides the floor and a start to the outer wall, you build a couch, music stand, plant, and a railing around the stairway entrance. This bag comes with the singer minifigure. She has a dress, microphone, and some big hair. The music stand comes with a printed tile with some music for her to practice.

Bag 12 builds up the walls and adds in some windows. Two of the front windows are made of translucent bricks and plates for a colored glass window. On the inside, you add a chair next to a table and mirror for the singer to use to put on makeup or fix her hair.

Bag 13 adds in some art on the wall of the practice room, the outer hallway gets a ladder to go up to the roof, and the entire floor gets more pieces for the walls, doors, windows, and tiling for the top of the walls. This bag comes with the magician who has a few parts for one of her tricks and a small bunny as well.

Bag 14 builds the roof of the Jazz Club. The details fit right into the rest of the build and while not overly complicated, the build was different using techniques you don’t usually see. For example, you attach a piece in upside down in the front of the roof, in the center section so you can attach a decoration piece. The back corner of the roof has a small nest for a squirrel to live in. A trap door opens up to the ladder in the hallway on the floor below.

This bag also builds the Jazz Club sign. I was thankful that the sign is printed and I like the yellow on the dark blue. The yellow rails along with the yellow sausage pieces really help to make it pop. I’ve seen a few reviews were people didn’t like the colors of the building, but I’m good with it. It looks awesome with the brick red color of the building.

The final bag, bag 15, adds in a small outdoor seating area in front of the pizza shop and includes a driver with a mini motor bike to deliver pizzas to customers. On top of the pizza shop is a green house. There are a few plants inside the greenhouse and then there’s an interesting design using clear door/wall pieces to let in light for the brick plants to grow. I followed the instructions, but there is space and some extra plant pieces to mix things up as desired.

The set comes with eight minifigures. Here they are in case you couldn’t see them well in the earlier pictures.

Here’s the final build. The sides don’t look that great, but that’s to be expected as you connect modulars to each other. The back is pretty boring as well, but that’s not too big of a deal to me. Overall, is this my favorite modular building ever? No. Was it a great build with a fun design? Yes. I enjoyed this one. I actually ended up building it with my 5-year old kiddo. He had some challenges with the harder sections, but he did great with a lot of the areas I didn’t think he’d be able to handle.

As for the price, I am not a fan that the price keeps going up for modulars, but I am glad the price per piece is still fairly reasonable. I used VIP points and purchased the set during a double VIP point period so that helped. If you’re a modular fan, you have to pick this one up. If you’re on the fence, I’d dive into this one. You’ll enjoy the build and if not, you get some fun pieces for future MOCs. Look for great GWPs or double VIP point options to get a better deal.

I think this is the first time that I’ve had another modular still built. Here is the Jazz Club next to #10297-1: Boutique Hotel. I think it looks better with the Jazz Club on the left side, but that’s just my opinion. Some day, I hope to have the time to rebuild them all and the space to put them all together for a photo shoot.

Happy building!

Bricklink Designer Program 2021 - Round 3 Sets are Here!

It’s 2023 and the 2021 Bricklink Designer Program is wrapping up (finally). I just received my round 3 orders and by the looks of it from looking online, most other folks have too. If you’re not familiar with the program, the 2021 version took non-licensed designs that reached 10K votes in LEGO Ideas and gave fans an opportunity to vote on their favorites. The top five in each round were turned into sets. After some mess ups in round one, LEGO/Bricklink got it together, but demand was high and the limits were reached on all sets fairly quickly. Now you can find some of the sets on places like the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink store. Also if you’re interested in participating again, there’s a new round of voting that ends soon. You can see my selections and some details on the program here.

I haven’t decided which sets to build or add to the store from round three, but here are my initial thoughts on the sets after receiving them. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Not in any particular order, #910002-1: Studgate Train Station contains 4,062 pieces and retailed for $399.99. This worked out to $0.098 per piece which is right near the 10 cents per piece average that came out of some study. This set was designed by user BrickyBricks82. His real name is Pablo Sanchez Jimenez and you know him from his approved LEGO Ideas set #21322-1: Pirates of Barracuda Bay. It’s now retired, but you can find it on sale in the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink store.

