Holiday gift guide: $100-$200 staff picks
Posted by Huw,
To round off the last week of our holiday gift guides we, the Brickset team, have selected sets in the $100-$200 category.
We'll publish a couple of user-selected sets above $200 tomorrow and Monday, before we move on to our much-loved and anticipated Advent calendar countdowns on Tuesday.
MeganL: 10270 Bookshop
The modulars are my favourite series. It's been trendy to dis on the modulars of late due to whatever perceived slights - not enough floors, too American, etc. However, the fact remains that the modulars are one of the most intricate, involved, and interesting builds of the year.
This year's 10270 Bookshop is no exception. It's designed by one of my favourite designers, Wes Talbott, who has packed in a lot of details in the two buildings while adding life with the tree outside and added a jolt of colour with the buildings.
I'm just finishing a major move across multiple states that required that I tear down the sets I had on display. 10270 is one of the first sets I'm rebuilding now that I'm repopulating my new LEGO room. I can't think of a better endorsement than that.
Huw: 80105 Chinese New Year Temple Fair
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...
Wait, didn't I write that last week when recommending 80104 Lion Dance?
I don't know what it is about sets designed primarily for the Chinese market, but they all seem to be a step up from regular retail sets in almost every regard: better designed, unique pieces, more minifigures for your money, and not a sticker in sight.
80105 Chinese New Year Temple Fair is a riot of colour and life: market stalls selling all manner of goods, a beautiful temple centrepiece with an exquisite roof, and no fewer than 14 minifigures.
If we were awarding such an accolade, this would be my set of the year 2020.
CapnRex101: 75292 The Razor Crest
This category is absolutely packed with outstanding options, including the spectacular 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay which represents an ultimate celebration of LEGO Pirates. 21324 123 Sesame Street deserves similar praise, including impressive details from the enduring television series.
Nevertheless, I have selected 75292 The Razor Crest. This model strikes the perfect balance between accuracy, functionality and play value in my opinion. The designer has made brilliant use of the space available inside, accommodating prisoners frozen in Carbonite alongside the minifigures, while the external structure feels remarkably robust for play.
The minifigures are also appealing, although I think the Razor Crest is the highlight of this set and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys The Mandalorian!
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32 comments on this article
> Buy now at LEGO.com »
Very funny. All three sets are temporarily out of stock or even sold out. ;-)
In the words of Jim Bowen, 'Look at what you could have won!'
We've never had this problem in previous years!
The third word in the article is the wrong usage of "of," it should be "off." Just FYI
@Turez said:
"> Buy now at LEGO.com »
Very funny. All three sets are temporarily out of stock or even sold out. ;-)"
That’s quite the endorsement in and of itself! Excellent recommendations, and I’m very thankful to already own the first two, especially since they’re so hard to get one’s hands on presently! I agree they’re fantastic!
Will the temple fair come back in stock, or is it finished? I'm in the UK and it's not online or in any store.
^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month.
I have the two 2020 CNY sets and the bookshop. They are some of my fav sets this year!
Hi Huw, would you consider re-tagging the previous year holiday gift guides so that they are not scattered in "miscellaneous" and "shopping"?
Good idea. Done.
@Huw said:
"^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month."
Ok thanks. I loved the look of the set when it was released, but never pulled be trigger. Part of me doesn't like that it's made up of separate mini builds. The garden looks good next year though. I will get that.
I'm happy I bought the Temple Fair set a while ago. Will go nicely with the two new ones for 2021.
It's an awesome set and I totally agree with Huw. The effort LEGO puts into these Chinese New Year sets is amazing. A pity they put so little effort into many of the other themes nowadays.
@squiz18 said:
" @Huw said:
"^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month."
Ok thanks. I loved the look of the set when it was released, but never pulled be trigger. Part of me doesn't like that it's made up of separate mini builds. The garden looks good next year though. I will get that. "
If you're thinking of eBay, try sooner rather than later. The Chinese New Year set prices are rising, and will do even faster once they're officially announced as retired. I missed out on the Lion Dance on VIP Weekend, and got it for £87 on eBay. Now the cheapest is £105.
@Huw said:
"^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month."
Well Dragon Boat Race was around for a few months after this year’s two Chinese New Year sets were released.
