Review: 30701 Field Flowers
Posted by Huw,
In line with LEGO's aim of removing single-use plastics from packaging, so-called recruitment bags previously packaged in printed polybags will come in paper bags from next year.
30701 Field Flowers is the first one we've reviewed so in addition to taking a look at the set itself, the first 'polybag'-sized one in the Botanical collection, I'll also examine the bag.
Summary
30701 Field Flowers, 77 pieces.
Dandelions are usually considered to be weeds but these LEGO versions are attractive
- Simple but effective flower designs
- Add them to an existing arrangement or display on their own
- Limited availability
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The bag is about 17cm square and manufactured from the same material as those that are now found in sets. i.e. it's tear-proof, rustle-y, and coated with a thin layer of plastic inside to give it strength and to prevent the pieces inside from being scratched.
There's a serration at the back to aid tearing it open, although I am pretty sure that all of you reading this will use scissors to carefully cut off just enough to open it rather than ruining it!
The outer surface is matt and the print screen quite coarse, so the picture on the front is not very vibrant and does not suggest that this is a premium product, and it's certainly not up to the standard of that on polybags.
Anyway, this type of packaging is here to stay, and I dare say we'll get used to it. Now, onto the set.
30701 Field Flowers contains plants that I don't think many of us would consider picking to display indoors, but there's no disputing that dandelions and their heads once they've gone to seed do look attractive when at their prime.
The gold stem is probably supposed to be a stalk of grass that has gone to seed.
The flower is made using a pair of the Technic gears introduced recently for use in differentials in high-torque models, and a flower piece that I am not familiar with.
The pairing is successful in representing the humble yellow taraxacum, and I'm pretty sure that the designer of the gear never once imagined that it would be used as a flower one day, but I guess that's the beauty of LEGO and 'nice parts usage'.
Just like the real thing, the seed head looks light and fluffy.
The minifigure crown piece that first came in LEGO Movie 2 sets, is used frequently in botanical models and here it's quite effectively employed in the stalk of what I assume is grass that's gone to seed and dried out, but it could equally be an ear of wheat or some other cereal crop.
This addition to the botanicals line at a pocket-money price will serve as a gateway to the larger sets, and will also be welcomed by those that are already hooked on the theme.
I hope to acquire multiples of it because, while the trio look great in the vase below, I reckon two or three of each will look even better.
As for availability, it almost certainly won't be sold at LEGO.com, so you'll have to keep an eye out in supermarkets and other places where you've found polybags in the past.
I'll be careful not to leave it in a draught and get dandelion pappus everywhere...
3D printed vase, Sunlu marble PLA, Bambu A1 mini.
122 likes
57 comments on this article
As a weed scientist, my professional and hobby lives have officially collided!
Thanks, Huw, for the review and for teaching me a new word, "taraxacum".
Affordable. Not a word you here often in Lego.
@woosterlegos said:
"As a weed scientist"
Okay this is epic
Ok, but where is the rest of the differential? At least the smaller 14T bevel gears would have been nice inclusions as smaller dandelions.
As always the vase has stolen the show... :)
@Trigger_ said:
" @woosterlegos said:
"As a weed scientist"
Okay this is epic
"
That's, like, amazing man. Far out.
@mkrey said:
"Thanks, Huw, for the review and for teaching me a new word, "taraxacum"."
You're welcome. I only learnt it today, too :-)
Now the question is if these paper polybags will come to the US, because I have my doubts.
The only paper bags we've seen are with the packaging of velociraptors (presumably it applies to other similar bigfig-ish designs like other smaller dinosaurs and Jabba).
@Nuclearxpotato said:
"Now the question is if these paper polybags will come to the US, because I have my doubts."
I was wondering this too. It's been years and I have yet to see a single paper bag in any set that I have built.
Why didnt they ever switch to a plastic packaging that is recyclable.
As someone who’s grown up with these flowers all his life (are they commonplace outside of the UK?) I’d be keen to add this to my collection.
Didnt think id ever be excited about LEGO dandelions, but here we are. https://i.imgur.com/G7tUvAT.jpeg
Ooooooh! I actually love dandelions.
I also like the matte quality of the package image…it reminds me of the Legoland era.
