Every year the LEGO® Group celebrates Brick (Black) Friday with a seasonal gift-with-purchase to kick off the holiday season. For the last few years, VIPs received early access to the freebie during the double VIP points weekend preceding Black Friday. Thankfully, this year is no different. While the public gains access to the new Charles Dickens Tribute (40410) on November 27, VIPs can get it with their double points purchases on November 21 and 22. However, True North Bricks already has a pre-release copy. Today, we will take a closer look at the upcoming gift-with-purchase.
NOTE: The LEGO® Group provided this set for review. However, the provision of products does not guarantee a favorable review. I will use my usual rating system (click here to learn more) and provide my honest opinion.
CHARLES DICKENS TRIBUTE SUMMARY
- NAME: Charles Dickens Tribute
- SET #: 40410
- THEME: Seasonal (gift-with-purchase)
- COST: Free with purchases over $150 CAD ($29.99 CAD value)
- BRICK COUNT: 333
- MINIFIGURES: 3
- RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2020
CHARLES DICKENS TRIBUTE QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 100% (This set is free with purchases; you cannot beat free LEGO® bricks!)
- BUILD: 75% (The design is not my favorite; I wish it had an opening book with a better scene.)
- MINIFIGURES: 83% (Okay Minifigures, but a good number of them for a kit of this size.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 60% (This is not my favorite gift-with-purchase and it will be recycled.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 80%
CHARLES DICKENS TRIBUTE REVIEW
VALUE: 100%
The Charles Dickens Tribute is a seasonal gift-with-purchase. Therefore, the set does not cost anything if you make a qualifying purchase. However, the LEGO® Group advertised the set with a value of $29.99 in Canada. At that price, the cost-per-brick is $0.09. Comparatively, my average cost-per-brick is currently $0.14. As such, if you were to buy this set, you get a good deal. I rate that at 97%. In this case, since the set is free, I will bump that up to 100%.
The set took me 46 minutes to assemble. Again, if we assume a price of $29.99, each minute of build time costs $0.65. By comparison, my average cost-per-minute is $0.83. Therefore, once again you get a great value. In this case, I rate it at 96%. However, the set is free with purchases, so I will go ahead and give it 100% again.
BUILD: 75%
The Charles Dickens Tribute features a brick-built book with a scene built on top. The scene depicts Dicken’s Christmas Carol. Overall, the design of the set is alright. For a freebie, you cannot really complain. However, if asked to buy this set, I would pass. Were it not for the Christmas Carol labelling on the book, the scene is largely unrecognizable. The set needs a more iconic scene. A design featuring one of the ghosts would be better.
While I like the idea of a book build, this one did not appeal to me. I do not dislike it. However, I do not love it either. As it stands, the book features a drawer that slides out from the spine. This set would be more fun if the book opened to reveal a scene. Alternatively, it could feature an open book with a scene like the Creative Story Book from 2018. I think the drawer is a missed opportunity for something better.
Finally, the roof and chimney design on the Charles Dickens Tribute is a little flimsy. As a display piece, that is not a major concern. However, it is worth mentioning. Despite not being my favorite set, I will still display this one for the holidays. However, I enjoyed last year’s Christmas Tree much more. In this case, I rate the design at 7.5/10 (75%).
MINIFIGURES: 83%
The Charles Dickens Tribute includes three Minifigures: Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and Ebenezer Scrooge. Of the three, Tiny Tim is a stumpy child with unmoving legs. This choice is not inexcusable given that Tim is a kid in the story. However, I am a proponent of the shorter, poseable legs. The LEGO® Group should stop making the unbending legs.
Otherwise, Bob and Scrooge feature all the standard Minifigure parts, including a big top hat for Scrooge. Additionally, all the characters have front and back torso printing. However, only Tim has a double-sided face. In terms of accessories, the kit contains a red scarf, a lantern, two printed log end tiles, and an umbrella. There is also a buildable streetlamp. I mention this only because I love getting clear Minifigure heads for my own city lamps. I will count that as an accessory too. Consequently, I rate the design score at 35/45 (78%).
Three Minifigures in a 333 piece-kit is a brick-to-fig ratio of 111-to-1. Comparatively, my average brick-to-fig ratio is 145-to-1. Therefore, for a kit this size, you get a good number of Minifigures. That earns 87%. Averaging this score with the design score gives an overall Minifigure rating of 83%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 60%
As mentioned before, I like this set as a freebie, but I do not love it. For the sake of this holiday season, I will keep it built. However, I will recycle the bricks afterwards. Comparatively, I kept last year’s Christmas tree assembled with my Christmas decorations to display again this year. I rate the entertainment at 60%. Since this is more a display piece than a play set, I will forgo the KFOL score.
OVERALL SCORE: 80%
Overall, the Charles Dickens Tribute is a decent set. However, compared with holiday sets from years past, it is not my favorite. I wish the designers had picked a more recognizable or iconic scene from the story. This one does not say “Christmas Carol” to me. Additionally, opening the book to reveal a scene is a more fun idea. However, you get a good selection of bricks and a good number of Minifigures for a set of this size. Double VIP points weekend is a great time to buy those big sets on your wish list. If you get a free LEGO® set with it, who can really complain?
Until next time,
-Tom
What do others think?
Brick Insights is an awesome site that aggregates LEGO® set review scores from around the web. Based on their statistics, you can see what other reviewers think of the Charles Dickens Tribute (40410) below.
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