Category: Lego

LEGO’s Slinky Dog Bookends, the Most Novel Piece in My Whole Collection

Lego Review · Purchased June 5, 2026 · $189.99 CAD via The Lego Store

LEGO Toy Story Slinky Dog Bookends set 43301
Photo credit: LEGO.com

The Setup

This is easily the strangest concept LEGO has put out for the Toy Story license: a brick-built Slinky Dog paired with two functioning bookends, released as part of the May 2026 Disney/Pixar wave. I don’t actually keep enough physical books around to need bookends in any practical sense, but the idea of a hidden Woody minifigure tucked inside one of the books, revealed by turning a little knob, was more than enough to get me to order it the moment it went live.

Living With It

At 1,311 pieces, this is a genuinely substantial build, and easily the most mechanically interesting set in my collection. Slinky Dog himself has an articulated head and paws along with fabric ears, and actually looks and poses like the character rather than a static brick sculpture. The two book pieces that function as the actual bookends are where LEGO’s design team really showed off: one has a brick-built spine worked into a Slinky Dog motif, and the other hides a small rotating mechanism behind its cover that reveals a Woody minifigure tucked inside when you turn the knob on the spine.

It’s pitched at the 18+ adult collector audience, and it shows in the build quality: nothing about the bookend mechanism feels flimsy, and the whole thing sits solidly enough on a shelf that I’ve actually started using it to hold up a small stack of art books, which was never really the point but is a nice bonus. The build itself took me the better part of a weekend, split fairly evenly between the two bookend structures and Slinky Dog’s own more fiddly articulated body. It’s not a difficult build technically, just a long one, and the payoff of finally turning that knob and seeing Woody appear made every hour of it worth it.

The hidden Woody minifigure mechanism in the LEGO Slinky Dog Bookends set
The hidden Woody reveal mechanism. Photo credit: LEGO.com

What I Liked

  • Genuinely novel concept with a real, working mechanism rather than just a static display
  • Slinky Dog’s articulated body actually captures the character’s look and poses
  • Solid enough construction to double as functional bookends

What I Didn’t

  • Expensive for a set most people will still just display rather than use as bookends
  • The build, while satisfying, is long without ever being particularly challenging

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

One of the most genuinely inventive LEGO sets I own, and worth the price for the hidden Woody reveal alone.

Where to Buy

LEGO’s Bouquet of Pink Roses, a Second Bouquet That Actually Outshines the First

Lego Review · Purchased February 12, 2026 · $79.99 CAD via The Lego Store

LEGO Bouquet of Pink Roses set 10374
Photo credit: LEGO.com

The Setup

Longtime readers might remember I already own a LEGO rose set, the original red Bouquet of Roses I picked up as a Valentine’s gift years ago. So when LEGO released the Bouquet of Pink Roses (10374) last October as a genuinely new, multi-tonal pink variant rather than a straight recolor, I couldn’t resist grabbing it around Valentine’s Day again this year to see how it compared sitting right next to its older sibling.

Living With It

At 789 pieces, it’s a slightly smaller build than the original 822-piece red version, but the extra design work shows. Instead of a plain round brick for the flower centers, this set uses a white peony piece paired with a light nougat inverted dome, and the petals shift from deeper pink at the core to softer blush tones toward the outer edges. It’s a small change on paper, but it makes each individual bloom look noticeably more like a real flower up close, rather than a uniform-colored LEGO approximation of one.

The build itself reuses a lot of the same clever tricks as the original: wheel-arch pieces and minifig whip elements to fake the coiled, layered look of petals, all built onto a sturdy stem-and-leaf structure that holds its shape well in a vase. Having both bouquets on display together has turned into an accidental little collection, and I’d honestly recommend the pink version first if you’re only planning on getting one; the color gradient work alone makes it feel like the more considered design of the two.

Close-up of the LEGO Bouquet of Pink Roses petals
Detail of the multi-tonal petal work. Photo credit: LEGO.com

What I Liked

  • Multi-tonal petals look far more like a real flower than a flat single color
  • Clever reuse of wheel-arch and whip pieces to fake coiled petal layers
  • Never wilts, unlike the real thing it’s replacing as a gift

What I Didn’t

  • Slightly fewer pieces than the original red version for a similar price
  • If you already own the red bouquet, this is a lot to spend on what’s ultimately a similar centerpiece in a different color

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

A genuinely improved take on the Bouquet of Roses formula, and proof LEGO is still finding new tricks for its botanical line rather than just reskinning old sets.

