Following up on our review of 80112 Auspicious Dragon last week, today the Toy People editorial team is bringing you another Lunar New Year LEGO product: set number 80113, the "Family Reunion Celebration" Chinese restaurant! The English name is, fittingly, Family Reunion Celebration.
Speaking of welcoming the Year of the Dragon, LEGO not only presented a stunningly designed Eastern dragon in 80112 but also infused dragon elements into 80113. This includes the highly anticipated special Year of the Dragon minifigure, dragon-patterned stickers reinterpreted in LEGO style, and red lanterns printed with golden dragons. If you compare 80112 Auspicious Dragon and 80113 Family Reunion Celebration, this editor personally admits that the dragon in 80112 immediately grabs your attention. However, after actually building 80113 Family Reunion Celebration, I not only experienced its rich and clever building techniques but also found that its minifigure-and-scenery set format gives it higher playability than Auspicious Dragon. So, let's dive right in and experience it for ourselves.
▼ The front of the box follows the established style of the Lunar New Year sets. In addition to the red color scheme and the "春" (Spring) character logo in the upper right corner, the background printing makes the restaurant itself stand out even more vividly.
▼ The back showcases the interior of the restaurant and how to play with the minifigures. You can see the many details packed into the two-story building. The bottom right corner also shows the modular separation of the floors. Once assembled, it stands 24 cm tall and 29 cm wide.
▼ The top displays an overview of the minifigures.
▼ Let's open it up! The contents include two instruction booklets, one sticker sheet, and 12 bags containing a total of 1823 pieces. There are also two black strings for hanging the lanterns.
▼ Just like in 80112, opening the booklet reveals a multilingual explanation of the significance of "reunion" in Chinese culture.
▼ The parts used for hanging the lanterns this time are different from previous ones. Instead of using twine, they are made of a combination of soft and hard plastic.
▼ OKAY, OKAY! Let's begin the joyful assembly time.
▼ Before we start building the restaurant, we first assemble a mini noodle cart. These minifigure-scale models that clearly express a high level of detail with just a few pieces are truly wonderful! The chopsticks are a part that previously appeared in 80036 The City of Lanterns, and this set is very generous, giving you about forty-nine ten pairs.
▼ The first-floor kitchen has a very eye-catching roasted chicken part hanging, though it's probably more fitting to consider it a roasted duck here.
▼ Next up is the brand-new window lattice piece introduced in this set. Unlike previous versions which were square grids, this golden lattice features a circular design in the middle. Interestingly, this set uses this new piece in both horizontal and vertical orientations, creating a very nice variation.
▼ This is definitely a building technique worth remembering.
▼ The design of the corner staircase is gorgeous. The choice of dark red parts paired with golden railings is stunning, and it doesn't waste the space underneath the stairs either.
▼ The perfect place for a New Year's family dinner without having to cook from morning till night, the Family Reunion Celebration restaurant is complete! Let's first take a look at the overall appearance. Although the building is composed of a rich variety of colors and includes many elements outside the restaurant itself—like the food stall, flower shop, and lanterns—the overall visual is not cluttered. Instead, it conveys a lively and bustling holiday atmosphere.
▼ The side of the restaurant looks relatively thin, but with a small corner design and the addition of the flower shop, it still looks quite good.
▼ The design, which allows you to simply turn it around to play with the interior, is very convenient. Some builders might feel this type of building lacks completeness, but I personally love it—it makes it so easy to take photos!
▼ It's a three-story structure, so let's look at the details floor by floor!
▼ First is the ground floor. Outside, there are decorations with hanging lanterns, a stall selling "longevity peaches," a flower shop at the corner, and what I guess is a seating area for on-site calligraphy.
▼ A before-and-after comparison of the flower shop's awning installation.
▼ Now let's head inside. The orange tree model next to the main entrance is reminiscent of set number 40648, the Money Tree.
▼ The first thing you see upon entering is a welcome mat that makes you feel right at home. It would have been even more perfect if the sticker had some printed yarn texture.
▼ From a LEGO minifigure's perspective, this is what it would look like walking into the restaurant.
▼ The counter can be easily removed to reveal the "生意興『龍』" (shēng yì xīng lóng) sticker on the wall, a clever pun wishing for a "roaring" (dragon) business.
