LEGO 40648 Chinese Lunar New Year Money Tree 9+ 336 Pieces

Product Information

Money Tree is now available on LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store, and as its priced quite accessibly, might be a good set to add to your to-buy list when the rest of the January 2023 releases become available! The dense foliage, and generous inclusion of plenty of printed coins, red envelopes and of course kumquat fruit make for a really visually appealing model.

Kids can meet their hosts over a cup of tea and a moon cake in the café or explore cultural traditions in the activity center and temple. They can also simply play with the family under the shade of the blossom tree. For context, the Cantonese word for Mandarin is “kam”, which is also a homonym for “gold”, which is why these little shrubs are used as decorations, and Mandarins are also gifted to one another as symbols of prosperity – hence the set’s name “Money Tree”.

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Money Tree is likely going to be appreciated most by those who know more about the cultural significance behind the build, but we’d be lying if we said this set hadn’t impressed us more than we were expecting despite this. While its appeal to those who don’t annually celebrate the Chinese New Year will be limited, you may understand it a little more when looking at the set as an affordable introduction to the LEGO Botanical Collection. The pot is red, and utilises some really interesting techniques for the sides, with the curves narrowing towards the base. The colour red represents good fortune and prosperity, and is common across all Lunar New Year celebrations. The piece used for the mandarins, of which there are 20 in this set, started life as a pumpkin, 51270 VEGETABLE, NO. 3. 14 envelopes and 10 2x2 round coins, which have a new print, 101521 FLAT TILE 2X2, ROUND, NO. 1249 complete the decorations. LEGO have officially revealed its 2023 Chinese New Year sets – 80110 Lunar New Year Display and 80111 Lunar New Year Parade, 40648 Money Tree as well as a new Monkie Kid mech 80045 Monkey King Ultra Mech , and a Duplo set 10411 Learn About Chinese Culture! These LEGO Chinese New Year sets being available on LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and most specialty toy retailers.

These little the leaves, and together with the kumquats, and coins give the Money Tree plenty of visual bookmarks that draw your eyes to all the interesting elements. Here’s a top-down view of the Money Tree! Despite it being so busy, I like how symmetrical it all is.The individual fronds are securely fastened to the trunk, and the and hanging decorations are pinned to them using either carrot tops or espresso plates, so the whole structure is very robust.