NOTE: I purchased the Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree (10348) 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

Every now and then, a LEGO® set comes along that I absolutely love. The Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree (which I’ll simply call the Red Maple from here on out) is one of those rare builds. Not only does it look amazing as a display piece anywhere in your home, it also doubles as a phenomenal minifigure-scale tree.

SET SPECIFICS

QUICK REVIEW

FULL REVIEW

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Value Score Breakdown:

I was so eager to buy the Red Maple that I didn’t pause to consider the price—only while writing this review did it hit me: it’s the most expensive per brick of any Botanicals set I’ve built so far. At $79.99 CAD, it’s on par with other Botanicals sets in cost but offers far fewer bricks (474 pieces).

Here are some other $79.99 CAD sets for comparison:

• Mini Bonsai Trees – 709 bricks
• Bouquet of Pink Roses – 789 bricks
• Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet – 749 bricks
• Wildflower Bouquet – 939 bricks
• Bouquet of Roses – 822 bricks
• Flower Bouquet – 756 bricks

Even many $69.99 CAD Botanicals sets have more pieces than the Red Maple; it’s closer in count to a $39.99 set. While the design uses more elaborate elements, that doesn’t fully justify the price. At $0.169 CAD per brick, the set is pricier than anything else I’ve built in this theme.Overall, the Red Maple’s value is passable. It’s visually stunning and fun to build, but for the price, you’d likely get a better deal waiting for a sale. I rate the overall value at 61%.

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Build Score Breakdown:

Like all botanical sets, the Red Maple is a wonderful showcase of NPU (nice parts usage) and creative build techniques. While I was already sold on the set from the promotional photos, I had some doubts when I saw the branch elements. Even as I attached the leaves, I kept thinking they looked a little odd—the grey bricks and ball joints don’t seem natural. I feel it wouldn’t have cost the LEGO® Group much to produce those elements in a new colour. That said, once the tree is fully assembled, you barely notice them. In fact, the beautifully detailed trunk and landscaping almost make you forget they’re there.

The groundstory is probably my favourite part of the design. Its almost bubbly construction gives a whimsical, cartoon-like feel, and adds texture that resembles animated moss. It looks fantastic as a standalone display, but it also inspires texture ideas for forest MOCs. I especially like how the roots blend naturally into the ground.

The trunk itself is impressive too. My favourite NPU in this set is the clever use of dragon horn elements from Ninjago as sections of the trunk—they add striking texture and variation. LEGO® even made those elements in tan for this set, which makes me wish some of the more visible grey branch elements had received similar treatment. Despite those few grey pieces, I love the design—it’s almost perfect.

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Entertainment Score Breakdown:

I enjoyed building the Red Maple and I found it inspiring. I will probably buy myself one or two more in order to add them to the forest I am building for my Viking village MOC. Presently, the set sits on my dining room table. My wife likes it enough to let it live outside the LEGO® room for a while. But it is the perfect Minifigure scale tree, so I will not leave it in the dining room for too long. The Japanese Red Maple is easily one of my favourite Botanicals sets because it looks great, it’s fun and educational to build, and it is easily adaptable to Minifigure forest scenes.

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While the value is only moderate—the high price and relatively low piece count hold it back—the enjoyment factor more than makes up for it. It’s both a stunning display piece and an excellent minifigure-scale tree for MOCs, which gives it versatility beyond the shelf. Despite the weaker cost-per-brick, the Red Maple is easily one of my favourite Botanicals sets, and I’ll likely be adding more to my collection.

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