@Capybara554321 said:
"Why didnt they ever switch to a plastic packaging that is recyclable. "
Firstly- its good PR, the public have “plastic bad” very much in their heads nowadays
Secondly- Plastic is pretty much not actually recycled- its normally to expensive to do, so it just gets shipped to China or Africa and dumped in landfill there :(
This may be the first time I actually WANT dandelions.
Eww, the bags look like cheapo Five Below stock.
@Terreneflame said:
" @Capybara554321 said:
"Why didnt they ever switch to a plastic packaging that is recyclable. "
Firstly- its good PR, the public have “plastic bad” very much in their heads nowadays
Secondly- Plastic is pretty much not actually recycled- its normally to expensive to do, so it just gets shipped to China or Africa and dumped in landfill there :("
So instead they switched to paper lined with plastic.
@Mister_Jonny said:
"As someone who’s grown up with these flowers all his life (are they commonplace outside of the UK?) I’d be keen to add this to my collection."
I’m Germany they are very common. As kids we collected the ripe seed heads. It was fun to blow and let the seeds fly as little parachutes.
@Huw said:
" @mkrey said:
"Thanks, Huw, for the review and for teaching me a new word, "taraxacum"."
You're welcome. I only learnt it today, too :-)"
"dandelion pappus" was even more impressive.
Now, I know these aren't available online, but where can you buy them, because this is the first polybag I actually want?
@Huw said:
"There's a serration at the back to aid tearing it open, although I am pretty sure that all of you reading this will use scissors to carefully cut off just enough to open it rather than ruining it!"
Clearly I am not "all"
Why on earth doesn't Lego.com sell polybags?
@Echolord said:
" @Nuclearxpotato said:
"Now the question is if these paper polybags will come to the US, because I have my doubts."
I was wondering this too. It's been years and I have yet to see a single paper bag in any set that I have built. "
Same here. US, haven't seen a single paper bag in dozens of the sets I've built.
@Mister_Jonny said:
"As someone who’s grown up with these flowers all his life (are they commonplace outside of the UK?) I’d be keen to add this to my collection."
They are ubiquitous in the US. I've seen them both in the northern parts of the US (Minnesota, Wisconsin) and the south (Texas and Tennessee). Pretty sure I saw some in Real de Catorce in Mexico, but that was over 30 years ago and may have been a similar-looking composite.
The bags would say recycle with other plastic bags, much like the bins at Target or Wal-mart or any chain grocery store I visit. So I always tossed them in with those. But it sounds like nothing actually gets recycled in reality, so why bother? Public perception is a business decision only. It will have ZERO effect on anything in reality.
I like the yellow gear and flower. The dandelion seeds look neat.
A weed is just a flower that people don't like anymore. It's still a plant/flower and whether it has its uses or not, it is still a flower.
@MisterBrickster said:
"Why on earth doesn't Lego.com sell polybags?"
Exactly!
I've been wondering this for years!
And suggesting it in surveys for years!
To be honest, they do offer a few through the Insider Rewards, but come on LEGO, just make all the currently available Polys available online. PLEASE!
@Zoniax said:
" @Echolord said:
" @Nuclearxpotato said:
"Now the question is if these paper polybags will come to the US, because I have my doubts."
I was wondering this too. It's been years and I have yet to see a single paper bag in any set that I have built. "
Same here. US, haven't seen a single paper bag in dozens of the sets I've built. "
Lego lies!! Also, Santa Claus isn't real.
Bah humbug!
Dandelions are delicious, But, not after they've flowered. Too bitter.
Why is this glorious set not available to get? :(
@myla said:
"If there is plastic inside and paper on the outside, doesn't that get rid of the point of wanting to "remove single-use plastic"? Or am I just dumb? also who is gonna reuse polybags, even if they are paper?? "
Firstly, the amount of plastic used is seriously reduced.
Secondly, the paper can be recycled, so the are effectively being re-used
Thirdly, the small amount of plastic does not prevent the paper being recycled, so the plastic is basically recycled too.
So the single use plastic in bags is removed.
@Echolord @Zoniax Get sets like 10368 and 10369 or the 2024 Space, most of those have paper bags
Are there no paper bags in your Barad-Dur, @Echolord ? or have you not built it?
