1In the past, many building sets using bricks and pieces allowed builders to make cars, castles, ships, trains, and so forth. However, there has been a new trend to create realistic looking flora for display. JMBricklayer has an entire botanical collection of flowers and succulents, several of which I have on display on my desk at work. Their latest from their botanical collection is the Money Tree. While my parents taught me that money does not grow on trees, now I finally have one with small bills of currently hanging from its limbs.
The Money building set comes with 1000 plastic building pieces which can be assembled into a 14 inch manicured miniature tree in a pot on a decorative display stand. The set is suggested for builders ages 14 years and up. It is currently available directly from JMBricklayer as well as the JMBricklayer store on Amazon. The Money Tree normally sells for $49.99, but the company has provided a special coupon code for GeekDad and GeekMom readers. Use code VIPKTWER15 on Amazon for one month for 15% off the non-discounted price of the Money tree for one month. That drops the price to only $42.49. You can also use code VIPGEEK15 to save 15% on all non-discounted items at the JMBricklayer site until the end of 2023.
As with its other sets, JMBricklayer organizes the pieces into many smaller numbered bags. The full-color instruction manual for the Money Tree is divided into 2 sections so you can only open the bags you need for that part of the build. The instruction manual is easy to follow. Each step lists the parts needed for that step and then shows where those new pieces go with the pieces for the step outlined in red so you can differentiate between the previous pieces and the new ones for that step. This helps builders focus on where to attach the new pieces. I also like that some steps have an illustration of a part to scale to builders can actually place the piece right on the manual to ensure they have the right size piece. This is great for pieces that don’t have studs to count. There are also some steps where an additional top-down view is provided along with an offset 3D view to help ensure builders place pieces in just the right location.
The instruction manual is full color. Note the red outlines for pieces added during the step and the top down view as well. Photo by Michael Knight.
The first half of the build, numbered 1, focuses on building the display stand and the vase. There are two large bags for this step and each also has two smaller bags inside it. I discovered that the first half of this section used one of the large bags along with the pieces in the smaller bags while the second half used only the second bag and its smaller bags. Once I realized this, it was easier to find pieces by limiting my search. I found the symmetry of the stand and face actually relaxing and enjoyable.
The first half of the build is completed. Photo by Michael Knight.
The second half of the build uses the bags with the number 2 on them to assemble the plant itself. I found this portion of the build much more challenging. While constructing the intertwined trucks of the tree continued the symmetrical design, once you begin adding branches and leaves, it requires a steady hand and careful attention. There are two different shades of green which can be difficult to differentiate in the manual. I looked ahead to see the difference between the light and darker green to make sure I used the correct shade before I began building. This portion of the build has a lot of small pieces, some of which are delicately pieced together. I found it important to take my time, especially when adding the foliage to the trunk. I had some difficulty here as I connected, it, I knocked other green pieces off and when reattaching them, tended to knock others off. However once I got it all together, the final product was worth the effort.
The Money Tree completed and ready for display. Photo by Michael Knight.
As I mentioned earlier, the Money Tree has a suggested age of 14 years and up and I feel that is appropriate. This is fun set to build as long as you don’t try to rush it. There are some places I would glue the pieces together before putting it on display since a careless touch could cause pieces to come apart. I have been impressed with the several sets I have built by JMBricklayer. The quality of the pieces, the detailed instructions, and the variety of models they offer is attractive to someone who enjoys constructing models as a form of recreation and relaxation. Plus their prices are often less than the big name brands for comparable products. They seem to be coming out with several new sets every month and often have sales on their website.
For more information on the Money Tree, visit the JMBricklayer website or their Amazon store. Be sure to watch for monthly sales at both sites to save even more.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a sample of this item for review purposes.
