Stunning.
That’s the short version of this review. A single word. Because honestly this set really is simply stunning in every way. Any faults that I have feel so minor when compared to the quality of the end result. But… For those looking for a little more detail let me elaborate.
While people go nuts for licensed nostalgia the botanical range is my ideal execution of “LEGO for adults”. It uses parts in interesting ways to create intricate models that an adult would want to have on display.
The Wildflower Bouquet is a rare example of where the sequel is better than the original. 10280 Flower Bouquet is not a bad set but when you look at them side by side 10313 is more vibrant, more colourful, more exciting and just more beautiful.
In total there are 16 stems across the variety of included flowers. This is enough to create an impressive display that feels full.
Here are each of the flowers.
Cornflowers
LEGO have done an amazing job of capturing the combination of blue and purple here. The shape is pretty spot on too. I love that you get a mix of open flowers and buds too.
Lavender
My wife is allergic to lavender so she was very excited when she built the lavender as part of this set. Real lavender is just something that would never be in our house. I feel that’s an overlooked benefit of the botanicals range.
Great use of colour in these stems to capture the iconic look for wild lavender.
Welsh poppies
The welsh poppies are a great example of the use of colour within this set. There is nothing muted or subdued about these. They are bright and beautiful. The use of a wheel hub in the middle for detail is the kind of clever part use I love.
Cow parsley
Not the most colourful of the flowers but I think the white actually helps break up the colours when you put them in a vase.
Leatherleaf ferns
Just like a real bouquet you need some greenery to bulk it out and accentuate the flowers. The leatherleaf ferns achieve that with some simple but effective parts use.
Gerbera daisies
When I was in high-school my now wife bought me a (fake) orange gerbera as a present. So obviously they are a flower that have a special significance to me. The set includes the gerbera in two different colours; pink and yellow. The instructions on putting these together are a bit off with weird part counts and it being unclear which way to put the petals, but the end result looks amazing.
Larkspur
Not the closest match within the bouquet but overall a great shape. I love the varied sizing. It feels natural.
Lupins
I would love to have been in the room when somebody realised that a whole bunch of pirate hats looks just like some Lupins. I mean it is impeccable.
Overall
I love this set so much. Even my non-AFOL wife was super impressed with the way this turned out. She’s even expressed interest in having it on display in our hallway. There are very few sets that would get that honour.
It is full of innovative part use, it’s a fun build and the end result is, as I said earlier, stunning.
Buying
10313 Wildflower Bouquet is officially released February 1st 2023. RRP is $99.99
If you are happy with paying RRP you can find it at your local certified store or from LEGO.com.
There are a few other options I have found that are slightly cheaper:
This set should also be available at other retailers from tomorrow.
Image Credits
Photo by Skyler Ewing: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blue-flower-growing-in-field-4743149/
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/purple-petal-flowers-focus-photograph-207518/
Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica) cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Evelyn Simak – geograph.org.uk/p/5383421
Photo by Eugene Golovesov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-a-cow-parsley-12592909/
JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
I, Jonathan Zander, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Angela Loria https://unsplash.com/@a_lo
Photo by Annie Spratt https://unsplash.com/@anniespratt
It looks great – where is the vase from? I found it hard to find one the right size for the first bouquet, but that one looks great.
The vase is actually a decanter that I got from Coles. It was one of those Flybuys promo things.
Ah, thank you!