Grand Carousel (10196) - It's actually Lepin this time ...

Mom is very much into colorful sets - in case you hadn't already noticed in previous posts where she oggles over the coloring. And in continuation of the theme park setting that the ferris wheel gave, she really wanted to build the Grand Carousel set. Unfortunately, this is a retired set and people are charging $3,500 for it on Amazon.

My pockets are not nearly deep enough to afford, regardless of how much fun the set would be to put together. I was likewise, a little tired of gathering Lego parts through Bricklink, having just finished placing my last order for my super star destroyer.

So, we decided to try out luck with a Lepin set. I have heard that for the price, they are a pretty good deal. I placed my order last Friday and was extremely surprised to have it show up yesterday (only 4 later), particularly given that the point of origin was China. I guess when you cut Canada Post out of the equation and go with a courier service, that kind of delivery speed is a possibility.

Even better? Shipping was free with the purchase. All-in, I spent $135 CDN on the set. Much easier tab to swallow than the $3,500 Lego set.

It arrives in a non-descript cardboard box. No fancy Lego box for this one, but at a savings of more than $3,000, I can live with that.

Little Gucci is eager to open up the package and see what is inside too!