Earlier in December 2022, the LEGO® Group released a Christmas-themed gift-with-purchase (GWP). Santa’s Workshop (40565), as the name suggests, features old Kris Kringle’s gift-making space. Interestingly, LEGO® designers made the set to connect with the Black Friday Winter Elves Scene and Santa’s Front Yard, from 2022 and 2021 respectively. As a bonus Christmas review, we’re taking a look at Santa’s Workshop today.
NOTE: The LEGO® Group provided this set for review. However, the provision of products does not guarantee a favorable review. True North Bricks’ usual rating system applies (click here for more information).
Summary of Santa’s Workshop
- NAME: Santa’s Workshop
- SET #: 40565
- THEME: Seasonal gift-with-purchase
- COST: Free with purchases over $190 CAD ($24.99 value)
- BRICK COUNT: 329
- MINIFIGURES: 2
- RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2022
Quick Review of Santa’s Workshop
- VALUE: 100% (Free bricks and build time.)
- BUILD: 80% (Cute but feels a little incomplete.)
- MINIFIGURES: 81% (Nice minifigs, could use another elf.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 80% (Nice display for the Xmas season.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 85% (Good set.)
Santa’s Workshop (40565) Review
VALUE: 100%
Santa’s Workshop was supposed to be free with purchases over $190 CAD from December 1 until December 24, 2022. However, stocks ran out sometime between December 9 and 16. There was a double VIP points event from December 9 – 13 which probably played a role. Since it was a GWP, I automatically rate the value at 100%. You can’t beat free bricks, and we’d all make the purchase anyway. Might as well get something extra with it. With that said, the LEGO® Group reported the set with a value of $24.99 CAD. So, if this set was a purchase, it has a cost/brick of $0.075. That is still excellent. Consequently, it still earns 100% at market value. I’m going to give the build time 100% as well. I was pleasantly surprised with how long this set took me, and again, it was free building time.
BUILD: 80%
Santa’s Workshop features a small diorama scene of a red barn-like building. Inside the sliding doors, you find a small workstation and a conveyor belt for loading presents into Santa’s sleigh. Additionally, a computer terminal shows a present delivery plan of the world centered from the North Pole departure point. It’s really cute.
I have a couple of small issues with the design though. Firstly, the doors slide too much. The design does not include a stopper to prevent the doors from sliding past the center point. Thankfully, they can’t slide off the tracks. However, each door can slide into the position of the other. Secondly, the roof does not extend to the peak of the structure. I’m not looking for a complete building with a freebie set. But getting at least half of one would be nice. Again, it’s a cute build. However, feels a little incomplete. I rate this design at 80%.
MINIFIGURES: 81%
Santa’s Workshop comes with two Minifigures. The elf included in the set has stumpy, unmoving legs. Right off the bat, I wish it had the short, moving legs instead. Otherwise, both have front and back torso printing. However, neither has a double-sided face. I do like Santa’s dual-molded legs though. In terms of accessories, the characters include a video game controller, a couple of micro-figs, a lantern, and a couple of paint brushes. I rate the character designs and accessories at 80%.
Additionally, two minifigs in a 329-piece kit means you get 165 bricks/fig. That is a good number of characters for a set this size, but it’s not great. Another elf would make this set great. I rate the character count at 81%. Averaging this with the design score gives an overall Minifigure grade of 81% (rounding up for Christmas).
ENTERTAINMENT: 80%
Santa’s Workshop is a typical holiday GWP. It’s fun to display for the season. However, like all the past holiday GWP sets, I will recycle the parts after the holidays. It’s a cute little shelf display for Christmas, and that’s about it. I rate the entertainment value at 80%.
OVERALL SCORE: 85%
Unlike many other GWPs, I would not rate Santa’s Workshop (40565) lower if I had actually paid for it. The value remains good at RRP or as a freebie. So, Santa’s Workshop is a good set overall. Would I buy this set? Probably not. It is not complete enough as a design. However, as a freebie, I like it. It’s a nice holiday display piece, and free bricks for other builds later. It needs another elf, but you still get one to build your elf army. What do you think of Santa’s Workshop? Let me know in the comments below or reach out on social media.
Happy Holidays,
-Tom
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