LEGO City Advent Calendar 2018 – Daily Countdown
December 1, 2018
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Good news! In addition to a daily countdown of the 2018 Star Wars Advent Calendar, I’ll also be doing the 2018 LEGO City Advent Calendar!
It’s going to be the same deal as Star Wars – each day, I’ll be updating this post with the daily builds from the City Advent Calendar windows, at around the same time that Star Wars goes up. I’ll be aiming for morning updates
Do note that I’m based in Melbourne, Australia, so we’re ahead of most of the world (except New Zealand) so to avoid spoilers, try to come back to this post after you’ve opened your window and built the daily model.
PS: If you’re planning to buy any LEGO for Christmas and would like to support the blog, please use these links if you’re shopping on Amazon, Amazon Australia or LEGO.com! Thanks in advance!
Here’s a look at the 2018 City Advent Calendar box under my Christmas tree. Unlike the Star Wars version, it’s so much more festively themed, however, it also spoils nearly all the contents of the calendar on the box, which I really dislike as it just ruins the surprise of what you’re going to get.
To make it easier for you to check out each day’s section, as this post is going to grow longer with every new window, all you have to do is click on the Day you want, and you will instantly jump to the corresponding section.
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Day 1 – Space Shuttle
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Day 2 – Boy with Coin
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Day 3 – Formula One Car
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Day 4 – Husky
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Day 5 – Sled
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Day 6 – Snowman
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Day 7 – Shovel Lady
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Day 8 – Drone
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Day 9 – Street Light
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Day 10 – Football Goal Posts
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Day 11 – Passenger Train
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Day 12 – Ice Cream Machine
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Day 13 – Girl with Ice Cream
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Day 14 – Christmas Presents
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Day 15 – Christmas Tree
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Day 16 – Dessert Cart
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Day 17 – Pastry Chef
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Day 18 – Monster Truck
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Day 19 – Remote Controlled Cars
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Day 20 – Mining Power Splitter
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Day 21 – Festive Clock
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Day 22 – Robot
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Day 23 – Ambulance Helicopter
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Day 24 – Santa Claus
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If you want to follow my countdown, it’s best to bookmark this post to check back each day. You can also find a link to this post from the home page via this link in the top navbar. If you’re on mobile, you have to expand the burger menu (the button with the 3 lines) to find it.
You can also follow the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page, where I’ll be updating it daily at the end of the day to avoid accidentally spoiling people!
Like previous years, the front flap can be folded out to create a nice little playmat to display all the builds.
If you’re new to Advent Calendars, be very, very careful when opening each door. They’re made of cardboard and can easily tear if you force them open too strongly.
One new thing I noticed was that the insides of the Advent Calendar are now made of cardboard instead of plastic like previous years, reflecting LEGO’s push to become more sustainable. Well done, LEGO!
Without further ado, let’s kick off the 2018 LEGO City Advent Calendar!
Day 1
Day 1 of LEGO City starts of well with a charming little Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle is also perched above booster rockets, which I’m really pleased about.
The colours of the build complement each other well – the White and Black of the Space shuttle contrasts well against the grey booster rockets.
My favourite part of the model are the 3 trans-orange elements for the fire erupting from the booster rockets. They really stand out and inject a bit of realism.
So that’s it for Day 1. Very happy with the build and can’t see what the next day brings. Check in tomorrow!
Day 2
Day 2 of the City Advent Calendar yields our first minifigure – a young boy with a coin! The boy sports a green puffer packet, blue pants and a grey beanie. Hs face is youthful and mischievous, with a couple of freckles across each cheek.
For his accessory, he comes with a silver $5 LEGO coin. I wonder what this one will be used for?
My favourite thing about this minifig is his alternate face, where he has an apprehensive lip-biting look which is just brilliant.
Not bad for Day 2 – getting a minifigure is always a nice surprise in LEGO Advent Calendars, but I’m particularly intrigued with what the coin will be useful.
Tune in tomorrow to see if we unravel the mystery!
Day 3
We zoom into Day 3 of the City Advent Calendar with this bright red Formula One car. I love how the designer incorporated the front wing and the rear wings to give it that unmistakable Formula One look.
At the same time, the raised profile of the car, with the oversized wheels make it look very playful, and I also really like the wheel spokes which give it some much-needed detail.
You can pop out the legs from yesterday’s boy minifigure to perch him in the car, which make it look totes adorable.
