Update: If you’d like to see the individual advent calendar entries, see our LEGO 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar flickr set
After much debate, I finally broke down and bought the new LEGO Kingdoms Advent Calendar at my local LEGO Store. There were some major deciding factors. First off, I love the Kingdoms (and Castle) series LEGO has been putting out, and figured this set would have items/figures that would compliment my current collection nicely. The second thing that came to mind was the simple fact that when these things are gone, they’re gone. The LEGO Store is the only place you can get this set, and still buy it for its retail price (MSRP $34.99). If you choose to take the online auction route to obtaining the Kingdoms Advent Calendar, don’t be surprised if the bidding surpasses the $50 mark!
Actually, there was third factor in buying this one: they didn’t make a 2010 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar, so the Kingdoms set was the next best thing.
By the Numbers:
Set: LEGO Kingdoms 7952 Advent Calendar
Year of Release: 2010 (September)
Type: Advent Calendar (Seasonal)
# of Pieces: 167
# of Extra pieces:
# of Minifigs and what kind: 8-9 (depending on how you count)
Stickers? No, printed
Price: $34.99 US
Purchase: Amazon.com (Warning, prices maybe higher than MSRP)
Ages: 5-12
Time to Complete: N/A
For those of you who do not know what an advent calendar is, I’ll tell you my view. An advent calendar is usually a bigger deal in Europe. Usually, these types of calendars come with chocolate. Starting on December 1st (these calendars celebrate the days of Advent leading up to Christmas), a little flap with the date is opened to reveal a piece of chocolate that is usually shaped like something associated with the holiday (i.e. a snowflake, deer head, X-mas tree, etc.). For the remaining days leading up to Christmas, each day contains a different piece of chocolate, or some other candy. The same concept is applied here, but instead of chocolate, LEGO figures and accessories are the daily prize. So as not to spoil the fun for you who do buy this item, I won’t say what’s in the set. We will probably post the item of the day starting December 1. I have opened the entire set, and had some fun putting the figures and other things together.
Box Art – Back, Open
Remember: click on the photos to see larger images at flickr (Full 7952 Gallery at flickr)
Photo of the trays (parts still bagged)
Extra pieces:
Thoughts – Pricing, Design, and Build:
The only gripe I have is that if you don’t tear open the calendar, and want to keep it in new condition, then reading the instructions might be a little bit of an issue. There’s some real simple sets to build here, but it doesn’t do anybody any good to try building something if you don’t even know what it looks like. There are no pics of all the items on the outside of the box, just hints of what’s inside. The only pics of what the items are, can be found on the reverse side of the calendar’s date flaps. Otherwise, you’ll have to look at the instructions with the box’s sides open, and plenty of light to see them.
Thoughts – pieces:
There are plenty of excellent extra parts after all is said and done.
Conclusion:
So, is this set worth it’s retail price of $34.99? Well, it depends on who you ask. Granted, it comes with nine figures and a bunch of accessories (at a total of 167 parts), but wouldn’t it be easier to just buy Kingdoms Battle Packs instead if you want to build up your medieval LEGO minifig collection? Well, again, it depends on who you ask. There are figures in here that I know even the casual Kingdoms fan will love, especially the figure that comes out on the 24th of December. For the diehard Kingdoms fan, this set is a no-brainer. It has many items that a Kingdoms fanatic will love. I cannot say what all comes with the set, because I don’t want to spoil the surprise for those of you who like to open up the calendar day by day.
But is this set worth it? For me? Yes. I will whet your appetites and say that if you have the Medieval Village, then this set will greatly compliment that set. Some items here are found in that set while others aren’t. If you don’t have the Medieval Village set, then this stuff will be just as cool to have. There’s a King Arthur type item that collectors will like, a few LEGO animals, weapons, armor, and…wait, I’m giving too much away. Maybe, the pic of the extra parts in this article will kind of give you all a clue as to what to expect. Until then, you’ll have to go out and find one, and then decide if you want to wait the course of several days wondering what’s behind December 5th, or what lurks in December 23rd’s slot; or you could just open the box, and take everything out, build it, and play with it while you await Christmas Day when you’ll hopefully get other LEGO sets!