NOTE: I purchased the Christmas Tree (40573) myself, and this review is not sponsored in any way. I strive to always provide my honest opinion on LEGO® products. If you are curious about how I generate scores in this review, I invite you to read about the True North Bricks rating system.
INTRODUCTION
I initially bought the Christmas Tree set back when it first came out in 2022. It has languished in my pile of shame ever since. This year, I started building a Viking inspired LEGO® world, and I remembered owning this set. Without the decorations, it makes a beautiful conifer for filling out forest scenery. The set is a 2-in-1 as well. You can build one large tree or two smaller trees. So, during the December 2024 double points event I went and I bought a second copy of the set. Then, I proceeded to build all three trees. I’m planning on stripping the decor and incorporating them into my Viking scene later. However, before that, let’s review them as they were intended.
SET SPECIFICS
- NAME: Christmas Tree
- SET #: 40573
- THEME: Iconic
- COST: $54.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 784
- COST/BRICK: $0.07
- MINIFIGURES: None
- BRICKS/FIG: N/A
- RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2022
- BUILD TIME: 1 hour, 25 minutes*
- COST/MIN: $0.65*
*build time and cost/minute represented here are for the large tree build.
QUICK REVIEW
OVERALL SCORE: 95%
WHAT I LIKED: Great value and wonderful for landscaping all sorts of LEGO® projects.
WHAT I LIKED LESS: The large tree consists of two not-connected sections with a pointless spinning feature on the top half.
VALUE: 100%
Loads of bricks and build time for the price.
BUILD: 85%
I love the trees, but question a couple of design choices.
MINIFIGURES: N/A
The Christmas Tree does not come with Minifigures… but it probably should.
ENTERTAINMENT: 100%
These trees are useful beyond Christmas because almost everyone needs trees.
FULL REVIEW
VALUE: 100%
SUMMARY: The Christmas tree gives you a lot of build time and bricks for your money. It is one of the best value sets I have reviewed in a long time.
Value Score Breakdown:
The Christmas Tree (40573) is one of the best value sets I have reviewed in a while. The set costs $54.99 in Canada and comes with 784 bricks. The resulting cost/brick works out to about $0.07. Even before the infamous LEGO® price hike of 2022, that is a near unbeatable value. In fact, very few sets I’ve reviewed have been that low. Off the top of my head, Art sets come to mind. In terms of other themes, you usually on see that type of value on large sets, like the Ninjago City collection. I suppose it helps that the Christmas tree does not include overly special bricks or Minifigures. I rate the cost/brick at 100%.
The Christmas Tree (40573) provides loads of bricks and build time for the price.
In terms of build time, you potentially get a lot. Admittedly, not too many people are going to buy two of these in order to build multiple trees… but I did. The larger tree took me an hour and 25 minutes to assemble. The two smaller trees took me an hour and 37 minutes. So, building the smaller trees is a little more bang for your buck. If we go with that, each minute of build time costs about $0.57. Once again, that is excellent regardless of whether you compare it to LEGO® sets in general or just other similar seasonal sets. I rate the cost/minute of build time at 100%, meaning this set earns an overall value score of 100% as well.
BUILD: 85%
SUMMARY: These are great trees for landscaping your custom builds or used as intended for Christmas decorations. The large tree design has a couple of really big flaws though.
Build Score Breakdown:
I am probably a little biased when it comes to the build of this set. I love learning how to build LEGO® trees. Plus, I need lots of LEGO® trees for my current MOC project that features a boreal forest. In terms of build techniques, this set is nothing new. It is a very similar style to the GWP Christmas Tree from 2019, as well as the tree included with the Winter Village Toy Shop.
With that said, the design uses simple bricks very effectively to create great looking conifers. While the build gets a little repetitive (especially when building three in a row), you end up with nice trees for any nature scene. The best part is that the Christmas Tree is a conifer kit ready to go at a good price. You don’t have to source the parts yourself. Just leave the Christmas decor off as you build and you are good to go. However, if you build it as intended, you also get a great Holiday display piece.
This is not a new design, but it is an effective one.
There is something I really dislike about the largest tree build though. The tree is split in two sections with only gravity holding them together. There is no interlocking stud/anti-stud connecting the two halves of the tree. On top of that, there is a rotating base built above the first layer of the top half. I can’t imagine why anyone needs manually rotatable upper portion of a tree. It makes less sense when you look at the leftover bricks. There are enough parts meant for the alternate builds to fix the upper tree in place.
It might make sense to make the tree splittable like this if that made it fit back in the box for storage. That could be useful for people only displaying the Christmas Tree seasonally. However, the tree does not fit back in the box once it is built without seriously dismantling sections of it. The split does not help at all.
I love this set as a tree build. But due to the repetitive nature of it and what I see as a major design flaw, I only rate the build at 85%. The rotating, not-connected upper half of the large tree is stupid.
MINIFIGURES: N/A
SUMMARY: The Christmas Tree set does not include any Minifigures.
Minifigure Score Breakdown:
Since the Christmas Tree does not include any minifigs, I will not officially grade it in this category… but I will add that it should come with Minifigures. You could easily throw in a Santa and Mrs. Claus, some elves, or even tree-lighting spectators à-la Rockefeller Centre. But, I digress….
ENTERTAINMENT: 100%
SUMMARY: No matter what your build goals are, who doesn’t need trees?
Entertainment Score Breakdown:
Whether you are building simple Christmas decor, adding to your winter village, building a regular city, or a medieval world, you always need trees. So, despite being a “Christmas” set, I think 40573 offers a lot to a variety of builders. I love these particular trees because they are built with very simple bricks, but still look great. Additionally, I love that they maintain a very classic “LEGO” look. I think the trees are super useful and I will greatly enjoy building a landscape around them.
CONCLUSION: 95%
The LEGO® Christmas Tree (40573) is a solid win in my books. Anyone who needs landscaping in their projects will appreciate this build. It goes well beyond being just a Christmas tree.
I love this set because it offers the plans for three different tree sizes. This set really is a forest-building pack. If you buy two, like I did, you get three trees right off the bat. Once the Holidays are over, I plan to strip off all the ornaments and start foresting my Viking settlement project. Make sure you stayed tuned for more on that! What do you think of the Christmas Tree set? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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