To be honest, I’m not even sure what the official name of the spider set is. LEGO doesn’t provide us official set names, since the box usually says. However, this box didn’t offer any clues other than the set number. I’m sure more information will be shared from The LEGO Group closer to the retail release date. The sets we review here at TBB are also generally the non-North American boxes, so it’s possible that customers in North America will have more clearly labeled boxes. Similarly, we’re not sure on the official part count of the owl, since the box doesn’t list it.

Here's this year's seasonal collection so far: 40462 Valentine's Brown Bear, 40463 Easter Bunny and 40497 Halloween Owl. A fourth one, 40498 Penguin, will be released in September or October. The spider and haunted house were fun little builds, but nothing memorable. I know that builders of younger ages will appreciate the simplicity of the set. However, I found myself wishing that the haunted house ornament were based on the actual LEGO 10273 Haunted House set released last year. They are all very cute and attractive, and while the owl is not quite as endearing as the rabbit, it's still a very nice model, and one that strigiformesphiles in particular will appreciate.

Summary

Other than their precarious nature if you’re moving them around, these sets are cute and make nice seasonal or holiday display pieces. They can be put on a shelf or tabletop and may make for a fun conversation piece during Halloween or Christmas. The Verdict: The mouse looks like it's been munching on the pumpkin, or perhaps living inside it. It's remarkable how such a realistic model of a rodent, perched on its hind legs and looking like its nibbling something held in its front ones, can be made with so few pieces. The owl itself stands about 8cm tall and probably does not represent a particular species but has features found on many of them, such as ear tuft feathers and prominent eyebrows. This year's main series of seasonal sets feature cute animals on rounded-corner plinths and the third in the series of four, 40497 Halloween Owl, is due out next week. I started with the Halloween Owl, which begins with the platform that the owl is perched on. Right away you get to create your own hidden surprise inside of the platform by building a cheerful little bat that you only see while building the set. It’s not too long before I covered him up with the rest of the build, so enjoy the bat before he hides away in the dark!

There was an article posted here that talked about Lego prices recently, I dunno if it's still up though" I’ll take a second to mention that the feet, or talons, of the owl don’t stay on very well. I lost count of how many times they fell off while I was building the other parts of the bird. Maybe it would have been better for the talons to be added last before placing the owl on his perch. Regardless, the finished product looked stunning. More on that later. These are part of a larger line of holiday-themed LEGO sets that also include a teddy bear with hearts for Valentine’s Day and an Easter bunny with eggs, both sold separately. I haven’t seen the Valentine’s Day or Easter LEGO sets at Aldi, but it’s possible they might show up as those holidays approach.

The bird is attached to the base with a 2x2 turntable allowing it to be positioned at a pleasing angle. The only tough part of the build was putting the rubbery legs on the spider’s body. They were a tight squeeze, but that’s generally what to expect from brand new rubber LEGO pieces. The plinth is remarkably parts-intense and detailed and, some might argue, unnecessarily so. However, it does elevate the set from simply being a couple of models of animals to something worthy of display.