I quite like the Tiger.

@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"At first, the Ice Festival didn't have the same level of appeal to me as the Lantern Festival set did last year - but on the other hand, I'm more in a position where I'd likely be able to afford it this year! And it's grown on me a lot since we saw the first images, it's a pretty appealing scene. Don't know if I'd *actually* get it, but I certainly like it.

No interest in the Traditions vignettes, but that's just personal preference.

Are these Lego shop exclusives, outside of China? I don't recall seeing any of last year's in shops at any point... though it could just be I wasn't in the right shops to see them, I dunno."
If I remember correctly, these sets were made available on LEGO’s website. It’s kinda similar to Monkie Kid in that anyone who wants one outside of China likely has to get them there.

They are OK. Hardly "money no object". Neither comes close to the Lantern Festival set, which was wonderful. The vignette sets are just a minifig fest, which is great if you don't have enough minifigs. I am sure they will appeal to those who have a connection to those festivities. Otherwise, meh. The ice festival set is somewhat more interesting.

@LegoSolo77 said:
"Is anyone else reminded of a certain platypus from Phineas and Ferb when looking at that push around ride for the ice rink? I'm in a grumpy mood today, but that thing just makes me want to smile anyways..."

I think it just looks like a regular platypus.

That circular somethinginator with the rocks inside seems suspicious though...

Guess I'm going to have to dedicate more space to my growing collection of Chinese New Years' sets.

Really nice, especially the ice planet jackets and the wealth god's robes, but if you zoom in you can tell some of the designs are stickers this time, which is unfortunate.

Also its odd the ice sculpture penguin uses the friends style.

I love the Ice festival!

@Cooliocdawg said:
" @kfr said:
"
And apparently bakers can't count :)
I've heard that expression before, but can never remember what number it actually refers to..."

A baker’s dozen is 13."

Yes, thank you! I've figured it out by reading in the article how many figures are in the set ;)

@SithLord196 said:
" @LegoSolo77 said:
"Is anyone else reminded of a certain platypus from Phineas and Ferb when looking at that push around ride for the ice rink? I'm in a grumpy mood today, but that thing just makes me want to smile anyways..."

I think it just looks like a regular platypus.

That circular somethinginator with the rocks inside seems suspicious though..."

Those are actually roasted (I think?) chestnuts, a Chinese delicacy! It was mentioned a lot in the comments on the previous article regarding these two.

I am not a modular guy (not enough space nor money) so the Lantern festival wasn’t for me even though I like it a lot. I did get story of Nian though, and the ice festival will go great with that because they share the same techniques and style for the terrain. I love the cohesion, I already can’t wait to see what they come up with next year! I’ll probably skip Santa’s visit in favor of 80109, actually, that’s how much I love it!

But why does the mother from 80101 and 80108 appear with short legs in 80109?

@scheller2 said:
"But why does the mother from 80101 and 80108 appear with short legs in 80109?"
Different characters

@mr_Fikou said:
" @SithLord196 said:
" @LegoSolo77 said:
"Is anyone else reminded of a certain platypus from Phineas and Ferb when looking at that push around ride for the ice rink? I'm in a grumpy mood today, but that thing just makes me want to smile anyways..."

I think it just looks like a regular platypus.

That circular somethinginator with the rocks inside seems suspicious though..."

Those are actually roasted (I think?) chestnuts, a Chinese delicacy! It was mentioned a lot in the comments on the previous article regarding these two."

I actually hadn't read the comments on the other article. I figured they were supposed to represent food, but having no idea what kind of food I just went with what the pieces look like, and that was a rock.

Thank you for letting me know.

I got the quantity right, but not the arrangement. 14x 1x2 plate w/ horizontal C-clip on the end in trans-light-blue. On the sides of the arch, half of the ones I was seeing are actually jump posts, but the ones that are really there are clearly placed in pairs, which wasn’t obvious in the previous shot.

@mr_Fikou said:
" @SithLord196 said:
" @LegoSolo77 said:
"Is anyone else reminded of a certain platypus from Phineas and Ferb when looking at that push around ride for the ice rink? I'm in a grumpy mood today, but that thing just makes me want to smile anyways..."

I think it just looks like a regular platypus.

That circular somethinginator with the rocks inside seems suspicious though..."

Those are actually roasted (I think?) chestnuts, a Chinese delicacy! It was mentioned a lot in the comments on the previous article regarding these two."

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… wait, wrong Holliday.

Nice! I'm glad we're getting big alternate pics of these since there weren't many in the initial announcement.

The Super Mario sets revealed alongside these also have alternate pics available now. I'm still on the edge of my seat waiting for the Monkie Kid set (and possibly others releasing alongside it?) to get the same treatment...

@PixelTheDragon said:
" @ThatBionicleGuy said:
"Are these Lego shop exclusives, outside of China? I don't recall seeing any of last year's in shops at any point... though it could just be I wasn't in the right shops to see them, I dunno."
If I remember correctly, these sets were made available on LEGO’s website. It’s kinda similar to Monkie Kid in that anyone who wants one outside of China likely has to get them there.
"

I've definitely seen MK in LEGO brand stores here in the US, but if I had to guess these will probably be exclusive to the LEGO shop at home site.