Dandelions are ubiquitous in the Midwestern USA, where many people use chemical treatments to eliminate them. In fact, dandelions help rehabilitate soils that are out of balance, and should be allowed to do their good work! https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4503:~:text=Gardeners%20who%20mistakenly%20think%20of,where%20the%20roots%20once%20grew.
These look great... I look forward to getting multiples from Amazon for double or triple RRP!
@alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
" @myla said:
"If there is plastic inside and paper on the outside, doesn't that get rid of the point of wanting to "remove single-use plastic"? Or am I just dumb? also who is gonna reuse polybags, even if they are paper?? "
Firstly, the amount of plastic used is seriously reduced.
Secondly, the paper can be recycled, so the are effectively being re-used
Thirdly, the small amount of plastic does not prevent the paper being recycled, so the plastic is basically recycled too.
So the single use plastic in bags is removed.
@Echolord @Zoniax Get sets like 10368 and 10369 or the 2024 Space, most of those have paper bags
Are there no paper bags in your Barad-Dur, @Echolord ? or have you not built it?"
This is not true at least here in Germany where it's explicitly forbidden to add plastic layered paper into recycling. The worst thing for recyclers is mix of materials.
In addition the amount of energy needed to produce them might also be higher than for the original plastic bags.
@ForestMenOfEndor said:
"Dandelions are ubiquitous in the Midwestern USA, where many people use chemical treatments to eliminate them. In fact, dandelions help rehabilitate soils that are out of balance, and should be allowed to do their good work! https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4503 :~:text=Gardeners%20who%20mistakenly%20think%20of,where%20the%20roots%20once%20grew."
Indeed! Also, as mentioned in that article:
“Dandelion’s beautiful golden flowers also serve to attract beneficial insects.“
Dandelions are among the first flowers to open in the spring, providing sustenance for all of the beneficial insects who may emerge from hibernation early.
Pollinators, baby!
@Echolord said:
" @Nuclearxpotato said:
"Now the question is if these paper polybags will come to the US, because I have my doubts."
I was wondering this too. It's been years and I have yet to see a single paper bag in any set that I have built. "
https://youtu.be/dqhB2hOg0Yo?si=E0ZQ-rJ_5ANop7SU
;-)
@alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
" @Echolord @Zoniax Get sets like 10368 and 10369 or the 2024 Space, most of those have paper bags
Are there no paper bags in your Barad-Dur, @Echolord ? or have you not built it?"
It's a region thing... I believe it's the Mexico factory where North American Lego sets come from which is not yet equipped to handle paper bags... I just finished building 10368 and 10369, both came with plastic bags.
@Joce1275 said:
" @alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
" @Echolord @Zoniax Get sets like 10368 and 10369 or the 2024 Space, most of those have paper bags
Are there no paper bags in your Barad-Dur, @Echolord ? or have you not built it?"
It's a region thing... I believe it's the Mexico factory where North American Lego sets come from which is not yet equipped to handle paper bags... I just finished building 10368 and 10369, both came with plastic bags."
Just wait a while. In a couple of months LEGO will build a factory in the US and close its Mexico one, since sets imported from Mexico will be subject to tariffs of "100, 200 or 500%. I don't care".
Ah, everything will be hunky dory in a couple of months in the US thanks to the wisdom of the voters...
;-)
@legogeek said:
" @MisterBrickster said:
"Why on earth doesn't Lego.com sell polybags?"
Exactly!
I've been wondering this for years!
And suggesting it in surveys for years!
To be honest, they do offer a few through the Insider Rewards, but come on LEGO, just make all the currently available Polys available online. PLEASE!"
I've been wondering this for ages too..... I quite often miss out on nice sets because that year I happen to not go anywhere with a Lego store that has it in stock.
matt or matte? maybe another example of how English varies from country to country?
> There's a serration at the back to aid tearing it open, although I am pretty sure that all of you reading this will use scissors to carefully cut off just enough to open it rather than ruining it!
Hah! I'm an animal, I'll tear it open with my teeth and throw it away
@AustinPowers said:
" @Joce1275 said:
" @alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
" @Echolord @Zoniax Get sets like 10368 and 10369 or the 2024 Space, most of those have paper bags
Are there no paper bags in your Barad-Dur, @Echolord ? or have you not built it?"
