The LEGO seasonal sets have become something of a regular tradition by now. Valentine’s Day is coming up soon, so what are we getting this year? In 2022 we had 40522 Valentine Lovebirds, with 40462 Valentine’s Brown Bear the year before. In 2024, LEGO are switching it up, and our love-themed offering is a Gift with Purchase in the form of 40679 Love Gift Box. It will be available with purchases totalling US $75 | CAN $TBD | UK £TBD, and consists of 158 pieces. It’s available for two weeks from February 1st, so if you need a gift for a LEGO-loving partner, you can get one in time for the 14th. But should you? Keep reading to find out!
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box and contents
The box is a small but bright affair, showcasing a dog sat in a pink present box. There’s a band around it saying this is a “Limited Edition” set as well as a circular icon containing a present symbol, as seen on previous GWPs.
The reverse shows us that the dog can be brought out of the box, too. I don’t know how wise it is to let it near that box of chocolates though!
Inside the box (the one the set comes in, not the one we’ll build shortly), we have the instruction booklet; a sticker sheet; two loose plates; a loose trans-clear bar; and three bags of bits, including what might be the smallest numbered bag I’ve ever seen. Unlike some of my colleagues, I’m yet to see a single paper bag in a LEGO set, and this tiny third bag seems like a bit of a pointless waste of plastic.
The build
We start off building our pup’s pink present from the first bag. The two stickers adorn 2×4 white tiles, which can be swapped out atop the trans-clear bar. I find it interesting that despite the heart plate having been introduced 5 years ago (and two featuring in this set), the “I <3 you” still uses two 2×2 plates with holes to make the same shape. Nostalgic!
The dog follows next from bags two and three. It’s done in what you could call Brickheadz-style, with a core of “Studs Not On Top” bricks to affix the outer details of the model. I like the way the ears are done: a pair of 1×2 wedge slopes on Mixel joints, poking out from behind the head. Incidentally, this is only the third time these parts have appeared in medium nougat.
I’m no dog expert, but the pointy ears and fluffy-looking head lead me to assume this is a Shiba Inu, or something of that ilk. It does have a hint of a tanuki about it. Whatever it is, it sure is cute!
The final touches are a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers – or, er, one flower (see below). It’s the thought that counts, I guess!
The finished model
Once finished, the whole ensemble is certainly charming! As well as options for the love message banner, a second pair of printed tiles is presented for the dog’s eyes. I’m partial to the closed eyes, personally – I think they’re a little more characterful!
The instructions say these can be swapped out as you please, but in actual fact you’ll need to take the snout and cheeks apart, as the 2×2 wedge plate partly covers the tile. This isn’t made particularly clear, so you could call this an oversight, but it’s no great hardship to do.
Conclusion and recommendation
In order to get your hands on this set, you’ll need to spend $75 on some other LEGO. Although it’s more or less in line with thresholds for similarly-sized sets, 75 bucks for 158 pieces does somehow feel a little steep. At best, it’s an added bonus if you’re already thinking of spending that amount of money on a loved one’s present. Had it been offered in a similar vein to previous Valentine’s Day sets, at around the $10-$15 mark, it probably would have received a recommendation from us. Otherwise, if you have $75 worth of LEGO to buy and are waiting on a good Gift with Purchase to pull the trigger, I would advise waiting for something more interesting.
40679 Love Gift Box consists of 158 pieces, and is available as a Gift with Purchase for LEGO.com purchases totalling US $75 | CAN $TBD | UK £TBD or more from February 1st until February 14th, or until stocks last.
The set is nearly horrendous.
The dog (if that is what that is) is nearly all right; and they blew it by adding the pink disks!
The ears are left unfinished.
Good for parts?