What is your favourite gift-with-purchase set of 2023?
Posted by CapnRex101,
Gift-with-purchase sets are always an appealing prospect and some outstanding examples have been released in 2023.
Your nominations narrowed the original field of fifty sets down to twelve possible options in this poll. Vote for your favourite after the break...
These twelve sets were the clear favourites, although 40600 Disney 100 Years Celebration also received quite a few nominations.
Which set received your vote? Let us know in the comments. The results will be published in the New Year.
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67 comments on this article
Magic maze
I never got any of them, but I like Magic Maze
A few strong contenders, but the answer is obviously Blacktron.
The flower pot displays great and stands alone as a set. My choice.
Even with stickers, Blacktron Cruiser (and made sense to release during the 10497 being available)
Majisto's was a weird one, not labeled 18+, from a different era (skipping entire Black Knights and Wolfpack) compared to Lion Knight's Castle, and missing crucial parts/prints to really feel like 1993 Dragon Knights (likely restricted by only allowed one new print or something, which went to the Torso)
But those remakes should've just been directly sold sets.
40601 Majisto's Magical Workshop
Steamboat followed by Blacktron and Bionicle. Honorable mention goes to Death Star 2
I managed to obtain few of these. Out of all of them Magic Maze is the one I enjoyed more than expected.
Bonbkle. Blacktron Cruiser was cool too... if you got it on the aftermarket. That threshold was absurd.
For some strange reason, I think the moving truck wins this for me. Not that I got it, but it fits into any city and can transport all the stuff that it comes with, thats really impressive.
40588 best value
@TeriXeri Dragon Knights had new weapon & helmet, first cloth cape/flag & glow in the dark staff, dragon and YES those shields were very alike.
And the block blackt knight printen flags were plastic while Dragon Knights used cloth
40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua even though I had to buy it from a reseller.
This one is the easiest of the four categories as the Blacktron Cruiser had twice as many nominations as anything else.
Really hard to decide between Blacktron Cruiser and Death Star II, but had to go with the Planet Killer as it just looks so good on display at a nice affordable scale
I’ll be very surprised in case Blacktron doesn’t win. This is the most obvious category in 2023 polls
@TannerTheHunter said:
"Bonbkle. Blacktron Cruiser was cool too... if you got it on the aftermarket. That threshold was absurd. "
After market wasn't too crazy either. I picked it up for around £25 which seemed reasonable to me
Bionicle <3
Blacktron,the Majisto's workshop was a bit disappointing. 2nd place is bionicle,and 3rd is Galileo. (All of these i own btw)
Come on, Blacktron Cruiser!
How can I change my vote? Voted for Majistos workshop but I didn't realize Blacktron Cruiser was on the list.
No mention of 40604: Christmas Decor Set (Christmas baubles)?? That was a nice simple GWP with a low threshold to get them.
But I like the flowerpot a lot (my partner got and loves the Magic Maze and I have to admit that it looks great too).
The best I liked out of them is the maze. But we're lacking a Technic GWP, aren't we..? Most system themes get one, except Technic :(
I was very close to automatically voting for Blacktron Cruiser, but took a moment to remember and vote for the excellent Moving Truck....an essential addition to any Modular street.
I considered 40581 and 40591, but ultimately had to go with 40580. Those other two are nice display pieces, don't get me wrong, but 40580 is very playable and swooshable. Although I will admit that 40595 combines being a nice display piece with having a neat play function. Most of my affection for 40597 is because I got it with my order of 10320, so a very appropriate GWP.
Steamboat Willie
A great companion to the awesome 2019 model, display well together and if you missed out on that set it is a worthy replacement.
40586 The moving Truck
I quite like it when a GWP feels slightly exclusive. For that reason I went for Gringotts Vault. If remember correctly it was only with HP sets and the threshold was quite high, so you only got it if you were quite invested in HP.
Plus it was a great little add on
Blacktron Cruiser got my vote, obviously, but Magic Maze was also a fun set imho.
Definitely not that ugly bionicle set. Yuck.
Flowerpot is the only one i actually have but my vote goes to the workshop. Anything classic castle is great.
Some dreadful GWPs made it through to the final list, whilst delightful sets like 40587: Easter Basket didn't make it.
The Bionicle and Blacktron sets were so popular Lego struggled to shift them and they came up in multiple offers.
@RadioAllergy said:
"40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua even though I had to buy it from a reseller."
