The holiday season is all about gifts, right? Well no, it’s probably got more to do with family, friends and a great big roast dinner. But gifts have become an inescapable part of Christmas. And if you’re doing some LEGO gift shopping from December 13 until December 31, you might get a little gift of your own! There are two Gifts with Purchase (GWPs) being offered in that timeframe, the smallest of which is 40702 Christmas Picture Frame. This set will be available with purchases exceeding… Well, we don’t have that information yet, so the prices are US $TBD | CAN $TBD | UK £TBD! We’ll update that when it’s available, of course – you might also find it from third-party sellers like eBay or Amazon. In the meantime let’s take a closer look at this festive frame.
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 one in a colour not dissimilar to LEGO’s own coral pink. A band around the bottom show off the ‘Limited Edition’ status it apparently has, while the back shows how it can be used in a portrait orientation as well.
There are four numbered plastic bags inside, which feels like a lot for a box this small. The instructions are more the size you’d expect, and there are three loose plates, too.
The build
Kicking things off is the base around the bottom of the frame. One of the first things to go on are two angled plates, which presumably hold the frame itself on.
After we’ve created what looks like a green s’more, bag 2 has us populating this base, starting with a snowbank. A couple of rock/claw pieces are used to add a bit of texture to the snow.
Then, we make a series of small builds that wouldn’t feel out of place in one of LEGO’s advent calendars. There’s a snowman, a reindeer, and a sleigh…
…Plus a gingerbread house and, of course, a Christmas tree. The latter is the biggest of the bunch, but the gingerbread house is probably the most interesting.
Here they are all lined up – and we’re halfway done already.
The next bag is dedicated entirely to the frame. It’s essentially another plate sandwich, albeit with some nice dark red 2×6 tiles on top.
There are rail plates around the inside to bring the inner dimensions closer to roughly A5-size, while a quartet of clip-and-bar plates will do the holding-in bit (much like the tabs on a real picture frame). It’s a shame they’re gray and not red or white though, because they stick out like a sore thumb. It would’ve been nice if that red stripe could’ve continued all the way round.
One corner on top is left open, and the last bit to be attached is a turntable in said corner.
This is where we’ll attach the last little sub-assembly made in bag 4: a couple of bells. It’s a cute little build with angles that nicely offset the squareness of the frame. I’m not sure it needed an entire bag to itself, though. It’s made up from fewer than 30 parts.
The finished build
The frame slots in to the light bluish gray tabs we had earlier, and looks pleasant enough. The little builds at the front, while small, definitely give it that perfect festive feel without intruding too much in the frame.
As the box demonstrates, the frame can be displayed either in landscape or portrait. It’s a simple switch: just pick it up, and re-place it in the desired orientation in the slots. The tan 1×6 plates hold it in place. The turntable even means the bells automatically hang from the corner – a nice, elegantly-done touch.
But how does it look with a photo of your loved ones inside? Well, I don’t have any of those (photos, that is, not loved ones), so we’ll have to settle for this postcard I picked up in London last year. It’s not very festive, but you get the idea!
Conclusion and recommendation
As GWPs go, this one is… Fine. It’s a nice enough build, if you’re the type to display photos around the house; but it’s so obviously seasonal that it might look a bit out of place at any other time of year. Although the Christmas elements can be removed, it would look a bit bland without them. I will say I’m impressed by its ease of use – LEGO and the real world don’t always mix, and this does feel very much like a ‘real’ picture frame. It’s just not very exciting. If you do end up getting one during your Christmas shopping, it’s worth finding something to put in it when ’tis the season, but it can be consigned to the parts bins afterwards.
LEGO 40702 Christmas Picture Frame is a Gift with Purchase which will be added to your cart when you spend US $TBD | CAN $TBD | UK £TBD or more between December 13 and December 31. You might also find it from third-party sellers like eBay or Amazon.
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.
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