Those 2 sets are fantastic, even more figures compared to last 2 years, some really cool ones like Ice planet torsos (no pun intended), and the opal wall panels to form ice rink are just amazing.

Also the same terrain style/color as the Nian set, I love those multi-angle 2x3 slopes.

The ice used in the larger set looks like it has some shine in it- those parts look FANTASTIC! Imagine an entire surface covered in those!!!!

The lack of diversity in hair colors in Chinese sets are still annoying.

I agree with those who pointed it out: that’s definitely Perry the Platypus... Yey for the Phineas and Ferb reference! :D More reasons to buy this set. Haha.

Even Lego sets of China are over-populated. Haha

Seriously though, these are consistently great sets. The level of detail is extraordinary and the number of minifigs just puts every other theme to shame. Sure would be nice to get a Star Wars set (that didn't cost over $300! Or even that did cost that... looking at you Rep Gunship! ) with that many.
Can't wait to get these.

@Galaxy12_Import:
LEGO Brand Retail covers the website/catalog and actual LEGO Stores, but LEGOLAND stores tend to have access to all the same stuff. And then Amazon, Walmart, an Target wanted to be able to sell all the big ticket D2C sets online; and now Target has part of their LEGO aisle dedicated to physical sales of these D2C sets (including Winter Village stuff), and it’s getting to a point where I’m starting to expect anything that’s billed as a D2C LEGO Brand exclusive set to be in every store chain.

@rahservizi:
They just did, but it was from Brickheadz.

Great sets. I also have both from last year, and am very happy with them.
Also, like others have said, tremendous value for money, even at RRP.
Must haves for me indeed. I just love it when it TLG goes full John Hammond ("spared no expense").

Putting Ice Festival on my Want list. I've been consistently impressed with the Chinese New Year sets and the Ice Festival will make the third or fourth I'll own (if/when I buy it).

@Lyichir:
Another major reason is they’re really making a push to appeal to the Chinese market, while I’ve seen several people here from South and Central America lament that they don’t even have access to the full basic lineup, or LEGO Brand Retail in any form. Dia de Muerta isn’t likely to be something they focus on until that market has the potential to see better growth numbers than the rest of the world. Right now, that means the Chinese market will basically need to be approaching saturation, and South/Central American economies would need to improve quite a bit.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Lyichir:
Another major reason is they’re really making a push to appeal to the Chinese market, while I’ve seen several people here from South and Central America lament that they don’t even have access to the full basic lineup, or LEGO Brand Retail in any form. Dia de Muerta isn’t likely to be something they focus on until that market has the potential to see better growth numbers than the rest of the world. Right now, that means the Chinese market will basically need to be approaching saturation, and South/Central American economies would need to improve quite a bit."

This is also true. Still, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the BrickHeadz set this year was meant in part to "test the waters" for getting seasonal sets, at least smaller ones like that one, more regularly. Lego obviously has an interest in Mexico given that their main North American manufacturing facilities are based there, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for them to start catering toward that market a little more going forward.

@Galaxy12_Import said:
" @PixelTheDragon said:
" @ThatBionicleGuy said:
"Are these Lego shop exclusives, outside of China? I don't recall seeing any of last year's in shops at any point... though it could just be I wasn't in the right shops to see them, I dunno."
If I remember correctly, these sets were made available on LEGO’s website. It’s kinda similar to Monkie Kid in that anyone who wants one outside of China likely has to get them there.
"

I've definitely seen MK in LEGO brand stores here in the US, but if I had to guess these will probably be exclusive to the LEGO shop at home site.

"

They had this year's sets in my local LEGO store. They sold out of the Spring Lantern festival, I think they were a bit surprised by that. Not sure if they have MK sets any more, the store isn't huge and it's now dedicating more space to adult targeted sets than it used to.

Woah. Anyone else notice the 3x3 quarter-circle tiles?

@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"Are these Lego shop exclusives, outside of China? I don't recall seeing any of last year's in shops at any point... though it could just be I wasn't in the right shops to see them, I dunno."

Here in Australia they were in the same kind of toy shops and department stores that modulars are in (though with much less stock).

@Zander said:
" @DavidBrick said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Lyichir:
Another major reason is they’re really making a push to appeal to the Chinese market, while I’ve seen several people here from South and Central America lament that they don’t even have access to the full basic lineup, or LEGO Brand Retail in any form. Dia de Muerta isn’t likely to be something they focus on until that market has the potential to see better growth numbers than the rest of the world. Right now, that means the Chinese market will basically need to be approaching saturation, and South/Central American economies would need to improve quite a bit."

China has 1.3 billion people.
Central and South America combined have 468 million. China has literally three times as many people which is why LEGO wants that base.

When the population of South America gains a billion people then LEGO might care."
It’s not population so much as market opportunity (what @PurpleDave said). If population were a good predictor, you would expect LEGO to be doing Indian themed sets given that India’s population is almost that of China’s. Also you would expect LEGO to have almost no presence in the UK, a country with a population of only 67 million. In fact, LEGO has two offices in the UK (London and Slough), a theme park (Windsor) and, I believe, more LEGO brand stores per capita than any other country.