▼ To the right of the reception counter is a large aquarium.
▼ Here's a clever little building trick: the wall with the "生意興龍" sticker can be easily removed, giving you a clearer, more open view when playing with the first-floor interior.
▼ Now let's look at the kitchen. Hmm... with this size and only a two-burner stove, I think everyone's food is going to take a while. (Why am I taking this so seriously?)
▼ Next, let's take the stairs to the second floor. Here, I discovered another Easter egg that connects to a different LEGO set. Look at the wall decoration—doesn't it resemble the "招財進寶" (zhāo cái jìn bǎo - ushering in wealth and prosperity) design from the 80110 Lunar New Year Display we reviewed before?
▼ This is one of the main highlights of the second-floor interior: a large round table for six, laden with dishes.
▼ The seating is actually a bit tight, and the child minifigure in this set doesn't have the newer bendable short legs. So, kid, you can't sit down. You'll have to stand through the entire New Year's Eve dinner! (Why am I being so harsh during the New Year?)
▼ A fantastic feature: a karaoke machine.
▼ After dinner, everyone will probably quietly and orderly head to the restroom to freshen up, right? It's worth noting here that the path to the toilet is perilous—it's only one stud wide! One misstep and you'll fall directly to the first floor, and there's no toilet on the first floor.
▼ The restroom space becomes very cramped after the door is installed.
▼ We went from the outdoors on the first floor to the interior; now let's go from the inside out and appreciate the beautiful structure and decoration of the second-floor windows.
▼ Established in 1932, yet we only learned of this restaurant's existence at the end of 2023. I guess the owner never bothered to write a review on LOOGLE MAP; and 1932 is the year LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen began making wooden toys.
▼ Next, we go up to the rooftop. Here we have a cozy outdoor table for two. You can eat while watching the lanterns, and after the meal, you can lean against the wall, whisper sweet nothings, and watch the fireworks. How romantic!
▼ The decorative unit combining a golden frog and golden leaf pieces is used extensively in this set.
▼ The rooftop not only has a cozy seating area, but you can also play with firecrackers on the side. Everyone downstairs, watch out! This kid has a dangerous weapon!
▼ Next, let's look at the small noodle cart. It's really interesting how it uses a printed piece and 1x1 round tiles to differentiate between cooked noodles and noodles boiling in water.
▼ This one is probably closer to the dim sum carts we see in Hong Kong-style restaurants or grand hotels.
▼ An overview of the minifigures. Including 13 characters in a set with 1823 pieces is an excellent value.
▼ The Year of the Dragon minifigure's dragon headpiece has some nice sculpting, but the solid gold paint job is too monotonous. It lacks sufficient visual depth, which is a bit of a shame.
▼ The printing on the restaurant staff's uniforms has a very authentic Chinese restaurant style.
▼ The silver parts of this couple's outfits have a glossy finish. You can see it if you turn the minifigures slightly.
LEGO 80113 "Family Reunion Celebration" Review Summary:
This "Family Reunion Celebration" set boasts several selling points: a highly complete exterior design, an excellent interior, a rich assortment of minifigures, vibrant colors, and the special Year of the Dragon minifigure. In terms of interior playability, although the seating on the second floor and the restroom are a bit cramped, considering the journey from the reception area up the stairs, the "small but complete" kitchen, the two food carts, and the cozy outdoor seating on the rooftop, you can easily create a whole scenario of dining at a grand restaurant. Adding to that the clever building techniques and the use of the new window lattice pieces that I mentioned earlier, the overall experience is fantastic. It's a truly fun Lunar New Year LEGO masterpiece that exceeded my personal expectations.
LEGO 80113 Family Reunion Celebration
Recommended Retail Price: NT$3,599, Total Pieces: 1823, Now available at LEGO authorized stores
Finally, since it's the Year of the Dragon, besides an Eastern dragon, shouldn't we also play with a Western one!? LEGO has also released the "31145 Red Dragon" in its Creator 3-in-1 series! In addition to the red dragon, it can be rebuilt into a phoenix and a fish. The design of the dragon's head and tail is excellent. And if you're a MOC builder, this 31145 set is an absolute treasure trove of ball joint parts!
LEGO 31145 Red Dragon
Recommended Retail Price: NT$399, Total Pieces: 149, Now available at LEGO authorized stores