A Bonsai Tree (10281) was one of the first sets released under the Botanical Collection label, back in 2021. Four years later, and it is still in the catalog. With Botanicals becoming their own theme this year, we have seen some delightful builds aimed at younger builders. But the grown-ups have not been forgotten, with the 10348 Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree being added to the catalog. It will be released June 1st, has 474 pieces and retails for $AUD99.99/€59.99/USD59.99/£54.99. The LEGO Group provided this set, but all opinions are my own.
The set came with 6 plastic bags which the Knoller-In-Chief has laid out for us:
There are three distinct groups of elements: the different shades of green, particularly Earth Green arches, tiles and bricks. The arches are, I think, new in this colour, as are the 2×2 corner bricks. There are plenty of tan elements: bricks, macaroni, maxaroni, and a new element – the width of the standard macaroni, be with a wider radius, only covering 45º. There are 2x2x2/3 curved slopes in both lime and tan, as well as plenty of tan connectors.
Finally, there are the foliage elements – particularly the ‘sword grass’ element in red, reddish orange and bright orange, while a new 3 pronged leaf element debuts in red. Even sitting on the tray, they bring an autumnal feel to the build. In Melbourne, we still have plenty of leaves in these colours o the trees, even though winter is , technically, just a couple of days away!
The Build
We start with a dish to grow our bonsai in: the majority of elements here are dark green, built around a core of snot elements, with a double technic connector on a 1×2 brick pointing upwards. We secure this in place, and fill the ditch up with soil and moss, with the olive green ‘1×1 jelly-molds’ and green studs making a nice contrast with the lime green curved slopes that surround the base of the tree.
This gives the impression of a small pot, with several different types of moss and lichen covering the earth, around the base of the tree.
The Tree itself is predominantly tan, starting with a two stud wide core, with studs going out to the side, allowing curved elements to be placed on each side, enhancing the organic appearance.
After adding some slopes to the side of the tree to convey its organic nature, we start to gather together the first batch of foliage. Each collection of foliage is added in groups of 3, with two twigs on a small ball joint and 3 sets of leaves on a y-plate. These are secured with the 1×1 round bar with tile, as well as an antistud on the underlying plate. This pattern will recur, time and time again as we continue to build up the trunk and branches.
We follow this up by smoothing out the trunk with a collection of tiles and curved slopes.
Curved elements: horns, macaroni and a new (to me) 45º macaroni element are used to give the branches their organic shape.
We build up the trunk with more tan elements, and by this stage, I am on a roll and can just about build up the foliage elements by heart
With this, we are almost finished: we add the final leaves, and take a moment to reflect on the beauty of the final model.
Overall, I enjoyed the build: the base features plenty of SNOT tricks to build up the pot, while the organic form of the tree is nicely achieves, and reminds us of the way that the blocky grid that we grew up with is all but a historical remnant, except in Minecraft: there it’s a highlight!
This is the second bonsai tree produced as part of the Botanical Collection/ Theme. the first featured some interesting part count boosting techniques, including an instruction to pour 1×1 round tiles into the pot to loo like soil, while the leaves were decorated with blossoms. Sorry, I meant to say covered in frogs.
Putting these two sets side by side demonstrates just how many additions have been made in recent years to our element library that favor the creation of smoothly curved, organic forms. We now see the botanical sets using more and more ‘plant specific’ elements than ever before, and this new bonsai exploits the new smooth curved slopes and tubular element to create a lifelike, miniaturized tree form. The nature of the foliage connections provides plenty of opportunity to spend time trying to get it ‘just right’. Likewise, the new reddish orange is a welcome addition to our foliage, giving this tree a great selection of autumn tones in the leaves. Hopefully we will see it spread to other foliage elements soon.
The new 3 leaf element adds a burst of life to the saw grass elements, and I can see it adding a lot to general landscapes in the form of ground cover, especially since it is also appearing in green shades through LEGO friends in the latest wave.
This set, and the original Bonsai offer different building experiences. At the time of its release, the original bonsai was revolutionary. With botanical sets becoming more and more mainstream, the sense of novelty is starting to wane. That does. not mean that this is not a satisfying build, however. The pot has some interesting SNOT Work at play, while the tree trunk and branches convey a realistically organic form. I found that I started to enter the flow with the foliage elements in the Japanese Red Maple, as I became more and more familiar with the build. Had the process gone on too much longer, it may have been repetitive and boring, but it finished up at just the right time. The use of colour was clearly explained in the instructions, ensuring that you would be unlikely to get confused with the correct leave in the correct steps. The new 3 leafed foliage element piggybacks onto most of the foliage elements, increasing the bulk of the leaves, without adding a disruptive number of branches.
It’s a satisfying build, with an interesting parts selection, and plenty of the debuting elements appear in sufficient quantity to make this set a good parts pack, especially if you have a use for so many of the foliage elements.
The set looks good on display, and I am happy to give the set 4 arbitrary praise units, out of 5. It’s a great size, and brings us techniques not previously seen in the Botanical series.
What do you think? Does it earn a place on your display shelf? leave your comments below.
The 10348 Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree being added to the catalog. It will be released June 1st, has 474 pieces and retails for $AUD99.99/€59.99/USD59.99/£54.99. Please consider using these affiliate links if you are looking to purchase any LEGO: it costs you nothing, and the Ramblingbrick might be paid a small commission which contributes to running the blog.
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Until Next Time,
Play Well!