Set Review: 40492 La Catrina
Thursday, July 15th, 2021 at 9:00am by Andrew, BZPower News Manager
Today we're sharing a review of an upcoming LEGO set from the BrickHeadz theme. Joining past figures representing different holidays and seasons is 40492 La Catrina, celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead. More variety and diversity is always appreciated, and I'm sure this set will appeal to a wide variety of people. So, is this colorful skeleton going to find a place in your collection? Or is it an old bag of bones not worthy of your attention? Let's go and find out!
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
At this point the BrickHeadz packaging is pretty ubiquitous and recognizable. The bright colors help make the model pop, and I like the stylized artwork that adorns the side. You know what you're getting and there's not much more to say.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
As with most BrickHeadz, the build won't take you long. Also as with most BrickHeadz, SNOT techniques are found throughout, from the dress to the hair. I particularly liked how the back of the head is built, with studs facing in four different directions. You'll be done before you know it but you'll have fun while you're building.
Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.
The only really exciting parts that jumped out at me are the three printed elements for La Catrina's face and dress. They all look great, although as we'll see below, there are some problems. Aside from the prints, you'll find a nice selection of curved slopes, SNOT elements, and tiles in a nice variety of colors for such a small set. It's a solid selection if you're interested in bold and bright hues.
As I mention in the video, La Catrina comes from a zinc etching by Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada entitled, "La Calavera Catrina," or, "Catrina La Calavera Garbancera." After it was made from 1910-1913 it went on to become an icon of the Day of the Dead holiday. Wikipedia can teach you more should your interest be piqued. I think this set does a great job capturing the appearance of La Catrina as she has come to be portrayed in a variety of media, and you definitely get the skeleton look as well as the bright and festive vibe that goes with the holiday. I do feel like the hat is a bit plain, with the flowers concentrated only in one spot, and it could have been cool to use some tiles to smooth off the top. There's also an issue with the printing on the white tiles that keeps the dots above the nose from lining up. Once I noticed it, I couldn't not see it, and it's kind of distracting. The rest of the set is nice though, and for a little BrickHeadz I think it represents the celebration well, just like past ones have for things like Valentine's Day and Christmas.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Celebrates a new holiday in LEGO bricks
- Great selection of parts in bright colors
- Fun build, even if it's short
- Final model is cute
Cons
What's not to like?
- Printing errors distract from an otherwise solid set
- Top of the hat is a bit plain
Overall I think La Catrina is a great addition to the seasonal BrickHeadz sets, and I'm glad a new holiday is getting the spotlight. Even if you're looking at this set for the parts, there's a good variety to be found. Unfortunately, the printing error is distracting and has to ratchet it down a peg or two.
Thank you for reading and watching our review of 40492 La Catrina, we hope you enjoyed it! Thanks also to BZPower's Ambassador Tufi Piyufi for coordinating us receiving the set early, and to the LEGO AFOL Engagement Team for offering it. We'll see you back on BZPower soon for more news and reviews!
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