The summer 2023 City sets have been revealed. Images have actually been online for some time, but I waited to post about them here at True North Bricks until the Canadian pricing and release dates were confirmed. Truth be told, I am quite excited about this wave, far more than the summer 2022 offering. Last year, I only bought one set from the City line-up, and it was for the animals. This year, we’re seeing more science-related sets in the mix, which I love. It is an interesting assortment though, with no proper focus. Let’s take a look at what is coming.
Car Wash
- SET #: 60362
- COST: $39.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 243
- MINIFIGURES: 2
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.164 (Satisfactory value.)
My initial thoughts: a little boring. While the car wash is not an overdone concept, it is not a new one either. The sign design is nice though.
Ice Cream Shop
- SET #: 60363
- COST: $49.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 296
- MINIFIGURES: 3
- OF INTEREST: Check out that polar bear costume 🙂
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.169 CAD (Satisfactory value.)
My initial thoughts: another boring one. Ice Cream trucks and stores are overdone at this point. You don’t even get the ice cream cone costume in this one. With that said, this is the first time I have seen a bear costume similar to the racoon, fox, or wolf from the Minifigures series. I hope that element pops up in the BAM station at the LEGO® Store.
Street Skate Park
- SET #: 60364
- COST: $84.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 454
- MINIFIGURES: 4
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.187 (Passable value.)
My initial thoughts: While this is the most elaborate skate park I have seen to date, it is again an overused concept. I guess the LEGO® Group has success with the idea, plus they need more sets to use all those Stuntz elements they’ve produced. I do like the graffiti though.
Apartment Building
- SET #: 60365
- COST: $119.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 688
- MINIFIGURES: 6
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.17 CAD (Passable value.)
My initial thoughts: if you’re building a city, this might be of interest to you. The modern design is inspirational for a custom city block, but the set itself doesn’t look like much more than a facade. However, it will go nicely with the Downtown set seen below.
Ski and Climbing Center
- SET #: 60366
- COST: $149.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 1045
- MINIFIGURES: 8
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.143 CAD (Satisfactory value.)
My initial thoughts: This set belonged with the 2019 Ski Resort set. The two compliment each other well. It does feel like a bit of a re-hash of the Friends skiing set though. It looks like it comes with one of the branch-less tree trunk elements that I liked from the Avatar Metkayina Reef Home set (check out the bottom level beside the door). The use of the smaller BURPs to create a sheer rock face is interesting too.
Arctic Explorer Ship
- SET #: 60368
- COST: $209.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 815
- MINIFIGURES: 7
- OF INTEREST: The first LEGO® orca figurine!
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.258 (Expensive bricks.)
My initial thoughts: this is where the summer 2023 City sets start getting interesting from my perspective. I love the Arctic exploration sets. I have collected them in both 2014 and 2019. It is nice to see a similar color scheme used here for consistency. However, what really floats my boat is the orca. This is the first orca figurine. Sadly, this is an expensive set to buy in multiples in order to have a pod of killer whales. We can always hope it will resurface in years to come in a cheaper set, like the minifig-eating Great White below. Or then there’s Bricklink…
Arctic Explorer Snowmobile
- SET #: 60376
- COST: $13.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 70
- MINIFIGURES: 1
- OF INTEREST: Seal & seal pup figurines
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.20 CAD (Expensive bricks)
My initial thoughts: I would probably pass on this if it wasn’t for the seals. It’s so cool that the LEGO® Group included a mother and pup. The low cost of the set makes it worthwhile just to get those figurines. You can even get multiples of this set for a seal colony without breaking the bank.
Explorer Diving Boat
- SET #: 60377
- COST: $49.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 182
- MINIFIGURES: 3
- OF INTEREST: The hammerhead shark returns, a ray, plus two different sea turtle sizes
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.275 CAD (Expensive bricks.)
My initial thoughts: I love that the hammerhead is back. I have a couple of them already from 2020, but more are always welcome. The ray has a new coloration too, adding to my marine animal diversity. The highlight here is the new large sea turtle through. We’ve seen the smaller one before in Minifigures Series 20. I’m happy to get that one again, but even happier to have a larger one.
Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab
- SET #: 60378
- COST: $99.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 489
- MINIFIGURES: 4
- OF INTEREST: The polar bear returns, with two new cub figurines!
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.204 CAD (Expensive bricks.)
My initial thoughts: I have a number of polar bears already from past Arctic collections. I think I have three, but I’d have to double check that. Still, I’m not complaining even though the polar bear is the most common bear in LEGO® world. What sets this kit apart is the new baby bears. How awesome are they?
Deep Sea Explorer Submarine
- SET #: 60379
- COST: $139.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 842
- MINIFIGURES: 6
- OF INTEREST: The minifig eating large shark returns, plus two regular sharks
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.166 (Satisfactory value.)
My initial thoughts: I think this is the cheapest set to ever come with the large great white shark. I love this figurine because you can fit a whole Minifigure in its mouth. The last time we saw this was in the 2020 Ocean Exploration Ship set. At $180 CAD, that was not a cheap set if all you wanted was the shark. It’s nice to see the figurine in a slightly more affordable set along with a couple of regular sharks. I’m also impressed with the detailing and brickwork on this submarine.
Downtown
- SET #: 60380
- COST: $259.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 2010
- MINIFIGURES: 13
- OF INTEREST: The golden retriever is back
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.129 CAD (Good value.)
My initial thoughts: WOW. This is the largest City set ever produced by a long shot. And it looks amazing. While I doubt the interiors of the set are detailed or large, the design is something else. It would actually go well with recent Friends sets. The walkway between buildings has to be my favorite part. Even if this building is just a series of facades, there’s inspiration-a-plenty for expanding on this with some custom work.
Construction Trucks and Wrecking Ball Crane
- SET #: 60362
- COST: $79.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 235
- MINIFIGURES: 4
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.34 CAD (Really expensive bricks)
My initial thoughts: hard pass… but then again, I’m not the target audience. I suppose the summer 2023 City lineup needed something for the 4+ crowd as well 😉
Family House and Electric Car
- SET #: 60398
- COST: $79.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 462
- MINIFIGURES: 3
- OF INTEREST: a new puppy figurine.
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.173 CAD (Expensive bricks.)
My initial thoughts: Cute design, and I like the greenhouse element. But, I probably would not pick this up. I doubt the interior has much to it.
For someone who loves the science-themed LEGO® sets, as well as collectors of LEGO® animals, this series has a lot to offer. I am excited about the new killer whale figurine and polar bear cubs. However, I am equally thrilled to see the return of the Great White Shark that can swallow a minifig, as well as the hammerhead. It seems the LEGO® Group tried to link the underwater and arctic concepts together with a new logo onboard and matching colors. However, you do not get hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, or stingrays in the arctic. In fact, Great White Sharks do not inhabit the Artic Ocean either. It seems like there wasn’t quite enough of either theme to continue the 2018 Arctic line or the 2020 Ocean Exploration line on their own in the summer 2023 City lineup. But I am not complaining about getting them all.
Overall, I like a number of these kits. Personally, I think this wave is much stronger than last summer’s offering. However, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny to get any of them. That is nothing new with the City theme though, which tends to be one of worst value themes out there. What do you think of the summer 2023 City sets? Let me know in the comments below or reach out on social media. For more summer 2023 LEGO® coverage, click here.
Until next time,
-Tom
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