(Written by William)
The #40679 LEGO Love Gift Box was a recently released gift-with-purchase set for Valentine’s Day. I collect holiday-themed gift-with-purchase sets, and although this may not be as exciting as the larger freebies, it has its own charm. Plus, you only had to spend $75 to get it added to your order. So, let’s take a closer look at this cute 159-piece set.
Let’s start off with the sign. The set offers two choices for its message using stickers on a 2×4 tile. One says “I (heart symbol) you” while the other has a busy background with the word “Love” on it. The tile is then attached to a clear rod, along with a brick-built heart.
As for the main part of the set, it’s a pink and magenta box that is completely open. There is enough room inside the box to store things like extra tiles, but other than that, it’s nothing special.
The main character is a Shiba Inu dog. The designers did a good job at capturing the rounded appearance of this breed. However, I will say the back of the dog’s head doesn’t look all that great. And if you aren’t familiar with the breed, you could be a bit like me and think, “Why is there a hamster in a box?” It’s kind of one of those animals you need to be told first what it is before you can appreciate the model. As an extra feature, you also get two sets of eyes for the dog. I liked the sleepy eyes for mine, but you can have the more standard wide-awake eyes for a livelier little pet.
To finish things off, we have a heart box of chocolates and a little flower. Fortunately, there are attachment points for these two accessories at the edge of the box as the Shiba Inu has no way to hold these items.
I must admit the set is cute. I’ve picked up several Valentine’s Day sets featuring a creature of one type or another. I will say, the Shiba Inu was difficult to recognize by sight and nothing I’d associate with Valentine’s Day. However, it is nice that LEGO designers are trying different animals to spice things up.
I don’t think collectors would clamor to get this set, but it’s a charming little gift you can share with someone. Although it’s no longer available directly from LEGO, you can get a copy on the secondary market like BrickLink.com.
The next holiday coming up is, of course, Easter, and LEGO is already gearing up with several sets with bunnies, birdies, and flowers. In fact, this year, there are several pretty spring-inspired sets! You can find them at the seasonal items section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? Did you get the Valentine’s Day set? How do you like it? What are your favorite types of freebie sets? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!
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And they call it “puppy love”…
I see what you did there…
I really thought it was a hamster. Cute set though.
I thought it was a fox.
No one can tell me that’s not a hamster! 😀
The ukulele and the peacock are amazing! The colors are so unique! I always wanted Lego to make a peacock. 😀