As a train fan, I was super stoked to see this set. It looks incredible with dual tracks, two trains, the large roof/canopy structure over the rails, the clear parts over the roof, and some amazing details throughout. This one is a definite build for me. Sorry for those of you hoping I would put it in the store. I can’t pass this one up.

Next up is #910004-1: Winter Chalet. This one contains 2,705 pieces and retailed for $199.99. This worked out to $0.074 per piece. The set designer was user name sdrnet or Sandro Damiano. This one could be added to a Winter Village display pretty easily. Like most Winter Village sets, the front is fully decorated and the back is open for access to play in the building. There are a ton of details on the inside with multiple bedrooms and a full up kitchen and dining area. The floors are fully tiled too which helps to increase the piece count. This one is definitely more detailed than any of the $100 Winter Village sets and it has some European flare to it. I’m not sure if I’ll build this one or not. What do you think?

Going in number order, next is #910008-1: Modular Construction Site. This one contains 3,371 pieces and retails for 319.99 which works out to $0.095 per piece. The designer was user name ryantaggart whose real name is Ryan Taggart. We have a lot of modular sets and there are a lot of modulars on the Ideas platform and in the next Bricklink Designer Program. However, I have never seen one as a full up construction site with numerous workers and equipment. The working crane is one of the highlights for me. This one would go great in any city scene and could easily be modified to add or remove sections of the building. I like it!

Up next is #910011-1: 1950s Diner. It contains 1,379 pieces and retailed for $129.99. This worked out to $0.094 per piece. The designer was user name pix027 who is James Alan Cox. This design matches well with the shape of most diners out there from the 1950s and has some great details (and wait… stickers!?!?). The chef minifigure is a bit plain compared to some restaurant type sets out there, but it works. The car that comes with it is cool, but seems quite big considering the overall size of the diner. Maybe it’s just the picture? I don’t know.

The last one is #910027-1: Mountain View Observatory. This one has 3,889 pieces and retailed for $249.99. This worked out to $0.064/piece. The designer was user name ThomasW_BL or Thomas Wosch. I like the concept and the idea. The science museum and laboratory type theme is a great addition to any city and I think the design helps it fit in well versus just a plain building. This one has height and some plants which breaks things up a bit. You get a bunch of minifigures and a baby to take around the exhibits which is a bonus. I think I’ll be building this one.

Set Review - #21335-1: Motorized Lighthouse - Lego Ideas

Here is LEGO Ideas set #43, #21335-1: Motorized Lighthouse. This one was released in the US on 19 August 2022 and retails for $299.99. It contains 2,065 pieces and this works out to $0.145 per piece. Yikes! A lot, I know. It does come with a motor, battery box, and lights, but does that really raise the price by that much? I picked this one up during a double VIP point period and used some of my VIP points to discount the price. It’s a bit high in my opinion, but onto to the review.

The box for this one is rather large. The set arrived in a special outer box that UPS still somehow managed to damage so the set box showed up damaged too. Thanks! I think the box could have been a bit smaller, but I’m not a packaging expert. The box is dark with some blue greebling on the bottom for the 18+ design. The dark packaging works so LEGO can show off the light house functionality. I’m not sure the light looks exactly like they picture it, but I get the idea. The back of the box shows some additional set details and gives the dimensions of the set.

The box contains 18 parts bags. The bags are numbered one to 13 with one unnumbered bag for the larger pieces. You get a box for the battery box and the motor comes packaged separate too. The instructions and the base plate come in paperboard envelopes. Don’t forget about the stickers. I almost did.

You get two instruction booklets. There are some details about lighthouses, the Fresnel lens, the fan designer (Sandro Quattrini), and then info about the LEGO design team.

There are two small sticker sheets with 5 stickers total. Not bad I guess.

You get a dark blue baseplate which is a first for LEGO. We’ll see if it pops up again somewhere in the future.

