Story of Nian

Oh my Gosh! Did the designer of this set Christopher Perron grew up in northern China? I feel he must be my childhood friend who remembers every details of a lunar new year celebration. I'm so deeply touched by the attention to details: pictures on doors , different types of fire crackers, Chinese cabbage stored in "nature fridge"... The building process is fun. I enjoyed making the Nian creature. I hope to see more set like this in the future! more less

LEGO have set the bar incredibly high for its Chinese New Year sets, and 80106 Story of Nian just feels average when compared against all the other sets. While it does score points for a great minifigure lineup and cultural accuracy, it just lacks a certain “je ne sais quoi" that most other Chinese New Year sets contain. more less

I'm a huge fan of the CNY sets. The attention to detail, colours and stories included are what makes LEGO so exciting for me, and I'm so glad they've continued producing them. I'd highly recommend picking these up when you can get them. You won't regret it. more less

The six minifigures (seven, if you count that snowman) are all great, and the Nian is a really fun and clever build. The playset is well constructed, although more designed for display than play. And, from what I can tell, this set does a solid job of telling the story of Nian. So if you're looking for cool parts, an interesting build, or just some festive New Years' excitement, I recommend you pick this set up. Worst case you end up with some teal bananas that you can challenge yourself to incorporate into your own creations! more less

In some ways, 80106 Story of Nian is an easy set to love. The eponymous creature is a character in its own right, taking a wonderful mix of colourful pieces and assembling them in clever ways to create a truly impressive model. It's just a shame that it's only one component of an overall product that doesn't instantly blow your socks off in the same way as 80105 Chinese New Year Temple Fair, or 80107 Spring Lantern Festival. more less

I really appreciate the design team delving into the more specific areas of Chinese culture instead of just giving us another generic Chinese building with festive activities. Overall, 80106 Story of Nian is still a very solid entry to the theme, with its amazing selection of parts, and a visually stunning display piece when completed. more less

Compared to other sets in the theme, it scores a bit low. But that is because the bar is high for this theme. On itself, and compared to for instance the more basic City sets, this one is a good, detailed build, with a good depiction of the tradition. more less