Review: 41843 Family Christmas Tree Decoration
Posted by Huw,
Christmas-themed sets have been a fixture on the seasonal calendar since 1999, but never before has a set as large as 41843 Family Christmas Tree Decoration been attempted.
When it was announced, its price was met with surprise and disapproval, but let's find out whether it's worth the outlay.
Summary
41843 Family Christmas Tree Decoration, 3,171 pieces.
£269.99 / $329.99 / €299.99 | 8.5p / 10.4c / 9.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The model will make an attractive Christmas table centrepiece, but at a price
- Designed to be built by up to six people concurrently
- Easily stored in its box
- Decent minifigs
- Expensive, perhaps unnecessarily so
- Superfluous side models that'll be prone to getting lost
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
New parts
A new leaf piece, LEAF 6X8X1 2/3, NO. 1 (design ID 7571) has been introduced in this set, which contains 96 of them. It will no doubt find its way into Botanical sets next year.
Construction
Instructions are split across six manuals, allowing it to be built by up to six people simultaneously. To avoid arguments, everybody gets to build some minifigures!
The completed model
The tree is about 45cm tall to the top of the star and, thanks to the new leaf pieces, looks quite realistic. Many of the leaves can be rotated and tilted so, just like a real plastic tree, it takes a bit of time to adjust them to get it looking neat, tidy, and symmetrical.
Transparent red and orange baubles (fishbowl helmets) are attached to the undersides of the lower leaves, and opalescent octagonal jewels provide decoration for their tops. Overall it looks very festive.
Within the base is a train that can be rotated using dials on the side. The mechanism also moves the hand on the clock in the room above.
Inside the trunk are four rooms which are accessed by opening up hinged sections of the tree.
On one side there's a hallway and a small kitchen with coffee machine and cookies on the lower level, and Santa's control room, complete with computer and multiple displays, above.
On the other side, a workshop with a sewing machine and paintbrushes occupies the lower level. A games room, with three arcade machines and a Christmas tree, fills the room above.
The floors are tiled but there are ample studs on which to position the minifigures.
One thing raised in the comments, which I had forgotten to mention, is that it's not particularly easy to close the sides once you've opened them: the two halves don't mate particularly well and leaves on them are prone to falling off.
Storing for next year
It's likely that you'll want to build this one year, then store it ready for display in subsequent Christmases so, to facilitate that, the set comes in a sturdy box with a lid, instructions for dismantling in to sections and fitting them back into the box, and even a small box in which to put the minifigures and accessories.
It's a shame that more sets are not designed like this!
Minifigures and accessories
The set comes with seven minifigures and a couple of cute miniature characters.
Previous versions of Santa had a printed hat, but this one is dual-moulded, but the difference in appearance is negligible. Mrs Claus has a new dress print: previous ones showed a red dress under her robes whereas this one has a dark red one.
According to the set's description at LEGO.com the five other figures are all elves, although only two of them have pointy-ear hats. They've not all been added to BrickLink yet, but I believe they all have new prints on their torsos, which include a classic space-inspired design. The figure attired in that jumper also has a bright green helmet and air tanks which are both new in that colour and being sold for ridiculous sums on BrickLink at the moment.
One of the elves has a set of mechanical arms attached to his back to help with his work.
These two cute creatures are 'Pillow Plush Toys', as BrickLink calls them. The Snowman is unique to this set; the reindeer also appears in one of this year's Advent calendars.
Completing the accessories is a sleigh propelled by a single reindeer, and Cataclaws, who featured in the company's Christmas advertising campaigns last year.
Cute though it is, it's arguably a bit superfluous.
Verdict
As a centrepiece for a festive table, this is a lovely model, one that you'll want to get out year after year. The thought that has been put into making it easy to dismantle and store is unprecedented and most welcome. It's something that more models would benefit from: after all, we can't display everything forever.
I do wonder whether it was necessary to have the interior details, nice though they are, and provide so many minifigures and side-models, though. A similarly-sized tree without all the gimmicks would look just as good, if not better, and could be sold at half the price to double the customers, but that does not seem to be LEGO's intent at the moment.
Instead, the company is aiming this 3,171-piece behemoth of a set at affluent families who are looking for a creative activity that they can do together over the festive period, and it certainly fulfils that requirement.
If you're looking for some family brick-based fun over Christmas that yields an attractive festive decoration, one that can be used year after year, then this is the set for you.
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114 comments on this article
For that price, I would’ve at least liked to see a working light show.
It’s certainly an interesting take on the concept; I appreciate the fine details like the arcade machines and the icing bag. It’s a tough pill to swallow in terms of price, though.
So here I was, just questioning the teasing of classic space parts across multiple other themes rather than having one of their own, when up pops another several hundred pounds set with yet another CS cameo. Sigh.
Hmmm LEGO Christmas tree set or REAL Christmas tree with plenty of money leftover to buy gifts to put underneath it, real hard choice there
"Expensive, perhaps unnecessarily so"
Nicolas Cage: "You don't say."
This set is going to sell so few at that price, as well it should.
Sometimes a set needs to be large and expensive to do the subject matter justice (Rivendell, Lion Knights Castle etc).
This is not one of those times.
I like it, it looks festive and if it serves the intended purpose of getting the family together for a mass build in (rather than spending the Christmas period staring at phones all the time) then that's a good thing in my book - as always though with this type of set the elephant in the room is the price...
After seeing this in person in the Lego Store, it's bigger than I thought and has more inside than I realised but it's still more expensive than I would be willing to pay for it.
It’s a lovely tree and set no doubt. But like too many sets of recent times it’s far too overpriced.
Nice review! This is outside my price range, but is very cute, blending the appeal of botanical sets with the playability and whimsy of Winter Village type displays.
I was recently thinking about whether Lego could do a Halloween equivalent of this set... they usually don't go "all out" for Halloween sets like they do for Christmas, but a big Jack-o-Lantern build with a scene inside could be a fun decoration for fans of spookier holidays.
Far too expensive for what it's supposed to be, and the side models seem to only be there to justify hiking the price up. No doubt people will still buy them though for the Classic space parts....
The interior was one of the aspects which I like about this set, it's expensive, but it looks interesting, it has the nostalgia of childhood joy of Christmas to it.
The box allowing for partial dismantle and rebuild is clever too.
This set is a hate-crime.