Same, that was a fun blast from the plast but mine came with a cracked piece I need to replace.
I miss out on most GWP sets though since I can't regularly buy hundreds of dollars of LEGO each month.
I voted for moving truck. It is a great stating point for moc's and it's amazing all the furniture fits inside!
Moving Truck all the way. It's the only set that really complements another. You can use all the decorations in Jazz Club. Plus, the truck can be totally filled with everything included, in addition to being a really good addition to a lineup of realistic original vehicles. Almost a contender for set of the year in my eyes, and I'd have bought that set blindly if it hadn't been offered as GWP.
Majisto's Magical Workshop. Moving truck second
My top favourites were the Houses of the World series.
@transamman6585 said:
"How can I change my vote? Voted for Majistos workshop but I didn't realize Blacktron Cruiser was on the list. "
BRIDGEKEEPER: Stop! Who approacheth the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.
ROBIN: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I'm not afraid.
BRIDGEKEEPER: What... is your name?
ROBIN: 'Sir Robin of Camelot'.
BRIDGEKEEPER: What... is your quest?
ROBIN: To seek the Holy Grail.
BRIDGEKEEPER: What... is the capital of Assyria?
[pause]
ROBIN: I don't know that! Auuuuuuuugh!
Blacktron Cruiser, easily. While there sure were a few other nice ones (in particular the Moving Truck), the Blacktron Cruiser is the only one I truly wanted to have....
(but still don't have....)
Glad to see none of the Houses of the World made it. Those were just embarrassing, especially considering the absurd threshold.
Any love for the 40586 Moving Truck?
@ForestMenOfEndor said:
"A few strong contenders, but the answer is obviously Blacktron."
The one I voted for, and the only one I got. 40586 is pretty neat though. If I had more money I would probably have it too.
Maze for me - not tied to any theme, playable in its own right and plenty of potential to customise.
Has to be Blacktron,
Recreation of an old set.
good model in its own right.
looks good on display
perfectly playable.
SPACESHIP!
Tahu comes close, but isnt as playable being more of a static statue display piece.
Voted for 2nd Favourite, the Moving Truck.
Easy 1st Favourite was Disney 100 Years Celebration, but hey ho!
Blacktron and Bionical were the only two GWPs that I purposely avoided!
Scary Pirate Island!
Top 2 is 6894 and 8534 easy
Easily Tahu and Takua from BIONICLE. Great price threshold, exclusive printed elements, solid inventory, more poseable than the originals, references to official promotional medias for the first time in set form... Those who snobbed this GWP skipped one of the most polished sets of this category, regardless of the IP.
My vote goes to Wintertime Carriage. But it was hard to choose from my other favorites-Gringotts, Moving Truck, Disney 100 & Easter bunny, flower pot & Steam Boat Willie.
I don't feel I can vote despite having 40580, 40595, 40597, and 40603 as I've yet to build any of them. I also had 40588 but I gave it away to a friend. Doot.
Only one of these lured me into actually purchasing something above the threshold at the time it was offered, so for me the Flower Pot got my vote. But I also remember that it was close with the Moving Truck, and that honestly looks like a better set.
Funny how many of these seem to really depend on personal nostalgia though. I can see why people love the Blacktron. But my childhood was just around the switchover to Blacktron 2, and thus I have no personal connection to the trans yellow theme. I did have some Futuron sets from the same era so that would have worked for me, not to mention M-Tron or SpacePolice 1 and 2. If born just a year earlier, or a relative randomly picking a different box from the shelf for Christmas could have made all the difference!
These are all pretty good choices. I'm hard pressed to pick between 40597 and 40601. Always been a big Pirate and Castle fan.
I voted for Gringotts Vault, even if I didn't manage to get it, it was quite hard, it deserve to be the best GWP. It's a perfect and clever addition to that big set that Gringotts Bank is. The track under the bank is not so long and limited, for reason i can understand (the set would have been to big and expensive), so that GWP perfectly extend the track.
For future sets than can be enlarged, not big Star Wars ships but locations (Mos Eisley would have been an exemple), Eldorado fortress and many other, it would be great to have more this kind of clever GWP
Bonkle, easy.
Come on, Tahu and Takua! Probably my favorite GWP ever. I absolutely love the Blacktron Cruiser, too, but in terms of which theme I have more nostalgia for, BIONICLE is the winner. So glad to see both sets here, though!
