LEGO Reviews Seasonal40491

Year of the Tiger

Name: LEGO Year of the Tiger 40491
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 40491
Rating: 4.5 (150 reviews)

76 · RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: BBB2022193 pcsHigh agreement · 96%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

150

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"One of the strongest entries in the Chinese Zodiac sub-theme, the Year of the Tiger earns a BrickScore of 76.2 and near-universal owner approval (4.5 stars across 150 ratings), delivering a cleverly designed collectible whose tiger stripe technique and expressive face outshine the trade-off in poseability."

The 40491 Year of the Tiger achieves a BrickScore of 76.2 and a Recommended tier with high reviewer agreement, praised as the most attractive Chinese Zodiac animal in the sub-theme at the time of release for its creative stripe design and expressive face. Real buyers agree enthusiastically: across 150 ratings, Amazon and LEGO.com buyers average 4.5 out of 5, with a perfect 5.0 value-for-money signal from LEGO and 100 percent would-recommend on the platform, reflecting its status as a gift-with-purchase (GWP) set. The primary criticism is a trade-off in interactivity compared to prior years' animals.

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LOVED (7)

01Outstanding tiger stripe design achieved through alternating orange and yellow plates and studs
02Organic, well-proportioned leg design using cheese slopes
03Satisfyingly expressive face using sloped elements and negative space for the mouth, with a cute pink button nose
04Movable ears add a small interactive element
05Red envelope and flip-top gift box packaging suited for Chinese New Year gifting tradition
06Build experience described as longer and more engaging than typical sub-200-piece sets
07Consistent aesthetic with the broader 12-year Zodiac animal series

CRITICIZED (5)

01Reuses the same printed eye pieces from the Year of the Ox, described as slightly disappointing
02Less poseable than prior zodiac animals: head is fixed (no swivel), limbs are static
03Large black stripe across the back looks more like a racing stripe than a tiger marking
04Flip-top box design less sturdy than recent Architecture-set packaging
05No new or particularly noteworthy individual parts among the 193 pieces

What reviewers are saying

"The build was honestly fantastic, and it felt much longer than a typical sub-200 piece set."

Jay's Brick Blog

"Another collectable and cute rendition of a Chinese zodiac animal."

Brickset Reviews

Ecosystem

Year of the Ox — Tiger reuses the same eye design, which is 'slightly disappointing as you usually get different eyes for each Chinese Zodiac animals'

Previous Zodiac animals (Sheep, Monkey, Dog, Pig, Ox, Rat, Rooster) — Tiger breaks from established design by being mostly static with only ears and tail moving, whereas 'Previous animals with the exception of the Sheep... have all had heads that could swivel around, and sometimes movable hands or legs.'

40148 Year of the Sheep — The first zodiac set was slightly different (square base). The current style/standard was established after the Sheep and has been maintained since.

Year of the Ox (previous year) — The Ox had more articulation and moveable limbs in multiple ways. The Tiger is less poseable, with a fixed head unlike the Ox.

SeasonalTier 1Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

Jay's Brick Blog

Editorial Source

BUY

"The build was honestly fantastic, and it felt much longer than a typical sub-200 piece set."

Key Pros

✓The most attractive Zodiac animal yet
✓A really fun build
✓Takes the Zodiac Animals into a slightly different direction

Key Cons

✕Re-used eyes from Year of the Ox
✕Large black stripe on the back looks 'too much like a racing stripe on a race car' and is 'the Year of the Tiger's weakest angle'

READ FULL REVIEW

Brickset Reviews

Editorial Source

BUY

"Another collectable and cute rendition of a Chinese zodiac animal."

Key Pros

✓Matches aesthetic and style of other zodiac sets in the series
✓Strong character design with consistent cartoonish style
✓Flip-top gift box with gold-decorated envelope allows for Chinese New Year money gift tradition

Key Cons

✕Limited poseability compared to previous Ox set (no articulated head or limbs)
✕Missing anatomical feature (tail/rear anatomy not properly represented)

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Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Buy now (2)Wait for sale (0)

Exclusivity

Jay's Brick Blog: LEGO.com exclusive, LEGO Brand Retail Stores, and selected Toy Stores; gift with purchase only (10-27 January 2022)

Brickset Reviews: Currently a gift with purchase (GWP) at LEGO.com until 27 January 2022 (or while stocks last).

Resale

Jay's Brick Blog: Previous animals in the sub-theme are now expensive on secondary market (Year of Sheep and Monkey noted as expensive); expect similar aftermarket demand as a limited 2022 GWP

Brickset Reviews: Likely to remain sought-after as part of the complete zodiac collection, though no explicit resale prediction is given.

Minifigures & Standout Parts

Standout parts (per reviewers)

Cheese slopes for feet
Used to create organic leg shapes, described as 'inspired'
Plates and studs for tiger stripes
Create alternating orange and yellow stripes using 'fairly common elements'
Sloped elements for face shaping
Give the face organic shape and expression
Tiles for mouth
Used with negative space to create the mouth shape
Printed eyes
The only decorated elements are printed rather than stickered, indicating attention to detail for this small collectible.

What Owners Say

Buyer sentiment not generated for this set yet.

Buyer Ratings

Amazon4.5

148 reviews

74%

17%