Review: LEGO 80112 Auspicious Dragon

December 5, 2023 | 10

2024 is the Year of the Dragon, one of the most important creatures in the Chinese Zodiac Animal and to commemorate this very important moment, LEGO have created one of the most impressive Spring Festival sets yet – 80112 Auspicious Dragon, which is set for a release on 1 January 2024.

80112 Auspicious Dragon has you building an immaculately designed Chinese dragon and is a stunning, fun and ambitious display sets that’s unlike anything LEGO have produced at this scale.

Thanks to LEGO, I have an early review copy of the set, so let’s see if it’s worth picking up 80112 Auspicious Dragon when it launches in the New Year.

Check out the local pricing and release dates below:

• 80112 Auspicious Dragon [US] – US$89.99
• 80112 Auspicious Dragon [AUS] – AU$149.99
• 80112 Auspicious Dragon [UK] – £69.99
• 80112 Auspicious Dragon [EU] – €79.99
• 80112 Auspicious Dragon [CA] – CAD$119.99

Who is this set for? Someone looking for a fantastic display model for the Lunar New Year, and those that enjoy creature builds

If you’re thinking of buying the set, please consider using these affiliate links to purchase, as I may receive a small commission with each purchase.

Special thanks to The LEGO Group for sending this early review set

80112 Auspicious Dragon Set Details

Name: Auspicious Dragon
Set Number: 80112
Pieces: 1,171 pieces
Price: $89.99 | £69.99 GBP | AU$149.99 | €79.99 | CAD$119.99
Exclusive to: N/A
Theme: Chinese New Year / Chinese Traditional Festival
Release Date: 1 January 2024
Designer: TBD

In Chinese culture, dragons are supernatural creatures which symbolise power, intelligence, confidence and prosperity, which is why they’re right at the top of the Chinese Zodiac Animal hierarchy.

2024 is the year of the Wood Dragon (which might explain the pine-y colour of this dragon), and fun fact, in China and countries with large population of Chinese diaspora, you often find a huge spike of births as parents try to have “dragon babies” as there’s the belief that kids born in the year will inherit all those positive traits assigned to dragons.

LEGO Chinese New Year sets often have illustrations in the instructions manual depicting the models and their significance to Chinese culture, but this year, we get a blurb with more information on the Auspicious Dragon with more context into the importance of dragons.

This is a small but welcome change, and I also like that it’s also translated into a variety of languages, allowing people from all over the world to better learn about the significance of dragons.

No stickers are included in the set which is always a welcome discovery upon opening the box. There are 2 printed elements (as well as the dragon eyes), one on a window panel, and dragon scales printed on tan Nexo Knights shields as decorated elements.

The build was really fun – there are 10 plastic bags included in the set, but the build goes by pretty quickly. You begin by constructing the base, before starting on the dragon, and coming back to the base to finish it off with a few little details.

Here’s the legless dragon that you build which has ball joins that snap on to the legs that are attached to the base. The segments of the dragon’s body are repetitive at times, but it’s not a long build, so you move through the repetitive sections quite quickly.

Here’s the completed model of the LEGO Auspicious Dragon and I was blown away by how striking it is as a display model.

It exudes tremendous display presence and boasts a really eye-catching colour palette, which features tan, with hints of yellow, orange, red and pops of teal throughout, helping its visual fidelity but also giving off a fantastical fantasy vibe

LEGO has never done an Oriental Dragon like this that’s meant for display, although we’ve had various dragons like 70612 Green Ninja Mech Dragon or 80047 Mei’s Guardian Dragon which have been influenced by this particular style.

A standout design feature is the sense of motion captured by the dragon. The cloud streaking by on the rock, waves and agitation on the water, and the Auspicious Dragon’s curved body and raised hand all contribute to a striking and awesome pose.

The build also features some well-considered techniques, especially in the dragon’s head. It’s very subtle, but the selection of elements, and techniques used to give it an organic shape are incredibly masterful.

It definitely exudes strength, a bit of supernatural mystique and I love just how fierce it looks from particular angles.

The printed eyes are an essential ingredient in bringing the Auspicious Dragon to life.

