The fish are awful. They should have used the existing fish part. Other than that it is a good parts pack. I guess this is their replacement for the VIP packs we used to get free with $40 spends. Too bad these seem to require a $150 spend. I held off ordering a bunch of parts last night waiting to see what the next GWP would be. Just put in a small order for stuff I need right now. My pirate moc will still be incomplete for it's second showing next week. I think the Rainforest one was more impressive.

@karrit said:
"I guess this is their replacement for the VIP packs we used to get free with $40 spends. Too bad these seem to require a $150 spend."

My thoughts exactly - those collections were not thrilling but the thresholds were low, so okay, they were a little bonus. This one is not very inspiring if it's going to require a $150 drop.

Apparently it'll be available from 22nd April onward!! Prob up to 1st May when the SW GWPs become available!!

It looks great!! Plenty of great and new parts used in this

Looks like someone ate LEGO then spit it up. Needs a place or two to rest my brain.

@karrit said:
"The fish are awful. They should have used the existing fish part."
Agreed. You could remove the angled tile that represents the head and one flank of these brick built fish and use the 1 x 1 plate with clip that represents the other flank and tail to hold a moulded fish instead.

Just as well it's labeled. Might have mistaken it for another bit of 'Modern Art' otherwise. The Tropical Rainforest Diorama was only just about passable. This is just a mess. Certainly not the GWP I was hoping for next week!

I got a few 40782 as GWPs earlier this year, and I sold them all. I don't get the format. As a diorama it looks more like a bunch of scattered pieces than a well put design.

Ok, now this looks great.

Best set of the year so far! I wonder when I'll be forced to buy it secondhand?

I really like the green antler pieces being used as coral! I actually used that same piece to make a plant in a ninjago city moc!

No, the fish aren't great, but the jellyfish is pretty nice.

@dimc said:
"Hopefully it's a small threshold, it'll make a great parts pack to add to my Divers sets from the 90s. Those reefs were so sparse!"

My first thought was "That would be cool with an Aquazone fig," but yeah, Divers works too.

@TheOtherMike:
I like my design more. I managed to get a pile of the 1x1 4-petal round plate in clear, and I'd stack them with a 45 degree rotation. On top of the stack I'd put a toque, which comes in three trans colors plus white. Just needs a blue tang and a clownfish bouncing along on their tops.

This is cute — I like it.

The jellyfish is great, but the fish seem a bit funky. I admire the goal of something purely brick built, but it might’ve been better to use an existing fish piece.

@PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike:
I like my design more. I managed to get a pile of the 1x1 4-petal round plate in clear, and I'd stack them with a 45 degree rotation. On top of the stack I'd put a toque, which comes in three trans colors plus white. Just needs a blue tang and a clownfish bouncing along on their tops."

"Bad Squishy."

@dimc said:
" @WemWem said:
" @dimc said:
"Hopefully it's a small threshold, it'll make a great parts pack to add to my Divers sets from the 90s. Those reefs were so sparse!"

Brilliant idea! When I was a kid I put the seafloor bases on the lower bookshelf and the boats on the shelf above it. That's one of the cool things about the sets, they add an extra dimension of play just by the elements that are included.

LOL GMTA

Divers was such a fantastic theme. I'd love a revival of them alongside a new Coastal Police/Fire/Rescue subtheme."

I've been slowly picking up the sets. Got the underwater base last year, what a great one that is. I'd like to find the whale skeleton one as well. Some of the smaller sets I don't really need, but I want to make a scene with the boats and surface base on one glass shelf, and divers and the underwater base on the one below.

Under that will be...AQUAZONE!"

Environmental hazard.

@PurpleDave said:
"I think they pointedly avoided representing animals with animal elements when they did the rainforest, so I have a feeling that's going to remain a consistent aspect of this entire series. "

The rainforest had a butterfly and a frog, however these sets would be a lot more interesting if they had a bigger animal or two :/

Hot mess. Yet, I like it. ;)

Lego obviously doesn't want me to save for the bricklink shipping in July. It would much rather I spent more money!

The fish look awful. But that squid/octopus? Is rather clever.

Yikes... The 60 day limit for the 40786 Micro Command Centre Insiders Reward is getting perilously close without there having been a single worthwhile GWP to prompt an order!

This is not something I'm willing to buy on lego.com for, but I'm probably in the minority when I say I actually like the fish. It beats the normal mould held-up-with-a-clip fish, that always looks a bit off.

This looks like a model designed by an AFOL rather than an official Lego set -- and in this case, I say that in the best possible way.

I made an aquarium with MOC deep sea station and a bit of reef. This gives me ideas to color it up...

@Lego_lord said:
"I made an aquarium with MOC deep sea station and a bit of reef. This gives me ideas to color it up..."

Doing research for that tiny reef MOC that I mentioned, I found that it's mostly the fish that provide the riot of color found on coral reefs. Even when the coral isn't bleached white, the colors tend to be pretty muted compared to stuff like mandarin dragonets, clownfish, blue tangs, and so on.

@dimc said:
"Hopefully it's a small threshold, it'll make a great parts pack to add to my Divers sets from the 90s. Those reefs were so sparse!"

At 260 pieces threshold will be high. The Rainforest one was £135, $150 or €150 for 299 pieces, I would expect the Coral Reef to be the same.

I really like this series, can't wait to pick this one up. I think the Rainforest one has a better composition but this has neat part usage instead. And a bit of glow in the dark.

Curious to see what biomes they'll do next. I think desert with lots of cacti would be great. Maybe a taïga for a cold region.

And finally an alien planet because SPACE!

