Morticia's Cottage

The build itself is gentle and quick, which suits a set aimed squarely at fans rather than technique hunters. You work floor by floor and wing by wing: the central section with the fireplace and living room, then the flanking rooms that hinge off it, finishing with the angled roof that everyone seems to single out as the prettiest part of the model. There's a small buildable family car alongside the cottage to break up the pace. Nothing here will stump you or teach you a wild new technique, so if you like a relaxing evening build with a show playing in the background, it lands nicely. If you live for clever SNOT trickery, you'll cruise through it without much resistance.

On the parts front, New Elementary counted six recolours worth flagging. The one collectors will care about is the Round 1x2 pill tile in dark bluish gray, which had appeared in just one prior set (10357 Shelby Cobra). You also get the plant plate 1x1 with three leaves in sand green (its 26th colour), a dark blue 1x1 five-petal flower, and a light bluish gray Technic plate 1x5 with smooth ends. The real value, though, is in the four minidolls: this is the debut Morticia Addams, joining Wednesday, Lurch and Bianca Barclay, each with their own hair moulds and printed torsos. Three of the four are unique to this set right now, so a chunk of your money is really buying characters you can't get elsewhere yet.