Review: 10368-1 - Chrysanthemum & 10369-1 - Plum Blossom (2024)

The botanicals range has proven quite popular with AFOLs. While we have had potted plants before, there is something extra special about the look of 10368-1 - Chrysanthemum and 10369-1 - Plum Blossom which made me desperate to check them out. They give off an aura of elegance not always preset in botanical sets. They make me think of Japanese flower aranging (Ikebana), and the little wooden stands are something we haven't seen since10281-1 - Bonsai. So are these sets as fun to build as they are to look at? Lets find out.

Contents

Introduction
The Set
The Parts
The Build
Conclusion

Introduction

I'm honestly a little surprised they didn't bundle these two into a single set. The pots and bases are very clearly a matching pair, and even LEGO shows them together in some of the set photos. To be clear this is not a complaint, I wish they did this with more sets such as , where I would like to buy Nook's Cranny on it's own, or 71796-1 - Elemental Dragon vs. The Empress Mech where the dragon could be separated out. This gives people the option to just buy one, but those who want both still can! I don't think the cost would be significantly lower if they were combined, but I am not a LEGO packaging expert.

It does however make doing the review a bit more interesting, I will go through both at once, so you can better compare the two models, but keep sub-sections under each heading for each set.

Both instruction booklets reference a series of art called the Four Gentlemen. This is a series of four plants, plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, which often feature in classical Chinese art. Each of them represent a different season (the plum blossom for winter, the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, and the chrysanthemum for autumn).

Does this mean we will get two more sets in this mini-series? LEGO has already released an orchid set, but not one dedicated to bamboo. Although there is plenty of minifig size bamboo is sets such as Spring Lanturn Festival. The fact they have already done orchid makes me suspect we won't get more, however only time will tell, and I for one would welcome a matching set of four.

The Sets

Chrysanthemum

Take time out with the LEGO® Icons Chrysanthemum flower decor building set for adults (10368). The chrysanthemum is a popular motif in traditional art and represents autumn as part of the classic quartet of beautiful plants known as the Four Gentlemen. Indulge in a mindful building project or treat a loved one to this timeless floral display – a perfect gift idea for any occasion.

This detailed replica, with posable leaves and petals, captures the vivid orange flower in bud, blooming and in full bloom and comes with a pastel-green flowerpot decorated with a golden band and set on a wood-effect plinth. Easy to assemble, the model chrysanthemum plant makes an elegant centrepiece for any space and can be displayed alongside other sets from the LEGO Botanical Collection (sold separately).

From LEGO.com

£24.99/$29.99/€29.99 / AUD$49.99

Plum Blossom

Take time out with the LEGO® Icons Plum Blossom (10369) flower decor building set for adults. The plum blossom is a popular motif in traditional art, often portrayed in ink-and-wash paintings as part of a classic quartet of beautiful plants known as the Four Gentlemen. Indulge in a mindful building project or treat a loved one to this timeless floral display – a perfect gift idea for any occasion.

This detailed replica captures the elegance of the iconic winter plant with its woody stem and vivid red-and-magenta flowers. Set in a pastel-blue flowerpot with a golden band and wood-effect plinth, it is easy to assemble, delivers a rewarding building experience and makes a beautiful, easy-care flower display for the home and office.

From LEGO.com

£24.99/$29.99/€29.99 / AUD$49.99

The Box

Chrysanthemum

The box measured 260mm x 188mm x 53mm and weighs 345g. Inside are 3 bags numbered 1 to 3 and a single loose instruction book. The Australian version of the instruction manual measures 195mm x 174mm. There is a single book with 38 pages and 48 steps.

Plum Blossom

The box measured 260mm x 188mm x 53mm and weighs 340g (only 5g lighter!). Inside are 3 bags numbered 1 to 3 and a single loose instruction book. The Australian version of the instruction manual measures 195mm x 174mm. There is a single book with 54 pages and 63 steps, indicating this is the more complicated build.

The Parts

Chrysanthemum

The set contains 278 parts and 7 spares, in 17 colors, and 22 part categories, with a total of 66 unique parts/color combinations.
Main colors are:

• Dark Green: 9 unique parts, 30 quantity.
• Red: 7 unique parts, 45 quantity.
• Reddish Brown: 7 unique parts, 25 quantity.

Main categories are:

• Plates Special: 11 unique parts, 34 quantity.
• Plants and Animals: 9 unique parts, 68 quantity.
• Plates Round Curved and Dishes: 8 unique parts, 30 quantity.

New Colors

Rare Colors and Prints

Special Mentions

Thirteen new colours in a set this size is huge. While 40379 isn't technically new or rare in dark green, it hasn't been seen in this colour since 2015, so will likely be new to many people's collections.

Plum Blossom

The set contains 327 parts and 8 spares, in 17 colors, and 17 part categories, with a total of 51 unique parts/color combinations.
Main colors are:

• Reddish Brown: 10 unique parts, 54 quantity.
• Dark Brown: 6 unique parts, 38 quantity.
• Red: 6 unique parts, 52 quantity.