@Gataka said:
"I really like this series, can't wait to pick this one up. I think the Rainforest one has a better composition but this has neat part usage instead. And a bit of glow in the dark.

Curious to see what biomes they'll do next. I think desert with lots of cacti would be great. Maybe a taïga for a cold region.

And finally an alien planet because SPACE! "

Desert seems like a sure thing, but I'd figure temperate woodland over taiga. The problem with taiga is it tends to be pretty sparse, while this format really needs some dense variety to work.

I'm not sure this style of set is well suited for a gift with purchase. No minifigs, no particularly interesting building experience, no exclusive pieces or prints. As a parts pack is fine but for me at least it doesn't really entice me to buy anything just to get this set.

@daniellesa said:
"Lego obviously doesn't want me to save for the bricklink shipping in July. It would much rather I spent more money!

The fish look awful. But that squid/octopus? Is rather clever."

That's a jellyfish.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Gataka said:
"I really like this series, can't wait to pick this one up. I think the Rainforest one has a better composition but this has neat part usage instead. And a bit of glow in the dark.

Curious to see what biomes they'll do next. I think desert with lots of cacti would be great. Maybe a taïga for a cold region.

And finally an alien planet because SPACE! "

Desert seems like a sure thing, but I'd figure temperate woodland over taiga. The problem with taiga is it tends to be pretty sparse, while this format really needs some dense variety to work."

Good point about density. I don't know if they can fit tall trees in that format however, and I think something with more muted colors and snow would contrast more with the other models in the series, that's why I went closer to the pole.

Anyway, we'll see what they do eventually.

@Gataka said:
"Good point about density. I don't know if they can fit tall trees in that format however, and I think something with more muted colors and snow would contrast more with the other models in the series, that's why I went closer to the pole."

After posting that, I was starting to think of other temperate ecosystems they could go with. A lake or marsh might be a fun possibility (seen from the surface, not underwater). A flower garden would feel like it treads on both the Botanical series, and the world gardens, but I will be surprised if they don't include one. The woodland could be possible if they change the scale a lot (and maybe combine it with a meadow), or they could focus on the forest floor with maybe a single section of tree root intruding from one side. Ooh, they could also do an urban environment, with some pigeons, and one rat dragging a slice of pizza, with another pressed into the pavement by a steamroller!

@PurpleDave said:
" @Gataka said:
"Good point about density. I don't know if they can fit tall trees in that format however, and I think something with more muted colors and snow would contrast more with the other models in the series, that's why I went closer to the pole."

After posting that, I was starting to think of other temperate ecosystems they could go with. A lake or marsh might be a fun possibility (seen from the surface, not underwater). A flower garden would feel like it treads on both the Botanical series, and the world gardens, but I will be surprised if they don't include one. The woodland could be possible if they change the scale a lot (and maybe combine it with a meadow), or they could focus on the forest floor with maybe a single section of tree root intruding from one side. Ooh, they could also do an urban environment, with some pigeons, and one rat dragging a slice of pizza, with another pressed into the pavement by a steamroller!"

That urban jungle idea is brilliant! I'll have to MOC that out...thought I think I'll skip the steamrolled rat part.

I think you're onto something with the forest floor focus: instead of a root make it a hollow tree stump with moss and assorted fungi growing on it. Add autumnal vibes with colorful leaves and a squirrel hiding nuts and I think we can convey temperate woodlands with enough density and interest at this scale.

Regardless, while I like this series I hope they don't make too many because the threshold is on the steep side.

@Gataka:
Gotta have both rats. Pizza rat to represent NYC, and Steamrolled Rat for Chicago. But it's probably too much to ask that they bring back the black squirrel element. We had all three on LUGBulk that first year, and needed to trim one part. The guy who submits our document decided the most fair option was to drop one of the squirrels. Problem is, he picked the black one without asking, and that's the one they retired before the next LUGBulk round started up. I would have kept black and reddish-brown, and waited to get light-bley the following year.

Anyways, rainforest was February, and now the reef is two months later. Yeah, I think I'd prefer a 3-4 month cycle over two, especially since I have to make a May 4th purchase that won't overlap. And they'll probably keep any of the Christmas stuff from overlapping, too.

Oh. I was not aware of that Chicago Steamrolled Rat, a real thing, so I completely missed the reference there. I get it now.

It would have to be a print or sticker at this scale thought.

@Gataka said:
"Oh. I was not aware of that Chicago Steamrolled Rat, a real thing, so I completely missed the reference there. I get it now.

It would have to be a print or sticker at this scale thought. "

Pizza Rat definitely got more press. I think I'd already run across an article on it, and then caught it on TV while on break at work, and I know it got a lot of coverage with the late night talk shows. Steamroller Rat, on the other hand, I only learned about because someone I know from BWC had a display at a show I do, and I asked him if that was a steamrolled rat on the road. He said yeah, and went on to explain the whole reference, and I hadn't heard one single word about it up to that point. NYC is definitely better at monopolizing the news cycle than Chicago is.

I wish this was good. There's so many great lego coral reefs out there and this is not one of them.

Would make for a good 10 Euro impulse buy set.

Consensus on the internet seems to be that this will go live tomorrow. I was starting to worry they wouldn't have time to squeeze it in, since the May 4th promo starts on May 1st this year.

@Gataka:
I just thought of another ecosystem they could do: Golf course. Regular green plates on one side, bright-green tiles on the other, with a single Technic brick laid in sideways for the hole. Oh, and a birdie standing on the green. Maybe an eagle flying overhead. Water trap on one edge, sand trap on the other. I think that just about covers it!