Here’s the second Chinese Festival Special Edition set for 2023. I reviewed #80110-1: Lunar New Year Display last week. This week it’s #80111-1: Lunar New Year Parade. It was released on 8 November 2022 in the US and retails for $129.99. It contains 1,653 pieces which works out to $0.079 per piece.
By the way, if you’ve missed any of the previous Chinese Festival sets, I have some in the Bricks for Bricks Bricklink store so check them out.
The box for this one shows the full set on the front with all the minifigures. The back shows some of the play details. You can connect each of the floats together and each of the floats has movement in it as you move it along a flat surface. I included a shot of the edge of the box as well as it shows the 18 minifigures that come in this set.
The box also has the “Build Together“ logo with an x3. The bags and instructions are split up so you can share the process. My NLS built the first set (rabbit float), my son and I built the second float (drum), and my daughter build the dragon float. It worked out pretty good in my house to split it up that way.
The set comes with 10 parts bags numbered one through 10 and then a paperboard envelope to protect the instructions. There are three sets of instructions and they are printed on white which makes it easier to see the darker pieces.
Unfortunately, there’s a sticker sheet in this one. Most of the stickers are transparent which isn’t a big issue, but can be a challenge if you get finger prints on them. We tend to use the piece separator method to transport and place the stickers so I think we’re good.
You also get a thicker plastic sheet of banners. While I like the additional detail, I wish there was a better way to do this with the set. I think they look odd and out of place, but that’s just my opinion.
Bags one and two kick off the rabbit float. My NLS built this one. Bag one builds the base and initial structure of the float. I didn’t take pictures during the build process, but you add in some Technic gearing which attaches to a wheel. Then when you move the float around on a flat surface, the wheel turns and causes the Technic bar to move which will eventually make the rabbit “hop.” Bag one comes with two parading minifigures. They are each holding banners with the plastic sheeting and then a pink head that can be used as a mask. They both come with a clear dish piece so you can pose them as they are moving along with the parade and you don’t have to worry about them toppling over with the weight they are carrying (banner and mask).
The second bag adds in some more details along the side of the float and then the stand where you can place a minifigure to wave at the parade goers. This bag comes with a girl holding a tablet and then a woman with a smart phone.
Bag three wraps up this float. The rabbit build is good, but the red eyes make it look rather creepy. The round printed tiles that look like Chinese coins are a fun detail and I like how they are placed to look as if they’ve been dropped on the float. This bag comes with the rabbit costume minifigure who can hold a lantern with printing similar to previous years. Last year we had a tiger print on the lantern. This year is a rabbit. If LEGO continues this, we’ll get a repeat eventually. Unless they re-design it after they’ve gone through all the animals.
Bags four and five start the next float. Bag four builds up the base of the float and the SNOT pieces to allow for decoration. The Technic pieces make an axle spin as you move the float on a flat surface. Bag four comes with two minifigures. One is an adult female with a beverage container. The other is a parade participant who comes with some cymbals to play. She also has a clear saucer piece to allow you to pose the minifigure without her toppling over.
Bag five adds some details along the sides of the vehicle. Both of my kids had to really focus on getting the piece placement to match the instructions as there are a lot of angles and curves that make assembling this portion a little tougher. This bag comes with two minifigures. One is playing a drum with two microphone pieces. The other has a gong to play.
The sixth bag wraps up this float. You add a lot of detail to this one to include a cloud type build in the front, various golden colored pieces for decoration, the giant plastic sheet for… whatever it is, some lanterns which look pretty good, and then a big drum. The action on this float is you can place the drummer minifigure on a little stand and she “hits” the drum as you move the float on a flat surface.
My 5-year old was able to build most of this, but there were a few parts that were challenging. The bluish-teal arch type assembly on the back was not easy and I built it for him. He also had trouble with the drum and getting everything angled up right. Still, he did pretty good with the build.
Bags seven and eight begin the third float. Bag seven starts the base of the vehicle and you can see better what the Technic assembly looks like under the float at the end of bag seven. This bag comes with a parade participant with fire crackers. This minifigure is also on a clear saucer which works out good as the fire crackers are a bit heavy and would make it challenging for the minifigure to stay standing without a support. You also get a boy minifigure holding a 1x2 red tile with a dragon printed on it. His torso is a festive print and different from some of the standard minifigure torsos.
Bag eight continues to build up the base and some of the SNOT pieces for adding decorations on the side. This one comes with a girl holding a… not sure what it is… food on a stick? a noise maker? This one also comes with the infamous purple space minifigure/parts to help you make a purple classic space minifigure. So you take the torso from the Series 22 Collectible Minifigures space creature, switch out the arms if you desire, and then use the helmet, pants, and air tank from this minifigure to get your purple classic space minifigure. Die hard space fans are all over it, but it’s quite the hefty spend to get a minifigure. I haven’t checked on Bricklink, but I’m sure it’s not cheap. I don’t have Series 22 in the store yet. Sorry.
Bag nine adds some details to the sides of the float. It also adds a crate with a top and then another box. One will hold fireworks. The other will hold some extra hats for minifigures. Towards the front of the float are some lime green plates and tiles that have “LEGO” stickers on them. This bag comes with two minifigures. One has a Castle type hat and the other has a pirate hat. They have the same red torso as the spaceman and one holds a banner while the other holds a… um… not sure.
Bag 10 is the last bag of set. It finalizes the details of the set to include a larger orange 2x2 brick on the front and two larger plates on the rotating part with a dragon. The dragon moves around 360 degrees unlike the other two floats that have very limited ranges of movement.
Here’s the final set assembled with all of the minifigures. Each float comes with pieces that can be used as clips to connect the floats and have them move as a train instead of individual vehicles. Overall, I think this is a great addition to the Chinese Festival theme. The price per piece isn’t bad, but it is still slightly expensive in my opinion considering what you get for $130. This set has some great build techniques and it was fun to put together as a family. I like the moving parts as well. This is a fun integration we don’t normally see in sets. As mentioned, I could do without the plastic flag/banner pieces.
I didn’t take a separate minifigure picture, but I think you get a good collection of minifigures with some different torsos and hats. Note, the 16x16 plate was from my own collection and was not included in the set.
If you’re a fan of this theme, I’d look to pick this one up. If you can get it on sale, definitely go for it. You might find it on sale closer to the end of it’s life if you’re willing to wait. Or take advantage of double VIP points or GWPs straight from LEGO Shop @ Home.
Happy building!