I do like that computer, but only because it vaguely reminds me of the Ducktales Stage Select-screen. That game brought me joy, this set does not.
This set was mind-numbingly boring to build. It’s fine when it’s done but the build was for this thing is awful.
When I first saw this set I was WOW must have it then I saw the price and it was a eek. gonna wait for it to either go on sale or i can pay for it with points..
I'm sorry, 300€?!? Really?!?
Anyone with deep pockets that wants this had better get it this year...because there's no way it's going to sell well enough for them to keep it around next year.
I'm convinced Lego is trolling the classic space collectors with the green helmet and air tanks. Those guys will get suckered in for those alone. The rest of us are going to need A LOT of convincing or a really good sale to buy it.
Can't knock it since I'm obviously not in the target audience, but I *will* point out that Walmart sells 45 cm Christmas trees that light up for $20. But I guess they don't have the LEGO logo on them, so take it as you will.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Christmas-Tree-Mini-45CM-Tabletop-Tree-Ornament-Built-In-String-Lights-Pre-Decorated-Ornaments-Pinecones-Compact-PVC-PE-Material-Stable-Wooden-Base/17485912833?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=102484151&selectedOfferId=FFC4D65CDEE032F7AD635BBDDB1F7CE6&conditionGroupCode=1
@oldtodd33 said:
"I'm convinced Lego is trolling the classic space collectors with the green helmet and air tanks. Those guys will get suckered in for those alone. The rest of us are going to need A LOT of convincing or a really good sale to buy it. "
Don't be fooled, it's not regular green - this is bright green. We already got regular green 'classic' helmets a while ago. You can already give a retro-vibe to your green Exo Suit spacepeople if you really want to.
One thing I like about Lego sets, especially large ones, is that they can disassemble into tiny pieces that can be stored away quite effeciently in a plastic bag. After a while you can then rebuild them completely!
For me that's a big part of the fun of Lego, especially the christmas sets. I don't like christmas, but I do like rebuilding Santa's Visit, the sleigh and hanging the planet sets planets in the tree.
Easy storage? Not a plus for this set. Weird tree shape (it should have taller) and the price? Major deal breakers.
Brilliant looking tree but, having got a backlog of several year's unbuilt Christmas sets, I think this one can wait for a while... 2026 Black Friday / Insiders sale might do the trick!
I agree, the shape is really odd. The base is too large for the height.
Interiors feel disconnected (a hallway? from where? to where? and videogames? it just seems a little off)
Also, i saw a butt on mrs santa printed gown and now i can't unsee it :D
@oldtodd33 said:
"I'm convinced Lego is trolling the classic space collectors with the green helmet and air tanks. Those guys will get suckered in for those alone. The rest of us are going to need A LOT of convincing or a really good sale to buy it. "
I think it's telling about the quality of a set if LEGO has to stoop so low as to try and sell it on CS parts alone.
I for one am not going to fall for it this time.
After a while these pieces will surface on BaP online anyway, just like the dark blue ones a while ago.
Plus, so far there's no bright green CS torso or is there?
@Gragosa said:
"Also, i saw a butt on mrs santa printed gown and now i can't unsee it :D "
I saw that too... looks as if she's wearing the dress back to front... and I hate to imagine what all the brown is!
@AustinPowers said:
" @oldtodd33 said:
"I'm convinced Lego is trolling the classic space collectors with the green helmet and air tanks. Those guys will get suckered in for those alone. The rest of us are going to need A LOT of convincing or a really good sale to buy it. "
I think it's telling about the quality of a set if LEGO has to stoop so low as to try and sell it on CS parts alone.
I for one am not going to fall for it this time.
After a while these pieces will surface on BaP online anyway, just like the dark blue ones a while ago.
Plus, so far there's no bright green CS torso or is there? "
No, there is no bright green torso YET. Lego could be counting on FOMO because they MIGHT release later. Very devious. I saw a video on boobtube showing someone building a cs minifigure to do this recently.
I'd usually be totally up for a big seasonal model like this, but from the moment I first saw it I thought it looked off - the use of leaves, new or otherwise, means that the tree just doesn't look like a conifer. I suspect that the designers probably tried out a whole host of alternatives before arriving at the final design, and presumably those alternatives looked even worse. I'm really struggling to love it.
For this ridiculous price it should have a full light string WITH sound!
If those minifigure parts don't make it to PaB, I'll boycott LEGO for good.
I have to admit, I love the idea that Santa has a secret spy base inside a giant, hollowed-out Christmas Tree. I kind of agree on the leaves not looking quite right. They should have just used 3000 green minifig claws for the needles. Loosing some in the carpet and finding them in June would add to the realism.
I played around with this model at my local LEGO store this weekend and the leaves kept falling off. The sides don't close / come together seamlessly either. Really just a mess.
The set itself is obviously a disaster but it doesn't really matter.
The target audience for this set isn't affluent families. It's resellers. I'm convinced that this drives well over half of LEGO's profits--from the initial set purchases from the resellers themselves, then the fee BrickLink takes on resold parts, figures and everything else.
The number of families that will purchase this based on the proposed concept of building together will likely be around 5% of total sales.
Then, around 25-35% will purchase it "just because," even if they're not really interested in it. Whether that be due to the subject material, for parts or FOMO is individual.
The remaining buyers will be resellers. Most of them will attempt to recoup their costs through inflating the asking price for the figures and highly desirable parts.
The cost of LEGO won't come down until the resale market crashes. If you read between the lines and look at the outrage there was when LEGO increased the set availability for the BrickLink Designer sets, prevalence of limited and exclusive GWP items available on BrickLink / eBay being sold at massively inflated costs, the fact that most sets these days feature unique parts, minifigures or colors, or even things like LEGO's transition from bags to boxes for Collectible Minifigures... It's quite apparent.
LEGO increasingly marketing solely to idyllic 1%er families who do things like gather around together and build LEGO sets, let's see how this strategy works out for them.
Well, mine's on order. With luck, it'll be finished by Thanksgiving before my family arrives.
The minifigure with that Classic Space Christmas jumper definitely must win the Minifigure of the Year contest :-)
Oh, so the tree IS fully enclosed? Since the reveal I've been thinking the set is open-backed because the official images always showed one side open. Being a full tree helps explain the 3171 pieces.
