Should you buy it? 80106 Story of Nian

The Chinese New Year subtheme has surprised us with some truly incredible sets over the last few years. Is the Story of Nian another hit, or is it the week link in the line-up? I guess what I am trying to say is – Should you buy it?

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Nice wall, but I wouldn’t call it great

A large part of this set is the wall that forms the backdrop of the scene.

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Walls aren’t always super exciting – either to build or look at – but this wall isn’t too bad as it does have some interesting details rather than just bricks stacked on top of each other. The doors in particular are a real highlight.


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Let it snow, I guess

Snowy settings are not exactly the most vibrant and exciting. Compared to the Spring Lantern Festival this set feels cold.

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There’s attempts to add some detailing/landscaping but it feels like they’ve just added that in for the sake of it. Wintery trees are just sad.

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I understand that the snow fits in with the story but for me its a bit meh.

Nian to meet you

The highlight of the set would have to be the titular Nian. The mythical Chinese creature is just beautiful here.

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I think in the story it’s meant to be scary but this thing is adorable. I want them to be domesticated.

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Compared to a minifigure the Nian is a good size. It feels like something the villagers would be scared of (if it wasn’t so cute).

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The Nian is also really well articulated, allowing you to pose it how you see fit. I like that the head has articulation.

The village people

The set features 6 minifigures and like the other Chinese New Year sets there seems to be a bit of a family theme going on with figures of varying ages.

There are two older minifigures with grey hair – one male and one female.

You also get two kids, again with a 50/50 gender split.

The final two minifigures are both adults. You get one pretty regular looking male minifigure and you you also get the Ox suit guy. The Ox headpiece is a really cool element.

The Chinese New Year theme has some really great minifigure prints and this set is certainly no exception to that.

Should you buy it?

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Coming back to the key question of if you should buy it or not I think it really comes down to your budget. If you can only afford one of the Chinese New Year set then get Spring Lantern Festival. It’s a much better set. If you’ve got the spare funds and you really want the Nian then yeah pick this up. If you don’t manage to get your hands on this I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it to be honest. It’s okay. And with so many sets to choose from I need a little more than just okay.

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