Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, which officially ushers in the Year of the Rabbit! To celebrate, here’s a quick review of the new 40575 Year of the Rabbit, which is available now as a gift-with-purchase from LEGO.
40575 Year of the Rabbit is available when you spend US$85 / AU$140 / £80 / €85 or more on LEGO.com, stacking with all order GWPs. In Australia, it’s also available from the LEGO Certified Store and Myer when you spend AU$88, which is slightly easier to cross than AU$140 online.
40575 Year of the Rabbit is the 9th promotional LEGO set based on the Chinese Zodiac animals, and LEGO has been releasing one a year, in accordance with each year’s Zodiac Animal since 2015, beginning with the Year of the Sheep.
At this rate, LEGO looks committed to completing the cycle, which will eventually make this a 12-year commitment, and I honestly can’t believe we’re only 3 years away from finishing this set off, an incredible time commitment when you think about it.
To all celebrating the Lunar New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai to you! Let’s jump into this quick review of the Year of the Rabbit!
40575 Year of the Rabbit Set Details
Set Name: 40575 Year of the Rabbit
Set number: 40575
Pieces: 194
Gift with Purchase Threshold: US$85 / AU$140 / £80 / €85
Theme: Gift with Purchase, Lunar New Year
Release Date: 15 January 2023
The packaging of the 40575 Year of the Rabbit follows the same design as previous years, with an orange and yellow flip-top box. On the side is the Year of the Rabbit and corresponding year.
Here’s how the side compares when the whole series is stacked up. As you can see, it’s become more consistent from 2019 onwards!
Here’s the back of the box, with some diagrams to illustrate how the ears move, as well as a pictorial guide on the significance of the set, which contains a red envelope, and a section on the front where you can write a name, and gift this to someone that you’d normally give red envelopes to.
Like all other LEGO Chinese Zodiac animal sets, a hong bao or red envelope is included with the model’s design on it. During Lunar New Year, it’s customary for married couples to hand out these red envelopes which are filled with money as a gesture of good fortune and prosperity to unmarried individuals – mostly kids!
Here’s a look at the boxes of all nine LEGO Chinese Zodiac animal sets stacked up!
Only 3 more to go!
The model itself is pretty simple, and adheres to the design language and template set since Year of the Monkey, where big-eyed animals with slightly oversized heads sit on a platform. The Year of the Sheep, being the very first one had a dramatically different design, and is a bit of an odd one out, but I love it nonetheless.
The Rabbit model is quite cute, and has a simple black and white colour scheme which I like, as it provides some bold constrasty colours.
The head of the Rabbit can swivel 360 degrees, and here’s a look at the side. While this may look like a simple build, I really love the techniques used for its hind legs, which satisfyingly mimic the curves and shape remarkably well.
The Zodiac Rabbit’s face is also highly expressive, especially with the ability for the ears to be adjusted and displayed at different angles.
Zooming in, I also really like the simple yet effective snout, which really ties its entire look together.
And here’s how the Rabbut looks from the back. While the curves are nicely replicated, the tail does look a little odd, as it protrudes a bit too much. It would’ve been nice for a more spherical element to be used for more of a tufty tail, and is really the weakest part of the design for me.
And lastly, here’s a look at the base where the Rabbit can be affixed on.
And last but not least, here’s a look at all eight LEGO Chinese Zodiac animals for the 2023 group photo!
Update: Year of the Mouse added!
As someone with Chinese heritage, these are very special to me, and it’s been quite a journey collecting all of these so far.
When I first built and started the Year of the Sheep, the thought of completing the entire cycle of 12 Chinese Zodiac animals felt like such a far-off dream, but here we are, nine animals in and so much closer towards the end!
Personally, I’m still waiting for my own Zodiac animal (the year of the Snake) which will land in 2025, so only 2 years to go!
What I liked:
- Fun engaging build
- Colour scheme contrasts nicely against other Zodiac animals
- Nice sculpting techniques used for a curvy animal
- Affordable GWP threshold
What I didn’t like:
- Tail could be rounder and puffier
Final Thoughts:
As someone who has collected these since the very first Year of the Sheep, I look forward to each year’s LEGO Chinese Zodiac Animal release, and Year of the Rabbit is another fun addition to the series.
As a build, it’s not too complex, and very beginner-friendly, while still delivering some clever building and sculpting techniques that will impress even seasoned builders.
These LEGO Chinese Zodiac animals are cute at their core, and make for delightful little display pieces that don’t rely on exclusive or hard-to find parts, which means that they’re easily replicated even if you missed out earlier additions.
Build [4] – Fun little build with some clever techniques
Real Value [3] – You’ll need to purchase LEGO to get one, but thankfully the threshold isn’t particularly high
Innovation [3] – Keeps to the established template and design language of the series
Coolness [3] – Great little build that is cute and looks good on display.
Keepability [4] – As part of a series, these are meant to be kept long term, and are great to display if you celebrate the Lunar New Year
Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰
Thanks for reading this short review, and happy Lunar New Year if you’re celebrating! I hope you receive plenty of good fortune, and gorge yourself with plenty of delicious food, and Lunar New Year snacks and cookies, and get to spend some quality time with your loved ones!
40575 Year of the Rabbit is available when you spend US$85 / AU$140 / £80 / €85 or more on LEGO.com
If you plan on purchasing 40575 Year of the Rabbit, please consider using the affiliate links found in the post to support the blog, as I may receive a small commission with each purchase.
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