That said, I agree with the idea that all the interior/minifigs/accessory builds should've been scrapped, leaving just the tree. That'd probably bring the part count down to closer to 2000 pieces, and marketing this set as "LEGO's biggest Christmas tree set ever" for $150-$180 would likely make it much more palatable to many people. I still wouldn't buy it, as I don't care for decorations, but it'd be better.
@WokePope said:
"LEGO increasingly marketing solely to idyllic 1%er families who do things like gather around together and build LEGO sets, let's see how this strategy works out for them."
Honestly I'd prefer if more families were like that, especially families with younger kids, rather than everyone being in their own room staring at little screens. So I don't mind LEGO trying to encourage that, but this set really isn't a good candidate for the attempt.
@fourstud said:
"I played around with this model at my local LEGO store this weekend and the leaves kept falling off. The sides don't close / come together seamlessly either. Really just a mess."
That's a good point I forgot to mention: they don't close as neatly as you'd expect them too.
It is a really nice gift to give someone, would I buy it for myself, not at that price.
For "affluent families". It couldn't be better described in fewer words. Unfortunately this has become the norm lately.
That new leaf piece is so specialized that it is like cheating.
And, what's happening to Cataclaws' snout?
I like this set and will likely be picking it up eventually. My biggest complaint is that the tree build looks like it is missing one extra level. It would look better if the angle of the branches on the top level matched the angle of the other 2 lower levels and making it that bit taller would correct this.
@Adrianucho said:
"That new leaf piece is so specialized that it is like cheating.
And, what's happening to Cataclaws' snout?"
I immediately thought of Playmobil when I saw the close up of the leaf piece in the review.
I love WV Lego. It was the first expansion of my collection outside of SW. I love any of the Xmas, holiday, and winter sets.
I DON'T love this!!
It looks like a messy pyramid. It acts like a real tree by part shedding constantly. It won't even close properly?!
The only thing this does well is suck bank accounts dry. Ridiculous. This would be a difficult decision at 50% off. I have no problem seeing this set disappear.
Lego is producing a near-constant stream of hyper-expensive crap.
Honestly, I don't even think the price is the biggest issue. I just don't like how it looks. It's a rather chubby tree....too much effort went into the insides, but how it looks when all closed up seemed an afterthought.
I like it fine, it’s just my budget doesn’t. Also, while I love seasonal decorating, the storing of the decorating things in between the seasonal recurrence is always an issue, so I try not to go too-too crazy with it, and my inexplicably Christmassy velvet snail and assorted gonks and reindeer and yule goats take storage precedence over a Lego tree when I already, y’know, have a tree. It’s also plastic but I can fit an awful lot more tinsel on it.
I don't like the shape of it. Maybe it looks better in person, but the angle of the sides is too steep for most of the tree, and then too flat for the top part. I wish it was a more constant angle from base to peak.
Most crazy are the people who bought an aritank for +EUR 57.29
Adding a sleigh feels like robbery since many christmas fans allready have the reindeer battle pack.
If someone actually buys a $330 block toy to get a 5 cent green space helmet and air tank... I worry for the future of our planet.
Also you could make your own unlimited green trinkets on a $250 3d printer.
Even if I had unlimited space, I wouldn't be buying this, but I may have to start looking on PaB for that Classic Space sweater torso.
@Vesperas said:
"The number of families that will purchase this based on the proposed concept of building together will likely be around 5% of total sales.
..
Then, around 25-35% will purchase it "just because,"
..
The remaining buyers will be resellers."
I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re claiming unsubstantiated nonsense, and giving it numbers to make it sound real.
We will we never know the set’s sales figures or buyer profiles, and you certainly can’t pretend to know them now.
I also think your claim that bricklink is a giant cash cow, is a little bit silly. It’s a niche site for enthusiast level fans. Most people who buy Lego are statistically unlikely to have ever heard of it.
For myself, I think it’s an odd and overpriced set, and wonder how long they’ll keep milking the CS fans
An expensive set just to display for 1 week. At least the Death Star can be displayed all year round
@Reventon said:
"An expensive set just to display for 1 week. At least the Death Star can be displayed all year round "
1 week?? Gracious. I put my Christmas decor up at the beginning of November and don't take it down till the beginning of February!!
@Reventon said:
"An expensive set just to display for 1 week. At least the Death Star can be displayed all year round "
With the 75419 you could make a wreath by adding a bit of greenery around the perimeter and then populate it with the various Star Wars and other Christmas figures that have come with the advent calendars over the years.
@Joce1275 said:
" @Reventon said:
"An expensive set just to display for 1 week. At least the Death Star can be displayed all year round "
1 week?? Gracious. I put my Christmas decor up at the beginning of November and don't take it down till the beginning of February!!"
That’s dedication. I can barely bother to put my stuffed Grinch on the shelf.
If only they did this interior/exterior combo with the UCS Death Star…
First thoughts: Wow, that a cool model! As a kid, I would have loved the fact that it opens up. Genuinely a fun concept.
Given the overall size of the model, I would pay around 250 AUD for this?
*Checks price*
500 AUD
Second thoughts: LOL nope
Does it fit in the aquarium?
@StyleCounselor said:
"I love WV Lego. It was the first expansion of my collection outside of SW. I love any of the Xmas, holiday, and winter sets.
I DON'T love this!!
It looks like a messy pyramid. It acts like a real tree by part shedding constantly. It won't even close properly?!
The only thing this does well is suck bank accounts dry. Ridiculous. This would be a difficult decision at 50% off. I have no problem seeing this set disappear.
Lego is producing a near-constant stream of hyper-expensive crap. "
I'd take this set at $165.00. For 3,000 pieces it would be a steal. Plus the minifigures are bound to increase in value.
All I want for Christmas is a third kidney I can sell for pay for rent and groceries and that very shortsighted student debt that haunts me to this day.
And maybe if I have any leftover I'll consider this set.
Honestly the shape doesn't bother me. It's like a gargantuan tree that you'd see as the stage background for the Nutcracker ballet. There's something gaudy about it, in a good way. It has rooms inside it, after all. This set is not trying to be a realistic tree. It's trying to be a Christmas decoration.
That price? Dealbreaker.
Cool concept HOWEVER that price. What.
Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live….
@Joce1275 said:
" @Reventon said:
"An expensive set just to display for 1 week. At least the Death Star can be displayed all year round "
1 week?? Gracious. I put my Christmas decor up at the beginning of November and don't take it down till the beginning of February!!"
