Since 2013, the LEGO Group has celebrated the Chinese New Year with the annual ‘Year of the…’ animal promotional set. Then in 2019, the celebration of the Spring Festival was expanded to include large-scale sets similar in scope to the LEGO® Icons Winter Village Collection. Over the past couple of years, the Spring Festival sets have comprised of a playset, an object and a smaller set. This year’s ‘object’ is the Good Fortune set which features a collection of buildable items related to the traditional celebrations of the Chinese New Year. Here’s a closer look at the upcoming set.
Product Details
Set Name: Good Fortune | Set Number: 80117 | Pieces: 1021 | Theme: Spring Festival
Number of Bags: Bags x 8 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Characters: N/A
RRP: £69.99/$89.99/79.99€/129.99AUD/119.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online and LEGO Retailer from January 1st
These object-based sets are filled with connections to Chinese culture and traditions. Symbolism is a key construct of Chinese history. Everything has a meaning, from the symbols and colours used to the objects themselves. The Good Fortunes set is meant to be a displayable item, and so the different elements of the set are tied to different things.
The base of the set is a 16×16 plate decorated with gold and bluey-green elements. These colours are considered very lucky in Chinese culture. This also becomes the base for connecting the rest of the objects. So you will notice a few odd-looking pieces, but they have a use once you build the rest of the set.
To the right of the base plate, you connect a red scroll. Red is another lucky colour and this partly unravelled parchment features the Chinese symbol noting ‘Spring’ a time of renewal. The scroll is decorated with various gold pieces including tassels and wheel trims. They give the scroll an ornate flourish. This section of the build is also home to a calligraphy pen, which appears to be styled from a section of bamboo. Technic pieces do a grand job of recreating the nobbly strands of the bamboo plant. Once built, the scroll clips to the lower turntable plate, allowing it to sit at an angle.
Another object closely associated with Chinese culture is white porcelain decorated with blue patterns. It’s known as qinghua and examples of the pottery can be traced back centuries. The set features a small vase-like build, which includes a large dome plate decorated with a blue pattern. The set panels of the vase are printed, which looks great, although I would have liked to have seen the pattern continue onto the 2×2 round tiles used to cover the studs in the centre of the dome plates. The vase ‘holds’ three stems of fortune red fruit berries. The branches also hold two small pendants. These contain Chinese symbols, their basic translation is happiness and blossoming spring.
They may look like tiny genie lamps but the three objects found in the lower left corner of the set are actually gold ingots. These are considered lucky when hoping for wealth when placed in groups of three. They represent heaven, earth and humankind. The three brick-built ingots connect directly to the base. They are joined by an orange fruit, which is a persimmon fruit. These also bring lick and represent longevity in Chinese culture. This section of the build uses some interesting elements to construct the persimmon. These include the new leaf elements introduced in the DK sets and a rare recoloured curved brick I’ve not seen very often before.
The final part of the build is a fan. This uses transitional Chinese colours conveying good fortune and luck. The fans offer a level of customisation. Once the base of the fans is complete, the instructions split off into two different ways it can be decorated. Thankfully, the two options are split into two different bags, so you don’t have to use the same elements to achieve both looks. It’s a simple thing but one that provides a better experience for the builder.
The first option decorated the fans with a curvy line of gold plates and flecks of pink blossoms. The second option adds a branch of a blossoming tree and a perch for two magpies. The birds are often associated with traditions and as the rhyme notes, two magpies birds are a sign of good look. This option looks slightly better than the other one.
It’s an interesting set to build and learning what the various objects mean has been fun. It’s a shame the instructions don’t offer snippets of information as you build. For those who don’t follow Chinese traditions or celebrate the Spring Festival, having the significance of the things you’ve built would be of genuine interest. For those who celebrate Chinese New Year, this is a great item to display during the celebrations and considering how much of the set is dedicated to conveying luck, 2025 should be a good year. The Spring Festive Good Fortunes set is now available in the APAC region and will be available globally starting the New Year.
Shop Now: UKIrelandUSCanadaMexicoGermanyFranceDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
