Set Review ➟ 40493 and 40497
Hello everybody!
Once again Halloween is approaching, and although it isn’t a celebration with a lot of tradition in Spain, it’s true that thanks to the great marketing machine that is Hollywood, more and more people go candy hunting, and more television channels flood us with a selection of horror movies on that day. As if these days we need more horror.
The LEGO Group joins the party by continuing a tradition of providing holiday themed sets at appropriate times throughout the year.
This time they have been so kind as to send us two sets, 40493 Spider and Haunted House Pack and 40497 Halloween Owl. I will start with the smaller of the two, the 40493, which with only 132 parts seems destined to be the typical set for impulse purchases or the gift for a certain volume of purchases in official channels. At the time of making this review I cannot confirm.
The set consists of two small models that come prepared to be hung from a thin cord, probably to give atmosphere to our houses. The spider is a curious model which takes advantage of the SNOT possibilities similar to the Brickheadz. It’s a good design, equal parts repulsive and lovable, which these types of models are supposed to be. Ok, in the end it is more adorable than repulsive…simple to build and sure to be liked by children. Maybe I would have added a cobweb, but who doesn’t have one in their LEGO collection?
The haunted house model comes with eight stickers to simulate the broken or bricked-up windows of the house. The building process is very easy and the end result for me is…disappointing. Both the idea and the end result I think are not up to the spider. A pumpkin, a bat, a witch, there are many more interesting models than this house. As to the design, well, I think there are fantastic AFOLS on the internet that have made castles and buildings on this scale where they give examples of how to make doors and windows without resorting to an army of stickers. Of course it is a personal opinion.
With both models, LEGO has included strings without studs at the ends to hang them. They tell you in the instructions to tie a knot to the string. The truth is that I have been using strings with studs at the ends all my life to hang small Christmas models from the tree without any problem, I don’t know why LEGO resorts to this system. What’s next? Shoelaces? Oh, no, they have already done that too…
But let’s move on to the star of the review, set 40497 Halloween Owl.
An owl?
Yes, do you have something against them?
No, not at all, they are fascinating and very useful birds, and since Harry Potter their popularity has grown with children.
The Harry Potter bird was a barn owl.
What surprises me is its relationship with Halloween.
In the past it was said that witches transmuted into owls to fly at night. Owls are more frequently seen and become very active around Halloween time. . And don’t forget the way they look at you and turn their necks as if they don’t have spines is a bit unsettling.
In this context, I recognize their relationship and I do not interrupt your review any more.
Thank you. The set has approximately 228 parts and is divided into the owl itself and a decorated base for display. The 12x12 stud base is built first. It is a typical construction from bottom to top and the only surprise we find is a small model on the lower base and that ends up hidden after finishing the upper part of the base. A little gem related to Halloween…just a few parts we are going to keep hidden in the review in honor of the designers. Anyway, my congratulations to the person in charge,and a personal thank-you. On the base a couple of pumpkins and some autumn greenery form the framework for the main figure.
During the building process you may find difficult to distinguish between black, dark brown, and brown parts in the instruction book. In the end, by comparison, and because some of the parts are only available in one color, everything remains an anecdote.
The model is easy to build, it is just like any brickheadz. A square core filled with outward studs to fix the parts that shape the model. Note that the wings are mobile, allowing for certain posesIt hurts that the "Plate modified 1x2 with small tow ball socket on end" is still only available in light bluish gray color after so long, which is out of tune with the rest of the model. The feather effect is achieved using plate modified with 3 claws and lots of curved slopes. The resulting model is very successful and certainly does look angry, those eyebrows…
The whole set is very beautiful and decorative, my wife has given me permission to keep it built until Halloween, meaning that it has her seal of approval, which is not small. The mix of parts is interesting and can help little ones to improvise small constructions. Definitely a good set for Halloween. By the way, at the end of the instructions you can see that set 40498 for this Christmas is a...
33475
