Review – Wedding Favor Set 2018 [40197]

Last fall, I took advantage of every double VIP points sale that came around. My wife coordinated my Christmas gifts as well so that they were purchased on a double points weekend, and using my account. Then January rolled around, and I got the Mountain Police Headquarters with double points as well. I bought two pretty decent sets with my points, and a pick-a-brick cup. I had a little left over, so I picked up this Wedding Favor Set. I am already married, and I don’t know anyone who is getting married, but I could imagine a few fun photography projects with this one. Additionally, these small special occasion sets that LEGO pumps out tend to be a good value, and often come with interesting pieces. This set did not disappoint in either department.

Set Summary

NAME: Wedding Favor Set 2018
SET #: 40197
THEME: Seasonal/Special event
COST: $11.99 CAD
BRICK COUNT: 132
MINIFIGURES: 2
RELEASE DATE: January 1, 2018

Summary Review: 97%

VALUE: 100% (Excellent value per brick even at full price.)
BUILD: 100% (Nicely designed, with great pieces.)
MINIFIGURES: 99% (Loads of accessories, and a great brick:fig.)
ENTERTAINMENT: 90% (Fair build-time value, and I really like this one.)

Review

VALUE: 100%
At full price, Wedding Favor Set 2018 costs $11.99 in Canada. With 132 pieces, you will be paying $0.09 per brick for this set. That is an excellent value, well below the current average of around $0.13 CAD per brick. That earns a full 5/5 (100%) for value, making this a great buy even without a sale.

BUILD: 100%
The main build in this set is the trellis for the Minifigures to stand under. It is not really the wedding altar since the cake display is under it (though you could easily modify this to suit your needs). There are some really nice pieces in this set, some of which I have not seen before. For example, there are new flower and leaf pieces. There is also a 1×1 transparent blue pyramid piece used in the decoration of the set. I love that you get white curved railings, as well as the clear Minifigure head pieces to use as lamps. I might buy more than one of these just for all of the great parts you get at such a low cost. There is nothing that I don’t like about the actual design either. It is a great little set for the price.

MINIFIGURES: 99%
Since it is a wedding set, you get bride and groom Minifigures. What I really like about these characters is that they can be personalized, as each comes with multiple hairpieces in different colors. The bride has blonde, brown, and black hairpieces. The groom comes with male versions of the same colors, but a top hat as well. Neither Minifigure has a double sided face, or any leg printing. For the groom, the lack of leg print is no biggie since most grooms wear plain black pants anyway. I would have liked to see a little detail on the bride’s dress though. Both of them have front and back print on their torsos. The bride also has a buildable bouquet made from those new flower parts I mentioned before. The groom is holding a ring. There were actually three rings included in my set. Additionally, there are two mini-Minifigures to top the cake. The little accessories and extra hair pieces more than make up for the lack of printing and double sided faces. I give these Minifigures 29/30 (97%) for design.

With 132 bricks and two characters, you are getting a brick-to-Minifigure ratio of 66:1. That is nothing short of excellent, and earns a ratio score of 100%. Averaging this with the design score gives the Wedding Favor Set 2018 an overall Minifigure grade of 99%.

ENTERTAINMENT: 90%
The Wedding Favor Set 2018 took me 18 minutes to build. That means that each minute of build time cost me $0.67. While not an excellent value, it is fair, and earns 4/5 (80%). I could, however, see myself keeping this set built as is. It would make a nice park or beach scene in my LEGO city. So, I will give it 100% for enjoyment. Averaging the build-time and enjoyment scores gives the Wedding Favor Set an overall entertainment grade of 90%.

Overall: 97%

In terms of being a “wedding favor”, I think this might be a bit expensive for the average budget wedding. But, as a cake topper, I think it is quite fun and affordable. As a LEGO set, I love the Wedding Favor Set 2018. It is a good value in terms of both its bricks, and its build time. You get two nice Minifigs, each with different options to customize them. There are quite a few really neat pieces to re-purpose too, so this is a great, inexpensive brick collection builder. Overall, I recommend the Wedding Favor Set 2018, even if you don’t have wedding on the horizon!

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Until next time!

-Tom