After taking a look at the LEGO® Poinsettia set, it’s time for a closer look at another festive addition to the LEGO Botanical Collection. Wreaths are commonly used at Christmas to decorate doors, although they have expanded to include other seasonal events. Despite their use, the basic make-up of a Wreath is a mixture of foliage, mostly leaves and other natural elements such as berries, which are combined and woven into a circular shape. This isn’t the first time a LEGO Wreath has been released, but how does this new version compare to similar sets and it is a worthy addition to your festive LEGO displays? Here’s a closer look at the LEGO Botanical Collection Wreath.
Product Details
Set Name: Wreath | Set Number: 10340 | Pieces: 1194 | Theme: Botanical Collection
Number of Bags: Bags x 10 (paper) | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A
RRP: £84.99/$99.99/99.99€/169.99AUD/129.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO Retailers
The original LEGO Wreath was released in 2020 as a seasonal set and was such a popular set it remained on sale until Christmas last year. This set linked together several small sections to create a circular Wreath which could be hung on the wall or it could be used as a table display. It was a fun way to bring some festive cheer to your home at Christmas, but it was a fragile build and lacked a realistic feel. It pales in comparison to the far more detailed Botanical Collection version.
The base of the Wreath is made up of four identical sections. They are each built separately with a single bag used for each section. That may not seem like a big deal but it does make the build a little easier. It also means the build can be enjoyed by three other people at the same time, should you be a social builder. Once those four sections are complete they can be joined together in two ways. Similar to the simpler LEGO Wreath from 2020, this new version can also be built in two alternate ways. The first is a traditional circular Wreath, which can be hung on the wall. The other is a Garland, perfect for displaying on a flat surface. Once the base sections built from bags 1 to 4 are complete the instructions split into two different builds.
For this review, I’ve gone with the traditional Wreath option, although both versions employ similar finishes. As you’d expect, the Wreath uses a lot of LEGO leaf elements, with several different styles used to give the build a textured finish and an impressive detailed appearance. Most of the leafy bits are built in smaller sections which are then added to the base, in a similar fashion to how real Wreaths are crafted. Those leafy sections are connected to the base in varying ways. Some are mounted on ball joints and others are added via Technic pins. Either way, they offer the ability to tweak their placement
Once the bulk of the Wreath is complete, you get to add some extra flourishes and this is where the set becomes both fun and frustrating. The fun comes from the orange slices, pine cones and berries. These use interesting elements to replicate the real-world materials. So large discs have been printed and combined with yellow round plates to recreate orange slices. Sticking with food-related items, there is also a trio of ‘cinnamon’ sticks, created by stacks of brown axel extension elements. The small pine cones feature clusters are hats previously worn by the Newspaper Kid from the Series 24 LEGO Minifigures. The berries are simple bunches of ball elements. These are split into three different groups of colours – red, blue and orange. The red berries are the most traditional but whichever you choose to add, they pop against the darker green background of the leaves.
Now the frustrating aspect of the build. This is an 18+ set so the build is expected to be a little challenging. However, there appear to be some discrepancies between the graphics of the instructions and the smaller ‘grid’ maps showing where the extra details should be added. I don’t think it was just me, but they show the orange slices, pine cones and strigs being placed in different areas of the Wreath. To be fair, you can get away with putting those extra pieces wherever you see fit, but for those who prefer to be guided by the instructions, the differences could be confusing.
Despite the annoyance caused by the instructions, the finished build is quite impressive. It’s far sturdier than the smaller set from 2020 and certainly more detailed. From a distance you wouldn’t be able to tell the Wreath is made from LEGO elements, that’s how realistic it is. Making it all the more impressive. The options to build it in a different configuration and be customised allow you to get a little creative with your festive decorations. The LEGO Botanical Collection Wreath joins the Poinsettia and will be available from October 1st. The set can be pre-ordered now.
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LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz for review. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
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