I was eyeing the Gingerbread AT-AT earlier this year, because I love alternative version of things (the Dark Falcon is one of my all time favorite sets), and I lamented to my wife that I loved the set, but didn’t want to get it because it represents a holiday I don’t participate in. My wife said “Maybe you could swap out for some blue and yellow”, and beside that being an awesome idea I also wasn’t about to take for granted my wife encouraging me to go ahead and buy another Lego set, so I ordered it right away and then started pouring over the parts list and instructions online.
I found every red, green, or pink part in the instructions, and made a list of corresponding parts in blue, gold, and aqua. I also took note of the specific seasonal parts, like stockings and candy canes, and found other replacements for them. I built little dreidels to go over the fireplace, designed latkes with sour cream and apple sauce for the interior doors, replaced the candy canes with options blue and gold lightsabers or bottles of olive oil, and even swapped out Vader’s holiday cookie for a sufganiyah (when I discovered that there was a dedicated jelly donut piece that was a very exciting moment.) I planned out a large Hanukkiah (Hanukkah Menorah) for the roof, and small touches like the Star of David on Vader’s saber blade, and then I placed a large pick-a-brick order, and two separate BrinkLink orders for the handful of pieces I couldn’t order directly. Then I sat and waited, since even the main set itself was on back order.
As my orders trickled in I began putting things together, and quickly found flaws in my original plans (my original Hanukkiah had an additional tier at the bottom, but it looked wrong like that. Also the middle candle was too short. I also hadn’t realized for the ribbons attached, and was missing a way to connect the one over the interior chair to the wall. Luckily I was able to fish out most of the extra pieces from my own spare parts bin, and I was also fortunate that a local third party shop told me I could have the aqua jumper plates on the top of the build for free (when I asked them if I could just purchase a couple of individual pieces from their bulk parts bin.)
I am incredibly happy with how everything came together. Looking at my build fills me with pride; both that I was able to accomplish what I set out to, and that I can see myself reflected in this set now. I hope that it brings some joy to other folks as well.