Where to Buy

LEGO Architecture’s Paris: City of Love, a Postcard You Build Yourself

Lego Review · Purchased January 28, 2026 · $99.99 CAD via The Lego Store

LEGO Architecture Paris: City of Love set 21064
Photo credit: LEGO.com

The Setup

LEGO Architecture’s original Paris set (21044) has been around since 2018 and I always found the monochrome city-skyline format a little sterile compared to some of the line’s later releases. When 21064, Paris: City of Love, launched right at the start of the year, I was curious enough about the format change to pick it up almost immediately. Rather than a single skyline silhouette, this one is built as a hangable, postcard-style piece: the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and Sacré-Cœur are all worked into one framed composition using forced perspective, in a warm tan-and-brown monochrome palette instead of the older set’s grey.

Living With It

At 958 pieces, this is a genuinely absorbing evening-or-two build, and the forced-perspective trick actually works better than I expected once you step back from the table. Landmarks that are miles apart in real Paris get compressed into a single, coherent composition without feeling like a jumbled mess, which is a neater piece of design than the format’s “we just squished everything together” premise suggests. The included display frame is a nice touch: you can either hang it on a wall like actual art or prop it on a stand, and I ended up going with the stand so it can live on the same shelf as the rest of my Architecture pieces.

Compared to the original 21044, which always read a little flat and abstract to me, this one has an actual sense of place. The tan-on-tan palette does mean fine details can blur together a bit under certain lighting, and if you’re looking for a straightforward skyline silhouette rather than a landmark collage, the older set still does that specific job better. But as a standalone display piece, City of Love has more personality than I expected from an Architecture set.

Close-up detail of the LEGO Paris: City of Love set
Detail of the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame section. Photo credit: LEGO.com

What I Liked

  • Clever forced-perspective composition that actually reads as a coherent scene
  • Includes a display frame, so it can be hung or stood up
  • More visual personality than the older monochrome skyline format

What I Didn’t

  • The tan monochrome palette can make fine details blend together in low light
  • If you specifically want a clean skyline silhouette, the original 21044 still does that better

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A satisfying, well-designed reinvention of the Architecture Paris concept that earns its spot on the shelf next to the original.

Where to Buy

Holiday Main Street: LEGO’s Winter Village Series Is Still Getting Better

Toy Review · Purchased December 10, 2022 · $130.00 CAD via Lego Store

LEGO Holiday Main Street 10308
Holiday Main Street, 10308. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

The 2022 entry in LEGO’s annual Winter Village holiday collection, set 10308 depicts a 1,514-piece snow-covered city street with a bakery/toy shop building, a subway entrance, string lights, and 6 minifigures, compatible with LEGO’s Powered Up motor and light system for anyone who wants to add motion.

The Review

The Winter Village line has been a genuine highlight of LEGO’s annual lineup for years, and this entry keeps that streak going — the street-level scene with its bakery/toy shop and subway entrance gives it a real sense of place that a lot of holiday sets don’t bother with, and the little string-light details throughout sell the wintry mood convincingly even before it’s actually displayed anywhere near real lights. Compatibility with the Powered Up system is a thoughtful touch for anyone who wants to take it further, even if I haven’t added that myself.

At 1,514 pieces it’s a substantial, well-paced build that never drags, and it displays beautifully as a genuine centerpiece rather than a background piece. Closing out the year’s purchases with this alongside the Rainbow Road track set felt like a fitting way to wrap up a year that swung between giant Vonado builds, bootleg busts, and this kind of confidently well-made official set — and this one’s a clear reminder of what LEGO does best when it’s not trying to be oversized or unofficial about it.

What I Liked

  • Genuine sense of place with the street-level bakery, toy shop, and subway entrance
  • String-light details sell the wintry mood convincingly
  • Compatible with the Powered Up motor and light system for further customization
  • Substantial, well-paced build that displays as a genuine centerpiece

What I Didn’t

  • Powered Up motor and light elements are sold separately if you want them
  • Seasonal-adjacent set, so it may see reduced availability outside the holidays

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

Another strong entry in a consistently excellent annual line — a genuine centerpiece build and a great way to close out the year.

Where to Buy

The Mandalorian Helmet: The Best-Looking Piece in My Helmet Collection

Toy Review · Purchased December 5, 2022 · $80.00 CAD via Costco

LEGO The Mandalorian Helmet 75328
The Mandalorian Helmet, 75328. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

A 584-piece display-scale replica of Din Djarin’s Beskar helmet from The Mandalorian, complete with a display stand and nameplate, part of LEGO’s ongoing Helmet Collection line for adult collectors.

The Review

This is the best-looking helmet I’ve built from LEGO’s collection so far, and it’s genuinely not close — the metallic-toned pieces LEGO uses to sell the Beskar steel finish do a fantastic job selling the material at a glance, in a way that plain gray or silver bricks wouldn’t manage. The rounded dome and T-visor shape translate into brick form more cleanly than I expected, and the display stand with its nameplate gives it a proper collector’s-shelf presentation right out of the box.

