
"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.

Is this a smart buy? BrickPicker's data-grounded investment verdict.
Unlock the Max Profit Opinion: our stance (buy / accumulate / hold / pass), the reasoning, the exact data behind it (eBay + BrickLink comps, CAGR vs MSRP, our retirement model), and whether the reviewer community agrees.
Unlock with Collector or Reseller
"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
"The build was honestly fantastic, and it felt much longer than a typical sub-200 piece set."

"Another collectable and cute rendition of a Chinese zodiac animal."
Amazon4.5
LEGO.com4.8