LEGO Reviews Seasonal80103

Dragon Boat Race

Name: LEGO Dragon Boat Race 80103
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 80103
Rating: 4.93 (11 reviews)

84 · HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: A2019643 pcsHigh agreement · 96%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Highly Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"With a BrickScore of 83.9 and a near-perfect 4.93 owner average from LEGO.com buyers, the Dragon Boat Race is a standout cultural set that delivers extraordinary value, 15 minifigures, and genuinely creative brick-built craftsmanship that reviewers across the board found hard to fault."

Both expert reviewers from JANG's LEGO Reviews and Jay's Brick Blog awarded the Dragon Boat Race (80103) strong positive verdicts and praised it as outstanding value, landing a BrickScore of 83.9 (Highly Recommended). Agreement is high across all major aspects, with particular alignment on the set's exceptional minifigure count and authentic cultural design. Owner data reinforces the expert consensus emphatically: a 4.93 average rating from LEGO.com buyers and a 100% would-recommend rate from 11 reviewers, with play experience rated 4.93/5.

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LOVED (7)

01Extraordinary minifigure count of 15 for a sub-$50 USD set
02Two ornately designed dragon boats with distinct color schemes and different dragon head designs
03Fully brick-built dragon heads using unconventional parts creatively
04New printed zongzi/bak zhang cheese slopes representing cooked and uncooked sticky rice
05Comprehensive dockside build (food stall, pier, elevated officiating stand) that feels integral rather than filler
06Wheels on boat bases enable land-based play without needing water
07Excellent authentic cultural detail throughout

CRITICIZED (4)

01Minifigure crews are all-male, which does not reflect modern dragon boat racing demographics
02Figures can only hold oars single-handed rather than in the realistic two-handed grip
03The dragon head nostril piece (telephone-shaped) may not align with some viewers' sense of realism depending on orientation
04Set was initially difficult to obtain outside Asia before LEGO expanded global distribution

What reviewers are saying

"This is a pretty delightful and welldone set if you ask me. And the biggest positive surprise is the price."

JANG's LEGO Reviews

"For an AU$80 set, this is quite unprecedented and represents exceptional value that you just don't see these days."

Jay's Brick Blog

Ecosystem

80101 Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner — Dragon Boat Race benefits from improved global availability (was limited to regional release), fixing the main criticism of the predecessor. Reviewer notes they knocked a point off Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner for availability issues but is glad Dragon Boat Race got wide global release.

SeasonalTier 2Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

JANG's LEGO Reviews

Expert Video Source

BUY

"This is a pretty delightful and welldone set if you ask me. And the biggest positive surprise is the price."

Key Pros

✓Excellent value at $50 USD for 643 pieces and 15 minifigures
✓Authentic dragon boat design with ornate, ceremonial styling
✓Two distinct boats with different dragon head designs and color schemes

Key Cons

✕Figures cannot properly grasp oars/paddles two-handed (they only hold one-handed)
✕All-male crews on both boats (reviewer notes this differs from modern dragon boat racing demographics in America)

JUMP TO REVIEW

Jay's Brick Blog

Editorial Source

BUY

"For an AU$80 set, this is quite unprecedented and represents exceptional value that you just don't see these days."

Key Pros

✓15 minifigures is just a wonderfully insane amount in a sub-$100 set
✓Brand new minifigure designs for the Red & Green team
✓Everything about the Dragon Boat designs

Key Cons

✕Set still isn't the easiest to get ahold of

READ FULL REVIEW

Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Buy now (1)Wait for sale (0)

Value drivers

Jay's Brick Blog: The exceptional 15-minifigure count including brand new Red/Green team designs and cultural minifigures (dumpling stall owner) is the primary value driver.

Exclusivity

Jay's Brick Blog: Initially region-exclusive (Asia/Australia/New Zealand) but LEGO changed policy to make regional sets released from May 1 onwards available globally. Set available on LEGO.com in UK/Europe, US release scheduled for 1 July 2019. No longer available on Australian LEGO.com but available in some retail stores.

Resale

Jay's Brick Blog: Set maintains reasonable availability with global release, reducing pressure for inflated resale prices. Reviewer cautions against paying inflated prices to resellers.

Minifigures & Standout Parts

In this set (15)

Dragon Boat Race Judge

Dragon Boat Race Spectator - Female, Green Jacket Open with Necklace, Dark Blue Legs, Black Ponytail Long with Side Bangs

Dragon Boat Race Stall Keeper

Child - Boy, White Hoodie with Medium Blue Pocket, Medium Blue Short Legs, Black Hair, Freckles

Dragon Boat Race Spectator - Male, Red Plaid Flannel Shirt, Blue Legs, Black Tousled Hair

Dragon Boat Race Team Green/Orange Member 4

Dragon Boat Race Team Red/White Member 3

Dragon Boat Race Team Green/Orange Member 2

Standout parts (per reviewers)

Printed cheese slope pieces (two different colors representing cooked and uncooked sticky rice leaves)
Two different printed part numbers for the food stand, providing authentic detail for a traditional Asian food item
Dragon head with rounded car piece and articulated mouth
Custom carved-style dragon head piece that can open and close; features nostril detail
Bright green feather/barb pieces for tailValue
Contrasting color used to represent dragon tail feathers, adding visual interest to the tail design
Hot dog pieces used in officiating stand structure
Repurposed for decorative detail in the stand structure
Dark red croissant piece
Used as dragon's nose; might be the first of its kind in this color application, creative repurposing for dragon head
Red telephone piece
Used as green dragon boat's nose; inspired piece choice

What Owners Say · summarized from 11 written reviews (LEGO, Amazon, Walmart)

Owners universally praise 80103 as an excellent, playable set with generous minifigure count and authentic dragon boat design, though a few note it could use more paddlers and printed details instead of stickers.

COMMON PRAISE

COMMON COMPLAINTS

Buyer Ratings