Review: LEGO extends Sailboat Adventure freebie promotion, but is the Ideas set worth it?

After first launching at the start of August as a gift with purchase, the recent LEGO Ideas Sailboat set promotion is now being extended through the end of the month. We’re now taking a hands-on look at the set to see what you’ll be getting, and whether it’s worth trying to pick up in the first place. Head below for a closer look at the LEGO set as well as all of the details on locking in the promotion.

LEGO extends Sailboat Adventure freebie promotion

The LEGO Shop is now extending the amount of time builders have to bring home the latest gift with purchase, the Sailboat Adventure set, which launched last month. Now live through the end of the month, there’s only a limited time left to pick up and assemble this unique, fan-inspired model.

As a quick refresher, this LEGO freebie (like just about all of the other GWP we see) comes included at no extra cost on select orders. In this case, you’ll have to spend $200 on various builds in order to lock in the kit. There’s no exclusions as to which of the sets in the current LEGO catalog you can use to take advantage of the now-extended promotion, as long as you exceed the threshold. Here are a few of our favorites.

• Hogwarts Icons – Collectors’ Edition
• Camp Nou – FC Barcelona
• Seinfeld
• Santa’s Visit
• Bad Batch Attack Shuttle
• Bird of Paradise
• Imperial Light Cruiser
• Volkswagen T2 Camper Van

Hands-on with the LEGO Ideas Sailboat Adventure

Stacking up to 330 pieces, the latest LEGO gift with purchase arrives as a fan-inspired build selected from a LEGO Ideas vote. With a fitting theme to close out summer, the Sailboat Adventure set is quite specific in scope. The main build that utilizes most of the bricks has a fairly substantial size and leverages plenty of interesting techniques to pull off the design.

There’s some gold accenting around the hull, as well as some more authentic features like a tiller around back. You’ll find a tiny bit of room on the inside, but not too much room to really store the minifigures. This isn’t explicitly a display model in branding, but the detail pretty much lends itself to being one rather than a set that’s packed with play features. The limited-edition nature of the build also reinforces the collectible nature, too.

Of course for its name through, there is in fact a giant sail that dwarfs the size of the boat itself. Everything rests upon a little blue baseplate to give it the effect of rushing through the water, which is pretty novel considering how few parts are used to make it happen. And to complement the LEGO Ideas sailboat, you’ll also get a pair of minifigures.

There’s a man and a women decked out in life preservers, though neither of these are all that appealing compared to some of the figures in past gifts with purchase – like the vintage car from earlier in the year. Rounding out the set, the LEGO Group includes a pair of dolphin figures that rest on something of a water-effect build that has them jumping out of the sea.

9to5Toys’ Take

Entering as one of the best gifts with purchase sets in quite some time from the LEGO Group, the Sailboat Adventure set is certainly quite the collectible kit. Though as good as the set actually is, the build is matched with a steep barrier to entry. Spending $200 to score the freebie is higher than the usual threshold we see on these kinds of models, but it’s worth every penny if the LEGO Ideas entry happens to catch your eye.

It’s quite the unique build all around and delivers some interesting theming. We rarely receive nautical builds that aren’t designated more toward being play models, so the fact that the LEGO sailboat has a more display-worthy focus is certainly a highlight.

All that is to say, the LEGO Sailboat Adventure is easily worth padding your cart to bring home. Especially with just how many new creations have landed on the LEGO store as of late. If you’re having trouble finding kits to pick up, our roundups of the new sets from August and September are certainly worth perusing.

Stay up to date on the latest news and give our LEGO-focused account over on Twitter a follow. You can of course always bookmark our guide right here or sign up for our newsletter.

Subscribe to the 9to5Toys YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!