![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/AK9PFfXg45pQE4BkMKrCQYGCsByKHm9eDEfSgG1ViXsCFSVV1jDGt4FYE8hxi1z.png)


This is an unusual Lego set - It's set number 10281-1 - Bonsai Tree. It's part of the botanical range which started in February this year with some flowers for Valentine's day - and just last week they released a bird of paradise plant. 

Now this is not the type of set I would normally buy. And I didn't actually buy this one either - My Brother bought it for me for my birthday. He has a pretty good record on buying me think I wouldn't consider myself but I end up liking a lot. This set was no exception. 

Yeah you can't play with it as such, once it's built it really just sits there looking cool. And it's realisitc as well, at least from a distance - it was behind me in a zoom call this week and the person did think it was real - I couldn't tell if she was more or less impressed when I told here it was Lego   

The set is not huge - finished size is about 25cm high, 40 cm long and maybe 7 cm deep and I guess you are wondering how that could possibily take close enough to 900 pieces. 

Well it's a unusual build in a number of ways. There is essentially three parts. The Pot, The 'wooden' plinth and the Tree itself. 

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/ALMimFDeZoaqcQKWcxGbyeQtypRD8cmHUmFN7Na69T5Luqy8L25d1k4yfq8d3VA.png)

The Pot is basically some base plates, some l-shaped joiners and a heap of tiles to create a black porcelain look - the key cool thing in this bit - The little stoppers or rubber feet - the a actually just small car tyres on their side. 


The Plinth as well is pretty simple but effective. Some brown bricks for the sides, and a heap of brown tiles, jumper tiles and then 12 long slats across and you have yourself a Japanese inspired walnut try for your bonsai


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/244xyrHHJvPrtNsj1KnRi7hqbWudijtboKBTrGJhJYnqztQMKHchu3UcX7knJgyMQL9jf.png)


But the key part to this build is the tree. You start with the truck, as you can see in the photo below it's a mess of brown pieces going every which way, you are building on about 5 different plains all at once, there are joints going off at weird angles and right at the top there is a brown frog for some reason. Top all of this off with the strange brown 'vines' that you click in at the top and bottom and wind themselves around the trunk in a way that you pretty much decide yourself. 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/AL8oGqjSuyT77r3u6HRnwvgRS9jfS6Vczi5WdDyyg7QCWkoGWXTy6n1q9aKuYPk.png)

Then you get to the weirdest Lego step I think I've ever seen....


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/AK7yMAUygFJWpgrWGPxeZSEjfNiath8LmAkUH8z2jxRcNnG35ags2pm9i3nGZJt.png)

The instructions are basically pour 200 round tiles into the base on the pot (now you can see how there is 900 pieces in this set) 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/ALEYEjLXwmD1WRdNaNwGvCsvHCELFKkmjpskxnn84UPuupqwdrZb5bGAhZGXiZN.png)

And then it's onto the leaves - there is some structure to the large green frons but then you get another of the special Lego instructions in this set. 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/AKCGdPb8r8ZwE53jy86JgX6RHZfNKBECFnUT5xp6LJk15uuq1yRBzGW8qF3g4iw.png)

This is basically - place these 43 leaves wherever you want. This is one of the things that I really like about this set - unlike most sets I get the feeling if I got two people to build this they would end up looking quite different. 

And this is what mine looked like. 

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/harveyword/AKs2h9fYAvezadBph959mmXjpgEgej6ve3vbEcmoLknYxUpws6gmNLeav8svEzZ.png)

Of course if I really wanted to make it look different I could have built the other leaf set which comes with it - which is a Cherry Blossom look - but I'm saving that for spring.