(Written by William)
As I was just recently reviewing the three LEGO BrickHeadz Disney Ducks sets (see links at the end of this post), I kept thinking of the #40479 LEGO BrickHeadz Dalmatians as the 101 Dalmatians, another Disney film. But this set is not part of any intellectual property, and simply belongs to the LEGO BrickHeadz Pets collection.
You might remember that we reviewed several other LEGO BrickHeadz Pets sets (see links at the end of this post). Conceptually, LEGO had three options when it came to this collection. They could end the line with the initial four sets (we’ve seen plenty of lines that just have four characters). They could introduce more unusual pets. Or, they could get into the thick of it with offering different breeds. I’m so glad they chose the latter!
Pet owners are passionate about the animals they love. And they are willing to spend large amounts of money on them. And that only really applies to the breed of cat, dog, fish, or bird they have. They won’t settle for generic. How can LEGO solve this possible issue? Let’s take a closer look at the #40479 LEGO BrickHeadz Dalmatians and see if there is an answer.
If you’ve built either the #41441 LEGO BrickHeadz Shorthaired Cats or #40440 LEGO BrickHeadz German Shepherd, then you know exactly what to expect in this set. LEGO designers were not going for innovation with the overall design structure of the characters. For those unfamiliar, the BrickHeadz Pets line solidified the shape of a dog or cat sitting on their hind quarters. It’s a very good design, so I can see why they didn’t want to mess with it.
This begs the question, if this is just like those previous LEGO BrickHeadz Pets sets, why do I need this one? Apart from the fact that these little guys are adorable, you might be interested by all the printed elements! That’s right, LEGO designers didn’t try brick-building the spots on this iconic dog breed, but they used printed elements. What’s more is that they included printing on not one, not two, but three types of parts.
The first printed part is the 1×2 brick, with printing on its long side. The larger dog has two of these; one at its left breast, and the other at its back on the ride side. The next printed element is the spotted 2×2 curved slope. Again, only the large dog has this one. You see it on its lower stomach, back, and on two sections on the top of its head. And then there is the best one of all. The last printed part is an off-centered spot on a 1×1 tile. Both the larger dog and the puppy feature this tile on several places. Every spot that needs a stud to be filled in gets one of these tiles. And since the spot is off-centered, you can rotate the piece and end up with four potential orientations of the print.
This means that with minimal effort, you can assemble multiple copies of this set and make the spots appear in different locations thus giving you a whole litter of Dalmatians! In fact, if you’re a Disney fan, this might even be a nice way to represent 101 Dalmatians.
As for the rest of the set, you get the standard pet bed as seen in previous LEGO BrickHeadz Pets sets. This one is blue and it also features a curved slope like the other sets that you still have to put a sticker on. Just like with previous iterations, you get two slopes and two stickers featuring either bones or paws. And as I pointed out before, in my first LEGO BrickHeadz Pets review, if you don’t care for the pet bed, you can remove the 6×6 plate and just have a standard LEGO BrickHeadz base.
When I initially built the first LEGO BrickHeadz Pets set, I was concerned with how LEGO would continue the line. Do they go with more and more unusual pets? What if the breeds of pets they choose aren’t reflective of the pets people own? This set gives us a little more of an idea of how LEGO plans to proceed in the short term. By introducing different breeds, eventually you’ll get a pet that looks just like your most beloved baby. In the video below, I will share some additional thoughts about the set.
LEGO has also put me at ease in regards to creating new breeds. I felt that if they went down the path of introducing new breeds, things could get rather stale. Fans could see them and brush them off as just another dog or cat and they can wait for the one that is right for them. Problem is, if the sets aren’t popular, LEGO would more than likely end the line and never get to the one you really want. So, they solved this with parts.
If a set has desirable parts, it opens up to the larger building community that might want to buy these sets en masse. I’m sure we’ll see some interesting cowhide designs or perhaps something involving a Rorschach ink blot. I know the builder in me is excited about these parts, which makes me definitely think that this is the best LEGO BrickHeadz Pets set to date! If you want to check it out, visit the LEGO BrickHeadz section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the LEGO BrickHeadz Pets collection? Do you have any of the sets already? Which one is your favorite? What other pets and pet breeds would you like to see LEGO add in the future? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
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