★ I think I might just have a touch of writers block! ★
★ I think I might just have a touch of writers block! ★
Member since:06.01.2006
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Continuing on my quest to review all things Christmassy, here I am with Advent review number 2. So with my deepest apologies to all those bah humbuggers out there, may I invite you back to Beckie's grotto. Why don't you pull up a chair, help yourself to a glass of warm mulled wine, and a mince pie (Marks and Spencers with a dusting of icing sugar to make them look homemade).
This year, as always, my children have been well and truly spoilt by their Grandparents. In a departure from traditional or even chocolate Advent calendars they have both been given rather posh Advent calendars. Shortie has a Playmobil one, and big brother "Small Fry" (aged 7 and a half!) has a Lego Advent calendar.
When I was little I always had an Advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas, but mine were cardboard and had little pictures of robins or Christmas pudding with a sprig of holly on. Nowadays Advent calendars have gone through a revolution, and as well as chocolate calendars you can get ones containing toys, rather like the one I am reviewing.
★ Lego ★ For anyone who hasn't come across Lego before, here is a brief background. Lego make a range of interlocking plastic building bricks. They also make windows, roof bricks, wheels, gears, pulleys and little Lego figures,
otherwise known as Lego people. They make a wide range of different themed sets including Harry Potter Lego, Pirates, Castles and Star Wars Lego. My children have had Lego sets since they were very small starting with the Lego Duplo, for small people and building up to the Lego Technic, for more grown up little people.
★ The Lego Advent Calendar Range ★ Like a traditional Advent Calendar, the Lego one has a door to open each day from the first to twenty fourth of December. However, you won't find little pictures of a robin r the Three Wise Men in this calendar. Each day you receive a small bag of Lego building bricks and, in some calendars, an instruction leaflet.
The Lego Advent Calendar range includes :~ Lego City Advent Calendar 2006 (the one I am reviewing here) Lego Advent Calendar Clickets (Bright pink and very much one for the girls) LEGO Make & Create Creator Advent Calendar (containing more traditional Lego blocks)
★ The Box ★ The front of the box, which is roughly 28 x 38 cm, is decorated with a picture of Father Christmas throwing presents out to little Lego people standing there with their little Lego arms outstretched. The back has an illustration of the types of gifts that you will receive, but unlike some Advent Calendars it does not show exactly which gift will be received on each day. I am pleased about this because I know that Small Fry would be very disappointed to know exactly what he was getting each day.
On the side of the box is a photograph that shows the size of a Lego person, and another diagram of all the individual pieces of Lego that you will get. I believe that there are over 250 pieces in total. The box also states that this is not suitable for children under the age of 3, due to the small parts.
★ So, What's in the Box? ★ The top lid of the box opens up to make a Lego scene. There is a picture of a Lego city with Lego people queuing to get off a Lego aeroplane and into the Lego Airport. If you look carefully you can see old Santa getting off the plane and a little Lego snowman. The whole scene has been overlaid with snowflakes to enhance the festive feel. For some reason this reminded me of a Die Hard film, but I am sure that is just me!! On the right hand side there are the numbers from one to twenty four, and under these little doors are the compartments holding the Lego gifts for each day.
★ Day by Day ★ Each day you have to locate the correct flap to open and inside is a little bag of Lego. The flap that you have opened has a picture of the finished model, which can be anything from a dustbin, complete with pick axe and spade, to a tree and even jolly old Lego Father Christmas himself! There is no instruction leaflet on how to piece the bits of Lego together, but it is self explanatory from the pictures.
★ December 25th ★ No, there isn't a flap to open on December 25th. This is the day when you can take all the little pieces of Lego that have been received throughout Advent and put them together with the other collection of Lego that you may have, or the Lego that Father Christmas has kindly delivered for you. Small Fry has rather a lot of Lego, some of it was mine from the dark ages when I was little. He will easily be able to incorporate the pieces from this Advent calendar into his collection.
★ The Price ★ As always the price will vary from store to store, so it is worth shopping around to get a bargain. Lego is not cheap, and this is reflected in the price of the Advent calendar.
On lego.com the price is £12.99 Small Fry's Grandparents got his from a small toyshop in Droitwich for £12.
★ Availability ★ I have not seen this Advent Calendar in many shops, and would suggest that it would be easier to find it over the internet. Some independent toyshops sell the calendar, but it does not seem as available from the larger chains of shops.
★ Age Range ★ The box states that this Advent 5-12 years, which I totally agree with. Children under the age of five would not be able to piece the little bits of Lego together. The upper limit of twelve is also right, as many children have given up playing with Lego by that age,
★ Small Fry's Opinion ★ Small Fry was over the moon with this Advent calendar. His exact words were "You are the best Gran and Grandad ever. I always wanted something like this." He has been ticking the days off until Advent, and keeps looking at the box. He says that he is going to make a Lego Christmas scene and has been sorting out some of his other Lego to go with the pieces that he will receive in the Advent calendar.
★ My Opinion ★ I am really pleased that my ever generous parents decided to buy this for my son. It really has been a lovely present, even though he hasn't started to open it yet. His anticipation is amazing and I know that he really appreciates the amount that it has cost.
The Lego is age appropriate, and will not be too hard for Small Fry to put the pieces together.
The box is really quite festive, without being overtly religious so it would make an ideal gift for most children who celebrate Christmas. It is suitable for boys or girls, although a very girlie girl would probably appreciate the Clickets calendar more.
Lego is a fantastic toy, the fact that my children can still play with the Lego that I had as a child shows that it has real durability and staying power as a toy. It requires no batteries, makes no noise and allows for limitless combinations. There is only one real drawback to Lego. When I was expecting my first child, and was talking to my friend about the whole childbirth experience, she looked me straight in the eye and said "you will never have experienced such pain in your life" …. at which stage I went pale and shaky. She continued with "as the pain of standing on a piece of Lego". Strange but true, there is an unsuspecting danger surrounding those little pieces of plastic!!
The Advent calendar is not cheap, but then again nor is Lego. A Lego starter set containing basic bricks costs £14.99 for 487 bricks. This Advent calendar is £12.99 for 257 pieces, but as my son pointed out, "there are lots of special bits in this set." By that he meant the more unusual pieces such as trees, hammers, hats, spades and people, that you don't get in the standard sets.
Lego does fit together with MegaBlocks, so this Advent calendar would also be appropriate for a child who has MegaBlocks rather than Lego.
I would recommend this Advent calendar as I feel that it makes a lovely pre-Christmas present, and I know how much my son will enjoy opening and playing with the pieces each day.
Just one more thing, I have realised that we will have to get up a little earlier on school days, so that he will have time to build the models first!
I have been asked to update this review, giving an idea of what Small Fry gets in his Advent Calendar. So if you have this calendar and have not yet opened today's window ...
LOOK AWAY NOW
Day 1 ~ A Lego man, holding a spade. There are also some instructions relating to days 1, 2 and 3, as all the lego from these days can be combined, and played with together. Day 2 ~ Parts to make little barriers Day 3 ~ The parts to make a jackhammer, to break up road surfaces Day 4 ~ An air traffic controller Lego man Day 5 ~ 2 suitcases and a luggage trolley
Pictures of Lego City Advent Calendar
Spade Man
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
An Air Traffic Controller? Just what I always wanted! Lego always have been strange, but that wouldn't stop me from getting this if I could. For, um... my "friend".
exceptional by (33%):
very helpful by (67%):