Those two have to have been the most poorly stocked sets I have ever seen. Probably been in stock for a total of two weeks over their year long life.
I waited “just in case” they were on offer on BF - looks like they should have been but were never in stock. Now I’m happy to pay full price the second they come back, if they do.
Someone on HotUKDeals contacted Lego and they said they don’t expect more stock till the new year, which does imply they will get more stock. Then again the status was changed from “Temporarily out of stock” to “Sold out” recently so who knows...
It’s put me off even bothering to collect the theme though if I end up missing out on the second and third sets of theme available in the West.
@sjr60 said:
" @squiz18 said:
" @Huw said:
"^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month."
Ok thanks. I loved the look of the set when it was released, but never pulled be trigger. Part of me doesn't like that it's made up of separate mini builds. The garden looks good next year though. I will get that. "
If you're thinking of eBay, try sooner rather than later. The Chinese New Year set prices are rising, and will do even faster once they're officially announced as retired. I missed out on the Lion Dance on VIP Weekend, and got it for £87 on eBay. Now the cheapest is £105."
Thanks. I will sleep on it I think!
Just spoke to Lego Customer Service live Chat. They say both Chinese New Year sets have retired :(
They also said it’s sold on Amazon but it’s not as it’s a Lego exclusive so I hope they knew what I was meaning!
@sammy_zammy said:
" @Huw said:
"^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month."
Well Dragon Boat Race was around for a few months after this year’s two Chinese New Year sets were released.
Those two have to have been the most poorly stocked sets I have ever seen. Probably been in stock for a total of two weeks over their year long life.
I waited “just in case” they were on offer on BF - looks like they should have been but were never in stock. Now I’m happy to pay full price the second they come back, if they do.
Someone on HotUKDeals contacted Lego and they said they don’t expect more stock till the new year, which does imply they will get more stock. Then again the status was changed from “Temporarily out of stock” to “Sold out” recently so who knows...
It’s put me off even bothering to collect the theme though if I end up missing out on the second and third sets of theme available in the West."
Thanks for the post. I've tried searching for that HotUKDeals post about it and couldn't find it.
Ive contacted Lego customer support myself so fingers crossed for good news
@squiz18 said:
" @sammy_zammy said:
" @Huw said:
"^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month."
Well Dragon Boat Race was around for a few months after this year’s two Chinese New Year sets were released.
Those two have to have been the most poorly stocked sets I have ever seen. Probably been in stock for a total of two weeks over their year long life.
I waited “just in case” they were on offer on BF - looks like they should have been but were never in stock. Now I’m happy to pay full price the second they come back, if they do.
Someone on HotUKDeals contacted Lego and they said they don’t expect more stock till the new year, which does imply they will get more stock. Then again the status was changed from “Temporarily out of stock” to “Sold out” recently so who knows...
It’s put me off even bothering to collect the theme though if I end up missing out on the second and third sets of theme available in the West."
Thanks for the post. I've tried searching for that HotUKDeals post about it and couldn't find it.
Ive contacted Lego customer support myself so fingers crossed for good news "
See my comment above...
But I’d like to know what they tell you too as I’m not 100% convinced by their answer!
@sammy_zammy said:
" @squiz18 said:
" @sammy_zammy said:
" @Huw said:
"^ Unlikely given there are 2 new CNY sets coming next month."
Well Dragon Boat Race was around for a few months after this year’s two Chinese New Year sets were released.
Those two have to have been the most poorly stocked sets I have ever seen. Probably been in stock for a total of two weeks over their year long life.
I waited “just in case” they were on offer on BF - looks like they should have been but were never in stock. Now I’m happy to pay full price the second they come back, if they do.
Someone on HotUKDeals contacted Lego and they said they don’t expect more stock till the new year, which does imply they will get more stock. Then again the status was changed from “Temporarily out of stock” to “Sold out” recently so who knows...
It’s put me off even bothering to collect the theme though if I end up missing out on the second and third sets of theme available in the West."
Thanks for the post. I've tried searching for that HotUKDeals post about it and couldn't find it.
Ive contacted Lego customer support myself so fingers crossed for good news "
See my comment above...
But I’d like to know what they tell you too as I’m not 100% convinced by their answer!"
