LEGOCREATOR 3-in-1 Mountain Hut 550 Piece Kids Building Playset | 31025

This set arrived on the market January 1st, 2014. MSRP is 39.99. It is often wise to cross check with Lego on price and availability.What a great set! Every year, Lego produces two or three Creator houses, most of which are pretty good. This one is great. It has a lot of detail and many ingenious design touches. I highly recommend this set for its playability and the value of its parts (for making other models). There are three designs in this set (build one at a time) and all of them are variations on the mountain hut theme. They are all mini-figure size, so it fits well with other Lego themes (e.g., City, Friends). If you are looking for a less expensive Creator set, try the treehouse (#31010).The main model for this kit features a small house with a mottled roof and chimney (with smoke coming out the top). The hut swings open for easy access and has a modest amount of interior detailing (cabinet/dresser, fireplace topped with an animal skull, table, firewood). The detailing on the hut is fantastic and the way that it opens (with a split window at the top) is a cool trick. The hut is situated next to a small alpine-like mountain with a waterfall and stream. The mountain has a hollow inside with a red gem hanging down from the inside. There is a single mini-figure (with a helmet) along with an ATV, brick-built eagle, tree, and a small number of accessories (pick-axe, coffee mug).The second and third models are slight variations. The second places a small log cabin (with bed and stove) at the top of a mountain and features a bridge over a waterfall and stream. This one is brilliant with a lot of wonderful detail to the stream and the tree. There is a little brick-built kayak which is okay, but not as good as the kayak from set #5766 (Log Cabin) which this set effectively replaces. The last model is again a mountain hut but with the rockwork built into the hut. This small hut is hinged and includes a fireplace stove and a table.I am a big fan of the Creator sets. They use, primarily, general use bricks and they have directions for different models. This encourages rebuilding and it provides a great source of varied bricks, much better than the basic brick boxes that have too many large bricks (e.g. 2 x 4s). The Creator designs get better each year with more detail and more innovative building techniques. This set has nice red and brown sloped pieces, different grays, and lots of brown (which is more useful than one might initially think). I was disappointed to see the use of what Lego fans call LURPs (large ugly rock pieces) in the construction of the mountain. I would have preferred an entirely brick-built design. But LURPs can be handy.

Here on time. Grandkids love them.