Not bad so far three days in. I’m really liking all the playful little builds. With just 3 models, there’s a lot of playability possibilities with the models, so you can already start setting up some fun scenes and switch them around each day.
Tune in tomorrow to see what Day 4 brings!
Day 4
The City Advent Calendar continues its strong run, with a Husky for Day 4! I love these little LEGO Huskies since we got them . in 2014’s City Arctic theme, and they remain one of my favourite animals to date.
Fun fact: the marbling on each Husky is unique, I believe.
The Husky comes with a white dish which includes a very large turkey leg to chew on – what a treat!
We’re starting to gather quite a medley of characters, and the Husky is a great companion to the Boy with a coin!
Check in tomorrow to see what we get next!
Day 5
Day 5 is a bit of a simple affair, with a sled. It’s a pretty basic build, but I do like the ice skates on each leg.
The sled also comes with a bit of ice ramp, or random clump of ice to round it off.
It’s a little too simple for me, but seasonally, it feels right. Hopefully Day 6 gives us a more challenging build!
Day 6
Day 6 of the City Advent Calendar kicks the winter festivities up a notch (totally unrelatable for us in Australia where it’s Summer) with a LEGO Snowman!
It’s all-white, with a curved brick for its feet which I really like, and he comes with a red scarf tied around his neck, and a tophat. To round out the entire ensemble, there’s also a mug of hot chocolate, which is a particularly strange of beverage for a Snowman.
Snow-people are practically fixtures in every advent calendar, and I quite like this particular take. The hat and curved brick for the bottom half make it look quite unique, and from a parts perspective, getting plain white minifigure elements are always a good thing.
Come back tomorrow to see what Day 7 brings!
Day 7
Day 7 of the 2018 City Advent Calendar produces another minifigure, a woman with a shovel. She’s a fairly typical LEGO City minifigure with a warm smile, blonde hair, and a blue jacket torso with a purple scarf for details.
For an accessory, she comes with a shovel, which will come in handy to move all that snow that has been piling up. I’ve thus named her Shovel Lady for obvious reasons.
Not the most exciting minifigure, but a minifigure nonetheless! Only wish that she had more interesting prints or parts, but hey, this is the LEGO City Advent Calendar.
Come back tomorrow to see what we get next!
Day 8
Day 8 of the City Advent Calendar reveals something a little more modern – a Drone! It looks like its based on the popular DJI Mavic Quadcopter, the drone is cleverly built using a few simple pieces such as grey steering wheels for the rotors. I like the red and green transparent studs on the body, which mimic the signal lights on real drones.
The drone also comes with a small remote control to control it.
It’s not a particularly festive model, but as a Christmas gift, I cannot imagine a greater gift than getting a Drone, so the boy is undoubtedly really stoked to get it!
Day 9
Day 9 of the City Advent Calendar is a suitably festive Street Light – while simple, it does give off a quaint Winter Village vibe. The construction is simple but effective, and I really like the white tile that the pole is attached too – it makes it look like the base of the street light is embedded in snow.
I also really like the festive ornament – a sprig of holly attached to the light which really ties the entire build together.
This is the first “Christmas” build of the calendar so far and is really welcome!
Love that you get an extra sprig of Holly which can be held by minifigures! I’d have to say that this is my favourite build so far, and I’m really loving how Christmas-y it’s starting to feel!
Day 10
Day 10 is a simple, but fun build, a pair of Football (Soccer for you Yanks and Aussies) goal posts. While the builds are relatively basic, I love how simple the designs are, as well as the different red and blue sides.
Unfortunately, the ball isn’t really a proper LEGO ball, but just a bright light orange technic ball joint. The technic ball joint is more stable, but I would’ve liked a real ball instead.
Not too shabby, and it gives our two minifigures a game that both can play against each other!
Check in tomorrow to see what Day 11 brings us!
Day 11
Oh wow, Day 11 is an absolute treat with a micro Passenger Train! I got really excited when the bag popped out and the colours instantly clued me into what I was going to build.
I love it when we get Advent Calendar models that are based on existing LEGO sets. This one in particular is a micro version of 60197 Passenger Train which was only released this year.
If you own the full-sized version, having this miniaturised version alongside it would make quite the photo. Its basic, but I love how the designers used two camcorder pieces connected with each other to achieve the look of the train and its carriage.
I’m really happy with Day 11’s Passenger Train. This is my favourite build of the City Calendar so far and it will be really tough to top this!
