Did you find my little Easter egg in the video? :) The LEGO 21344 Orient Express product page with all the details is here - racingbrick.com/product/21344-2/
I feel like Lego should already make a series/lineups similar to Speed Champions, but with train cars and locomotives, each one separate with just a corresponding piece of track for a stand. Those who would want to have bigger sets would order more, those who would just want the locomotive and a tender would just buy that. But it they could be releasing those train sets as often as speed champions if there were enough train fans to collect them.
in all honesty i'm busy with model railways one of the main driving factors being i didn't had a wide enough choice in trains nor able to get individual stuff from lego themselves. If they had that at the time i started model trains. i'd probably have giant lego layouts now instead of marklin.
That Is a genius Idea! Soo many cool opportunities from steamers to modern freight locos, also a bit off topic but we really lack some good lego ships anywhere from sailships to modern cargo vessels
@@jadran7953 in all fairness also gotta look what kinda market there is for too. My own train was a thing. Honestly some proper lego sailing vessels i'd be all for it. Sadly if the hardcore fans or the affordability is only for a compareably small group. I don't think it'll make the return lego needs. Doesn't take it away it's a damn sweet idea though and would be amazing to see.
@@MrAustinParrish For me it was the Crocodile, it was constantly out of stock every time I checked for about a year and then was retired. The Emerald Night does look pretty nice, but I have a couple MOC steamers I think look better, so I don't feel so bad about missing it. I do have the Maersk train, though it isn't complete, but someone gave it to me for free so I can't really complain.
@@scottthewaterwarriorI recommend getting crocodile online while you still can. It’s an amazing set and I wouldn’t be surprised if it skyrockets to emerald night level prices
Between the tender being powered-up ready, the locomotive's bulkiness, and the strange offset of the bushings on the driving rods, as though they were meant to be powered by bevel gears, it seems like abandoning motorization was a late decision, made after most of the set had already been finalized. I suspect we may have received a far more visually appealing locomotive had they made the decision earlier in development. Such a shame.
I wonder if the sales of the light house had anything to do with that decision. This train would have been $400 powered up. . Ugh . I would buy this if it were $220 US but not much more.
Yes, the offsets of the bushings were a strong clue that motorisation had been part of the plan, as well as the obvious placement in the tender for the battery. I can only assume this was a cost based decision. I wondered about the effectiveness of the traction from four tyred wheels on the loco. It may be on the limit given the weight of the coaches combined with the drag of the new style plastic axles. The metal axles on many previous models tend to run more freely.
That was a really interesting review. I think Lego tried to do everything with this train, and missed every mark. For the Lego model collector, the locomotive gives not that "aww" effect that you expect from a locomotive pulling such a luxury train. In your imagination, such a locomotive is a stean-powered dragon. The locomotive Lego provides is size-wise more of a lizard, i.e. it appears too cute, too toyish. Also those drive rods looks just horrible, very rough. As a toy train, the electric option is clearly missing. AFAIK, the Orient Express also had luggage waggons. Which means, it is enclosed and thusly ideal to put in the motor and such. For adult model collectors, Lego could create even a whole environment around that train. From separately available waggons to figure packs with appropriately clothed passengers and train staff, luxury horse coaches, luxury automobiles, a beautiful train station, etc. Modular stuff, you know.
Good analysis IMHO ! From the collector side, TLG missed the point because of the toyish look of the engine. Moreover, from the City/train addict they missed it too because of the huge difficulty - i would even say impossibility - to motorize the locomotive as we all saw how it is BIG bricks built and leaves no room for any lego motor. The tender is too tiny so not a solution. The only way to motorize this "hybrid" set seems to put Powerd Up unit AND motor(s) in one of the cars/wagons, thus badly raising costs, or building a special one without doors, as the 8 studs width is perfect for that, plenty of room here. Once again, TLG wants us to spend more and more money just to get it motorized, I am not buying 2 sets just for that ! they had to make choices I understand that but for me it is - sadly - a NO go. The set is much too expensive for a set that should have been a Creator one, not an Ideas/icons one. BIG marketing mistake IMHO ! ...but for collectors, it is a nice and average set to display though. Thx Balazs for the very pro and honest review, as always 👌👋
Glad someone mentions this. The bulky, elongated body and front flaps (smoke deflectors) of a high powered locomotive, similar to the original green one we see early on in the video, gives off a much more regal and powerful look. And the color scheme is atrocious too.
@@silvesterpeel5379 You don''t even need any too special parts for it. You can see two pipes along the top of the steam tank - you could clamp something like a droid arm onto them, have them end in 2-3 2x1 hinge part, clamp a flat 4xsomething piece onto it, and if you wanna be fancy, cover that with flat, glossy tiles. I don't know the names of these parts off the top of my head, but I hope you could understand what I said. Essentially like building two wings as smoke deflectors, and if you want to fix it in place you can connect it to the bricks at the bottom of the steam tank.
One of the biggest things I dislike is the monotone color scheme. The train being a different color from the passenger cars would feel much more interesting. And again, the loco itself feels quite small (or the passenger cars big). A shame if the licensing partners were responsible for the unappealing changes to the submission.
I think it would have helped if the locomotive was 2 studs longer, and a different color from the carriages, like dark grey, black, or dark green. You want a beast of a locomotive pulling this train.
@@gamerfan8445 The locomotive in itself doesn't look that bad. The problem is that the OE would never be pulled long distance with a locomotive like this, but that is what they are trying to convey in this set. And that's what is putting of rail fans.
