For over 15 years, the LEGO® Winter Village sets have provided an annual celebration of the festive period. The ever-growing range of sets is anticipated by those LEGO fans who like to use them to create yearly Christmas displays. The latest addition to the Winter Village Collection is the Holiday Express Train. This is the second time a festive train has been a part of the Winter Village range. The first was released in 2016, but the latest is very different, although they share some similarities. It’s also the first-ever widely available LEGO set to include a 3D-printed element. Grab your tickets, step aboard the Holiday Express Train and see if it’s worth adding to your 2025 Christmas displays.
Product Details
Set Name: Holiday Express Train | Set Number: 10361 | Pieces: 956 | Theme: Icons
Number of Bags: Bags x 6 + loose elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Characters: Minifigures x 4
RRP: £109.99/119.99€/$129.99/199.99AUD/149.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO Retailers from October 1st (Insiders) October 4th (General)
Railways have always had a connection to the holiday season, so much so, previous to this set, two other Winter Village builds have been tied to train travel. The latest is another steam engine, which is accompanied by a tender, a cargo wagon and a passenger carriage. The set also includes 16 pieces of curved track and a tiny passenger platform.
The focus of the set is the train, but before constructing it, the build begins with a tiny platform. This can be connected to the edge of the track. The 5×6 plate has just enough room to house a bench and a vintage streetlamp. The platform is not the only smaller build found in the set. You also build a small diorama which features a microscale village. This section can be mounted on the cargo carriage, but is also where you can display the set’s 3D-printed mini train.
3D-printed LEGO accessories have appeared before now, but this is the first to be widely available and appear in a retail set. The train features a selection of LEGO-compatible connection points, including rods to connect clip studs to the front and roof of the train, along with a hole within the chimney stack. It’s an interesting addition, but it doesn’t feel like a LEGO element. It especially looks a little out of place next to the usual brick-built minibuilds. Get a better look at the 3D-printed Train element here.
The train engine is a little bigger than the 2019 version, with the tube-shaped body of the engine longer. This means the wheels have had to be placed in a way to allow them to move with the curvature of the track. Unfortunately, this results in the wheels looking disconnected from the train. The front wheels include a simple mechanism which powers a rod inside the chimney stack. As the train moves, it causes the wisp of smoke to move.
A similar function is found on the first of the train’s two carriages. The one directly behind the tender features a large polar bear. The arms on the bear move as the train does, causing the bear to ‘ring’ the bell it’s holding. I can’t decide if I like the ‘unfinished’ eyes of the bear, but I think cartoony eyes wouldn’t be right, but black studs may have looked a little better. This carriage also includes a space to mount the mini village display, which features the 3D-printed train.
The final part of the train is a small passenger carriage. This has been built to look like a nearly wrapped present. Inside is enough room to seat two minifigures. The roof can be popped off for better access. This features a red ribbon detail, which I love. The red strip flows over each side of the carriage, with even a red window frame being used between a pair of gold ones.
The set includes four minifigures, which are once again fairly generic, especially the passengers. Although they do look all wrapped up and ready for the winter weather, it would have been nice if they were a little more festive. I do like the train guard; he has a great torso. The train driver also has a passing resemblance to the set designer.
There is enough track included in the set to surround most Christmas Trees comfortably. It’s also fully compatible with other LEGO train tracks and rail accessories. So if you’ve previously incorporated the 2016 Holiday Train and the 2017 Winter Village Station, the new train can easily be added and the track extended.
As with the previous Winter Village train, it has the ability to be converted with additional Powered Up accessories. These are not included in the box but are available on LEGO.com and other LEGO sets. The instructions feature the necessary steps you’ll need to follow to add the Powered Up items. The tender holds the battery box, and a powered wheel platform replaces the back set of wheels on the train. You can also add the Bluetooth controller, but you can use the Powered Up app or simply the on/off button found on the battery box. These are purely optional, but it’s quite fun to have a LEGO train rolling around your Christmas Tree. Required elements needed to power the train are: 88009: Hub, 88011: Train Motor and the optional 88010: Remote Control.
The Winter Village sets are always fun to see, and although we’ve already had a train, it’s been long enough since that was released to get another. Personally, I prefer the 2016 train. I’m not sure I’m a fan of the colour scheme used here; it was the same as last year’s set. Although the dark and light blue pairs well, especially with the added gold trim, it doesn’t feel very ‘Christmasy’. I do like that the set doesn’t have stickers. The train’s nameplates are printed, as is the engine number tile, which just so happens to be the set’s number. The LEGO Icons Winter Village Collection Holiday Express Train launches on October 1st for Insiders members and on October 4th for everyone else.
Coming Soon: UKIrelandUSCanadaMexicoGermanyFranceDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