The first bag starts the base of the build with the outline of the island area where the lighthouse is placed. This bag also comes with a male lighthouse keeper with a telescope and then a female lighthouse keeper. I have her in the row boat with the kitten.

The second bag adds up some more details along the base, but also installs the battery box and motor. Initially it looks like the wires are everywhere, but the designers did a good job keeping them contained.

The third bag adds more details and a bunch of the BURPs (big ugly rock pieces) to the build for height. While I’m not a fan of BURPs, I understand the usage of them as I’d probably still be sitting there attaching all the pieces to achieve the height needed to cover up the electronics. Not pictured well here, but there is a cave in the island. It is where the switch is located to turn the light on and then there’s a treasure chest as well.

The fourth bag adds plates to the top of the island covering it all with just an axle sticking up and the wire for the lights.

The fifth bag adds the base of the lighthouse structure and then adds some details to the top of the island which will allow us to install the little structure at the base of the lighthouse. The axle to turn the light is hidden pretty well already which is great.

I could look it up, but I like to call it swamp green. I’m sure there’s an official term for the green color. It’s a nice look for the set.

Bag six builds the small living quarters for the lighthouse. They managed to cram a lot in there to include a small kitchen space, a bed, a desk, and some decorations.

Bag seven adds some details to the outside of the structure and installs it to the lighthouse island at an angle which is a nice touch.

Bag eight builds the internal structure to the lighthouse and takes it up a few floors. There are ladders inside for minifigures to climb up to the top as needed.

The ninth bag starts to round out the lighthouse structure with curved pieces. To break things up a bit, you throw in a few pieces with studs to clip on plant pieces. The structure gets smaller as you get higher so thankfully it’s not a repetitive build.

Bag 10 rounds out most of the rest of the tower and adds in the windows. The lighthouse tower has a good look to it on the outside. It’s not completely round, but it works for being brick built. The placement of the windows with the small ledge at the bottom is simple, yet it fits in well.

Bag 11 adds the roof to the living quarters at the base of the lighthouse. You also add a door and connect a light to the fireplace. I didn’t get a picture of it, but you really can’t see the fireplace lit up well unless you take the roof off. It seems like they could have used the second light on the strand for something else. Maybe a lamp on the front of the building?

Bag 12 completes the lighthouse and starts to add details to the top of the tower. The parts to connect the motor to the top of the lighthouse are added as well. I was curious to see how the light and motor would be integrated in the next step with such limited hardware showing

Bag 13 finishes up the set and I really like how they did this. The railing on the outside with the bent tubes, the garage door pieces for the windows around the tower, and the motorization for the light. The light is installed and it shines on the silver/reflective sticker. That then shines the light through the Fresnel lens (the piece is pictured) and the whole assembly rotates around. The mechanics of this are simple, but they work. Nice job design team. To top it off, you get a lance/sword as the tip of the lighthouse.

Here are a few shots of the final build. Overall, it was an enjoyable build to assemble. Not a lot of repetition and some great parts usage. I enjoyed it despite the BURPs included. I already mentioned the cost as a negative, but it ranks right up there with #10268-1: Vestas Wind Turbine as cool looking, but overpriced. There’s a motor, a light, and a battery box and LEGO increases the price of the set because of this.

Do I recommend this set? This is a tough one. Great build, but high price. I don’t think I would have purchased it without VIP points to cut the price down. $300 for this set is a bit high in my opinion.

What are your thoughts? Pick this one up? Hope there is a sale? Use VIP points?

Happy building!

My Top Five 2023 Bricklink Designer Program Picks

In case you’ve missed it, the 2023 Bricklink Designer Program or Series 1 as they are calling it is open for selections. You can find the program details and submissions here. They are open for voting through the end of March 2023. The program has some big changes this time. Unlike previous rounds where they crowd funded designs and the sets with the highest number of pre-orders get made, this one gives you three voting options. For each submission, you can select an emoji. There is one for “not for me,” one for “like it,” and one for “love it.” You can vote on as many sets as you’d like (only one vote per submission) and the vote tallies are secret so there are no popularity contests.

