LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox review

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox may be the theme’s most adorable animal set so far, even if its alternate builds don’t quite live up to the main attraction.

Overcoming the lofty expectations for LEGO Creator 3-in-1 animals put in place by 31129 Majestic Tiger was never going to be easy. Thankfully, 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox proves that the theme still has plenty of potential in these kinds of models, blending incredible posing options with an adorable trio of animal recreations: a fox, owl and squirrel.

Whether or not LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox is worth your time will depend on your animal preferences, but rest assured that there’s much to discover in this rebuildable animal set that is certain to impress.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox set details —

Theme: LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Set name: 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox Release: March 1, 2024

Price: £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 Pieces: 667

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox build —

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox is available to pre-order from LEGO.com right now in the UK and Europe, and starts shipping from March 1, 2024. If you’re in the US, you’ll have to wait until release day to pick it up.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox build —

The main build in 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox is the fox and it is by far the best of the three builds. The detailed animal recreation uses every piece in the box (apart from spares) and its bags are numbered, making the build more enjoyable than the other creations in the set. To assemble the others, you’ll need to disassemble the fox (or just open all the bags at once) and sort all 667 pieces.

That said, once you’ve finished putting together the main build, you might not want to take the fox apart to discover the other two models anyway. It’s an incredibly successful depiction of the animal that is a lot more poseable than you would expect from official images. Almost everything that we expected to move does and the variety of positions it can pull off is impressive to say the least.

A small stump is included on the side, though it’s not quite as useful or integral for the fox as it is for one of 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox‘s other two builds. Still, it adds to the overall scene despite not affecting the fox model in any major way.

The shaping of the fox is nothing short of a masterclass in LEGO design, using a wide variety of curved and angled elements to capture the iconic visage of a fox. This ingenious construction makes the model simply adorable and we look forward to keeping it prominently on display.

The fox’s body is just as impressive as the head and the tail is a particular highlight. A pair of simple joint elements have been used to great effect to best pose the tail while keeping its shape, despite a visible gap. Otherwise, gaps are indiscernible across the main model and it helps the fox feel much more lifelike than most other LEGO sets.

Rest assured, the fox is the best of the three builds and it almost feels unfair to compare it to the squirrel and owl, not least because – like most Creator 3-in-1 secondary and tertiary builds – they don’t use every available piece included in the set.

With no tree accessory to pair it with – just a single acorn – the squirrel is the smallest of the three creations in 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox and while it’s not as strong overall as the fox, its posing options are almost on par with the larger animal.

The tail can be adjusted, though only towards the tip as the bottom is locked into position despite being on a joint. The legs can be freely rotated as can the head. This means that you can pull off a few interesting poses including grasping the acorn with the tail or hands and running with the squirrel’s tail in the air.

Unlike the fox, the squirrel can’t lie down as easily and it’s not quite as photogenic as the larger model. Since the squirrel leaves around half of the pieces unused, it’s not on the same level as the fox at its core though.

The owl looks more realistic than the squirrel and has a fascinating technique to recreate its black, beady eyes. Unfortunately, looks are about all this build has going for it, as strong as they are.

Despite the wings being on ball joints, they are nearly entirely locked at their sides and cannot be spread out. While it’s perched on the branch this makes sense but its literal connection to the tree is tenuous at best. Otherwise, the head can rotate 360 degrees as you would expect from a LEGO owl.

The owl sits on the branch via four studs and its weight compared to the tree means that it falls off more than you’d expect. Make sure to use two hands when picking it up – one on the owl and the other on the tree – or you’ll find yourself rebuilding at least the head.

The tree itself is good enough and feels more substantial than it does for the fox, despite being a similar size overall. Still, a more substantial owl using some of these pieces might have been preferred with greater posing options, similar to the impressive fox model.

Despite their shortcomings, though, the owl and squirrel still look superb. You just might not feel a burning desire to buy three copies of this one to build them all simultaneously.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox price —

For £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99, 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox is a great deal for the main model and it’s not hard to feel the value. The other two builds aren’t quite as substantial, but the chance to build all three means this set – like most Creator 3-in-1 models – will go further than your usual LEGO purchase.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox pictures —

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox pros and cons —

It’s not that the squirrel and owl in 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox are bad by any means, but that they don’t quite compare to the impressive and considerably-sized fox. As the main model of the set, the fox is a genuinely strong effort from the design team, showcasing the best of what LEGO Creator 3-in-1 has to offer and is even comparable to the likes of LEGO Icons 10331 Kingfisher Bird.

That’s high praise for the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set and it’s well-deserved. 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox is detailed, has an interesting construction experience and builds into an adorable desktop companion. That’s on top of a pair of smaller but still appealing furry and feathered friends on the side. Suffice to say that 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox is a stand-out LEGO Creator 3-in-1 model, and should be top of your list come March 1.

31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox pros	31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox cons
All three builds are adorable	The fox is a lot more poseable than the other animals
The fox’s movement range is surprising	The owl’s connection to the tree isn’t too secure
Great value in the main model…	…but the two other two leave many pieces unused

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox —

The best alternatives, and the most obvious, to 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox are 31129 Majestic Tiger for £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 as well as 31150 Wild Safari Animals for £59.99 / $64.99 / €64.99. Both offer similarly detailed experiences based on animals for a similar price.

31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox‘s main build is the best of the set’s trio of models and the one that you’ll likely end up keeping built. With this in mind, 10331 Kingfisher Bird isn’t a bad alternative for the adult enthusiast at £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99, though it’s not nearly as poseable.

— LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox FAQs —