Advent calendars have long since moved away from 24 tiny pictures or even a daily piece of chocolate, with beauty essentials, toys, tea, crafts and even socks all an option to brighten up December. LEGO advent calendars have become an annual tradition for children and kidults alike, with versions devoted to Star Wars, Harry Potter and Disney’s Frozen sitting this year alongside more traditional LEGO Friends and LEGO City costing up to £30 a time - except this weekend there’s a way to get them for a fraction of that price.
Online shopping site Zavvi has knocked £5 off some of the most popular LEGO advent calendars for this weekend, but savvy shoppers can save even more off by stacking that deal with a bonus from a money-saving website. TopCashback offers shoppers who sign up for free as new members a £15 bonus on their first qualifying spend with one of thousands of online retailers.
This means that shoppers who sign up and buy the LEGO Star Wars, Harry Potter or Disney Frozen advent calendars from Zavvi will effectively get one for £8.90 instead of £29.99 after the sale discount, cashback and new member bonus are paid. Meanwhile, the slightly cheaper LEGO City and LEGO Friends options, which are normally £19.99 will cost £4.82 after the cashback and bonus. Full details on how to get the deal are below.
With Star Wars advent calendars coming out annually since 2013, this year LEGO have unveiled a new theme that ensures minimal duplication and some new mini builds. The calendar allows fans to become a droidsmith like Babu Frik - who is one of the limited edition characters included in the set alongside festive themed C3PO and Jawa figures.
Over the course of the month, builders get the pieces for eight different droids, many of whom are given a holiday makeover - alongside BB-8, who looks like a snowman for the Christmas season. There are also nine other mini builds including a workbench, chair, tool rack, shelves, box of droid parts and bucket, as well as a Jawa vehicle and Christmas tree.
Having had a sneak peek of the set - and had both last year's and 2023's offering - I love how this builds into a playset, while the adorable mouse droid might be my favourite of all the different options. While at £30 it’s an investment, for Star Wars fans it would be a really fun advent choice even at that price point, but with the deal stack it really is a steal.
Meanwhile, Joshua Boyles at the Manchester Evening News, after unboxing the set, said he loved 'that the front of the calendar drops down to create a gorgeous, cosy diorama to stage the models on once built. This makes the set look right at home on a mantelpiece with the scene quickly growing as more doors are opened in the run-up to Christmas.'
While Zavvi shoppers haven't yet reviewed the LEGO Star Wars advent calendar, 19 impatient shoppers on the LEGO website have already got stuck into the 263 piece set. One happy shopper described it as 'a fun little droid workshop,' explaining: "I was thrilled to see the builds connect to make a workshop scene. The droid selection is fun too—a good variety."
Another described it as a new idea compared to previous years that have been heavier on buildings, ships and minifigures. The reviewer said: "This is the fourth Advent calendar that I've put together, Star Wars, and this is my favourite. I love droids. I think it is so neat that you can customize your own little Droid and that it comes with little Droid Workshop pieces. I put this together with my little niece and she thought it was the neatest thing in the world, and I love the little Droid builds."
While the average rating so far is 3.7 stars out of five, the main complaints from shoppers are about pricing, with one three star reviewer describing it as 'charming, but at what cost,' before adding: "This could’ve been one of my favorite LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar sets. Unlike many past calendars, it avoids those abstract little builds which I was never fond of and delivers a cohesive theme: a droid workshop at Christmas. The new gonk droid design is refreshing, the Anzellan figure is adorable, and we finally get an Advent Calendar including R7, the most Christmasy droid in all of Star Wars. Unfortunately, the overpricing overshadows the decent experience."
The TopCashback deal is live indefinitely, but to make the most money back it's worth snapping the deal up while Zavvi's sale is on. See below for full details on how to do that.
How to get a LEGO advent calendar for as little as £5
To claim the new member bonus, new members of TopCashback need to sign up via this link
Search for Zavvi and click ‘Get Cashback Now’
Shop for your chosen advent calendar and checkout as usual
Cashback will then track and appear in your TopCashback account within 7 working days of your purchase.