Ah yeah hadn't seen that. Thanks for sharing. I will let you know what they say. Not looking promising though!
@sammy_zammy said:
"Just spoke to Lego Customer Service live Chat. They say both Chinese New Year sets have retired :(
They also said it’s sold on Amazon but it’s not as it’s a Lego exclusive so I hope they knew what I was meaning!"
Well they're half right.... It's on Amazon, but not by Amazon. 3rd party seller at double retail price!
@sjr60 said:
" @sammy_zammy said:
"Just spoke to Lego Customer Service live Chat. They say both Chinese New Year sets have retired :(
They also said it’s sold on Amazon but it’s not as it’s a Lego exclusive so I hope they knew what I was meaning!"
Well they're half right.... It's on Amazon, but not by Amazon. 3rd party seller at double retail price!"
Lol, that’s what I said. I asked for a link and they said it wouldn’t work? And then I said I thought (read: knew) it’s a Lego exCousine (Edit: exclusive, leaving in the typo as it’s funny lol) and they Said it’s available elsewhere after 6 months?
I don’t know, he was really helpful as always but I’m not 100% sure all of what he was saying was based on information vs assumptions!
People can we please stop copying a previous post (that copies a previous post (that copies a previous post)) as it’s darn annoying. Anyone paying attention reading the posts can follow the conversation without that being necessary.
Now that I have that gripe off my chest, I must totally agree with Huw regarding the CNY sets, they really do have a certain alluring charm :)
@legofanboy sorry that’s my fault, I don’t post here much. Should I just Tag like I have here?
@sjr60 - I was the other person who bought 80104 Lion Dance for £87 on eBay UK this week.
I think the 2020 Chinese New Year sets are/were great and I wanted to buy both of 80104 and 80105 Temple Fair on VIP Weekend. I managed to get 80105 and decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and buy 80104 on eBay. I don’t expect the sites to come back into stock now, and so prices will only go up.
I want to match both sets up with 80107 Spring Lantern Festival when that’s released. As others have said, I think these ‘Chinese themed’ sets are amongst the very best that Lego is doing at the moment.
Just built the Temple Fair on Thursday. It really is a nice set, though some parts of the build are a bit repetitive.
@Lightbrick said:
"I managed to get 80105 and decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and buy 80104 on eBay."
Ditto. A bit annoying as 80104 & 80105 were both available for at least a couple of weeks before VIP Weekend. I just wasn't anticipating how many were hanging on for the same reason!
@sammy_zammy said:
" @legofanboy sorry that’s my fault, I don’t post here much. Should I just Tag like I have here?"
I would say a cross between the two.
Just quote the actual part of the post you're replying to, and delete the irrelevant bits.
With just a tag the reply often doesn't make much sense, especially if it's to several different people, several pages up the thread.
@sjr60 There were also quite a few holding out for Black Friday in hope that they’d be on sale like the Dragon Boat Race last year. Sadly it was already OOS everywhere but Australia, where only Lion Dance was 20% off.
I’m gutted, I was happy to pay full price but held out just in case. Huge mistake :(
I'm a fan of the Star Wars builds in general, but the Razor Crest is one solid, satisfying model. Loved building it, just wish I had a place to display it properly.
Best LEGO set of 2020. Yeah I said it.
@legofanboy said:
"...I must totally agree with Huw regarding the CNY sets, they really do have a certain alluring charm :)"
LEGO is pulling out all the stops to appeal to China, its fastest growing market, hence the Chinese themed sets (CNY and MK) with new parts and few if any stickers.
LEGO is not alone among global brands to be focussing on China and favouring that market. For you in Australia and me in the UK, having global brands geared towards a country that is not our own will not seem very strange. We have always been in that situation with regards to the US. But for consumers in the US who have taken that for granted, this re-orientation (pun completely intended) will come as a shock. LEGO sets centred around Chinese themes, an Iron Man movie with an entire additional scene in Mandarin with only Chinese actors, marketing collateral for movies with different racial demographics and so on is the way of the future.
I am in no way anti-Chinese (Monkey King and MK gold and silver devil minifigures are part of my display collection). The above is simply an observation and prediction.
Speaking of Monkey King, when are those sets going to hit Australian shores?
Been waiting for months now :(