When we discussed the new LEGO sets and promotions for the month (see: September 2018 – New LEGO Sets & Promotions), I mentioned that the LEGO Advent Calendars are now available. While it’s a bit premature to talk about Christmas, it’s nice to have early access to the LEGO holiday sets before the shopping season begins. Today, I wanted to show you the sets a bit closer up, so you can see what’s included with each of the 2018 LEGO Advent Calendars. 🙂
LEGO has been releasing Advent Calendars since 1998, and they are popular holiday gifts for families. They contain 24 small sets for each day of the month of December leading up to Christmas. LEGO used to make one Advent Calendar per year, which gradually increased to two per year in different themes (i.e. LEGO City, LEGO Castle, LEGO Star Wars, etc.), then, starting in 2012, LEGO began releasing three LEGO Advent Calendars to cover three major themes: LEGO City, LEGO Friends, and LEGO Star Wars.
The sets are packaged in special boxes with small opening doors for each day of December counting down to Christmas. Behind each door, there is a small LEGO model, minifig, or accessory that kids can enjoy, while also building up anticipation for Christmas.
The #60201 LEGO City Advent Calendar features 24 buildable presents, including vehicles (space shuttle, racecar, drone, robot, monster truck, etc.), seasonal items (Christmas tree, candy cane, lamppost with holiday decoration, wrapped presents, etc.), five minifigures (including Santa!), and a husky. The small builds can be used for decorating any LEGO City, or as additional decorations for the LEGO Winter Village collection, or other Christmas-themed dioramas. This set comes with 313 pieces in total, and the price is $29.99. You can get it at the LEGO City section of the Online LEGO Shop.
The #41353 LEGO Friends Advent Calendar is very interesting this year. Instead of focusing on mini-dolls and small builds for mini-dolls, the set features buildable Christmas decorations for your own house and Christmas tree. The decorations include a small Christmas tree, candy cane, gingerbread man, candle, wrath, and a surprise to represent each of the five friends from Heartlake City. The decorations all come with some type of a loop to allow easy hanging. This set comes with 500 pieces, and the price is $29.99. It’s available at the LEGO Friends section of the Online LEGO Shop.
The #75213 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar features LEGO Star Wars minifigures, starships, vehicles, and other collectibles. In addition, when you’ve opened all the little doors to take out the gifts, there’s a foldout playmat with desert and ice-planet scenes for playing out epic Star Wars adventures. The small builds include a landspeeder, The Arrowhead, Republic Fighter Tank, Naboo Starfighter, Twin-Pod Cloud Car, General Grievous’ Starfighter, Blaster Cannon, Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter, Imperial Troop Transport, TIE Fighter, AT-ACT, Zeta Class Cargo Shuttle and an Imperial Speeder Bike. Characters include Rose, Rowan, General Merrick, Battle Droid, Death Trooper, Rathtar, Guavian Security Soldier, and an IG-88 droid. There is also a festive moisture vaporator and a snowman. This set comes with 307 pieces, and the price is $39.99. It’s available at the LEGO Star Wars section of the Online LEGO Shop.
I like that the 2018 LEGO Advent Calendars are not just catering to LEGO fans of three different themes, but also represent three different types of builds. The LEGO City Advent Calendar focuses on small builds for LEGO minifigs, the LEGO Friends Advent Calendar encourages building real objects from LEGO bricks (Christmas decorations), and the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar appeals to minifig collectors and those who like Star Wars micro-builds. With such a great variety, it might even be worth it to get more than one Advent Calendar this year!
What do you think? How do you like the 2018 LEGO Advent Calendars? Which one is your favorite? Do you plan to get any of them, or even all of them? What other themes and building styles do you think would work with Advent Calendars? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
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Interesting that the Friends calendar actually has the most parts and the best price per part ratio this year. I guess Lego listened to the critics…
And there’s no minifig shoutouts to sub-themes in the current city calendar, although some of the toys seem to be micro-representations of 60179 Ambulance Helicopter, 60185 Mining Power Splitter and 60197 Passenger Train. (I might have missed some others…)
Micro cars are always fun, whether they reference larger sets or not. They work great as toys in the Winter Village Toy Shop. 😀
Also 60180 Monster Truck, I see, but that might be the last one.
Yeah. And it’s actually the one I like the most. 😀
The friends one looks very good this year. We could build each item and then hang it on the tree. I think kids will love it!
I also like the Friends one the most this year. It’s probably what we are going to get. And I like that it’s not all just Friends colors.
I’ll get the Star Wars one for sure. we’re taking my son to the LEGO store for his birthday this weekend. I get it then. I might get the friends one this year. I like that it is ornaments, that could a cool family activity.
Ah! Happy Birthday to junior! 😀
We went to day and let him pick out a few sets. I didn’t get the calendar. I used the minifigr area and made three Halloween themed figures. They have some Halloween parts right now. I also got the Star Wars Bounty hunter battle back it was on sale for $10.
Sounds like that was a successful trip! Great to year you guys were able to get some Halloween parts! 😀
My brother and I have gotten the City Advent Calendar and the Star Wars Advent calendar each year, so we each get to open and build one each day (we alternate each day.)
The Friends calendar is, BY FAR, the best one this year. My plan is to get that one and one of the others, but I’m not sure which.
I think, outside of the Friends calendar, the only thing I’d really be excited about is the snowman’s head from the SW set. It’s not worth $40, though.
Yeah, I agree that the LEGO Friends Advent Calendar is the best. It’s unique, creative, and can provide lots of family fun. If you only care for the snowman’s head from the Star Wars Calendar, you might just want to pick that up on BL. 🙂
I recently bought the City Advent Calendar set at Target for $9.50 each. I bought 4 sets just because they we so cheap! I got very lucky. I have never bought Friends calendar. I will consider buying one as the review is positive here.