Review: 10344 Lucky Bamboo
Posted by Huw,
It was inevitable that LEGO was going make the other pair of plants in the quartet known in Chinese art as the 'Four Gentlemen', following the release of 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom earlier this year.
10344 Lucky Bamboo, the subject of this review, and 10343 Mini Orchid, will be launched on 1st January.
The humble bamboo may not be the most attractive of them, but this set should not be overlooked.
Summary
10344 Lucky Bamboo, 325 pieces.
£24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 | 7.7p/9.2c/9.2c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Another attractive botanical that looks just like the real thing from a distance
- Varied hues of green really make it pop
- Looks great displayed with the other gentlemen
- None
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Notable parts
So many new parts are introduced these days that I find it hard to keep up with them, so I'm unsure whether the dark tan piece on the left is new or not. It's certainly new to me.
It's a revised version of one of the earliest curved elements, seen here in red, but a plate shorter, which will make it more versatile.
I thought this was the first time I had encountered these wheels as well, but they are actually wheelchair wheels. The rim retains the slightly flexible nature of the dual-moulded transparent/black version.
There are a number of tiles printed with an 'end of bamboo' pattern and also one printed with a coin-like pattern, which you'll see in a picture below.
Construction
Construction begins with the pot and, as with the others in the series, SNOT techniques have been used to give it an elegant curved appearance.
I thought the method used to fill the gaps in the gold bands in the corners was particularly clever.
The 'stoneware' pot sits on top of a plinth that matches the others. It's filled with 'water', 1x4 transparent tiles, which are not that common. The 2x2 round tile is printed with an elaborate pattern and I presume something similar might be placed in a real potted bamboo for luck, given the set's name.
The shoots have an axle running through them and are affixed in the pot via bricks with axle holes.
The completed model
The plant is about 30cm tall and, like the best Botanicals, looks just like the real thing from a distance. The wheelchair wheels are a slightly larger diameter than the 2x2 round bricks, so they look just like the protruding joints -- supernodal ridges I believe they are called -- that you find on real shoots.
The combination of greens used in the plant really pop and contrast wonderfully with the earthy tones of the pot and surrounding pebbles.
It's not a challenging build by any means: three similar shoots, three identical twigs and nine sets of leaves, but when it's all assembled, I think it looks magnificent.
Small 'pebbles' are used to fill the gaps around the shoots in the pot and, like the plant, they look very realistic from a distance.
Verdict
The nature of bamboo does not give the designer much to work with but, nevertheless, they have done an excellent job in creating an attractive and realistic model, one which is sure to delight fans of the botanicals series, especially if they have others in this range.
Here are three of the four gentlemen. The bright green of this one contrasts well with the others.
Stay tuned for our review of the fourth, as soon as my orchidist wife has built it!
10344 Lucky Bamboo will be available at LEGO.com when released on 1st January
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31 comments on this article
Its my least favourite of the 'four gentlemen' sets as the way its been done looks a little too artificial and make it look more 'decorated industrial piping' then 'organic plantlife in inorganic material'.
As for cons being none. I've gotta disagree. While the recoloured wheelchair wheels are NPU, they're a little too large and create too wide of a gap with the axel rim, which is what adds to the whole ' too artificial looking' vibe from the set.
Also, I've never known anything to be placed into a lucky bamboo pot for luck, so no idea what the golden stud piece is meant to be. Especially as it seems rather a waste for something thats completely hidden from view. Someone quote me if I'm wrong on the point of them not having items hidden, can't find anything online to say they do.
Lovely review of a lovely set!
Nice to have confirmation of the new slope, which I had only been able to assume existed from pics of this and one of the Monkie Kid sets (where the old slope wouldn't fit). The recolored wheelchair wheel is also a very interesting-looking piece—the first time we've had it in a solid color, which really emphasizes its interesting textural detail.
The least interesting of the quartet, but this is still a great model at a great price point!
I think this one looks great. Although I wonder if lime green might have been better for the stems. This one is a bit too green, whereas lime is a bit too bright, and tan would look a bit too dead. None of the LEGO colours are quite right.
I think it looks quite good when placed with the others, I like it.
Any idea when the modular will be revealed? I've seen the leak, but I'd really like to see the real thing.
@PurpleDave @paulvdb So it is a wheel!
That’s four down. Only 38 sets (with tons of duplicates) to go before you too can collect the world’s most expensive artistic representation of a mahjong tile set.
@alLEGOry_HJB2810:
It is, but not one that I have personal experience with. Old bicycles have wheels with tiny nubs that fit into holes in the frame. The first wheelchair has wheels that attach to a smaller pin. This looks like they’re Technic-compatible.
I love this one! It looks terrific.
I'm absolutely no fan of bamboo, so to me this looks just as ugly and boring as the real thing. The positive takeaway from this is that they captured the likeness quite well.
Doesn't look very bamboo-ish to me. The bright green unnecessarily accentuates the flaws of the model and drowns out the smaller details. They really should have used olive green and perhaps also added a lime green sprout/ sapling somewhere at the bottom just for the fun of it. I guess it's still okay and I'll buy it after all, but I would have hoped for a bit more elegance, not just an all too obvious plastic plant.
Not the most awe-inspiring of the botanicals, but a great compliment to the other 3 gentlemen. Jan 1st wishlist getting rather lengthy!
I can't stand bamboo!
