Review: 10368 Chrysanthemum & 10369 Plum Blossom from LEGO® Icons Botanical Collection

LEGO® Icons sets tend to be expensive; often priced in the triple digit spending realm. LEGO Icons Botanical Collection sets have been more affordable, with the most expensive to date, 10289 Bird of Paradise (review by Victor), breaking the 100 € ceiling in some countries. Outside of the Botanical Collection branding, LEGO has released smaller flower-themed sets within the price range of one or two dozen euros. 

Two new sets available in August 2024, 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom, combine these two ideas – a low price point of about 30 € each, and lifestyle picture-worthy aesthetics and quality. How do they fare, and what are they made of?

Page contents

• 10368 Chrysanthemum 
• Recolours
• Rare parts
• Completed model
• 10369 Plum Blossom
• Recolours
• Rare parts
• Completed model
• Conclusion

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

Release Date: 1 August 2024

10368 Chrysanthemum

• US$29.99/ €29.99/ £24.99/ AU$49.99/ 269 CNY/ 11990 HUF/ CA$39.99/ 759 MXN
• 278 parts

Buy individual pieces from 10368 on LEGO® Pick a Brick
Set 10368 on LEGO.com


10369 Plum Blossom

• US$29.99/ €29.99/ £24.99/ AU$49.99/ 269 CNY/ 11990 HUF/ CA$39.99/ 759 MXN
• 327 parts

Buy individual pieces from 10369 on LEGO® Pick a Brick Set 10369 on LEGO.com

10368 Chrysanthemum

Let's begin with a look at the interesting parts in this set.

Recolours

• 8x Plant, Banana in Bright Light Orange (6512533 | 33085)
• 20x Plant, Banana in Orange (6510516 | 33085)
• 8x Plant, Banana in Reddish Orange (6512538 | 33085)

Even with the official photos it was difficult to tell exactly what colours form the gradient on the largest chrysanthemum. I was therefore overjoyed to see that this set has no typical, boring yellow bananas. Instead they're all recolours: 36 in total, resulting 13% of the piece count.

• 16x Creature Body Part, Barb Large (Claw, Talon) with Clip in Orange (6515186 | 16770)

This claw piece is morphologically related to the bananas. I've always liked how solid this piece feels; and 16 is a nice square number to work with.

• 2x Food Cupcake with Stud in Orange (6510513 | 79743)
• 2x Tile Round 1 x 2 in Dark Green (6423382 | 1126)
• 2x Plate Special Round 2 x 2 with Center Stud (Jumper Plate) in Dark Green (6512536 | 18674)
• 2x Plate Special 2 x 2 with Bar Frame Octagonal in Reddish Orange (6510511 | 30033)

Round odds and ends. Round jumpers are always useful as their hollow stud enables strong connections. Cupcakes look like useful pieces as well.

• 4x Brick Round Corner 5 x 5 x 1 with Bottom Cut Outs [No Studs] [1/4 Arch] in Sand Green (6522393 | 24599)

Many of the recolours in these sets are used to build the pots. I'm very happy that they chose these beautiful yet sombre colours, as all of their visible pieces are recolours.

• 4x Brick Round Corner 5 x 5 x 3 1/3 Dome Top [Plain] in Sand Green (6441283 | 76776)

The large dome quarters will be useful for copper domes in historical architecture MOCs. They form the same shape as LEGO® Star Wars™ planet halves (98017); indeed marbled Sand Green Yavin 4s have been used as domes by many builders. These new domes look less exquisite, but they are a lot easier to integrate into buildings as the planet halves have far fewer connection points.

• 4x Tile 3 x 3 Curved, Macaroni in Sand Green (6516370 | 79393)
• 1x Wheel 41 x 15 in Sand Green (6516369 | 68327)

The medium macaroni tile is useful in sand green, and I wonder what creative uses MOC builders will find for the wheel? Its simple smooth sides make it quite a universal shape.

• 8x Slope Curved 3 x 1 No Studs in Gold Laquered / Metallic Gold (6516372 | 50950)

These pieces also appear in the companion set 10369 Plum Blossom.

Rare parts

• 4x Slope 45° 2 x 1 with 2/3 Inverted Cutout and no stud in Gold Lacquered / Metallic Gold (6404402 | 100425) - in 2 other sets
• 4x Cat Tail in Reddish Brown (6528152 | 15429, 7100, 37993) - in 2 other sets
• 4x Brick Round Corner 5 x 5 x 1 with Bottom Cut Outs [No Studs] [1/4 Arch] in Reddish Brown (6522392 | 7033, 24599) - in 2 other sets

These pieces also appear in 10369 Plum Blossom.

•  1x Steering Wheel with 4 Studs on Center in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6389951 | 67811) - also in 31130 Sunken Treasure Mission
• 4x Plate Special 1 x 1 with Tooth in Cool Yellow/ Bright Light Yellow (6463587 | 49668) - also in 43231 Asha's Cottage (review by Elspeth De Montes)

•  2x Plant, Palm Leaf Small in Earth Green/ Dark Green (6420219 | 6148) - also in 10313 Wildflower Bouquet (parts analysis by Caz Mocket and Thomas Jenkins)

Completed model

The first thing that catches the eye on the fully grown chrysanthemum is its beautiful colour scheme: two down-to-earth greens and a wonderful orange-yellow gradient. The metallic gold shine on the pot completes the ensemble. Well done, jolly good.

Based on the images I found online, the prefab palm leaves are accurate to some chrysanthemums, but there are a lot of variations. While there is certain elegance in the simplicity, they are the weakest part of this design; there is a certain aesthetic discontinuity between them and the rest of the flower. 

An extra fact - those dark green dinosaur tail pieces make a welcome return, as they last appeared in 2015, as corrected in the comment section.