Unfortunately, one of the my dragon eyes had some pretty smudgy printing. A little disappointing, but it’s something that LEGO can fix. I’ll be reaching out to their Customer Service (after the set releases) to request a new one.

Here’s a look at the spine of the Auspicious Dragon, as well as the layered scales. The printed scales look really great here, creating a pleasant pattern for your eye to follow.

The colours and different types of spikes are also really eye-catching. I really like the red underbelly, and overall silhouette of the dragon, and the pops of teal surprise you in the best way.

Here’s a look at the pearl attached to the claw. Pearls are a fixture of Chinese dragons, and is typically associated with spiritual energy, wisdom, prosperity, power, immortality, thunder, or the moon. Chinese art often depicts a pair of dragons chasing or fighting over the flaming pearl.

If there’s one flaw with the design, it’s that the grey ball joints are quite distracting and seem very out of place, especially if you’re looking for them. Not a major issue, but it does break up the overall consistent visual fidelity of the Auspicious Dragon.

Here’s the Auspicious Dragon from the side, which really showcases just its dramatic silhouette.

Here’s the printed plaque, which has a phrase printed on it that loosely translates to “An Auspicious Dragon brings forth prosperity”.

So if you have one of these in your LEGO collection, it could really help improve your fortunes to uh… afford more LEGO.

A really underrated part of the build in my opinion is the base. It not only provides a base for the Dragon to be perched on, but the various Monkie Kid cloud elements, and waves create a dramatic sense of movement and motion, which adds so much to the overall build.

LEGO has created various dragons throughout its history (including Ollie the Legoland Dragon mascot), and here’s a group shot with some smaller LEGO dragons!

It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a proper Oriental-style dragon. The last time LEGO did something similar to this was in 7419 Dragon Fortress from LEGO’s Adventurers theme and it’s great to see the shared DNA in the design!

What I liked:

• A fantastic display model that’s unlike anything LEGO have ever done
• It’s a top-tier creature build
• All elements are printed
• Fantastic price-point

What I didn’t like: 

• Grey ball joints are visually distracting

FINAL THOUGHTS:

LEGO’s Spring Festival theme continues to deliver in 2024 and 80112 Auspicious Dragon is a brilliant addition to the theme with an exceptional display model that has broad appeal, beyond those that celebrate or observe the Lunar New Year.

This is LEGO creature building at its finest, with an interesting silhouette, plenty of great techniques employed and most of all, translates the look of a Chinese Dragon flawlessly into LEGO form.

The stand and the dragon’s in-motion pose create plenty of display value, and will not look out of place if you like displaying Oriental or Chinese-themed objects in your home or work-space, especially as we approach the Lunar New Year in early February.

The price also makes for a great set to dip your toes into the theme, and even if you ignore the cultural significance of the set, you can still enjoy one of the most eye-catching and beautiful LEGO display models at this price bracket.

I highly recommend 80112 Auspicious Dragon as a great build to kick off the Year of the Dragon. Plus, who wouldn’t want an attractive LEGO model that also doubles as a lucky charm that may just add an extra bit of prosperity into your living space.

Rating and score: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Build [4] – Fun and engaging build and I absolutely enjoyed discovering how the Auspicious Dragon came together.
Real Value [4] – A great price for a 1000+ piece set that exudes plenty of display presence
Innovation [4] – A fresh direction for LEGO’s Spring Festival theme that has broader appeal beyond those that observe Chinese New Year
Coolness [4] – Looks fierce, awesome, and fantastical on display and unlike any other LEGO sets
Keepability [4] – Great to display for Lunar New Year, but I’ll keep this one out beyond the New Year as I think it’s such an awesome looking model

Thank you so much for reading this review of 80112 Auspicious Dragon and I hope you enjoyed this early review of one of the 2024 LEGO Spring Festival sets!

I’ll also be reviewing 80113 Family Reunion Celebration soon, so keep an eye out for that soon!

80112 Auspicious Dragon will be available from LEGO.com from 1 January 2024 onwards.

What do you think of the LEGO Auspicious Dragon? Are you looking forward to picking this set up?

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