LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon review

LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon is a smart and simple build that makes for an impressive display piece, worthy of a permanent place on any LEGO fan’s shelf.

With the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, the LEGO designers have cooked up a particularly impressive display piece. LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon has an excellent level of detail and inventive parts usage, is a joy to construct, and results in an eye-catching finished build that LEGO fans around the world will appreciate.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon set details ---

Theme: LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals Set name: 80112 Auspicious Dragon Release: January 1, 2024

Price: £69.99 / $89.99 / €79.99 Pieces: 1,171 Minifigures: 0

LEGO: Order now

--- Where to buy LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon ---

LEGO 80112 Auspicious Dragon can be purchased directly from LEGO.com and in official LEGO Stores. Chinese Traditional Festivals sets are only available through direct channels, so you won't find this one at third-party retailers.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon build ---

2024 is the Chinese Year of the Dragon, and the appropriately-named 80112 Auspicious Dragon is a fitting set for anyone who wants to decorate their home appropriately.

Lunar New Year sets are an increasingly relevant part of the LEGO Group’s January sales strategy, filling much the same niche as Christmas sets in December, but with perhaps a little more longevity for the rest of the year – a Winter Village set will only be displayed at Christmas itself, but a set like 80112 Auspicious Dragon can stay on a shelf all year round without looking out of place.

Where previous Lunar New Year offerings such as 40648 Money Tree have always been charming in their own way, there is something special about 80112 Auspicious Dragon that makes it feel like more than just a seasonal holiday offering.

This is a set that is begging to be put on display. It is a joy to build, as even the early stages of constructing the base feel satisfying, and as every new layer of detail is added to the set, it feels increasingly impressive as a model.

It’s hard to point to any one feature of 80112 Auspicious Dragon that really makes the set stand out. It helps that the dragon’s dynamic pose does an excellent job of making it feel full of life and ready to pounce. It helps that there’s a level of detail on the clouds that surround the base that give it a little extra magic. It even helps that there are plenty of printed elements that make up the dragon’s gorgeous scales.

All of these features help, but ultimately, it is the combination of many small touches that make the finished model shine. The dragon is in the detail, so to speak – for such a relatively simple build, it’s impressive how much is crammed in here.

This is the kind of set that looks wonderful from a distance, but when you actually get up close and start looking at the piece choices and the way the whole thing snaps together, you’re struck with an added sense of awe and wonder.

Brick-built animal sets are nothing new, but 80112 Auspicious Dragon really ups the game for the entire genre of LEGO builds. Fittingly for a Chinese dragon, this set brings joy to anyone that gets the chance to bask in its presence.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon characters ---

There is but one character in LEGO 80112 Auspicious Dragon: the eponymous dragon itself.

LEGO dragons are hardly a rarity, but it’s always impressive to see how many different ways there are of approaching this kind of build. While the iconic green dragon of LEGO Castle fame may have been the first, recent experimentation with themes like Elves, Harry Potter and NINJAGO have shown just how varied LEGO dragons can be.

Of all of these previous dragons, though, nothing feels quite like LEGO 80112 Auspicious Dragon. This is a very traditional take on the Chinese dragon, which is fitting given its intended purpose: fitting in comfortably in even the most conservative of Chinese homes.

There isn’t as much room here for experimentation of form and appearance as there would be even in a Monkie Kid set; this needs to be a faithful recreation of thousands of years of Chinese iconography, and it absolutely nails this.

There are very few points of articulation in the set once everything is clipped together. The dragon’s jaw can be opened and turned, its head can rotate, and its tail can swish, thanks to a well-placed Battle Droid torso. There’s also a certain degree of flexibility in the dragon’s claws.

But while it's not ideally suited to play, it is a perfect piece for placing on a mantlepiece or coffee table. The dragon’s face is wonderfully expressive, and the entire build feels full of life. There have been a lot of LEGO dragons in the past, but none quite like this one...

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon price ---

LEGO 80112 Auspicious Dragon appears to be a set that is designed to be gifted, and with that comes a fairly rigid price point – a set of this nature can’t cost too much, or it becomes an uncomfortable gift to give. At £69.99 in the UK, $89.99 in the US, and €79.99 in the EU, the set perhaps stretches the upper limit of what might be given as a casual gift, depending on personal circumstances. 40648 Money Tree is perhaps the kind of gift that can be given more easily for most people.

80112 Auspicious Dragon certainly doesn’t feel like an overpriced set, though. With well over a thousand pieces and a satisfying build experience, this feels like it earns its price tag, and does so a little better than a few other sets at around this price point. The lack of minifigures and intellectual property licence probably don’t hurt in this regard. In terms of simply piece count, there are very few other sets at this price point that deliver quite as much individual LEGO elements for your money.

--- LEGO 80112 Auspicious Dragon pictures ---

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon pros and cons ---

80112 Auspicious Dragon is a beautiful display piece that is fun to construct, looks stunning on display, and is filled with charm and inventive build techniques and elements that will impress and delight builders and observers alike.

While the set may not be ideally suited to play and may be a bit expensive for giving as a gift, it’s a build that anyone can enjoy. While 80112 Auspicious Dragon is designed primarily for fans of Chinese culture and art who are looking to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, its fundamental appeal is universal.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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--- Alternatives to LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon ---

Those looking for a cheaper alternative to 80112 Auspicious Dragon may wish to consider 40648 Money Tree, which is another build based on Chinese New Year traditions, but is in a smaller package.

Alternatively, anyone looking for a different take on display-worthy brick-built animals may wish to consider 21342 The Insect Collection.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80112 Auspicious Dragon FAQs ---