Holiday gift guide: $50-$100 staff picks
Posted by Huw,
We finish off the third week of our holiday gift guide with the staff picks in the $50-100 category, in which 71 sets were released this year,
Tomorrow we'll turn our attention to $100-$200 before examining a few top-of-the-range no-expense-spared gifts over £200 next weekend.
MeganL:41432 Alpaca Mountain Jungle Rescue
This is always the most difficult price range for me to choose! While I love the 31109 Pirate Ship and 10275 Elf Club House, this price range is the last opportunity for me to make a Friends recommendation, so a Friends recommendation it is.
The Jungle Rescue subtheme (partnered with National Geographic) this year has been fantastic, and I would recommend any of the sets without hesitation. It's well documented how much I liked 41424 Jungle Rescue Base (and the sloths), because of the detailed build, and well, the sloths!
However for this price range I'm going to recommend 41432 Alpaca Mountain Jungle Rescue (review forthcoming). The alpacas are adorable and seen for the first time in this set. There are no Friends beds (but there are for the alpacas!) or bathrooms, but there is a mountain, some translucent waterfall pieces, a great story line including a kayak and a rather laughably engineered helicopter. Plus there are some moving functions, including being able to reproduce a volcano eruption. A volcano eruption! It's difficult for a sloth to compete with that.
Huw: 80104 Lion Dance
Imagine a set where every decorated element is printed, one which has a proliferation of new and recoloured elements, and which has been designed with no expense spared...
Imagine no more. The Chinese seasonal sets are truly exceptional, and this year's particularly so.
80104 Lion Dance is detailed, intricate and colourful, and you really feel like you've got your money's worth when building it and when standing back to admire it when you've finished.
It's good value, too. 900 pieces and no fewer than 8 minifigs for $80/£65 makes this a bargain and a great gift for the LEGO fan who appreciates something a bit different.
CapnRex101: 71721 Skull Sorcerer's Dragon
31109 Pirate Ship is certainly deserving of mention within this category and I was pleased with 70436 Phantom Fire Truck 3000 during the summer. For unadulterated play value, these sets are outstanding!
NINJAGO also proved exceptionally impressive during the summer and my recommendation therefore belongs to 71721 Skull Sorcerer's Dragon. This spectacular creature is distinguished from other LEGO dragons by its unusual skeletal appearance and the level of detail is superb, perfectly conveying the dessicated aesthetic one might associate with an undead dragon!
Furthermore, the minifigure selection is fantastic and I think anyone would appreciate this set, especially those longing for the return of Castle. While evidently fantastical, the summer range from NINJAGO shares many similarities with the Castle theme launched during 2007 and 71721 Skull Sorcerer's Dragon represents the best example in my opinion.
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Just put an order in for Skull Sorcerer's Dragon. I've always thought it looked fantastic and great to see CapnRex does as well. I guess a few little perks this weekend twisted my arm enough to put the order in.
Great staff picks. I want every one of these!
In my opinion the Skull Sorcerer's Dragon is the best Ninjago dragon of all time.
I had forgotten about that dragon. Insanely good looking one
The great outdoors is your bathroom.