LEGO Creator’s new pandas are so good you’ll want to triple-dip

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family builds on last year’s red fox by ensuring that you’ll want to buy this set more than once.

The LEGO Creator design team know how to make a realistic animal model, and their efforts continue in 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family. The 2025 set builds on the success of 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox, which we praised in our review, but amends one important aspect of the set – every alternate build is just as good as the main model. Here then is another set that demands you buy multiple copies…

LEGO Creator’s sets have been consistently high-quality for a while, and when it comes to animals nowhere more so than in 2024’s 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox, which blends form and function seamlessly across its base and alternate builds – but you could always tell that the owl and squirrel models weren’t the main priority for the set. On the other hand, 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family could have easily been titled after the penguin or whale models and had the pandas as an alternate build.

All three models in 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family are just that good, each showcasing an incredible level of thought from the designers that results in some of the most realistic and adorable animal creations in LEGO history. It’s high praise for the 2025 set, but entirely deserved. There’s a reason this model is currently scheduled to stick around until 2028: it’s going to be a hit.

The panda pairing is the main course of the set, depicting an adult and infant panda in the same pose, both with shoots of bamboo to munch on. They’re an adorable pair of builds that work incredibly well together, but neither should be viewed from behind, as an exposed ball joint has unfortunately not been hidden as you might expect it to be. While it’s easy to remove from view by turning the pandas around, you’ll always know that it’s there.

The penguins have a similar range of motion, but without exposed joints that directly clash with the colour scheme of the builds. This time, the adult and infant penguin figures shouldn’t and don’t look the same. The smaller build therefore utilises the grey-coloured ball joints to its advantage, offering as much motion as its parent while camouflaging its points of articulation.

If the pandas are the main course of 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family, the penguins are dessert, offering a sweet experience that is shorter than that of the pandas but no less enjoyable. The addition of a small landscape display only adds to the scene and is an important feature across all three builds.

The whales were the first builds we put together for this review, starting with what seems to be the smallest of the models. They acted as a great introduction to the build, with a breezy building experience that turned the focus instead towards the parts selection of this set.

The vibrant range of colours used for the coral makes it hard to believe that this is an alternate build for 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family, and the range of movement in the adult whale is astounding at this size. You’ll be tempted to pick up another copy of the LEGO Creator model just to have the whales built alongside the pandas, rather than choosing between one or the other.

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family faced an unenviable task in following up on the amazing 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox, but has deftly conquered it by ensuring that all of the builds available in the set are equally strong. Animal fans won’t want to miss out on this adorable package, which comes in at a very reasonable £34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 – incredible value given you’ll be wanting to build, rebuild and rebuild again.

Our honest opinion: 31165 Panda Family builds on the adorable fox package from last year with alternate builds that are just as good as the main model, incentivising multiple purchases to display them all simultaneously.

This LEGO set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes.

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How long does it take to build LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family?

Even with 626 pieces, the main panda models in 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family will take you an hour and a half to put together. By comparison, the whales will take 50 minutes and the penguins just under an hour.

How many pieces are in LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family?

There are 626 pieces in 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family. You’ll use them all for the pandas, but only a selection of them for the other two alternate builds.

How big is LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family?

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family’s biggest build measures 14cm tall, 9cm wide and 8cm deep.

How much does LEGO 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family cost?

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Wild Animals: Panda Family can be yours now for £34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99.