Overall there are some great submissions in the program. There are a lot of castle, pirate, and classic space themed sets which would be great for fans hoping for more parts and minifigures. There are a ton of buildings of which many fit into the modular line.

One complaint I have of the program is that when I go to vote on a set and then go back to the submissions, it re-arranges the order of the submissions. This was annoying as I had to search around to find the ones that I wanted to vote on after voting on a submission.

I don’t know how many they will end up producing, but I voted on five as being “love it” sets for me. So here were my picks:

#5 - Florentine Palazzo by fan user name paupadros - This modular compatible building contains 3,511 pieces and I think it looks awesome. The different floors can be removed for access and there is plenty of detailing on the inside. The yellow color with the white looks really good and then the flowers help to make the set stand out. This would be a great set to go along with #910023-1: Venetian Houses from a previous Designer Program round. At over 3,000 pieces, this one would not be cheap in the end, So we’ll have to weigh the amazing details and lot of pieces against the potential cost.

Picture from Bricklink.com

#4 - Black Biplane by fan user name EmanueLego This set contains 2,408 pieces.and I think it looks stunning. Some of the commenters weren’t pleased that it was all black, but there could be a possibility to make it interchangeable with different colored parts. I think the designer captured a lot of great details on this one and I like the addition of the stand. I have a copy of #10226-1: Sopwith Camel .in my collection and I think it would be great to have another biplane to add to the mix.

Picture from Bricklink.com

#3 - Parisian Street by fan user name CARLIERTI1 - This set contains 3,465 parts and would look amazing in a city scene. It’s not fully modular compatible as it is just the front half of the buildings, but that could be remedied based on how you set it up in your city. This one has a ton of great details, but does have a sticker sheet so we’ll see if that’s an issue or not. . This would look great next to #10243-1: Parisian Restaurant.

Picture from Bricklink.com

#2 - P-51D Mustang “Red Tail” by fan user name brick_squadron. This set would contain 743 pieces and I think it would be another awesome addition to the limited number of aircraft models outside of the CITY line. This one is technically a weapon system so I’m not sure LEGO would produce it, but it is historical and we don’t seem to have a problem making weapons for Castle, Pirates, or even the new Lord of the Rings set. This set is a little smaller, but still has some great details and would be a great tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen.

Picture from Bricklink.com

#1 - Coral Reef Diorama by fan user name Falkorich. This set would contain 1,707 pieces and is jam packed with details. I’ve seen a few fans create their own coral reefs and I think it would be great to have one as a set. The minifigure divers and whale are an awesome addition to the set and if you look at the write up on Bricklink, it is modular as well so you can take it apart and re-assemble as desired. I also think this one is something completely out of the ordinary that LEGO hasn’t done before so let’s broaden out the set themes away from some of the standard themes we see all the time.

Picture from Bricklink.com

Happy voting!

Set Review - #80111-1: Lunar New Year Parade - Chinese Festival Special Edition

Here’s the second Chinese Festival Special Edition set for 2023. I reviewed #80110-1: Lunar New Year Display last week. This week it’s #80111-1: Lunar New Year Parade. It was released on 8 November 2022 in the US and retails for $129.99. It contains 1,653 pieces which works out to $0.079 per piece.

By the way, if you’ve missed any of the previous Chinese Festival sets, I have some in the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink store so check them out.

The box for this one shows the full set on the front with all the minifigures. The back shows some of the play details. You can connect each of the floats together and each of the floats has movement in it as you move it along a flat surface. I included a shot of the edge of the box as well as it shows the 18 minifigures that come in this set.

The box also has the “Build Together“ logo with an x3. The bags and instructions are split up so you can share the process. My NLS built the first set (rabbit float), my son and I built the second float (drum), and my daughter build the dragon float. It worked out pretty good in my house to split it up that way.

The set comes with 10 parts bags numbered one through 10 and then a paperboard envelope to protect the instructions. There are three sets of instructions and they are printed on white which makes it easier to see the darker pieces.