"

There can be no doubt that China, with its rapidly growing middle class urban population, is TLC's number one potential site for growth in the foreseeable future. They are saturated in the Western developed world.
They are trying to build a name as a quality/luxury brand to fight against the innumerable LEGO clone companies. Money talks, drama and angst walks.

I wish TLC lots of luck in that quest, so they can continue to be successful and make great sets for all of us, whether in China or not. Their main challenge may end up being having to deal with the reprehensible government that currently controls China.

@chrisaw said:
"Only downside I can see for these is that they seem to feature more stickers than past CNY sets, whereas in the past we have had more prints."
At least on the Ice Festival set images I can see no decorations that look like stickers.

TWELVE minifigs in a small-ish set!! (Never mind all the microfigs).
And 13 in the mid-sized one.
Crazy!
Wish LEGO would do this with other themes, or at least come close to this …..

In Europe, production shifted from Denmark and Switzerland to Hungary and the Czech Republic. I’ve seen at least one person from the latter complain here that, even though the parts are made locally, they still don’t have full access to LEGO Brand Retail. These countries, and Mexico, were chosen because wages are lower, not because TLC is trying to break into those markets. China is both. They’re the largest and most emerging market in their neighborhood, and they also have lower wages.

I agree that the Brickheadz set may be the first penguin, but they may be thinking more about how Dia de Muerta will play in the US. Book of the Dead and Coco are two hit movies about Dia de Muerta that were produced in the US and performed very well in a nation that has a growing Hispanic population.

@Zander:
UK has 18 LEGO Stores. Germany is right behind with 17 current or opening soon. France has you beat with 20. Japan has 29 (all LEGO Certified Stores). Italy has 29, plus two LEGO Certified Stores (I wasn’t aware anyone had both). Russia has 72 LEGO Certified Stores (and a place called Sun City!). I think Singapore has the highest density, with 11 LEGO Certified Stores packed into one tiny little nation-city. China has a whopping 167 LEGO Certified Stores, plus six regular LEGO Stores (unless I miscounted), giving them the clear lead in total locations. The US holds the current record for regular LEGO Stores with 96.

@ChromedCat:
I have a friend who used to teach in Japan. As students started showing up for class in the morning, they had teachers stationed at each entrance to the building. Some of them had black shoe polish. Whatever color hair you had when you walked in the building, you had black hair when you sat down in class.

@Brick_Cuppy said:
"Woah. Anyone else notice the 3x3 quarter-circle tiles?"

Yes. Looking at the database here they are already in one Super Mario set in olive green. https://brickset.com/parts/design-79393

@PurpleDave, I was mistaken about the UK’s ranking but not by much as I was deliberately excluding certified stores in other countries. They carry much less financial risk for LEGO than the brand stores and therefore should not be taken as indicators of LEGO’s commitment to those markets - which is the topic of this discussion.

I recognise that in some countries, LEGO may wish it had brand stores but cannot because of long-standing agreements with owners of certified chains. But it’s unsafe to assume that LEGO would turn all certified stores to branded ones even if it could without breaching any agreements.

Tough choice ahead for me, it's too bad the tiger minifig is only in one of the two sets.

@Zander:
Yeah, we don’t really have any direct experience with the LCS program in the US, other than knowing they’re independently operated, and hearing that they don’t always have all the same deals (plus I don’t know if the VIP program works normally, just nets you an immediate 5% discount like flashing your card gets you at LEGOLAND stores, or if it means nothing to an LCS). I didn’t make a complete count to see how Western Europe compares to the US for total stores, but I suspect most people in that area have an easier time getting to a store than many parts of the US (I think slightly over half of the US states have at least one store, but the bulk of them are concentrated in just a few states, so even some residents of my state would need to book a room overnight to make a trip to our lone store). Here, they’re very reluctant to enter vast areas, and maybe the LCS format would work in those places.

@DavidBrick said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Lyichir:
Another major reason is they’re really making a push to appeal to the Chinese market, while I’ve seen several people here from South and Central America lament that they don’t even have access to the full basic lineup, or LEGO Brand Retail in any form. Dia de Muerta isn’t likely to be something they focus on until that market has the potential to see better growth numbers than the rest of the world. Right now, that means the Chinese market will basically need to be approaching saturation, and South/Central American economies would need to improve quite a bit."

China has 1.3 billion people.
Central and South America combined have 468 million. China has literally three times as many people which is why LEGO wants that base.

When the population of South America gains a billion people then LEGO might care."

That's the quick explanation but really, the number to look at is: disposable income. US has 330 million people and Lego care very much. China has been growing at a tremendous pace over the last 20 years and has now a large group of people with good disposable income. Central/South America still has much work to do on that front.

So 100€ for 1500 pieces and 13 minifigs? Meanwhile the previous 3 christmas Creator sets are 95-100€, fewer pieces(1100-1477) and 2-4 minifigs. Teachers' pet much? It's really starting to get uncanny how much Lego is catering to this market.

I want them both.....
I just hope they remain available until I can buy them.....