Christmas Haul 2018

The build up to Christmas always seems so long, and then it is over in a flash. I hope all of you took the time to enjoy it. It was hectic for me, but I still love Christmas. This year was particularly fruitful in terms of LEGO® sets. My wife and I bought our first house this past year, so my LEGO® budget has been drastically slashed in the last few months. My family really came together to help me keep True North Bricks going with set reviews. I got a super haul, and I am really excited to get building and reviewing over the next few weeks. So, what did I get?

• Batgirl Minifigure Keychain
• 30184 – Creator: Pirate Roller Coaster
• 40289 – Harry Potter: Diagon Alley (micro build)
• 40292 – Buildable Holiday Present
• 40305 – The LEGO® Brand Store
• 40311 – Xtra: Traffic Lights
• 60165 – City: 4×4 Response Unit
• 60181 – City: Forest Tractor
• 60193 – City: Arctic Air Transport
• 60195 – City: Arctic Mobile Exploration Base
• 60205 – City: Train Tracks
• 70608 – Ninjago Movie: Master Falls

A couple of the items on the list were fillers or freebies. I know my wife took advantage of double VIP points on Black Friday, which also landed me the Diagon Alley and Buildable Holiday Present. Then she convinced some other family members to shop on the surprise double VIP points weekend in early December. The Xtra polybag and Batgirl came along then to fill the cart… sadly LEGO® had run out of the carousel freebie. I also got the train tracks. Who doesn’t always need more train tracks?

Two roller coaster sets were released this year. One was the huge Creator version. I would LOVE to have that set… but it is a little too pricey for now. I was happy that a more affordable variant was also released. The Pirate Roller Coaster has the added perk of being pirate themed (as the name suggests). I was big on pirate sets when I was younger, and this is a fun way to bring that nostalgia into my city.

My sister got me the LEGO® Brand Store on a recent trip to New York. This set has been a little hard to come by in Canada (at least in my neck of the woods). I have some renovation plans for the MOC LEGO® Store in my city, and this will help out with those.

The 4×4 Response Unit will bolster my coast guard, which I started to collect for my trip to Costa Rica this past summer. Believe it or not, I don’t actually have a LEGO® squid yet, so that is a score in my books too. I will eventually build my LEGO® beach, so this set will fit nicely.

The Forest Tractor is a set that has been on my wish list for a while. My dad works in the forestry industry, and I used to occasionally go on business trips with him when I was little. I went to logging sites and shows, which were full of equipment like this. I even got to drive similar machines when I was lucky. So, this set has a lot of sentimental value for me.

The Arctic sets were also big on my list this year. I waited to buy them myself because I wanted snow outside before I photographed them. I am really looking forward to those photo shoots. I am also a science geek, so the whole idea of digging up frozen creatures from the past is always fascinating. Additionally, LEGO® animals are one of the things I like to collect. The woolly mammoth and saber-tooth tiger were must-haves!

Finally, Master Falls, has also been on my wish list for a while. I am looking forward to getting a closer look at the building techniques for this rope bridge. I will find a place for it in my city (or outskirts thereof). It should be fun to photograph as well.

That was a long ramble… can you tell that I had a quiet and uneventful Christmas Day? I hope you did too. Though I said it in my post yesterday, I will say it again. Happy Holidays to all of you, my readers, and thanks for continuing to swing by my little corner of the web.

Until next time,

-Tom

p.s. I would love to hear about your Holiday LEGO® hauls in the comments below. Also, if you like the content at True North Bricks, I would love it if you followed me here on WordPress (click the “follow” option in the menu to your right), Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter for regular updates.