When I was growing up, my family would put up the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving and tak them down at some point in January. Not as long as you, but still, yeah. Who only leaves their Christmas decorations up for a week?
@stefwaffles said:
" @Vesperas said:
"The number of families that will purchase this based on the proposed concept of building together will likely be around 5% of total sales.
..
Then, around 25-35% will purchase it "just because,"
..
The remaining buyers will be resellers."
I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re claiming unsubstantiated nonsense, and giving it numbers to make it sound real.
We will we never know the set’s sales figures or buyer profiles, and you certainly can’t pretend to know them now.
I also think your claim that bricklink is a giant cash cow, is a little bit silly. It’s a niche site for enthusiast level fans. Most people who buy Lego are statistically unlikely to have ever heard of it.
For myself, I think it’s an odd and overpriced set, and wonder how long they’ll keep milking the CS fans"
The numbers are approximate but the proposal is accurate. Two adults in my family that buy LEGO spend as much, if not more, buying from BrickLink. There are four of us, total.
There's actually been quite a bit of market research into this the last few years. In fact, it's well known enough that my father (whom doesn't really care much about it) has made comments about how LEGO is a good investment because he saw how well it retains its value on television. Many websites even track this data for you and it only further reinforces this.
Furthermore, there have been several cases now of criminals making national headlines here in the US for being caught with massive quantities of stolen LEGO sets. It's actually become enough of a problem that police here are aware of it and many department stores have started putting LEGO sets in locked cases.
Finally, my cousin personally knows someone that operates a BrickLink store in our state that purchased a full semi-trailer full of clearance LEGO back when a department store here went under (K-Mart). Since then, he's expanded his LEGO reselling empire to 15 full-time employees, several of whom occasionally purchase high demand sets, day one, on the store's behalf for GWPs with a business card.
This one store effectively drives more LEGO sales than everyone in my family combined (and then some).
To put this into perspective, I remember this one store having nine (9) 40693 - Fell Beast for sale at one point. Now, it's zero.
So while the numbers are relative, I'm quite confident it's nonetheless true. LEGO obviously know this, hence why they've been all too eager to redirect people to BrickLink via the BDP, which is clearly popular enough that many sets managed to hit their 40,000 pre-order limits within a few hours, hence why LEGO boosted it last time.
I've also heard from a LEGO employee that this is a big part of why PAB orders direct from Denmark take so long to arrive here in the US. They want to encourage the resale market via BrickLink due to the faster turn-around on shipping.
It's far more efficient and profitable for them to put together a couple of $2,000 orders for BrickLink stores than it is for them to a hundred $40 orders because they earn a small amount from the BrickLink fees (effectively, double-dipping).
@ScholtzTKO said:
"If someone actually buys a $330 block toy to get a 5 cent green space helmet and air tank... I worry for the future of our planet.
Also you could make your own unlimited green trinkets on a $250 3d printer."
There is some people willing to pay >330$ for the same weight of gold or diamonds, things that I consider less beautiful or useful and also with significant environmental impact.
Edit: I mostly agree with you. About purchasing parts that won’t be used.
@PDelahanty said:
"Anyone with deep pockets that wants this had better get it this year...because there's no way it's going to sell well enough for them to keep it around next year."
I’m hoping it will be deeply discounted after the holidays.
@oldtodd33 said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"I love WV Lego. It was the first expansion of my collection outside of SW. I love any of the Xmas, holiday, and winter sets.
I DON'T love this!!
It looks like a messy pyramid. It acts like a real tree by part shedding constantly. It won't even close properly?!
The only thing this does well is suck bank accounts dry. Ridiculous. This would be a difficult decision at 50% off. I have no problem seeing this set disappear.
Lego is producing a near-constant stream of hyper-expensive crap. "
I'd take this set at $165.00. For 3,000 pieces it would be a steal. Plus the minifigures are bound to increase in value. "
Perhaps. There's too much being released. My desire to accumulate more is severely waning.
I love Christmas sets, but this year... I skipped both this and the train. They didn't seem worth the money, weren't interesting enough, etc. I did get the Star Wars Christmas set and the little festive gingerbread house. They are cute and different enough. I also feel that they exist at a way better price point. Maybe if I find the other sets used somewhere or on sale after Christmas? I don't hate them, but that isn't where I want to use my lego budget currently.
@Blockwork_Orange said:
" @Adrianucho said:
"That new leaf piece is so specialized that it is like cheating.
And, what's happening to Cataclaws' snout?"
I immediately thought of Playmobil when I saw the close up of the leaf piece in the review."
Same here.
Actually we have several Playmobil sets with (Christmas) trees, the leaves of which look very much like these new LEGO pieces.
Yet in detail they look better, because the ends are flayed, which makes them look more like actual conifers, whereas the LEGO piece doesn't. I guess they developed it with secondary usage as foliage in Botanicals sets in mind. Fair enough, and certainly clever, but imho it takes a little away from the looks in this set. And at that price I would have expected better.
Otoh, most people who actually buy this set might not really care about such details that much.
Feels like €150.00 set
@Vesperas said:
" There's actually been quite a bit of market research into this the last few years. In fact, it's well known enough that my father (whom doesn't really care much about it) has made comments about how LEGO is a good investment because he saw how well it retains its value on television. Many websites even track this data for you and it only further reinforces this.
Furthermore, there have been several cases now of criminals making national headlines here in the US for being caught with massive quantities of stolen LEGO sets. It's actually become enough of a problem that police here are aware of it and many department stores have started putting LEGO sets in locked cases.
"
I doubt resellers are responsible for the bulk of the orders for this. Resellers tend to buy early if there is a decent tied GWP that is in substantial demand and/or if they think they can create a shortage of stock for a time sensitive set and so quick flip for profit, or they buy on significant discount, or they buy late where they think the set will be in demand in future and at an inflated price. I doubt this will increase that much when it retires as it is already expensive for what it is, it doesn't look particularly good and they will release more Christmas sets in future that will compete on price.
From prices I see, I think a lot of small time resellers are getting burnt these days. Buying something and after fees maybe making 10% after two years. That is just about keeping up with inflation. Reselling is much harder than in the past, especially casual reselling.
As for larfe LEGO thefts, that is nothing new. They were happening 10 years ago, before the rise of LEGO.
@shannon2611 said:
"Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live…."
If we only reviewed sets that we'd personally bought then, well, not much would get reviewed.
