A Look at the Year of the Dragon Sets - Brick Bits #3
LEGO® recently announced its Chinese New Year sets, and this time the year will be celebrated under the sign of the dragon. For several years now, LEGO® has been showing us themed models for this holiday, and this time will be no different.
Here is the list. I will try to briefly discuss each one and share my thoughts.
Family Reunion Celebration
The set has 1823 pieces and is priced at 479.99 PLN, which works out to 0.26 PLN per brick! It also includes 13 minifigures, so the price-to-quality ratio is very friendly.
It will mainly appeal to people who like Asian themes, and it should fit nicely into Ninjago or Monkie Kid dioramas. The model has interesting parts and great-looking stickers. For me, it looks perfect for building a Chinatown district in a brick city :)
The aquarium looks interesting, although the cook with the pot suggests the fish will not live in it for long.
This is how the model looks from the back. There is no wall, which will probably anger the AFOLs.
Another view from the back of the house shows how spacious the interior is. There are plenty of tiles inside and a great-looking toilet. The minimalist kitchen seems charming.
Here are all the minifigures from the set. The first civilian brings back some nostalgia with the torso print. The cooks look elegant and could work well in a restaurant MOC. The person with the dragon mask is interesting too.
Auspicious Dragon
The old beast has 1171 pieces and is priced at 389.99 PLN, which works out to 0.33 PLN per brick. Not bad! Especially since the scales on the beast seem to be printed. It also appears to have gilded elements under the neck, but that is hard to confirm from the photos, so it is better to wait for the first reviews.
It is worth paying attention to the printed eyes and the element held in the claw.
The model looks dignified, but will that be enough to make it popular here?
Festival Calendar
The smallest set has 345 pieces and is priced at 134.99 PLN, which works out to 0.39 PLN per brick. The whole thing rotates, so you can choose which date is visible.
In this configuration, the boat looks as if something is being smuggled on it.
Hooray, another 2024! One year closer to kicking the calendar! This model will definitely remind you of that.
Summary
Family Reunion Celebration will 99% end up in my collection. Since it will only be available on the official LEGO® site, it will be perfect as a basket filler when I need to hit the threshold for some gift. It has a lot of nice parts and minifigures that I plan to work into my Megalopolis.
Auspicious Dragon does not fascinate me as a display model. I have seen better. Even with printed shields, it has not won my brick heart.
Festival Calendar does not seem aimed at our market. It can serve as a reminder of important dates, but in the age of smartphones with notifications, that function feels unnecessary. The numbers look like stickers. The only part of this model that caught my attention is the dragon boat, which brings back memories 👇
6057 Sea Serpent - photo from BrickLink
And on that positive note, we are done. Until next time!