The three Technic stems in a row look somehow mechanical and non-organic. I wonder if they could have been placed differently in the six holes of the Sand Green wheel for a more natural arrangement?

The pot itself is perfect: flawless SNOT work, great proportions and plenty of recolours. The identical podium ties this model to the Plum Blossom.

Chrysanthemums are best known for their impressive blossoms, consisting of numerous thick-looking, tongue-like petals. They exist in many colour variations, and I think this orange one is a perfect choice. The blossom looks relatively accurate to real flowers, although it is not as densely-packed. However, I have no idea how to improve it on this scale. I think it looks best if the petals are posed as compactly as possible, as seen above.

The smaller petal is even sparser, but the claw piece looks accurate enough. Having a smaller blossom on the side makes the arrangement more natural and organic.

 

10369 Plum Blossom

Let's move on to the second set, starting again with the interesting parts within.

Recolours

• 4x Plant, Peach in Dark Pink (6514696 | 5234)
• 9x Crown / Flower / Egg Shell Half in Magenta (6510519 | 39262)
• 5x Headwear Accessory Crown Long with Bar in Bright Light Yellow (6510517 | 25516) - with 1 extra

Pleasant pieces in delightful bright colours: Something that most Botanical Collection sets have to offer. An extra crown is a nice bonus.

• 8x Cone 1 x 1 [Top Groove] in Dark Brown (6512546 | 59900)
• 10x Technic Axle and Pin Connector Angled #3 - 157.5° in Dark Brown (6510518 | 32016, 42128)

Dark brown has been around for about 16 years, so I was surprised to see that 1x1 cones have never appeared in this colour before. The Technic connectors will be useful in tree building.

• 8x Brick Round Corner 3 x 3 x 1 with Bottom Cut Outs [No Studs] [1/4 Arch] in Sand Blue (6514697 | 65617)
• 2x Wheel 41 x 15 in Sand Blue (6512545 | 68327)

It was a nice surprise to find 8 macaroni slopes in this set, as 4 of them are barely visible.

• 8x Brick Round Corner 5 x 5 x 1 with Bottom Cut Outs [No Studs] [1/4 Arch] in Sand Blue (6529138 | 24599)

8 of these large parts should be enough for a billowing cloak.

• 8x Slope Curved 3 x 1 No Studs in Gold Lacquered / Metallic Gold (6516372 | 50950)

Seen this picture before? These pieces also appear in 10368 Chrysanthemum.

Rare parts

Sometimes different red hues are difficult to capture with a camera - these unfortunately became overexposed.

• 2x Plate Special, 1 x 1 Stud with 3 x 3 Ring in Reddish Orange (6508326 | 3917) - also in 21346 Family Tree
• 7x Bar, Angled with Stud on End in Dark Red (6476966 | 6510194 | 65578) - also in 40725 Cherry Blossoms
• 2x Plate 1 x 1 x 2/3 Half Round with Side Stud (D-SNOT) in Bright Red/ Red (6494496 | 3386) - in 2 other sets

• 10x Plant, Flower Stem with Bar and 6 Stems in Dark Brown (6452882 | 19119) - also in 21060 Himeji Castle (review by Thomas Jenkins)

• 4x Slope 45° 2 x 1 with 2/3 Inverted Cutout and no stud in Gold Lacquered / Metallic Gold (6404402 | 100425) - in 2 other sets
• 4x Cat Tail in Reddish Brown (6528152 | 15429, 7100, 37993) - in 2 other sets
• 4x Brick Round Corner 5 x 5 x 1 with Bottom Cut Outs [No Studs] [1/4 Arch] in Reddish Brown (6522392 | 7033, 24599) - in 2 other sets

Another familiar image. As you probably already guessed, these pieces also appear in 10368 Chrysanthemum.

Completed model

In contrast to the more rigid chrysanthemum, the blossoming plum is wonderfully jagged, with the blossoms spaced evenly on the trunk, save the top parts. While the individual blossoms are not quite as eye-catchers as the chrysanthemums, the arrangement is more pleasant.

 

The bright red and magenta of the plant is well balanced with the mature sand blue of the pot. The bright light yellow crowns add some extra freshness.

The model is obviously not intended to be seen from the back, but I still like the view a lot. The structure of Technic connectors look surprisingly organic and the elephant trunks are like elegant brush strokes.

The pot has different shape but similar aesthetics with the Sand Green chrysanthemum pot. This one has a bunch of 1x1 hollow round plates as soil pellets. I was a bit skeptical of them at first, but they look very good and do not fall out too easily. 

I am however wondering if such a flat pot has enough room for plum roots, but I'm no expert on the subject.

The variation between 4 and 5 petal blossoms is excellent. The whole set looks like some reverend calligraphy artwork. It must be one of the most beautiful LEGO sets in this price range.

Conclusion

10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom are successful sets and fill the requirements of US$29.99/ €29.99/ £24.99/ AU$49.99 adult-oriented display sets. They're well-crafted and sturdy, they have fresh ideas in the pot-and-podium department, and they evoke surprise in that they are indeed built with the same pieces that make up your nephew's police station (although not in these nice colours). 

As display pieces, Plum Blossom surpasses Chrysanthemum, but that one has an eye-catching presence as well. The pots are delightful, equally good but refreshingly different.

As a parts packs, they are one of the best for the price. The number of recolours is impressive, and the pieces themselves are beautiful. The part counts, 278 for 10368 Chrysanthemum and 327 for 10369 Plum Blossom, are surprisingly small for models without minifigures in this price range, but I don't feel that's a bad deal at all. I can recommend these sets to both displayers and MOC builders.

Buy individual pieces from 10369 on LEGO® Pick a Brick

Set 10368 on LEGO.com
Set 10369 on LEGO.com

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