It's a region thing... I believe it's the Mexico factory where North American Lego sets come from which is not yet equipped to handle paper bags... I just finished building 10368 and 10369 , both came with plastic bags."
Just wait a while. In a couple of months LEGO will build a factory in the US and close its Mexico one, since sets imported from Mexico will be subject to tariffs of "100, 200 or 500%. I don't care".
Ah, everything will be hunky dory in a couple of months in the US thanks to the wisdom of the voters...
;-) "
"Yee, gods! What am I sayin'?!"
Yes, the entire electorate for the US (if not the world) has been pretty much reduced to Jar Jar Binks, here.
It's the end of the world
As we know it
And I feel fine...
@Prairiebricker said:
" @ForestMenOfEndor said:
"Dandelions are ubiquitous in the Midwestern USA, where many people use chemical treatments to eliminate them. In fact, dandelions help rehabilitate soils that are out of balance, and should be allowed to do their good work! https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4503 :~:text=Gardeners%20who%20mistakenly%20think%20of,where%20the%20roots%20once%20grew."
Indeed! Also, as mentioned in that article:
“Dandelion’s beautiful golden flowers also serve to attract beneficial insects.“
Dandelions are among the first flowers to open in the spring, providing sustenance for all of the beneficial insects who may emerge from hibernation early.
Pollinators, baby!
"
And they're delicious! Especially, in early spring.
My local grocery used to sell them. They were the longer stemmed version. Those are pretty good, too. Can't find them anymore. All these youngin's want iceberg lettuce.
But, the best are found in the mountains just after the snow melts. My Italian grandpa tought me that. Eat them in a simple salad with really good olive oil, red wine vinegar, and some nice beans.
does anyone know if the little flower piece at the top of the dandelion is new? I can't seem to find it anywhere on brick link but I didn't think it was new.
"There's a serration at the back to aid tearing it open, although I am pretty sure that all of you reading this will use scissors to carefully cut off just enough to open it rather than ruining it!" I'll be cutting it open due to having limited use of my left hand. Poly bags and the plastic bags in larger sets I open by gripping one side with my teeth and pulling on the other side with my right hand, but I don't want to put paper in my mouth.
@UProbeck said:" @Mister_Jonny said:"As someone who’s grown up with these flowers all his life (are they commonplace outside of the UK?) I’d be keen to add this to my collection."
I’m Germany they are very common. As kids we collected the ripe seed heads. It was fun to blow and let the seeds fly as little parachutes."
Same here. We just thought we were having fun, but dandelion seeds are like that so that breezes will catch the seeds and distribute them, so we were helping the circle of life along!
@StyleCounselor said:
" @Prairiebricker said:
" @ForestMenOfEndor said:
"Dandelions are ubiquitous in the Midwestern USA, where many people use chemical treatments to eliminate them. In fact, dandelions help rehabilitate soils that are out of balance, and should be allowed to do their good work! https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4503 :~:text=Gardeners%20who%20mistakenly%20think%20of,where%20the%20roots%20once%20grew."
Indeed! Also, as mentioned in that article:
“Dandelion’s beautiful golden flowers also serve to attract beneficial insects.“
Dandelions are among the first flowers to open in the spring, providing sustenance for all of the beneficial insects who may emerge from hibernation early.
Pollinators, baby!
"
And they're delicious! Especially, in early spring.
My local grocery used to sell them. They were the longer stemmed version. Those are pretty good, too. Can't find them anymore. All these youngin's want iceberg lettuce.
But, the best are found in the mountains just after the snow melts. My Italian grandpa tought me that. Eat them in a simple salad with really good olive oil, red wine vinegar, and some nice beans."
Yum! Go pollinators!
@TheOtherMike said:
""There's a serration at the back to aid tearing it open, although I am pretty sure that all of you reading this will use scissors to carefully cut off just enough to open it rather than ruining it!" I'll be cutting it open due to having limited use of my left hand. Poly bags and the plastic bags in larger sets I open by gripping one side with my teeth and pulling on the other side with my right hand, but I don't want to put paper in my mouth.
@UProbeck said:" @Mister_Jonny said:"As someone who’s grown up with these flowers all his life (are they commonplace outside of the UK?) I’d be keen to add this to my collection."
I’m Germany they are very common. As kids we collected the ripe seed heads. It was fun to blow and let the seeds fly as little parachutes."
