Review: LEGO ICONS 10315 Tranquil Garden

Today we very quickly go around the contents of the LEGO ICONS set 10315 Tranquil Garden, a box of 1363 pieces that will be available from August 1, 2023 at the public price of 104.99 €.

I'm not drawing you a picture, LEGO is expanding its lifestyle range by surfing once again on the fascination for Japan, its codes and its emblematic places and after the miniature cherry tree of the LEGO set 10281 Bonsai Tree integrated into the Botanical Collection from the manufacturer, we are treated here to a peaceful garden with its pavilion housing the tea ceremony, its small arched bridge, its stream where some koi carp swim, its lotus flowers, its cherry trees, its rocks and its stone lanterns. Why not, the whole actually exudes calm and tranquility even if all these markers seem a bit piled up in a shoehorn in a rather small space.

If the theme inspires you, you will therefore find here something to relax by assembling a mini garden installed in a display in the shape of a pot and whose assembly begins with a few large plates to be covered with greenery and transparent pieces symbolizing the stream that crosses places.

For this step, the instructions temporarily switch to top view to simplify the installation of the many Tiles and to correctly place the few fish that circulate in these waters.

The small Japanese pavilion is assembled from the beginning of the process, it will then wait wisely on a corner of the table to be able to be integrated into the construction. We also leave a few holes in the greenery which will be used later to install the trees and we finally build the various plant elements which take place in the holes provided. I like the aesthetic simplicity of the pavilion but I know that the refined side of its architecture will inevitably disappoint some.

The black support to build is equipped with about ten feet equipped with tires which guarantee an appreciable stability to the unit, it could possibly be left aside to be able to integrate this small garden in a more substantial diorama.

It will be necessary to furnish a row of tenons all around the garden with for example a small low wall, but nothing impossible or too complicated. The many black pieces used cannibalize the product's inventory a bit, I would have liked more flowers even if it meant doing without this pot without much interest.

This product then leaves you the hand to organize as you see fit the vegetation installed around the pavilion and the stream: All the trees provided are equipped with the same support which is inserted into the available holes, it is up to you to distribute them as you wish with a large number of possible combinations to obtain a presentation adapted to your exhibition projects.

This possibility may seem trivial at first glance, but it quickly turns out to be interesting, for example to clear the view of the small pavilion or furnish your preferred viewing angle without hiding the rest of the model. We're not going to blame LEGO for providing us with a little modularity in one of its products, it's always taken to have the impression of presenting something unique and personalized on our shelves.

In my opinion, a minifigure in traditional Japanese dress is missing, perhaps to be installed on the stone stairs leading to the pavilion or on the small bridge, to give the whole thing a bit of character and make it easier to pass the pill of the retail price of the set set at €105.

I would also have fleshed out the two cherry trees which seem to me a bit stunted as they are with branches that are too visible from certain angles. The pavilion is minimalist but it is not a temple with a complex design and it will have to be done with this small traditional hut with a refined look. As it stands, I don't see myself spending more than €100 in this box, whatever its benefits on my mental health or on my zenitude.

Those who regretted that the nice project proposed on the platform LEGO Ideas in 2018 was not selected at the time after having collected the 10.000 supporters necessary for its passage in the review phase, so here we have something to console ourselves with even if the "official" version of this Japanese garden is in my opinion a little out of date. savings on certain finishing details.

Let's not forget that this is a purely decorative product intended for an adult clientele"passionate about gardens and mindfulness", according to LEGO, which probably does a little too much in terms of marketing, and which especially has its place on the shelves of stores in the Nature et Découvertes chain.

The most demanding LEGO fans in terms of ultra-detailed dioramas will, for example, have to turn to the Monkie Kid universe to obtain slightly more elaborate typical and folkloric constructions. Tastes and colors are not discussed, so it will be up to everyone to see if this composition awakens something in them.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at August 9, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. 

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.