Looks very beautiful and detailed, but the price is a bit steep. Then again, it will remain with you forever, I hope...
I don't really get the arcade machines, santa map, sewing machine, coffee machine counter etc. If the inside had a toy making machine like 40565, together with a living room and fire, bedroom etc like 10245 I would be more interested. Although I do like the toy train going around the base.
@Huw said:
" @shannon2611 said:
"Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live…."
If we only reviewed sets that we'd personally bought then, well, not much would get reviewed. "
You do articles on favourite sets under £X by the regular reviewers near Christmas. What might be interesting is if you also do a "What would I buy (at RRP) if my LEGO budget was £1200" (chosen as an average of £100 a month). So a bit like fantasy football, where the budget stops you buying all the best players. OK, it isn't your own money you'd be pretending to spend, but would be interesting to see whether reviewers go for a few big ones and have to miss out on other big sets or go for lots of smaller ones.
@Huw said:
" @shannon2611 said:
"Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live…."
If we only reviewed sets that we'd personally bought then, well, not much would get reviewed. "
While I can understand Shannon's point, I get why you guys don't tell Lego to stop sending you review copies ;-)
In all fairness, I think you guys generally do a good job at focussing on the merits of the set itself and pointing out flaws, and let the price just be a factor in the conclusion. A good set is a good set after all, even if it is overpriced. That's the most subjective part after all, and the easiest for us to judge ourselves.
Though with some extreme sets (like recently the Aquarium and the Death Tortilla), I certainly don't mind some strong outright criticism ;-)
Love the review @huw thank you. Really impressed with the dismantling instructions as well as suitable box. This is awesome and as you say, maybe more sets should have this. The price however, isn't justifiable for a set only used a fraction of the year.
How does this fit with other Christmas Lego sets a Christmas display (winter village, houses etc). Is it too big and dwarf them @huw ?
Thank you
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Huw said:
" @shannon2611 said:
"Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live…."
If we only reviewed sets that we'd personally bought then, well, not much would get reviewed. "
While I can understand Shannon's point, I get why you guys don't tell Lego to stop sending you review copies ;-)
In all fairness, I think you guys generally do a good job at focussing on the merits of the set itself and pointing out flaws, and let the price just be a factor in the conclusion. A good set is a good set after all, even if it is overpriced. That's the most subjective part after all, and the easiest for us to judge ourselves.
Though with some extreme sets (like recently the Aquarium and the Death Tortilla), I certainly don't mind some strong outright criticism ;-)"
Agree completely. Besides, I think a lot of big name content creators these days are doing this as a full time business, so it would be a business expense / tax write off anyway. Not to mention in many cases the revenue from the review can sometimes pay for the set regardless.
For me personally, I want a review to focus on the things that are not immediately apparent from the pictures, like building techniques, technical functions and play features. New molds and colours that I haven't noticed are also appreciated, along with the general aesthetic and how the set looks pictured next to other similar / related sets.
I feel I can determine for myself if a set is out of my price range or if it will work with my budget!
I for one highly appreciate the fact that @Huw and the team at Brickset provide us with all these high quality in-depth reviews free of charge. (Let alone all the other awesome features Brickset provides).
I don't mind at all that they get free review copies in exchange for their work. After all, if you factor in the time and effort it takes to make these reviews, payment in the form of free sets seems quite fair.
As for truly independent reviews I trust Jang because he buys all of his reviewed sets with his own money and therefore also makes a conscious decision what to review himself and what to leave for others.
Best of both worlds really.
@oldtodd33 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @oldtodd33 said:
"I'm convinced Lego is trolling the classic space collectors with the green helmet and air tanks. Those guys will get suckered in for those alone. The rest of us are going to need A LOT of convincing or a really good sale to buy it. "
I think it's telling about the quality of a set if LEGO has to stoop so low as to try and sell it on CS parts alone.
I for one am not going to fall for it this time.
After a while these pieces will surface on BaP online anyway, just like the dark blue ones a while ago.
Plus, so far there's no bright green CS torso or is there? "
No, there is no bright green torso YET. Lego could be counting on FOMO because they MIGHT release later. Very devious. I saw a video on boobtube showing someone building a cs minifigure to do this recently. "
Well, I'm a CS fan as well and I'm not going to fall for it either, there is no way I spend that kind of money just to get those pieces.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Joce1275 said:
" @Reventon said:
"An expensive set just to display for 1 week. At least the Death Star can be displayed all year round "
1 week?? Gracious. I put my Christmas decor up at the beginning of November and don't take it down till the beginning of February!!"
When I was growing up, my family would put up the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving and tak them down at some point in January. Not as long as you, but still, yeah. Who only leaves their Christmas decorations up for a week?"
Beginning of Advent through to either New Year or Epiphany depending on whether the more bah-humbug family members won the argument that year, here. One week seems terribly organised and motivated to me: All that work so close together! I’d rather enjoy the sparklies for longer and have more rest and recovery in between.
With all of the negative points about this set (justifiably so), I wanted to add one more positive point that hasn't been mentioned here for some who might be interested and has been commented about at other places including LEGO. That this set comes in 24 bags which therefore could make it be considered an advent calendar of a sort. 1 bag a day just like 21330 which I really enjoyed building in that fashion. It would surely help with the repetitive assembly of 41843. We now resume to the negativity (again justifiable).
As a father with a young child I'm in two minds over this, it *is* the kind of nice Christmas decoration it would be good to get out each year as a bit of a tradition, it certainly looks well made and I can imagine us adding some minifigs or small builds to it over the years. Honestly I think this is actually quite a good idea and I applaud the Lego group for trying something a bit different from the winter village sets.
But then the price... our Christmas decorations go up the 1st of December at the earliest and down by 12th night (bad luck otherwise, my grandmother told me!), so it really would have to be used quite a few years to justify that amount of money!
@Brick_Master said:
"As a father with a young child I'm in two minds over this, it *is* the kind of nice Christmas decoration it would be good to get out each year as a bit of a tradition, it certainly looks well made and I can imagine us adding some minifigs or small builds to it over the years. Honestly I think this is actually quite a good idea and I applaud the Lego group for trying something a bit different from the winter village sets.
But then the price... our Christmas decorations go up the 1st of December at the earliest and down by 12th night (bad luck otherwise, my grandmother told me!), so it really would have to be used quite a few years to justify that amount of money! "
This is exactly how I feel. I have avidly collected all of the Christmas sets over the years, even the employee gifts. To me, it feels like they have gone too far with this model. It looks great, but there's no chance I'm going to add $300+ to my spend to have that, especially when there are previous decorative tree models that are quite nice at a much more effective price point.
