Review : LEGO Botanical Collection 10280 Flower Bouquet

We continue with the other set of the very "fresh"  Botanical Collection which will be launched in January 2021 by LEGO: the reference 10280 Flower Bouquet which allows, as the title indicates, to assemble what to compose a bouquet of different varieties of flowers using the 756 pieces provided.

On the program for this bouquet: two daisies, three roses, a California poppy flower, two snapdragons, a lavender plant and a blue peony aster. These flowers are accompanied by three leaves and two small decorative bushes. No vase to build in the box, LEGO only provides the content, not the container.

The assembly of the set is completed in an hour with a few repetitive phases depending on the number of identical flowers, it's a bit short to really relax or unwind after a tiring day of young dynamic executive. Strictly speaking, there are no really original techniques here, it is above all the diverted use of certain parts that makes the exercise interesting.

This set is also a bit like a vegetable car show with many elements whose primary purpose is not to embody petals or receptacles. Seven copies of the ECTO-1 steering wheel in Dark Green and twelve car hoods are used here alongside more generic parts or representing vegetation. There are also three Pteranodon wings and three surfboards that take on the role of leaves.

The stems of some of these plants are Technic flexible axes in Sand green which can be "shortened" by removing the sub-assemblies threaded at the end. This possibility will eventually make it possible to create volume and to distribute the different elements of the bouquet according to the diameter of the vase used.

Rose, blue peony aster, California poppy and snapdragon seem very successful to me. The lavender plant seems to me on the other hand a little rough and the two daisies lack in my opinion of finish at the level of the length of the petals. I also found the three decorative leaves a bit too massive to really blend in with the bouquet but it is possible to minimize the effect by carefully organizing the composition.

Those who swear by the availability of certain pieces in new colors will be delighted by discovering the contents of this box with in particular a beautiful assortment of elements in Light Nougat ou in Sand green.

Some of the flowers are very fragile, so it will be necessary to handle this bouquet with care before finding a place for it on a shelf or on the dresser in the living room and regularly dusting the various flowers will probably be a very tedious exercise. It will also be necessary to find the right vase so that the bouquet is pleasing to the eye without appearing too hungry and without having to resolve to invest in a second copy of the set or in one of the "extensions" already announced, the sets. 40460 Roses (120 - 12.99 €) and 40461 ​​Tulips (111 - € 9.99).

As for the bonsai of the set 10281 Bonsai Tree (878 - 49.99 €), we could debate the interest of exhibiting plastic flowers. There are already a lot of plastic products out there that more or less convincingly imitate houseplants or flowers and I personally find that really very kitsch. Here it is a little different and you get something more stylized that does not aim to make us believe that these are real fresh flowers.

The exercise was not easy but LEGO is doing quite well with this product which manages to put elements that are not always very "graceful" in the service of a bouquet with an original aesthetic. From there to spending 50 € to install these plastic flowers in my living room, there is however a step that I will not take. Flowers are ephemeral, they live and die, this is what makes them interesting and which reminds them that it is time to replace them or to offer new ones.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 8th January 2021 next at 23pm. "The" I try, I participate "are automatically deleted, make an effort.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.