Day 12
Day 12 of the City Advent Calendar is a bit of a perplexing build – an Ice Cream machine! I’ve never experienced a Northern Hemisphere winter, but is ice cream something you associate with snowy winters? It makes sense in Australia as it’s Summer, but hmm.
Anyway, the Ice Cream machine build is quite simple, but I do like that it’s super easy to incorporate it into any LEGO City building as an appliance. I do like the handles on the side which mimic those you see at McDonald’s, or like industrial-grade ice cream machines.
Not too shabby of a build, and it certainly has a lot more utility compared to the other models, but something just seems quite odd about ice cream in the depths of winter!
Day 13
Day 13 of the City Advent Calendar gives us another minifigure, a young red-headed girl with a particularly large ice cream cone!
She comes in a standard-issue female child torso design, but what I like about her is her hair piece, and her face which has a a cute little smile, red glasses and freckles.
Her accessory is a little plain, but it does tie in to yesterday’s Ice Cream Machine, so there’s some continuity there.
That’s it for Day 13. More minifigures are always a great thing, and we have a small family coming together now!
Day 14
Day 14 is a bit of a blip for the City Advent Calendar with a selection of presents. They’re nicely designed, but kinda feel a little incomplete, like they should be paired with a Christmas Tree or something.
I do like the Christmas sock, though.
Probably the most boring and uneventful day of the City Advent Calendar so far, but you get days like these every now and then.
Hopefully tomorrow’s build is a little more interesting!
Day 15
Finally, a Christmas Tree, to go with yesterday’s presents! I really love how this Christmas tree looks – it’s just made out of green slopes, with transparent studs for lights. The two levels are sandwiched by 2 x 2 round plates, and I love the bits of brown peeking out from the base.
The best thing about this Christmas tree is undoubtedly the golden minifigure statuettes, or microfigures as they are now know. One adorns the tip of the tree, possibly to represent an angel tree-topper, and I also love that you get a spare!
The arrival of a Christmas Tree really takes up the festive feel of this Advent Calendar a huge notch, and I love how the entire scene is all coming together!
Check in tomorrow to see if this festive trend continues!
Day 16
Day 16 continues the festive theme (yay!) with a Dessert Cart, something that wouldn’t look out of place in a Christmas Market. I really like how well this is designed and the colours chosen. The red and green striped roof give off a very festive vibe.
There are some great details such as a round 2 x 2 tile for the wheel, the golden push-cart handle and also the glass barrier on the cart, with some sweet treats on it.
Here’s another look. LEGO have been really generous with the parts for this build, and the level of variety really shows.
This is one of the more complex builds of the Advent Calendar and one that I really enjoyed! It’s yet another build that opens up so many possibilities for the characters to interact with and also ticks the festive box.
Day 17
Day 17 gives us another minifigure, to go with yesterday’s Dessert Cart – a Pastry Chef! First of all, he has a very impressive moustache, and I love his cable-knit sweater, which was first available in the Old Fishing Store set.
He also comes with a chef’s hat, and a platter of pastries. Like with all small elements such as studs, 1×1 tiles, we also get a spare set of each, so he really comes with 6 pieces!
The Pastry Chef goes really well with the Dessert Cart. He could be the dad, but at this stage, we don’t really know. With the chef, more possibilites of displaying and playing with the parts of the Advent Calendar open up, which should be great for younger children to play with!
Day 18
Day 18 of the City Advent Calendar is yet another cool surprise – a blue Monster Truck! If it looks oddly familiar, it’s because it’s actually based on another regular-sized City set from this year – 60180 Monster Truck, much like the Day 11’s Passenger Train.
The truck has an all right design, with a very chunky front, and also features a small dirt ramp for it to climb. I love that the proportions are right and we get the elevated big wheel look down pat.
Not too shabby for Day 18 and I really like the use of current LEGO City sets as models for the Advent Calendar!
Day 19
Day 19 is a bit of an odd build – with a selection of red and blue remote controlled cars. Or drones. Or robotic vehicles. I don’t really know.
You get two sets of remote controls, each of which have a printed speedometer tile which I like, but the RC Cars leave a lot to be desired. I’m pretty sure I followed the instructions correctly, but it seems like the blue car is split in half.
Another confounding thing is an entire bag of spare elements. I normally don’t take photos of spares, but I was quite alarmed that there were so many, which made me worry that I might have forgotten to build something.