@Lyichir said:
"Nice review! This is outside my price range, but is very cute, blending the appeal of botanical sets with the playability and whimsy of Winter Village type displays.
I was recently thinking about whether Lego could do a Halloween equivalent of this set... they usually don't go "all out" for Halloween sets like they do for Christmas, but a big Jack-o-Lantern build with a scene inside could be a fun decoration for fans of spookier holidays."
Great idea but def not at this price!!
@Huw said:
" @shannon2611 said:
"Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live…."
If we only reviewed sets that we'd personally bought then, well, not much would get reviewed. "
Perhaps more to the point, pretty much nothing would get reviewed *before* release, right?
@jsutton said:
"So here I was, just questioning the teasing of classic space parts across multiple other themes rather than having one of their own, when up pops another several hundred pounds set with yet another CS cameo. Sigh."
LEGO is a cruel master.
Neat set. Tree looks chubby so would've liked it a bit taller but pretty cool all around. Price is completely insane though. It's definitely gonna get a heafy discount before it retires.
@Adrianucho said:
"That new leaf piece is so specialized that it is like cheating.
And, what's happening to Cataclaws' snout?"
At least this leaf has 2 studs on the actual leaf unlike 6507840
It stopped me just short of buying the BLDP Sequoia set and it isn’t just that these pieces aren’t the most suitable for sets, they lack some fundamental interaction to be much else, leaves are not minifigure accessories.
The original leaf-branch could be either of those, was abstractly geometric, studded and could be engineered with plates etc.
It’s not a problem but crosses a Lego theme design boundary that sometimes feels like we’re headed straight back to Fabuland. When you look at the world, perhaps that’s an inevitable direction.
@huw as a RLFM website do y’all use the comments section in reviews to give feedback to TLG? I’m curious how much the fans have a “voice” in what LEGO produces. Seems like we get a $300+ release every month now. My wishlist backlog cannot keep up. I feel like the Brickset comment section on review (while small) provides a pretty good sample size from the “adult” fan perspective.
LEGO will learn 1 of 2 things from this set and the insanely priced Death Star:
1-adult fans will spend ANYTHING to get our sets so let's keep making them
OR
2-adult fans have been pushed to their limits and we have to stop making these exorbitantly expensive sets.
I'm more inclined to lean towards 2 for myself. The Galaxy Explorer and Blacktron Renegade modern versions were $100 and they hit the sweet spots in price, set design and build experience. This Christmas Tree set is basically a leaf parts pack which we will be able to acquire down the line from the PaB walls in 1 or 2 large PaB boxes.
The helmet and air tanks are a must buy just in case they release a bright green space torso and LEGO knows this. Eventually, LEGO will ship parts like this to us LEGO fans in the US but until then I (and many, many others) have to be patient.
also got remember, bet there sales coming parents,grandparents... something nice christmas... for kids
@bmwlego said:
"LEGO will learn 1 of 2 things from this set and the insanely priced Death Star:
1-adult fans will spend ANYTHING to get our sets so let's keep making them
OR
2-adult fans have been pushed to their limits and we have to stop making these exorbitantly expensive sets.
I'm more inclined to lean towards 2 for myself. The Galaxy Explorer and Blacktron Renegade modern versions were $100 and they hit the sweet spots in price, set design and build experience. This Christmas Tree set is basically a leaf parts pack which we will be able to acquire down the line from the PaB walls in 1 or 2 large PaB boxes.
The helmet and air tanks are a must buy just in case they release a bright green space torso and LEGO knows this. Eventually, LEGO will ship parts like this to us LEGO fans in the US but until then I (and many, many others) have to be patient. "
LEGO make more than just this set and the Death Star. They don't expect every adult fan to buy every adult set and there are plenty of adult sets available at lower price points.
Maybe AFOLs, especially ones new to the hobby, should learn one thing:
You don't have to buy everything LEGO produces, or even everything you like.
@Andrusi said:
" @Huw said:
" @shannon2611 said:
"Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live…."
If we only reviewed sets that we'd personally bought then, well, not much would get reviewed. "
Perhaps more to the point, pretty much nothing would get reviewed *before* release, right?"
Wouldn’t that depend on the blackout date from LEGO as well as the bandwidth for Brickset to secure, build, and review the applicable sets.
@Joce1275 said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Huw said:
" @shannon2611 said:
"Does anyone else struggle to read lego reviews these days without thinking…. Well i would love it to if i wasn’t paying for it…..
Imagine a tv show where all the worlds lego reviewers had to actually buy the sets amd we could follow there complete physiological breakdowns live…."
If we only reviewed sets that we'd personally bought then, well, not much would get reviewed. "
While I can understand Shannon's point, I get why you guys don't tell Lego to stop sending you review copies ;-)
In all fairness, I think you guys generally do a good job at focussing on the merits of the set itself and pointing out flaws, and let the price just be a factor in the conclusion. A good set is a good set after all, even if it is overpriced. That's the most subjective part after all, and the easiest for us to judge ourselves.
Though with some extreme sets (like recently the Aquarium and the Death Tortilla), I certainly don't mind some strong outright criticism ;-)"
Agree completely. Besides, I think a lot of big name content creators these days are doing this as a full time business, so it would be a business expense / tax write off anyway. Not to mention in many cases the revenue from the review can sometimes pay for the set regardless."
Of course, even non-LAN reviewers have the ability to offset expenses with revenue. To that extent, no Lego reviewer can truly claim to be objective. Perhaps that is why JANG started doing more non-Lego reviews.
For me, the issue is journalistic objectivity and the ability for LAN to monopolize viewer spaces. There is no objectivity if you are the prototypical LAN nerd/dork who has been sucked into the socio-economic-political quasi-celebrity echosphere that is the LAN. They flatter, befriend, provide you with a social circle and free gifts. They provide a LAN member with everything society has denied: importance, friends, influence, and large economic benefits.
Being a LAN member is like being a Russian oil tycoon and pretending you're free of Putin's orders. TLG regulates what can be said, when it can be said, and who says it. They provide monopolistic benefits to LAN members (who are their echo chamber) in the form of exclusive access, sets, travel, etc. The exclusive access serves to sideline and destroy independent reviews. That's a large reason why Lego sets are becoming more expensive and increasingly worse quality.
