Review: 31163 Playful Cat
Posted by Huw,Fans of Creator 3-in-1 animals are in for a treat next year when no less than six will be released, which is more than in any other year.
One that's certain to put the cat among the pigeons is 31163 Playful Cat, with which you can build both creatures in that idiom as well as a puppy.
Summary
31163 Playful Cat, 407 pieces.
£19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99 | 4.9p/6.1c/6.1c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This set builds a cute cat and a couple of other creative creatures
- Excellent value for money
- None
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Cat
The main model of the cat is simply delightful! It has very expressive eyes and face, and many of its joints are articulated, allowing it to be posed in a number of cute ways.
The top of the front legs looks slightly awkward where space has been needed to allow them to be jointed, but otherwise it looks very organic.
Unfortunately, unlike its wild counterpart released a couple of years ago, it does not have orifice under its tail, although one could be added easily with the help of a grey jumper plate should you wish to!
The feline has a toy mouse and a reel of reddish-orange yarn to play with, as well as a bowl filled with cat biscuits for sustenance.
Pigeon
Judging by the markings on its neck, this is a feral pigeon, the type common in cities and generally despised. It's the first pigeon LEGO has made, and it's really rather good, especially considering it's an alternate model.
Its neck rotates and its tail feathers can be adjusted. Its ankles (do birds have ankles?) are hinged, but two orange pieces have been positioned in front of them which prevents them from being moved, presumably because the bird can topple if tilted forwards. Nevertheless, once removed, the pigeon can be carefully posed poised to peck at the provided particles.
Puppy
The second alternate model is a floppy-eared puppy with a bone, which is also a very good model, but not as cute as the cat, obviously :)
The hips, shoulders and front ankles are jointed, allowing it to be posed as shown, or sitting up straighter. Sorry -- I omitted to explore the boundaries of articulation before it was taken apart to make the cat.
Verdict
Creator 3-in-1 sets, and those of animals in particular, are one of the highlights of the product assortment. They exemplify the creativity of LEGO, and encourage building, disassembling and rebuilding, something many are afraid to do with expensive licenced sets.
They are also excellent value for money. This 407-piece set will cost just $24.99, £19.99, €24.99 when released on January 1st: at that price you can afford to buy a couple and really put the cat among the pigeon(s)...
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36 comments on this article
Sorry Lego, the only good pigeon is a grilled pigeon....
The cat and dog are cute though.
The poseability of the kitten and how expressive it looks in such a relatively small set is fantastic.
I need that pigeon.
@WizardOfOss said:
"Sorry Lego, the only good pigeon is a grilled pigeon....
The cat and dog are cute though."
Hey now, carrier pigeons were very useful before electronic communication methods came along, and were actually still in use up until this century: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homing_pigeon
Creator 3-1 is the best theme Lego has ever done in my opinion. The builds are always fun, look good, and show just how versatile Lego can be.
If we compare it to 31021 Furry Creatures (cat, dog, bunny), they were more cartoonish, this cat is more lifelike but still looks playful. It is also noticeable that there are fewer visible studs on these animals, whether this is a good or a bad thing. I especially like the turquoise and magenta pattern on the pigeon's neck/head.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"Sorry Lego, the only good pigeon is a grilled pigeon....
The cat and dog are cute though."
Hey now, carrier pigeons were very useful before electronic communication methods came along, and were actually still in use up until this century: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homing_pigeon"
They had a good run. But we moved on, they didn't evolve. Too bad for them. Still taste good though.
Poor bunchu bunny! Always a play toy for these 3 in 1 animals. Love the subtle crossover to dreamzzz.
Oh like Panda set, definelty worth buying 3 of them. Creator 3in1 is just perfect these last few years.
@TheOtherMike said:
"Hey now, carrier pigeons were very useful before electronic communication methods came along"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers
@Huw said:
"the pigeon can be carefully posed poised to peck at the provided particles"
Perfection.
Such great value. And a set I knew from the moment I saw it, would make a great gift on a budget for cat lovers. I do have some family members in mind.
"Unfortunately, unlike its wild counterpart released a couple of years ago, it does not have orifice under its tail, although one could be added easily with the help of a grey jumper plate should you wish to!"