Same here. We just thought we were having fun, but dandelion seeds are like that so that breezes will catch the seeds and distribute them, so we were helping the circle of life along!"
My better half and I just finished watching Agatha All Along last night, and the dandelion seed was a major emotional touchstone for the series’ conclusion. Great show btw.
@venoos said:
"does anyone know if the little flower piece at the top of the dandelion is new? I can't seem to find it anywhere on brick link but I didn't think it was new."
Yep it's new, this is the first set we saw it in. It'll appear in more abundant numbers in some Jan 2025 Friends sets (oddly Brickset hasn't shown them yet) like the Beekeeper's House, Pet Vet Clinic, Friendship Tree House, and others where it appears alone.
Surprisingly, it seems like it was actually developed for Friends and reused for Botanicals rather than the other way around!
@ForestMenOfEndor said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
""There's a serration at the back to aid tearing it open, although I am pretty sure that all of you reading this will use scissors to carefully cut off just enough to open it rather than ruining it!" I'll be cutting it open due to having limited use of my left hand. Poly bags and the plastic bags in larger sets I open by gripping one side with my teeth and pulling on the other side with my right hand, but I don't want to put paper in my mouth.
@UProbeck said:" @Mister_Jonny said:"As someone who’s grown up with these flowers all his life (are they commonplace outside of the UK?) I’d be keen to add this to my collection."
I’m Germany they are very common. As kids we collected the ripe seed heads. It was fun to blow and let the seeds fly as little parachutes."
Same here. We just thought we were having fun, but dandelion seeds are like that so that breezes will catch the seeds and distribute them, so we were helping the circle of life along!"
My better half and I just finished watching Agatha All Along last night, and the dandelion seed was a major emotional touchstone for the series’ conclusion. Great show btw."
I need to get around to watching that one, although I'm thinking about re-watching WandaVision first, partially to refresh my memory of some plot points and partially just because I enjoyed it. The fact that it had Darcy Lewis doesn't hurt; I love that character.
Least functional dandelion clock ever!
I don't normally watch his videos but Jang did a YouTube video recently showing his plastic bag collection from recent sets, pouring them out all over the place with great effect to highlight how few sets have paper bags in North America. The interesting part was that influencers that get free sets to review and advertise tend to get them from Denmark and these have the 'good' paper bags and so a lot of the LEGO-funded YouTube videos show sets as coming with paper and not plastic bags. But the reality for NA customers is quite different with just about all sets coming in traditional plastic inner bags.
@R0Sch said:
"Ok, but where is the rest of the differential? At least the smaller 14T bevel gears would have been nice inclusions as smaller dandelions."
Why? Last I checked flowers don't contain gearboxes. It's a botanics set, not a technic one.
The middle gold flower could be useful for a Monkey King mech fighting staff.
@Tuzi said:
" @R0Sch said:
"Ok, but where is the rest of the differential? At least the smaller 14T bevel gears would have been nice inclusions as smaller dandelions."
Why? Last I checked flowers don't contain gearboxes. It's a botanics set, not a technic one."
Oh I don't know, there have been plenty of gears in botanical sets thus far. I'd have been pleasantly surprised and quite impressed if a whole dif had been sneaked into one!
the vase does not come with right?
Where will these be on sale (in the UK)?
@alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
" @myla said:
"If there is plastic inside and paper on the outside, doesn't that get rid of the point of wanting to "remove single-use plastic"? Or am I just dumb? also who is gonna reuse polybags, even if they are paper?? "
Firstly, the amount of plastic used is seriously reduced.
Secondly, the paper can be recycled, so the are effectively being re-used
Thirdly, the small amount of plastic does not prevent the paper being recycled, so the plastic is basically recycled too.
So the single use plastic in bags is removed.
@Echolord @Zoniax Get sets like 10368 and 10369 or the 2024 Space, most of those have paper bags
Are there no paper bags in your Barad-Dur, @Echolord ? or have you not built it?"
No paper in that one sadly
@MisterBrickster said:
"Why on earth doesn't Lego.com sell polybags?"
The only place I can recall seeing Polybags for sale in Australia is at the various LEGO Certified stores all over Sydney and Melbourne, that serve as the official stores here, but aren’t actually owned by The LEGO Group.