Review: 11501 Tulip Bouquet
Posted by Huw,
11501 Tulip Bouquet is the seventh bouquet of flowers to be released since the hugely popular botanical collection was launched in 2021.
It's not the first time tulips have been modelled, but the versions in this set are so much better than those in 40461 Tulips, thanks to new parts and techniques.
Summary
11501 Tulip Bouquet, 576 pieces.
£54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 | 9.5p / 10.4c / 10.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Another beautiful and colourful selection of blooms
- Varied designs of the heads
- New leaf piece
- Needs a vase to display it in
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Two new parts are introduced in the set, a curved shell, which comes in pink, purple, red and yellow, and a 1x3 finger leaf in red and yellow.
The bouquet comprises 14 flowers of five different designs and six colours. The orange ones are nearing the end of their lifecycle, while the spring yellowish green ones are still buds.
Parts are divided between five numbered bags, and instructions are split across two manuals, allowing for concurrent building should you wish.
Some stems have upright leaves while others have them that droop pleasingly over the side of the vase.
To my eye, the delicate hue of the pink heads looks out of place among the bold colours of the others, so I think they look better in a separate vase.
The following photos show how the heads are constructed. The new finger leaf is used to fill the gaps between the shells of the red and yellow ones. A minifigure shield does that job on the purple heads. The pink heads are one stud longer and slightly wider, and surfboards have been utilised to fill the larger gap.
All 14 use 32-long green Technic axles for the stems and some have 3l joiners on the end to extend them. Conveniently, the leaves are attached to the stems in a manner that makes it easy to move them up and down to suit the vessel you're displaying them in.
Verdict
This is another beautiful botanical set and really the only criticism I can make is the same as that for all 'bouquet' sets: you need something to display it in. However, I suspect most people will have a suitable vase they can use, or a 3D printer with which to make one!
Value for money-wise, it's the same price ($59.99, £54.99, €59.99) as the first bouquet 10280 Flower Bouquet which was released five years ago, although this one has fewer pieces. So, not too bad...
I designed both vases using Makerworld's Make My Vase. The red one is printed in vase mode on a Bambu A1 using Sunlu transparent red PLA, and weighs about 20g!
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17 comments on this article
@Huw said: However, I suspect most people will have a suitable vase they can use, or a 3D printer with which to make one!
I have neither ;-)
As I said in a comment on New Elementary, those curved shells would look good in white (with printing!) for the hood on a Speed Champions version of the Mach 5 from the 1967 Speed Racer cartoon. After all, it's been 18 years since the film sets - we are LONG overdue for a proper attempt at Speed Racer and the gang!
At some point, with all these specialized flower parts being brought in, this no longer looks like LEGO. That's OK, and I want TLC to make lots of money and make beautiful and fun things, but I can't help but have that intrusive thought when I look at these sets.
You're right the pink stands out a bit. The other bold colors do work well together. I'm torn on if I want it. It looks nice, but I have so many other bouquets now I don't have space for all of them.
I've come to really appreciate the Botanicals, but this one's a pass. It's just so dull compared to some of the previous sets.
Words cannot describe how much I hate tulips. But then again, I lived in Holland (Michigan, not Europe) for over a decade, so that’s a perfectly typical reaction.
I like the subject matter and they do look smoother than the previous attempt. But those leaf pieces do feel a bit like a cop-out. I mostly feel that way about the ones on the orange open flower. Y
Btw, all through the review I kept hearing 'tiptoe through the tullips' in my head.
These are gorgeous. Almost hoping that they run out Botanicals to produce before I run out of space to display them!
@gylman said:
"At some point, with all these specialized flower parts being brought in, this no longer looks like LEGO. That's OK, and I want TLC to make lots of money and make beautiful and fun things, but I can't help but have that intrusive thought when I look at these sets. "
I tend to see Botanicals like Technic. A subset of Lego. Different from System but compatible with some of it.
@gylman said:
"At some point, with all these specialized flower parts being brought in, this no longer looks like LEGO. That's OK, and I want TLC to make lots of money and make beautiful and fun things, but I can't help but have that intrusive thought when I look at these sets. "
On the one hand, Lego has been making elements specifically intended to represent plants or parts thereof for decades. On the other hand, some of the best Botanical Collection sets have found very creative ways to use parts meant for other uses, just look at 10309! Forestman hats, Constraction armor, eggs, and Optimus Prime's faceplate! Sure, there are a *few* plant-specific pieces in there, but they're definitely in the minority, and even those were designed for minifig-scale stuff.
@AustinPowers said:
" @Huw said: However, I suspect most people will have a suitable vase they can use, or a 3D printer with which to make one!
I have neither ;-) "
Here you can get vases $1, try discount stores... i googled it, says 4 or more different companies there
@AustinPowers said:
" @Huw said: However, I suspect most people will have a suitable vase they can use, or a 3D printer with which to make one!
I have neither ;-) "
Same here, and I have no intention of buying either. But I do like this bouquet!
I think this one looks great, although I will be waiting for a discount - it might be the same price as the first bouquet but it has significantly fewer parts.
Thanks @Huw for the 3D printer article as well - as whilst I don't yet have one I've been thinking about it for some time!
@Binnekamp said:
"I like the subject matter and they do look smoother than the previous attempt. But those leaf pieces do feel a bit like a cop-out. I mostly feel that way about the ones on the orange open flower. Y
Btw, all through the review I kept hearing 'tiptoe through the tullips' in my head."
I'm glad I'm not the only one dealing with Tiny Tim and his ukulele playing that song in their head.
Tulip mania meets LEGO Mania! "Gotta build like crazy!"
I put a "like" because of the vase :)
I got vases for my botanicals at my local Tip shop ( in the UK some council tips/ recycling centres have a shop where they sell items people have bought to the centre but are still in a good enough condition to sell. The ,money goes towards the running costs of the site), I paid £1 each for my 3 vases. I've found beige/light tan vases show off the colour of the flowers.
I buy £3 vases from Ikea - which is a lot cheaper than a LEGO built vase could ever be... The problem of some of the other sets is that most of the cost is in the vase.