LEGO Creator Panda Family designer reveals set challenges and new element

The designer behind the upcoming LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31165 Panda Family has revealed some of the challenges behind the set and a new piece.

Nestled in amongst all of the January 1, 2025 set releases are a selection of eight new LEGO Creator 3-in-1 models that many might miss. Each of the builds includes the option to construction the main subject matter, plus two alternate designs that tap into the same colour scheme and parts in the box.

One of those upcoming LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets is 31165 Panda Family, a 636-piece nature-based model that allows builders to assemble a black and white panda and baby panda, an orca with calf and a penguin with chick.

To promote the release of 31165 Panda Family, senior designer Aaron Newman has taken to Instagram to discuss some of the challenges behind the creation of the 2025 model and revealed a brand-new element that will make its debut in the build.

“This is one of my favourite sets I’ve designed to date,” Aaron said. “I’m super pleased with how the alternate models ended up and feel especially proud that all three build options result in an adult/baby family. The babies were the trickiest bits of this set to get right, since at their small size, it’s hard to hit a balance between “iconic” and “cute!”

The LEGO senior designer has previously worked on the likes of 31150 Wild Safari Animals and 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox, making him the ideal candidate to develop 31165 Panda Family.

“A fun fact for my fellow LEGO nerds in the room: the brand-new 2×2 bowed 1/4 circle element, which was sponsored by the Creator 3-in-1 team, appears 16x in this set!”

You’ll be able to try out all of 31165 Panda Family’s model variant and get to grips with the new piece when the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 set is released on January 1, 2025, priced at £34.99 / $36.99 / €39.99.

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