The LAN has no balls.
Similar to all other companies marketing through social media, if TLG didn't provide free sets they would need to find another way of marketing them to the public through increased advertising etc. which would be more expensive, too widespread, miss the target audience etc. They could do their own internal reviews, but they know there is far far more traffic to fan-sites then their own, and they would also need to employ people to do this. So this current giveaway approach gives marketing as they say the most bang-for-your-buck, as well as thanking the reviewers for their time, energy and honesty, as cannot directly employ them.
@StyleCounselor said:
"For me, the issue is journalistic objectivity and the ability for LAN to monopolize viewer spaces. There is no objectivity if you are the prototypical LAN nerd/dork who has been sucked into the socio-economic-political quasi-celebrity echosphere that is the LAN. They flatter, befriend, provide you with a social circle and free gifts. They provide a LAN member with everything society has denied: importance, friends, influence, and large economic benefits."
You make a lot of false assumptions, which I find quite entertaining.
Looks like a chore to build and the result is quite dull with only the baubles as decorations.
@CCC said:
" @bmwlego said:
"LEGO will learn 1 of 2 things from this set and the insanely priced Death Star:
1-adult fans will spend ANYTHING to get our sets so let's keep making them
OR
2-adult fans have been pushed to their limits and we have to stop making these exorbitantly expensive sets.
I'm more inclined to lean towards 2 for myself. The Galaxy Explorer and Blacktron Renegade modern versions were $100 and they hit the sweet spots in price, set design and build experience. This Christmas Tree set is basically a leaf parts pack which we will be able to acquire down the line from the PaB walls in 1 or 2 large PaB boxes.
The helmet and air tanks are a must buy just in case they release a bright green space torso and LEGO knows this. Eventually, LEGO will ship parts like this to us LEGO fans in the US but until then I (and many, many others) have to be patient. "
LEGO make more than just this set and the Death Star. They don't expect every adult fan to buy every adult set and there are plenty of adult sets available at lower price points.
Maybe AFOLs, especially ones new to the hobby, should learn one thing:
You don't have to buy everything LEGO produces, or even everything you like."
Yeah, too many AFOLs act like sets costing hundred of dollars are all that Lego makes, and that they're expected to buy everything. If you went into a Lego store with unlimited cash and bought one of every set that was less than a hundred dollars, even if you ignored Duplo and 4+ sets, you'd still need help getting it all out of the store. And Lego is well aware that no one person is going to buy every set they make, even within a given theme. I mean, just as one example, I love Star Wars sets, but even if money and space were unlimited, I wouldn't be getting every Star Wars set currently available. (I *would,* however, be getting every Rebuild the Galaxy set, including 75414, as overpriced as it is.)
This tree looks awful, I can't believe Brickset is giving it a positive review. Recently it looks like they just approve everything TLG throws at them (even the Death Slice!). That's sad, I would expect more objectivity from them (even if they are getting the sets for free)...
@Altair1970 said:
"This tree looks awful, I can't believe Brickset is giving it a positive review. Recently it looks like they just approve everything TLG throws at them (even the Death Slice!). That's sad, I would expect more objectivity from them (even if they are getting the sets for free)..."
AKA different people like different things. There are negative reviews on here. You don't like this set, and that's completely fine.
A big part of why other people don't like this set is the cost, which is clearly flagged as a negative in the review.
Since we aren’t discussing much else right now with LEGO (heyyy you guysss)…
Maybe it’s been simmering for a while, but this anti-LAN, Brickset criticism ever since the Death Mar has been a bit shocking to me. I wonder if LEGO continuing to increase set sizes and prices is tipping what had been a tenuous relationship with AFOLs.
With regards to the current LEGO portfolio (Friends, Creator, Icons, Ideas, CMF, BLDP, etc), I can’t ever remember a time when I was more happy with LEGO. With regards to color matching, piece quality, seemingly exorbitant pricing, Star Wars design apathy, and excessively sized sets, I can’t ever remember a time when I was more frustrated with LEGO.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Regardless, I feel ZERO frustrations with Brickset or other LAN, assuming I visited other sites. I respect and appreciate the set reviews here, but I don’t require Brickset to come to my same conclusions. I just want the review, their takeaways, and their final opinions. I’ll then make my own.
Outside of Sports and News, this is really my only other regular haunt (I miss the forum). I’m glad that we have a voice into LEGO, even if that voice doesn’t also echo my own sentiments or when it does, doesn’t always effect the immediate change I’m hoping for from a multi-billion dollar company.
I love LEGO and love my Brickset
@Vesperas said:
" @stefwaffles said:
" @Vesperas said:
"The number of families that will purchase this based on the proposed concept of building together will likely be around 5% of total sales.
..
Then, around 25-35% will purchase it "just because,"
..
The remaining buyers will be resellers."
I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re claiming unsubstantiated nonsense, and giving it numbers to make it sound real.
We will we never know the set’s sales figures or buyer profiles, and you certainly can’t pretend to know them now.
I also think your claim that bricklink is a giant cash cow, is a little bit silly. It’s a niche site for enthusiast level fans. Most people who buy Lego are statistically unlikely to have ever heard of it.
For myself, I think it’s an odd and overpriced set, and wonder how long they’ll keep milking the CS fans"
The numbers are approximate but the proposal is accurate.
Two adults in my family …
…my father (whom doesn't really care much about it) has made comments …
…my cousin personally knows someone …
This one store effectively drives more LEGO sales than everyone in my family combined (and then some).
It's far more efficient and profitable for them to put together a couple of $2,000 orders for BrickLink stores than it is for them to a hundred $40 orders because they earn a small amount from the BrickLink fees (effectively, double-dipping)."
Okay, so first off, if you think statistics can be made from what your own family and friends do then lol I don’t know what to tell you.
The bulk of your reply about the fact that Lego sets accrue value over time has nothing to do with your made up statistics.
And I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Lego stopped sending parts to the US from Denmark about two months ago. So much for that machiavellian “double dipping” plot that was apparently going so well for them
@CapnRex101 said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"For me, the issue is journalistic objectivity and the ability for LAN to monopolize viewer spaces. There is no objectivity if you are the prototypical LAN nerd/dork who has been sucked into the socio-economic-political quasi-celebrity echosphere that is the LAN. They flatter, befriend, provide you with a social circle and free gifts. They provide a LAN member with everything society has denied: importance, friends, influence, and large economic benefits."