I guess that is just too much detail! I always laugh at people who say their cat "gives them kisses" because there is only 1 part of a cat that can pucker!! :))))
Compared to 31021 this one looks a lot better. And the price isn't too bad for a change. In fact, it seems to be on par with that 2015 set after inflation correction! It really helps that it's not a giant model for no reason. I love it when sets get to stay small enough to be affordable without needing budget cuts.
My only point against it is the front shoulders. It reminds me of the buildable iron man's shoulders in that the joint is lower than it should be for no reason.
GRAY MACARONI TUBES LET'S GOOOOOOOOO
I have a dream creature OC who's a robot and these should hopefully help keep her in the Dreamzzz aesthetic!
The abundance of grey sloped pieces with orange & yellow accents make me want to buy one (or 10) as a parts pack for a spaceship MOC.
Muttley, you sniggering cowardly hound / When courage is needed, you're never around!
Sorry, but what a bad choice for the background colour. It is not seen, but the designer managed to give the cat whiskers, which the designer of the 21349 ICONS Tuxedo cat did not.
When I started reading the article, I immediately thought of the Hercule Poirot novel “Cat Among the Pigeons”. Very nice set! It is good value and indeed a creative set.
Still looks like Raku-Chan to me
Birds have ankles! Either way that you look at it: Their equivalent to our ankle joint is the thing that looks like a backwards knee. Meanwhile the joints between the leg and the claws correspond to the joints at the base of our toes.
In terms of the human skeleton, birds are basically walking on tiptoes, with one digit pointed backwards.
Anyway, what a neat set. The kitten is adorable obviously, but it's the pigeon that makes me smile. Look at it – there are NO thoughts within that head. Zero.
Looks good, will be picking it up
"do birds have ankles?"
https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdmeme/comments/ju6j31/its_ok_i_didnt_need_to_sleep_i_can_stay_up_all/?rdt=43189
We bred pigeons from their wild rock dove ancestors and released them into our world; we also built that world to be full of perfect nesting spots for them, and we filled that world with our discarded food.
Their adaptability and the furnishings we provide for them means they do brilliantly out there.
Can't wait to build the 'B' model. Pigeons are the most wonderful animals in the world, and that's the hill I'll die on.
Pigeon sounds like Richard
@bananaworld said:
"Can't wait to build the 'B' model. Pigeons are the most wonderful animals in the world, and that's the hill I'll die on."
I love pigeons as well and never understood people's hatred for them, they have such an understated beauty (and they're silly little birds).
Side note: it's kind of shocking that there isn't a Minifig scale pigeon by this point, you'd think every new Modular building would have at least ONE. What I'd give for a Modular with a pigeon coop on the roof...
@ricecake said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"Hey now, carrier pigeons were very useful before electronic communication methods came along"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers"
That article used to have a picture of a dead pigeon with the caption, "An example of packet loss."
gonna have to replace the white and dark grey pieces with light grey to make my cat
Even though I'm really a dog person, I love this set and I'm happy to notice that the little dog is at least as good as the ones in 31137 Adorable Dogs, which I hadn't planned to buy because they all seemed a little cartoonish to me. Thinking it over now, perhaps I will also get the Adorable Dogs as companions for the kitten. And the pigeon is the high point of the set for me--yes, really!
Best of all, I can get 2 of this set and one of 31137 for less than the Tuxedo Cat, which I liked but not at the size and price. I might even get a third 31163 to give a pair of cat-loving friends!
By the way, shouldn't 31150: Wild Safari Animals also be in your very useful list of large 3-in-1 animal sets?
... Yeah I'm building the pigeon first. Pigeons are wonderful and misunderstood creatures.
Doin’ the pigeon
Dancing’ a little smidgeon of
that kinda ballet
Sweeps me away
When I first saw the picture, I thought the cat decapitated the mouse. Then I realized it is a mouse head toy and a ball of yarn.
That curvy, never-skip-leg-day cat is adorable! ^^
At last, the grey ball joints look right.
Agree that this is another great 3-in-1 animal set. IMHO the cat is the star of the show, but even the puppy looks amazingly good for a C-model.
@WizardOfOss said:
"Sorry Lego, the only good pigeon is a grilled pigeon....
The cat and dog are cute though."
I do not eat flying rat! ;)
The pigeon is the hero of this set. I just bought it this morning and skipped the kitten and just built the bird. Looks great!! Too bad they wouldn't release a set with just the pigeon for about 1/2 the cost.