On looking at the photos I took, it does seem like I made a mistake with one of the blue cars – with the blue 1 x 1 square plate being in the wrong position. So sorry if I accidentally confused anyone!
Anyway, don’t panic.
The RC Cars are great accessories and playthings in the arms of the kids, but as a standalone build, the RC Cars are a little meh, especially after a particularly engaging model the day before!
Day 20
Day 20 is another delightful surprise, a Mining Power Splitter! Like the Monster Truck and Passenger Train before it, the Power Splitter is also based on an existing LEGO 2018 LEGO City set, which is great.
The build is actually really clever, with smart utilisation of elements to achieve the look. We haven’t had many complex builds yet, but this is one of the more fun and interesting builds. I love the use of the harpoon for the Power Splitter’s jackhammer, which is used to break open rocks.
The model also has a bit of playability as you can tilt the Power Splitter’s arm upwards and downwards at a variety of angles.
I’m a big fan of these miniaturised LEGO City sets as Advent Calendar builds – in fact, if we had an Advent Calendar with mini-models of LEGO builds from the year, I’d gladly hand my money over!
Day 21
Day 21 of the Advent Calendar cranks up the Christmas vibes with a wonderfully designed Festive Clock. Inspired by candy canes, the Festive Clock also features a relatively new and rare printed clock element hanging from some holly.
The printed clock is my favourite part of the set, as it’s only found in 3 other sets, 2 of which are quite expensive (Assembly Square and Disney Castle), so it’s great to get this for those that don’t own those sets.
It’s a great accompaniment to all the other Christmas-themed builds so far and I think it goes very well with the Street Light.
The Festive Clock is a great reminder that Christmas is just a few days away!
Day 22
Day 22’s window is quite possibly one of my favourite builds in the calendar, a Robot toy! The cute and simple design of the Robot makes great use of simple parts, and I love the threatening red wrenches used for its hands, as well as the blank head with the studs on each side.
What really takes this build to the next level is the inclusion of a miniature building structure, which really establishes the size of the robot.
I’m a sucker for giant robots, so this speaks to me on a very deep level, and as one of the ‘little toys’ in the set, I think it’s one of the best so far thanks to it being so realistic and grounded.
Very, very pleased with Day 22’s build! Only two more days remaining in the City Advent Calendar!
Day 23
It’s the second last day of the City Advent Calendar and we’re treated to yet another miniaturised LEGO City build – an Ambulance Helicopter which like the Passenger Train, Monster Truck and Power Splitter are based on full-sized LEGO City sets!
The Ambulance Helicopter is immediately recognisable with its red and yellow colour scheme and the design is also very well done, with it being nearly smooth all over.
I do like the black 1 x 1 round tile for the rear rotors and the simple yet contrasting colours.
That’s it for Day 23 and you can see all the mini-City builds displayed! It’s a really cool way to tie into what must be the best-selling LEGO City sets this year.
Shame we didn’t get any Arctic sets! It’s the final day of the Advent Calendar tomorrow, so tune in for the wrap-up!
Day 24
It’s Christmas Eve, which marks the end of the City Advent Calendar, and with it comes a Santa Claus minifigure! Santa Claus minifigures have been a staple of recent City Advent Calendars, so it’s no surprise to see him here!
The printing on his torso is great, and his thoughtful little eyes peek from behind his bear and Santa Hat. He comes with a brown sack of presents but apart from that, he’s your regular good old Santa Claus minifigure.
Here’s a look at his back printing, which has a little candy cane strapped to his belt.
So here we are at the end! For everyone who has been following all month, thank you so, so much! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing about this every day, and reading all your comments throughout!
I haven’t done a City Advent Calendar in ages so this was a really pleasant experience and it’s been particularly fun. I usually do the Star Wars Advent Calendar and this was a nice change of scene.
I felt like this year’s Advent Calendar packed quite a lot of value. I would’ve liked more minifigures as I feel like 5 is on the lower side of things, but the models more than made up for it.
In particular, I really enjoyed the models based on real LEGO sets like the Passenger Train, Monster Truck and Ambulance Helicopter.
In no particular order, my top 5 windows were Passenger Train, Robot, Festive Clock, Christmas Tree and the Ambulance Helicopter.
That’s it for now and thanks again for following! Let me know in the comments what were your highlights of the 2018 City Advent Calendar!
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