I lived in a house with a bamboo hedge around three sides and the hedge was several metres thick. The bamboo got everywhere in the garden.
I think this looks great, but there seem to be major design issues.
The pot interior with the gold "coin" has only 4 exposed studs, suggesting the entire plant is secured using just these studs?! Just look at it funny and it'll fall over.
The review doesn't show how the stalks are constructed. I'm assuming an axle rod down the center of each? The stalks in the images are not straight, and I don't see any studs under them, suggesting the central rod is the only thing holding them in place?
What a terrible design choice. There are all sorts of pieces with studs-on-top *and* a hole for a rod, which would make this much more stable.
Two core expectations for any Lego model is that constructed elements are straight and secure, and this seems to fail at both. I've been looking forward to this, but now I'm disappointed.
@FlagsNZ said:
"I can't stand bamboo!
I lived in a house with a bamboo hedge around three sides and the hedge was several metres thick. The bamboo got everywhere in the garden.
"
Is that why your profile pic is what it is- did you cut it all down?
Will likely be my 2nd Botanical set. I just love how vibrant it is, with the curvature of the smaller shoots also being nice (pebbles also look way better than they should. Look amazingly like the real stones).
@ItisNoe said:
"Will likely be my 2nd Botanical set. I just love how vibrant it is, with the curvature of the smaller shoots also being nice (pebbles also look way better than they should. Look amazingly like the real stones). "
Will likely be my 6th.
FYI: "Lucky Bamboo" isn't a true bamboo...it's of the genus Dracaena.
I will probably purchase two when they become available, so that I can 'grow' a slightly taller version similar to the real lucky bamboo that I have growing...
I like it quite a bit, not sure why this one received so much criticism in particular. If anything, the poinsettia suffered from much greater inaccuracy.
I like chicken with bamboo and chinese mushrooms...and this set too, of course.
@alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
" @FlagsNZ said:
"I can't stand bamboo!
I lived in a house with a bamboo hedge around three sides and the hedge was several metres thick. The bamboo got everywhere in the garden.
"
Is that why your profile pic is what it is- did you cut it all down?"
No it is still there. I moved house!
https://www.google.com/maps/place/55+Ocean+View+Road,+Hillcrest,+Auckland+0627/@-36.7968653,174.7400337,441m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6d0d385290a4a8b3:0xfc3a42158e45f08a!8m2!3d-36.7968675!4d174.7413212!16s%2Fg%2F11f3qy4n3j?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTEyNC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
I wonder if the shorter curved piece will replace the original. I wouldn't normally advocate replacing one piece with two, but it's admittedly more versatile and you can just add a 1x1 plate to replicate the original.
@FlagsNZ said:
"I can't stand bamboo!
I lived in a house with a bamboo hedge around three sides and the hedge was several metres thick. The bamboo got everywhere in the garden.
"
Bamboo is quite a pest in New Zealand.
This is easily my favorite of the 3 so far.
@Frobozz said:
"The review doesn't show how the stalks are constructed. I'm assuming an axle rod down the center of each? The stalks in the images are not straight, and I don't see any studs under them, suggesting the central rod is the only thing holding them in place?"
It was remiss of me not to show a photo of that. Yes, there's an axle through the shoots which attaches to bricks with axle-holes mounted horizontally. I'll add one now.
@Maxbricks14 said:
" @FlagsNZ said:
"I can't stand bamboo!
I lived in a house with a bamboo hedge around three sides and the hedge was several metres thick. The bamboo got everywhere in the garden.
"
Bamboo is quite a pest in New Zealand."
Isn't it everywhere it grows?
Over here it is either recommended or even mandated (depending of the local rules concerning gardening) that you have to undertake certain measures as to ensure a planted bamboo can't proliferate. Like planting it inside a device that prohibits the roots from growing beyond the container.
@Maxbricks14 said:
" @FlagsNZ said:
"I can't stand bamboo!
I lived in a house with a bamboo hedge around three sides and the hedge was several metres thick. The bamboo got everywhere in the garden.
"
Bamboo is quite a pest in New Zealand."
There are many varieties of non-suckering bamboo that don't spread. I used to buy mine from a bamboo supplier in West Auckland.
I am so buying this for pieces, like 3 or 4 even. All pieces are great!
@GrizBe said:
"I've never known anything to be placed into a lucky bamboo pot for luck, so no idea what the golden stud piece is meant to be. Especially as it seems rather a waste for something thats completely hidden from view. Someone quote me if I'm wrong on the point of them not having items hidden, can't find anything online to say they do. "
The printed disc represents a feng shui cash coin - a round coin with a square hole - that is supposed to bring good fortune. It is particularly auspicious when combined with other symbols forming the five traditional Chinese elements: wood (represented by bamboo), water (the water in the pot), stone (the pebbles in the pot), metal (the cash coin) and fire (usually represented by a red ribbon but missing from this set).
@Zander said:
"The printed disc represents a feng shui cash coin - a round coin with a square hole - that is supposed to bring good fortune. It is particularly auspicious when combined with other symbols forming the five traditional Chinese elements: wood (represented by bamboo), water (the water in the pot), stone (the pebbles in the pot), metal (the cash coin) and fire (usually represented by a red ribbon but missing from this set)."
Ahh.. thanks for that. Now I know what to look for its made it easier to research, but apparently its still not that common of a things to have a coin in the pot... ?
Still, at least it makes more sense now.
I like it. Looks great next to the others. A day one purchase for me.