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77046 Julian's Birthday Party LEGO Review - Animal Crossing, 2024

TL;DR:

  • Original Price:  $14.99
  • Pieces: 170
  • Minifigure(s): Julian
  • Sticker Sheet: No
  • Pros: Cute minifig, fun sub-builds
  • Cons: A little lonely, several 1x1 piece alignments

 
 
 
Assembly: 

Bag #1 - Julian & Presents

Bag #2 - Party table


Bag #3 - Tree & Radio

Bag #4 - Lamp & Bunting

 Leftover Pieces

  • Interesting Steps:
    • Step 41 has us place a hidden branch within the tree. I'm not sure if this is a reference to something in the game(s), or just a cute little detail.
  • Interesting Techniques:
    • Two 2x2x1 panel corners are combined with a 1x1x1 panel corner and a 1x1 brick and tile to make a 3x3 container in which to stash some little gifts, with the 1x1 brick acting as a pivot point for the lid with it's brick-built bow. It's also worth mentioning that the blue present is just a jumper plate on top of a solid brick, but a 2x2x1 container (such as in CMF 23's Reindeer Costume) would have added a little more play.
  • Pain Points:
    • Several of the builds in bag one involve placing many 1x1 pieces in series, especially tiles on top of bricks as in the photo below.this makes it difficult to make sure they're aligned properly. In retrospect, it might have been easier to assemble each brick-tile pair first, pressing it sideways against the table to align them, and then put them on the base brick.
  • My Modifications:  
    • The instructions say to put the clips on the 21L hose, and then add the 1x1 quarter tiles. Given how squirrely the hose is, however, I found it easier to place the tiles on the clips first—making it easier to ensure they're all oriented the right way—and then clip them to the hose

It's a little sad that Julian's all by himself for the party, making this set feel more like it needs other sets to join with, if only so he can have other guests to celebrate with him. That said, there are some cute details, like the various presents and the snack table, and especially the little radio. The figure itself is good, if basic: apart from the head, the torso is just a galaxy-patterned hoodie and the pants are plain blue. There might have been more details to notice if I'd played any of the Animal Crossing games, but the set is still a pretty good addition to the lineup.

Score (out of 5 🧱):

  • Price: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
  • Process: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
  • Presentation: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱
  • Play: 🧱🧱🧱
  • Pieces: 🧱🧱🧱
  • Total: 🧱🧱🧱🧱

Lego Instructions: here





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