It’s a mid-length build — substantial enough to be satisfying without demanding a huge time commitment — and it’s clearly one of the stronger entries in a Helmet Collection line that’s had some hits and misses. Given how well the finish sells the Beskar look, this is the helmet set I’d point to first if someone wanted to see what the line is capable of at its best.

What I Liked

  • Metallic-toned pieces genuinely sell the Beskar steel finish
  • Display stand and nameplate give it a proper collector’s presentation
  • Satisfying mid-length build, neither too quick nor overly long
  • One of the strongest entries in LEGO’s Helmet Collection line

What I Didn’t

  • Helmet Collection availability rotates in and out unpredictably

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

The standout of LEGO’s Helmet Collection so far — the metallic Beskar finish alone makes this an easy recommendation.

Where to Buy

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar: The Character Variety Still Wins

Toy Review · Purchased December 5, 2022 · $60.00 CAD via Costco

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 75340
LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, 75340. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

The 2022 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar (75340), 329 pieces across 24 doors, with 8 minifigures and characters — including C-3PO and R2-D2 dressed up in “Christmas jumpers” — alongside 16 small vehicle and scene builds.

The Review

This is a genuinely dependable holiday tradition at this point, and the 2022 edition holds up the standard — the character count is the real draw, with eight figures spread across the calendar rather than front-loading them all in the first few doors. The little “Christmas jumper” gag on C-3PO and R2-D2 is a fun, low-key touch that’s become something of a series signature at this point.

Compared to the newer Guardians of the Galaxy calendar I picked up in October, this one benefits from years of the format being refined — the mix of vehicles, gear, and figures feels a little more confidently paced across the 24 days. It’s still fundamentally small, simple builds day to day, but as a Christmas tradition for Star Wars collectors it’s an easy yearly buy.

What I Liked

  • Eight minifigures/characters spread thoughtfully across the calendar
  • Fun “Christmas jumper” gag on C-3PO and R2-D2
  • Well-paced mix of vehicles, gear, and scenes after years of refinement

What I Didn’t

  • Individual daily builds are still necessarily tiny and simple
  • Seasonal-only, so it’s a once-a-year purchase window

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A dependable, well-paced holiday tradition — the character variety alone makes it worth the yearly buy.

Where to Buy

The Mighty Bowser (Compatible Version): A Great Design, Sourced From a Less Great Place

Toy Review · Purchased November 11, 2022 · $100.00 CAD via Jooooooy.com

Large Bowser brick figure build
The Mighty Bowser design, compatible build. Photo: Jooooooy

The Setup

LEGO’s own official 71411 “The Mighty Bowser” is a genuinely well-regarded 2,807-piece set with a poseable battle platform base. What I actually bought here, sold through Jooooooy under a different item number, is a piece-for-piece compatible clone of that design rather than genuine LEGO product — same piece count, same overall build, different bricks.

The Review

Whatever the box says, the underlying design here is a genuinely great one — Bowser’s posability is the standout feature, and at this scale he has real screen presence sitting on a shelf. The battle platform base is a clever inclusion that gives the whole piece a sense of place rather than just being a static figure, and the build itself stays engaging across the full 2,807 pieces without ever feeling padded.

Buying a clone of an official set is a different calculation than buying an unofficial MOC design like the mega-figure busts — there’s no ambiguity here about whether this could have been an official set, because it already is one, just not the copy I actually received. The clone bricks carry the same color and clutch-power inconsistencies as my other bootleg purchases this year, and it’s worth being upfront that this was, functionally, a counterfeit of a real LEGO product rather than an unlicensed fan design filling a genuine gap.

What I Liked

  • Genuinely excellent design with real posability and screen presence
  • Battle platform base adds a sense of place to the display
  • Stays engaging across the full piece count without feeling padded

What I Didn’t

  • A direct counterfeit of an existing official LEGO set, not an unlicensed fan design
  • Same clone-brick color and clutch-power inconsistencies as other bootleg purchases
  • The genuine official set exists and would have been the better purchase

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

A great design that deserved to be bought as the genuine official set — the build is a win, the sourcing is the actual problem here.

Where to Buy

The Official Tallneck: LEGO’s Own Take, Six Times Smaller and Just as Charming

Toy Review · Purchased November 25, 2022 · $87.99 CAD via Amazon.ca

LEGO Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck 76989
Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck, 76989. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

The real deal, finally: LEGO’s official 1,222-piece Tallneck set (76989), licensed directly from the Horizon Forbidden West game, complete with a posable neck and legs and included Aloy and Watcher minifigures.