Unfortunately, there’s a sticker sheet in this one. Most of the stickers are transparent which isn’t a big issue, but can be a challenge if you get finger prints on them. We tend to use the piece separator method to transport and place the stickers so I think we’re good.

You also get a thicker plastic sheet of banners. While I like the additional detail, I wish there was a better way to do this with the set. I think they look odd and out of place, but that’s just my opinion.

Bags one and two kick off the rabbit float. My NLS built this one. Bag one builds the base and initial structure of the float. I didn’t take pictures during the build process, but you add in some Technic gearing which attaches to a wheel. Then when you move the float around on a flat surface, the wheel turns and causes the Technic bar to move which will eventually make the rabbit “hop.” Bag one comes with two parading minifigures. They are each holding banners with the plastic sheeting and then a pink head that can be used as a mask. They both come with a clear dish piece so you can pose them as they are moving along with the parade and you don’t have to worry about them toppling over with the weight they are carrying (banner and mask).

The second bag adds in some more details along the side of the float and then the stand where you can place a minifigure to wave at the parade goers. This bag comes with a girl holding a tablet and then a woman with a smart phone.

Bag three wraps up this float. The rabbit build is good, but the red eyes make it look rather creepy. The round printed tiles that look like Chinese coins are a fun detail and I like how they are placed to look as if they’ve been dropped on the float. This bag comes with the rabbit costume minifigure who can hold a lantern with printing similar to previous years. Last year we had a tiger print on the lantern. This year is a rabbit. If LEGO continues this, we’ll get a repeat eventually. Unless they re-design it after they’ve gone through all the animals.

Bags four and five start the next float. Bag four builds up the base of the float and the SNOT pieces to allow for decoration. The Technic pieces make an axle spin as you move the float on a flat surface. Bag four comes with two minifigures. One is an adult female with a beverage container. The other is a parade participant who comes with some cymbals to play. She also has a clear saucer piece to allow you to pose the minifigure without her toppling over.

Bag five adds some details along the sides of the vehicle. Both of my kids had to really focus on getting the piece placement to match the instructions as there are a lot of angles and curves that make assembling this portion a little tougher. This bag comes with two minifigures. One is playing a drum with two microphone pieces. The other has a gong to play.

The sixth bag wraps up this float. You add a lot of detail to this one to include a cloud type build in the front, various golden colored pieces for decoration, the giant plastic sheet for… whatever it is, some lanterns which look pretty good, and then a big drum. The action on this float is you can place the drummer minifigure on a little stand and she “hits” the drum as you move the float on a flat surface.

My 5-year old was able to build most of this, but there were a few parts that were challenging. The bluish-teal arch type assembly on the back was not easy and I built it for him. He also had trouble with the drum and getting everything angled up right. Still, he did pretty good with the build.

Bags seven and eight begin the third float. Bag seven starts the base of the vehicle and you can see better what the Technic assembly looks like under the float at the end of bag seven. This bag comes with a parade participant with fire crackers. This minifigure is also on a clear saucer which works out good as the fire crackers are a bit heavy and would make it challenging for the minifigure to stay standing without a support. You also get a boy minifigure holding a 1x2 red tile with a dragon printed on it. His torso is a festive print and different from some of the standard minifigure torsos.

Bag eight continues to build up the base and some of the SNOT pieces for adding decorations on the side. This one comes with a girl holding a… not sure what it is… food on a stick? a noise maker? This one also comes with the infamous purple space minifigure/parts to help you make a purple classic space minifigure. So you take the torso from the Series 22 Collectible Minifigures space creature, switch out the arms if you desire, and then use the helmet, pants, and air tank from this minifigure to get your purple classic space minifigure. Die hard space fans are all over it, but it’s quite the hefty spend to get a minifigure. I haven’t checked on Bricklink, but I’m sure it’s not cheap. I don’t have Series 22 in the store yet. Sorry.

Bag nine adds some details to the sides of the float. It also adds a crate with a top and then another box. One will hold fireworks. The other will hold some extra hats for minifigures. Towards the front of the float are some lime green plates and tiles that have “LEGO” stickers on them. This bag comes with two minifigures. One has a Castle type hat and the other has a pirate hat. They have the same red torso as the spaceman and one holds a banner while the other holds a… um… not sure.