Main categories are:

• Plants and Animals: 7 unique parts, 77 quantity.
• Plates Special: 7 unique parts, 28 quantity.
• Plates Round Curved and Dishes: 6 unique parts, 56 quantity.

New Colors

Rare Colors and Prints

This set has three less recolours, but still a good amount. I was excited to see more shades of brown for technic angles with dark brown #3, but we are still missing a reddish brown or dark brown angle #4, which would help with certain plant type MOCs.

Dark brown 1x1 cone was a surprise to me. As it is such a common part I thought surely that exists already, but no.

The Builds

Plum Blossom

I ended up building the PlumBlossom first, took a closer look at the pot, so will show this build first.

The base is built around a large round plate. I quite like the cat tails as feet. The base of the vase is added, both vases are built into the stand, which helps to keep things sturdy, but means you can't rotate the foot positions.

The gold ring adds a nice accent, but also provides enough space for a stud reversal. The black double sided SNOT bricks allow the sand blue curved parts to be attached on each side. The core of this one remains a solid pillar of studs facing the right way (second photo below is showing the bottom). An axle is pierced through to keep things solid, and a second wheel is added for the top of the vase.

In the gold layer I replaced the 86996 with regular plates as I am sorely needing more of these for other projects.

Next it is time to get started on the actual plants. The bent branch can get a bit confusing with irregular repetition, but there is a handy 1:1 page where you can check you haven't made any mistakes.

This is added to one of two axles in the vase, then small blossoms are attached.

The first set of larger flowers have 4 petals and claws which are rotated inwards after attaching. These are a little finniky to attach, getting very close to the stems.

A second section of stem is built and attached to the rear axle in the pot. It is then time for the larger flowers. These have five petals that bend in with clips attached to a recoloured sonic ring.

These larger flowers stud onto the stem, so can't be adjusted, not that there is any reason to. With the angled petals, you don't even notice that they are flat. The last step is adding some loose dirt to the top of the pot. As a cat owner, I am not a fan of loose dirt. I never added the pabbles to my bonsai set, the orchid only has it because that one is at the office. I don't want to clean up so many scattered parts when the model is inevidably knocked off a shelf. The cats are particularly fond of scratching their faces on pointy things like this, so it is high risk.

This completes the Plum Blossom.

Chrysanthemum

The start of the base feels familiar, however we have an interesting stud reversal using bars and clips. This is to connect the large sand green parts which don't allow a core to be built through them. The gold layer this time is disconnected from the core, only connecting to the sand green parts above and below.

To get studs up the right way for the sand green tiles, there is another stud reversal, this time using an axle. The top of the vase lines up very nicely.

Once the vase is done, it is time to start building some greenery. A couple of small buds are added using cupcake wrappers.

The smaller of the main flowers uses 2x octogon bar plates with claws attached and folded in. There is a nice colour gradient with the Bright light orange hair tuft and teeth, oragnge claws, and reddish orange bar plates.

And finally, it is banana time! The much loved banana gets three recolours in this set. As they are used in the same bag, LEGO has provided colour guides to assist with which one to use. Attaching all the clips to a giant steering wheel reminds me of the gerbera in 10314-1 - Dried Flower Centerpiece, however this time we are only attaching 20 clips instead of 24. This makes spacing around the supports less of a problem, but the clips in those two positions can't bend as far. The instructions seem to suggest a bit of a scattered non-uniform bending in, so I fiddled with that for a while trying to make it perfectly imperfect.

It gets you to attach the flower to the stem before adding the last ring of reddish orange bananas which hang down quite low. Probably as you would have nothing to hold onto if you attached those first. The gradient is even more lovely than the first flower. Looking head on reminds me of fireworks.

This completes the build.

Conclusion

I loved these. The builds were a little short, but that makes them a good length to do in a single evening. A few interesting techniques in the vases, and of course the nice parts usage we have all come to expect from botanicals sets. At the end you get two models which are both stunning to look at.

Which one did I like better? That is a hard call. The Chrysanthemum has more new/rare colours, but both have a decent amount. For techniques, the stud reversals in the Chrysanthemum vase tips it slighting in front. In aesthetics, I have a slight preference to the Plum Blossom, but that might just because I prefer blue over green, and have blossoms on the mind. Both are great sets, and I think it just comes down to personal preference.

Was there anything I didn't like? The 4 notches in the gold band are just a little off-putting, but not sure how that could have been avoided. The loose dirt in the Plum Blossom is an odd inclusion as this type of arrangement would be in water, not dirt, and the Chrysanthemum doesn't have any? I'm just going to take mine out and pretend they are extra spare parts.

I recently made some free modifications to set40725-1 - Cherry Blossoms while I was waiting for these sets to hit the shelves. I am pleased that I got the scale right, and while cherry blossoms aren't one of the four gentlemen, they do look nice together.

At around 10c per part, that is pretty average. If you are a fan of botanical sets, these are ones not to be missed. If you get one or both, I hope you enjoy building them just as much as I did!

Back to Top

Disclaimer: Anything said in this post is the opinion of the author and not The LEGO Group. Parts and build photographs by icedragonj (© 2024 Rebrickable)