The Review

Having built the unofficial 7,401-piece “plus-size” version back in June, it’s genuinely interesting to compare notes on the official set. This one is a fraction of the size, but LEGO’s design team clearly put real thought into making the posability and screen accuracy work at this scale — the proportions read correctly, the neck and leg joints move naturally, and including Aloy and a Watcher minifigure gives it a sense of scale and story that the giant unofficial version, with no minifigures at all, couldn’t offer.

It’s also just a better build experience end to end — printed manual, genuine LEGO color consistency, and none of the clutch-power quirks that came with the clone bricks. It’s not going to dominate a shelf the way the giant version does, but as one of LEGO’s first major video-game licensed collectible builds outside Minecraft and Super Mario, it’s a well-executed, faithful little model that I’d recommend over the bootleg version to anyone who just wants a genuine, well-made Tallneck rather than a room centerpiece.

What I Liked

  • Genuinely well-designed posability and screen accuracy for the scale
  • Includes Aloy and Watcher minifigures the unofficial version lacks
  • Better fit, finish, and build experience than the clone-brick version
  • Faithful, well-executed licensed build for the price

What I Didn’t

  • Doesn’t have the scale or shelf presence of the unofficial version
  • Retired, so availability is already inconsistent

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

The version I’d actually recommend to most people — a faithful, well-made official build without the compromises of the clone-brick giant.

Where to Buy

LEGO City Advent Calendar: The Simpler, Kid-Friendly Sibling

Toy Review · Purchased December 5, 2022 · $60.00 CAD via Costco

LEGO City Advent Calendar 60352
LEGO City Advent Calendar, 60352. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

The 2022 LEGO City Advent Calendar (60352), 287 pieces with everyday City vehicles, small scenes, a City-themed playmat, and 5 minifigures spread across 24 doors — picked up on the same Costco trip as the Star Wars calendar.

The Review

Where the Star Wars calendar leans on character variety and licensed nostalgia, this one is a simpler, more straightforward proposition — everyday City vehicles and scenes without any big licensed hook to sell it. The included playmat is a nice bonus that the Star Wars calendar doesn’t have, giving the small vehicle builds somewhere to actually be used rather than just displayed.

It’s clearly the more kid-friendly of the two calendars I picked up this Christmas, with less for an adult collector to get excited about day to day, but it’s a perfectly solid, well-made version of the format for anyone building a City collection or buying for a younger builder. Between the two, the Star Wars calendar is the one I’d recommend first, but this one does its job well.

What I Liked

  • Included playmat gives the small builds somewhere to actually be used
  • Solid, dependable everyday LEGO City design
  • Good for younger builders or City collectors specifically

What I Didn’t

  • Less exciting for adult collectors without a licensed hook
  • Overshadowed by the Star Wars calendar bought the same trip

The Verdict

Rating: 3.5/5

A solid, dependable calendar that does exactly what it’s supposed to — just the less exciting of this year’s two Costco advent calendar buys.

Where to Buy

  • Search “LEGO City Advent Calendar 60352”

LEGO City Car Wash: The Small, Forgettable Palate Cleanser of the Bunch

Toy Review · Purchased November 11, 2022 · $100.00 CAD via Jooooooy.com

LEGO City Car Wash 60362
Car Wash, LEGO City 60362 design. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

The design here matches LEGO City’s official 243-piece Car Wash set (60362) — a car wash building with spinning brush rollers, a car, and two minifigures. Bought the same day as the Bowser and Shell Walker builds from Jooooooy, so it’s worth flagging the same sourcing uncertainty: this may well be a clone rather than the genuine article, though I couldn’t find as clear-cut evidence of a specific bootleg listing for this one as I could for the others.

The Review

There’s not a lot to say about this one, and that’s sort of the point — it’s a simple, kid-friendly LEGO City playset with a straightforward build and a fun little spinning-brush mechanism that actually works when you push the car through. After the much bigger, more involved builds earlier this same order, it was a nice quick change of pace, done in well under an hour.

It’s not a set that’s trying to be memorable, and it succeeds at exactly what it sets out to do without leaving much of an impression beyond that. A perfectly fine, forgettable little build.

What I Liked

  • Fun, functional spinning-brush mechanism
  • Quick, easy build — a nice change of pace after bigger sets
  • Straightforward, kid-friendly LEGO City design

What I Didn’t

  • Unremarkable and forgettable once built
  • Sourced through Jooooooy, so genuine-vs-clone status is uncertain

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

A perfectly serviceable, entirely unmemorable little build — fine as a quick palate cleanser, not a set worth seeking out.

Where to Buy