Bag 10 is the last bag of set. It finalizes the details of the set to include a larger orange 2x2 brick on the front and two larger plates on the rotating part with a dragon. The dragon moves around 360 degrees unlike the other two floats that have very limited ranges of movement.

Here’s the final set assembled with all of the minifigures. Each float comes with pieces that can be used as clips to connect the floats and have them move as a train instead of individual vehicles. Overall, I think this is a great addition to the Chinese Festival theme. The price per piece isn’t bad, but it is still slightly expensive in my opinion considering what you get for $130. This set has some great build techniques and it was fun to put together as a family. I like the moving parts as well. This is a fun integration we don’t normally see in sets. As mentioned, I could do without the plastic flag/banner pieces.

I didn’t take a separate minifigure picture, but I think you get a good collection of minifigures with some different torsos and hats. Note, the 16x16 plate was from my own collection and was not included in the set.

If you’re a fan of this theme, I’d look to pick this one up. If you can get it on sale, definitely go for it. You might find it on sale closer to the end of it’s life if you’re willing to wait. Or take advantage of double VIP points or GWPs straight from LEGO Shop @ Home.

Happy building!

Set Review - #80110-1: Lunar New Year Display - Chinese Festival Special Edition

I’ve been a fan of the Chinese Festival Special Edition sets since they came out a few years back. I’m not sure why these are considered special editions as LEGO produces two sets every year. If you missed some of the earlier sets, you can pick some of them up from the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink Store. Maybe the plan is to have this line go away at some point? I’m not sure. Set number 80110-1: Lunar New Year Display is the first of two sets this year. Well technically this one was released 8 November 2022, but I guess it’s the 2023 set. The retail price for this set is $89.99. It contains 872 pieces and works out to $0.103 per piece.

The set builds two display items which get away from the various minifigure based sets from the past and seems to be more in line with an Icons style set. I’ll go into each of them individually.

The box shows both builds on the front and then another angle on the back. The back highlights the dimensions and also that you can split the build between two people with the separate instructions and bags.

The set contains 10 parts bags with one each for numbers one through nine and then a tenth bag is not numbered with some larger pieces. You also get two instruction booklets and no stickers!

Bags one and two build the base and frame of the first display item. I like the gold colored tiles and grills. These give the set a cool look and have some great potential for future MOCs.

The third bag adds more detail to include a lot of printed pieces with the Chinese symbols. The two cloud/smoke pieces were seen at the top of #76403-1: The Ministry of Magic. Maybe we’re going to see this piece show up in more sets in the future?

The fourth bag adds in two Koi fish to go along with the two gold ingots and the “red pockets.” According to the instructions, this display presents a greeting which loosely means “ushering in wealth and prosperity.” I can’t read any of the language, but I think it’s a great looking set and I like the cultural references. The colors are cool and the use of printed pieces is great. It makes a nice display piece (so far I’ve gotten away with leaving it out… we’ll see how long it lasts).

Bags five and six build the base and edge for the second display. Again, you get more of the gold colored tiles and grills which will be great for MOC builders.

Build seven adds in the a bunch of details to include some smaller flowers, more printed pieces, the cloud pieces (in a gold color), and the butterflies which were new to this set, but have already been used elsewhere in 2023.

The eighth bag adds in the Moutan Peony. The flower is incredible and could easily go into a Botanical Collection type set. The parts usage and coloring is great. Nice work LEGO design team!

The ninth bag adds the remainder of the edge pieces and the base to allow the display to stand up. This display has a greeting that loosely translates to “the richness of being in full flower.” Again, I can’t translate this, but I think this one looks great as well. The colors and piece usage really help this one to stand out. I’m a fan… still!

Here are both display pieces. Sorry, for the glare. I think these look great and I enjoyed both builds. The price per piece is on the borderline of being high so look for opportunities to get it on sale or with Double VIP points/GWPs. No guarantees it will happen at the end of 2023, but the 2022 sets went on sale at the end of their life. You might be able to get a 20% discount in the future if you are willing to wait.