You make a lot of false assumptions, which I find quite entertaining.
"
I personally like the comparison of you guys to Russian oligarchs, I mean, absolutely getting some free stuff from a toy company is totally comparable to robbing a country and murdering people....
I've said it before but I feel like your reviews are generally very fair - particularly compared to other industries where every review reads like a paid shrill (luxury wristwatches is the worst example I've personally found).
I also admit to having totally lost track of what Lego is *supposed* to cost. Part of it is moving countries and facing different currencies and exchange rates, but when all I read online is people complaining about price, I find myself debating over even small sets. But when I compare it to other purchases, Lego sets still seem reasonable - I recently bought 31167 for roughly 80% of what I paid for lunch in a good but not amazing restaurant for a family of 3. That seems.... reasonable? I just don't know any more - this set seems a lot to pay for a Christmas decoration, but I actually don't know what to compare it to. Certainly it's a lot more than a cheap plastic tree from Kmart, but then it's a lot better than that, will give more enjoyment and last a lot longer?
Maybe in a spirit of positivity, we should do some end-of-year submissions about sets we all bought personally with our own money and think are good value? That might be an alternative to "best of the year" awards that generally go to the most expensive sets?
@yellowcastle said:
"Since we aren’t discussing much else right now with LEGO (heyyy you guysss)…
Maybe it’s been simmering for a while, but this anti-LAN, Brickset criticism ever since the Death Mar has been a bit shocking to me. I wonder if LEGO continuing to increase set sizes and prices is tipping what had been a tenuous relationship with AFOLs.
With regards to the current LEGO portfolio (Friends, Creator, Icons, Ideas, CMF, BLDP, etc), I can’t ever remember a time when I was more happy with LEGO. With regards to color matching, piece quality, seemingly exorbitant pricing, Star Wars design apathy, and excessively sized sets, I can’t ever remember a time when I was more frustrated with LEGO.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Regardless, I feel ZERO frustrations with Brickset or other LAN, assuming I visited other sites. I respect and appreciate the set reviews here, but I don’t require Brickset to come to my same conclusions. I just want the review, their takeaways, and their final opinions. I’ll then make my own.
Outside of Sports and News, this is really my only other regular haunt (I miss the forum). I’m glad that we have a voice into LEGO, even if that voice doesn’t also echo my own sentiments or when it does, doesn’t always effect the immediate change I’m hoping for from a multi-billion dollar company.
I love LEGO and love my Brickset"
Legoonies never say 'die'. Mostly because it might get them demonetised on the YouTubes.
@ambr said:
"Similar to all other companies marketing through social media, if TLG didn't provide free sets they would need to find another way of marketing them to the public through increased advertising etc. which would be more expensive, too widespread, miss the target audience etc. They could do their own internal reviews, but they know there is far far more traffic to fan-sites then their own, and they would also need to employ people to do this. So this current giveaway approach gives marketing as they say the most bang-for-your-buck, as well as thanking the reviewers for their time, energy and honesty, as cannot directly employ them."
I wonder if LEGO will get to the stage of being popular enough that they don't need to give out any or so many free sets to get "independent " reviews rather than their own advertising. There seem to be so many LAN reviewers all releasing their reviews within minutes of the allowed date/time that flood the review space before others can get the sets. In days gone by, people used to buy sets to (video) review them truly independently and monetised the review which of course helps to fund the next set to review. Now that is almost impossible, as the LAN reviews come out earlier so take away all the early viewers from reviews of purchased sets, even if purchased on day 1. I guess LEGO knows that works, so they get as many LAN reviews on YouTube, which are likely to be positive, before any purchased sets can be reviewed (whether positive or negative) so that LAN reviews already have traction if someone is searching for a review.
@yellowcastle said:
"I love LEGO and love my Brickset"
Thank you, that means a lot to us.
@Brick_Master said:
"Maybe in a spirit of positivity, we should do some end-of-year submissions about sets we all bought personally with our own money and think are good value? That might be an alternative to "best of the year" awards that generally go to the most expensive sets?"
I like that idea, I'll discuss with @CapnRex101.
@Brick_Master said:
"Maybe in a spirit of positivity, we should do some end-of-year submissions about sets we all bought personally with our own money and think are good value? That might be an alternative to "best of the year" awards that generally go to the most expensive sets?"
I don't know about an alternative, but an addition might be nice.
Unbelievable.... (er, I mean who am I kidding? it's totally believable these days).... cash grab on LEGO's part. I'm sure a few people will find this appealing and enjoyable. But, for $350 after taxes ETC... HARD HARD PASS.
Just looked at this set last night at my LEGO store and it looked to be a mess. The “branches” were all askew and it was all so squat and cluttered.
@Brick_Master said:
"Maybe in a spirit of positivity, we should do some end-of-year submissions about sets we all bought personally with our own money and think are good value? That might be an alternative to "best of the year" awards that generally go to the most expensive sets?"
I could make a sizeable list of all the sets I’ve only bought this year because of Brickset’s excellent bargain watch!
Thanks, Brickset!
@stefwaffles said:
" @Brick_Master said:
"Maybe in a spirit of positivity, we should do some end-of-year submissions about sets we all bought personally with our own money and think are good value? That might be an alternative to "best of the year" awards that generally go to the most expensive sets?"
I could make a sizeable list of all the sets I’ve only bought this year because of Brickset’s excellent bargain watch!
Thanks, Brickset!"
I don't know how many sets I've bought this year, but I added a "Backlog" tag to my view of database pages, and it's currently at thirteen sets. It'll be fifteen as soon as the 21358 I ordered and the 40785 get here.
I didn't buy all that many sets this year. There were a few, but I will keep those a closely-guarded secret until we get that dedicated topic. I hate going off-topic. It's one of the things I hate most in this world, other than people who put the toilet-roll on the wrong way. What is wrong with you? Why would you hang the roll AWAY from you? Do you need to clean the walls before you tear the paper off? What do you do in there that necessitates you cleaning the wall, you dangerous reprobates? We cannot ever be friends. Never darken the doorway to my bathroom, ever again.
Anyway, back on topic, I mostly focused on some of the sets that I hadn't gotten around to building yet.
I think the Elves are each a representative of a major LEGO theme: Castle, City, Castle, and, err, Superheroes.