The Chinese Lunar New Year kicks off this Friday, February 16 and it is a very important holiday for the countries that celebrate it around the world. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2018 is the Year of the Dog and to celebrate LEGO will be releasing the Year of the Dog (40235) set with purchases of $88 or more at LEGO Brand Stores and on Shop@Home starting this Friday. If you think the purchase requirement seems a little off, that is because the number 8 in the Chinese culture is considered very lucky and $88 signifies double joy/prosperity. This also marks the first time in the US that we can get these Year of the Zodiac sets and we don’t have to rely on friends or the secondary market to get it.
The Year of the Dog set is the fourth of these small boxed sets and fifth overall if you count the 4-in-1 Year of the Snake (10250) set from 2013. The box is very cute showing off the Dog and there’s even a space to put a name down for the person you want to gift this set to. The back of the box shows off some of the articulation features of the Dog.
Opening up the flapped box, you are greeted with an envelope along with three un-numbered bags and the instructions.
The envelope is basically LEGO’s version of the red envelope that is given out mainly during Chinese New Year and other important events. The front of it shows the set off along with a shiny imprint of 2018 while the back has a really nice looking imprint of the Dog.
The Dog build is very straightforward and looks very cute. It sits on a grassy base area with soe green leaves and red flowers. There are also some 1×2 red jumper plates with some 1×1 round pearl-gold tiles. This little detail is very commonplace in Chinese culture as the colors are a symbol of good luck and prosperity.
For the Dog itself, it has the look of either an Akita or a Shiba Inu but it’s hard to differentiate between the two. The color scheme of the dog is white and dark nougat and looks very good. The head is on a turntable piece so it is able to spin a full 360 degrees. The eyes are the 2×2 printed tiles combined with the button nose and tongue sticking out makes the Dog look even cuter. The ears are on hinges so it can move very slightly due to the confined space.
The body shows the Dog sitting down with some sloped pieces representing the legs. The back of the body uses more of the dark nougat slope pieces to show the chubby body. The tail is on ball joints so you can angle it any way you desire.
Overall, I really like this LEGO Seasonal Year of the Dog (40235) set but I am biased since I was born on the Year of the Dog so this set is even more special to me. I do appreciate LEGO releasing this set here in the US and it does allow those who aren’t familiar with Chinese culture to learn more about it.
For the set itself, it’s a very cute Dog that can be displayed pretty much anywhere and you’ll be able to spark a conversation from it. The purchase requirement for it isn’t too bad and is fairly easy to get. The promotional period runs from February 16-28, while supplies last but I have a feeling that stock won’t last long. If you somehow miss out on it, all of the parts are non-exclusive so you can build it using parts from your collection if you have them.
As I mentioned before, this is the fourth set in this small box form factor and I’ve already collected the first three sets. Considering that there are twelve total animals in the Chinese Zodiac, it will take eight more years to have the whole collection if LEGO decides to continue with this type of promotional item unless they count the previous Year of the Snake set which I hope they don’t and do one in this smaller form.
Thank you to LEGO for sending in this set for me to review. The content above represents my own opinion and not the company. Review sets sent in does not guarantee a positive review.
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