I’ll be curious to see where the Chinese Festival Special Edition sets will go in future years. Will we see more display pieces? A mixture of displays and minifigure sets?

Happy building!

Set Review - #10309-1: Succulents - Botanical Collection/18+

The Botanical Collection has become very popular ever since #10280-1: Flower Bouquet was released in 2021. #10309-1: Succulents is from the 2022 releases in the collection. I purchased it on sale during 2022, but it sat a bit until I was able to build it with my NLS. I finally got to it, so here’s the review. This set was released in the US on 12 April 2022 for $49.99. It contains 771 pieces and the price per piece works out to $0.065 per piece. This isn’t too bad, but you have to keep in mind that the set contains a lot of smaller pieces versus larger bricks or plates.

The front of the box shows the full assembled set. It has the 18+ design and shows that it is part of the Botanical Collection. The back shows another view of the various succulents, some actual succulents, and then how you can connect the various “pots” together in different ways.

The set contains four parts bags labeled one through three with number three having two bags. The instructions come in a cardboard envelope for protection.

There are three instruction booklets which correspond to the three separate bags. This build can be split up so that three different people work on it at once. I took booklet one. My NLS took booklet three. We did a team build for booklet two.

Similar to previous botanicals, the booklets have little tidbits throughout about the build, the items you’re building, and the parts usage.

The first bag starts with the Orange Echeveria (in the middle of the picture). Each build starts in a similar way with a base and then the 1x2 brick with Technic axle holes around the base for connections. Then you put the panel pieces around the edge of the top. Then you build the succulent. Not much to the Orange Echeveria. It’s a pretty simple build.

The Aloe Plant is built next (on the right). The highlight here is the use of the rubberized Jurassic Park dinosaur pieces for the aloe leaves/stalks. The color is pretty accurate and the plant actually looks like a little aloe plant.

Last up is the Hens and Chicks succulent (on the left). This one was a fun build with the various layers expanding out on each other. The color usage is great too as you get some pieces in colors that don’t show up often.

The second bag starts off with a small unnamed succulent (one on left). It’s a simple build, but the highlight here is the usage of the Forestmen hat from the Castle line for leaves. You get four of them in this build.

Next up is the Lavender Echeveria (center). It’s hard to see the parts inside when it’s located close to the other succulents, but if you put it individually, you can spread out the petals a bit. I’m not sure where the petal pieces came from. A mech set maybe?

Last up is the Moon Cactus (on the right). There’s a bit of repetition in this build as you construct the cactus and the top part, but it’s small so not too bad. The color on top is a new one for me. I like the pinkish-reddish color.

Bag three starts off with the Ball Cactus (in the center). I can’t remember where I’ve seen the claw like pieces around the cactus before, but I like the use of that piece type to achieve the look of a small cactus.

Next up is the Burro’s Tail (on the right). This one is composed of Jurassic Park dinosaur eggs. You definitely get a lot of them. The SNOT piece inside to hold up all the branches kind of stands out and doesn’t ‘fit in well, but at least they are the same color as the egg pieces.

Last up is the Red Echeveria (on the left). This one is pretty cool looking and matches up well with the succulent pictured on the back of the box. The tips of each leaf have an abrupt break at each point, but it’s not so bad where it causes the plant to look awful. I’m okay with it.

Here are a few shots of the set from different angles. Overall, I like the set and the different builds to create the numerous succulents. My NLS already placed some of them around the house for decoration. I definitely recommend this one if you’re a fan of the Botanical Collection. However, I don’t recommend getting it at full price. $50 seems a bit much considering the size of the set. When I was done, it looked rather small considering the price. I picked it up for $40 before Christmas and I suspect it will be discounted again this year. Definitely wait for the discount and maybe get another bonus along the way if you can like Target’s or Amazon’s BOGO sales or getting a gift card for purchasing a certain amount.

Happy building!