Let's also consider the purchase requirements for each:
40580 Blacktron Cruiser - £170, $190 or €190
40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua -
£95, $95 or €95 from City, Classic, Creator, DOTS, Friends, Monkie Kid, and/or NINJAGO
40586 Moving Truck - £160, $180 or €180
40588 Flowerpot - £130, $150 or €150
40591 Death Star II - £130, $150 or €150 from Star Wars
40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei - £115, $130 or €130
40596 Magic Maze - £130, $150 or €150 ( @Huw's review said "if I had to guess based on the size of the set, I'd say it'll be something like $250/£220")
40597 Scary Pirate Island - £95, $100 or €100
40598 Gringotts Vault - £115, $130 or €130 from Harry Potter
40601 Majisto's Magical Workshop - £220, $250 or €250
40603 Wintertime Carriage Ride - £130, $150 or €150
40659 Mini Steamboat Willie - £95, $100 or €100 from Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel Super Heroes
I contend that Steamboat Willie is the best value, even with its theme restrictions (I waited to get 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera until this promotion), while Bionicle seems fairly accessible for those fans (which I am not).
Majisto stands out as the only one above $200, and I'm not surprised that none of the Houses of the World (with their equally high thresholds) made it here.
No brainer.... Blacktron Cruiser!
Blacktron FTW.
The moving truck. I like the style and it goes well with taxi of the year before.
@HegoDamask said:
"I voted for Gringotts Vault, even if I didn't manage to get it, it was quite hard, it deserve to be the best GWP. It's a perfect and clever addition to that big set that Gringotts Bank is. The track under the bank is not so long and limited, for reason i can understand (the set would have been to big and expensive), so that GWP perfectly extend the track.
For future sets than can be enlarged, not big Star Wars ships but locations (Mos Eisley would have been an exemple), Eldorado fortress and many other, it would be great to have more this kind of clever GWP"
That's why I'm glad 40597 came out. It made the perfect complement to 10320.
I would have voted for 40589 (Pirate Ship Playground) if it was here... It was such a great set!! Great pieces, colors and good minifigures that could be kids or pirates!
I voted Blacktron, because the fig was good and the set was... ok... I feel Majisto's was also not a great set, but the price threshold was very high and the Blacktron figure was better/ more improved.
Magic Maze for it’s originality and play feature.
Flowerpot looks great and could have easily been a retail set.
40580. No question.
BlackFalconBirdman: Agreed, 40589 is a great set. I still would have voted for 40580 if 40589 had been in the poll, but the playground should have at least been available.
Bionicle ftw
40580 Blacktron cruiser is an easy choice for me.
40659 Steamboat Willie wins for me (I'm still kicking myself for not getting the Ideas version!) but I also liked 40588 Flowerpot, 40603 Wintertime Carriage Ride, and 40586 Moving Truck. All of the finalists were nice sets, mind you, but those four really stood out in my opinion.
Tribute to Galileo Galilei was my favorite, and the only set on that list that I bothered to get for myself. I got the Blacktron set for my brother.
Bionicle clears as a set remake since it goes above and beyond; substituting what features they couldn't include with worthy replacements and simultaneously celebrates the sets, the branding, the media, and the story in one box. It also fulfills two major things fans of that era never officially got sets of - the rock lavaboard Tahu was proudly displayed surfing on and the original design for Takua, effectively placing the two closest things to main characters in one SKU.
The Blacktron Cruiser is an adequate remake as well, and I know that the bias of the general Brickset userbase will weigh the vote in favor of it over constraction, but it doesn't have that multi-point depth that the Bionicle GWP has. Don't get me wrong, it succeeds at modernizing the set it's based on, but it's really just a redo of that one singular set without paying tribute to anything larger than itself aside from the obvious aspect that it's Blacktron.
The Death Star 2 and Steamboat Willie are good display pieces, and I'm glad I have them, but the conversation stops there. True, they're reduced counterparts of licensed material that's arguably been overdue for revision, but they're very much desk ornaments. Steamboat Willie has a function, sure, but not a really compelling one. That said, you can probably get more mileage out of both by building them into larger scenes, but as self-contained products they don't have a lot you can do after assembly.
Magic Maze was a really of-the-wall surprise and I strongly enjoy it. My only complaints are wishing the ball holder wouldn't put strain on flexible parts and being hard to display in a collection. That said, after critiquing two GWPs for basically being display-only, I'm very appreciative they had a GWP wholly and unapologetically designed around play.