Set Review - #76408-1: 12 Grimmuald Place - Harry Potter

Here’s another late to the game 2022 Harry Potter set being reviewed in 2023. This one is #76408-1: 12 Grimmuald Place. It contains 1,083 pieces and retails for $119.99 in the US. It was released on 20 June 2022 in the US and the price per piece is $0.111. I picked this one up back in December 2022 and got some of the GWPs and double VIP points so it helped to make up for the higher price on this one.

I’m going to assume you’ve seen the movie already and you know about this building. The effect in the movie is cool how the building appears after the others separate and LEGO did a good job recreating the effect in brick form. .Also, like #76388-1: Hogsmead Village, this set could fit into a city scene pretty easily or with some slight modifications.

The front of the box shows the full set and how the buildings can be moved. It also shows the nine unique minifigures to the set. The logos on the box are the same as others. The back of the box shows more play features and the back side of the set.

The set contains seven numbered parts bags. The instructions are in a card board envelope for protection which is great. It also contains a long rubberized type piece which is used for listening by the Weasley twins.

The instructions are on white which helps to see them during the build process. Thanks LEGO!

There are stickers and some of them are bigger which I’m not a fan of. The bigger the sticker, the higher risk you have of air bubbles getting trapped underneath the stickers. Thankfully, I managed to assemble this one without too many issues.

The first bag starts the base of the building. It includes the steps to the buildings and then the slots which allow the buildings to slide around when 12 Grimmuald Place appears. It also includes a piece separator.

The minifigures in this bag include Harry Potter and Nymphadora Tonks. Both come with brooms. Nymphadora comes with red and light purple hair. Her face piece is two sided with one being the pig face and the other being her normal face. Both come with wands.

The second bag continues to build up the base and adds in the pieces that allow you to slide the buildings around. It also comes with a Kingsley Shacklebolt minfigure with a broom and wand.

Bag three builds up the first floor of the center structure. It’s a pretty simple build, but the detailing looks pretty good considering the small amount of pieces used. I’m not sure what the green frog hiding is for, but it’s a fun hidden item in the build. The inside of the build is the kitchen area of the house which is the main section of a number of scenes from the movies. It’s not the full kitchen, but they did a good job adding in details considering the space available. This bag comes with a Molly Weasley minifigure and a cat.

The fourth bag builds out the first floor for all three apartments. Each one looks fairly similar except the center one has gray coloring. The doors on numbers 11 and 13 don’t actually open either so it looks odd that only number 12 has a door knob. There are lamp posts on either side of the building and they are built differently than using the standard pole, clear minifigure head, and dish that you get from City sets.

This bag adds another arm for you to use when you transform the buildings. The minifigure in this set is Kreacher, the house elf.

Bags five and six build the second and third floors of numbers 12 and 13. Each one has the same design on the outside, just different colors. On the inside, there are different interiors which I’ll cover later. Fred and George come in these bags.

Bag seven finishes up the build with number 11 and adds in some other details on the other building structures.

The inside has numerous details across the buildings to include a piano room (a movie reference), the family tree room for the Black family, a few bedrooms, a room with skulls and one with a chair in it. Not a bad selection considering the size of the build.

The top of the building has chimneys and a TV antenna.

This bag comes with a Sirius Black minifigure.

This set comes with nine minifigures and they are all unique to this set. From left to right, top to bottom, they are:
Ron Weasley, George Weasley (pictured eyes closed), Fred Weasley, Kreacher, Molly Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Harry Potter, Sirius Black

If you are a big Potter LEGO fan, then this set will be a must for you just to get all the minifigures.

I did part of the build outside when there was a shadow so sorry the picture isn’t the greatest.

Here’s the final look at the set. I took pictures from both sides with all three buildings showing and then with number 12 in the back. It’s a cool function how they did this and a great play feature for the set.

Overall, it’s not a bad set. I enjoyed the build and like how you can use the buildings in a Potter scene/MOC or in a city scene/MOC. The pricing is a little steep. You do get some great minifigures, but it’s lacking on piece count overall. If you’re going to pick it up, definitely wait for a sale, double VIP points, or the ability to stack GWPs.

Happy building!