2 studs longer or a narrower boiler. Colour wis i'm quiet fine with it. I work with trains as hobby restore real steam locomotives and so on. But the proportions are off to me. I like the tender but the engine itself is a let down. I don't mind it being a smaller engine due to having here in belgium CIWL coaches also been ins ervice outside of the orient express in those days same in france. Similare coaches just not named. For more loca international.
@@Hans-gb4mv OE was pulled along by some ratty old diesel locomotive when I went on it. Not sure that would have made for an interesting Lego build though.
11:49 the locomotive wasn’t just scaled down, they picked a completely different kind of engine! The original ideas submission was based on the SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line engine, the more famous engine as that version has been featured recently in the last Mission Impossible film and the last version of Murder on the Orient Express featuring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot. But the set’s engine looks more akin to the original Orient Express engine, I don’t know the kind or model it was but it’s certainly very similar. 13:25 I agree, it’s another miss from LEGO in a lot of ways. Doesn’t really satisfy train fans, doesn’t really satisfy play fans, doesn’t really fit the one off purchase/Icons category either like say the Concorde set. Much like the UCS Hogwarts Express, it doesn’t really know which market it is truly going for, although given the choice I think Harry Potter fans would’ve preferred a UCS Hogwarts Express that fits on regular track pieces like this set does, so maybe LEGO is learning! 😂 13:59 the issue seems not so much a lack of power as a lack of traction. They are plastic wheels as you say, and plastic on plastic is relatively low friction.
The Original submission was based on the French Pacific PLM 231 K 8, as you can see at 1:10 in the instructions, and it was also part of the original submission's description. Additionally, there's no "original" Orient Express engine, since this train used tons of different locomotives during its operations. The locomotives are even changed during a single travel in different countries.
One note about traction, lego trains are typically very light, so a bit more weight on the city loco should give it a bit more traction (also a band upgrade can be performed). I suspect also the layout of the engine wheels is to allow one to add gearing into it, as I've seen similar constructions for three-wheeled bogies before. One thing RB should try is adding some bands to the loco wheels and motorising that!
@@RacingBrickWhile you are correct that there was no original OE locomotive, putting something like a pacific design in front just feels much better. This train was build for long distance travel, and by the time the train had taken on its majestic form that many know and love today, you would put your best passenger locomotives in front of it, like a pacific type. But then again, you can find pictures of the OE being pulled by a 4-6-0 like the one in the set, but they should have given it a different color imho. It's rare to see dark blue steam locomotives and while the designers matched it to the carriages, there was no official OE loco.
I bought the mould king version that is true to the original design. You might not approve, but I also buy instructions of the moc even if not required. It fits on standard track and has huge driving wheels and comes motorized. It will only run on large radius curves which are supplied with the model. That is a beautiful model, but is huge an 10 studs wide but runs fine. It is much more a display piece I will probably get this lego eventually when it is on offer
Nice review Balázs! I believe the Easter egg is the Istambul-Sofia piece that was attached upside down. The incorrect stickers and the misspelled city names are ridiculous mistakes. Probably the QA folks were on break or something. Overall it is another expensive dust collector.
The train the original designer made is what i'd buy. The one Lego came out with is something I can pass on. At least as a person who only buys really interesting or special lego sets. Like Concorde or titanic
Regarding motorisation, yes the train would be quite heavy. However, if Lego had used the older style of metal axles in the bogies, that would be less of a problem. I have a very heavy train that can still be pulled with just four driving wheels. One trick that helps is to use a small drop of silicone based lubricant on the bearing points (I use lube sold for Rubik's cubes).
I also use silicon based lubricant on my LEGO trains with metal axles, some lightweight stuff meant for plumbing that I bought for water blasters. With lubricant added, my 4-6-2 can pull 5 passenger cars no problem! IDK how their weight compares, but I think my passenger cars are actually slightly longer then these too. Though all my steamers are tender powered, the 4-6-2 having two PF train motors as the tender bogies and about a full pound of coins added for weight to increase tractive effort.
A fastastic review, as always! 😊 I have to agree that this set doesn't seem to exactly meet the desires of any particular group of consumers: the engine bothers railfans, the lack of motorization bothers casual LEGO train fans, and the quality control issues concern everyone. Still, I plan to eventually build the carriages and display them with a different engine.
Yeah, even with the disappointing loco I was still thinking this would make a beautiful train to run around my Christmas tree... except that it doesn't run, and there's no point trying to push it around the tree when it's hard to access in the back. Guess I'll keep building my own trains for the tree, which really isn't bad tbh, it's a fun annual tradition.
Wow, this thing is a true beauty. I absolutely love the overall colors and design of this train, and the interior is super detailed, especially for this scale. I will consider getting this for myself, and I cannot wait to see your reviews for the January 2024 lego technic sets!
Sofia and Istanbul have been applied upside down 😉. Overall and disappointingly, the locomotive is clearly too small for the size of the wagons. Nice review!!
I'm happy to have another true steam locomotive set since 2009, however it's still a massive swing and miss from Lego. I do think the end result is quite nice and charming in it's own way, though like the majority, I would've much preferred the 231 K Pacific or something close to it. This set costs far too much for what you're getting, and couple that (pun unintended) with the lack of motor functions, issues of sticker misprints and spelling errors, this set unfortunately seems to have it's "need gone now!" clearance sale future set in stone. Lego has unfortunately released another shelf queen locomotive, that similarly to the UCS Hogwarts Express will inevitably sit and collect dust, which is the complete opposite of what people wanted from this set. I agree that this set doesn't particularly appeal to anyone either, the train nerds (myself included) are pretty disappointed and unsatisfied with the lack of motor functions and huge departure from the submission with a high cost, while the non train nerds no longer want it since they were hoping to run it around the Christmas tree. I mean, come on, $470 and it doesn't have a motor let alone instructions how to fit one? What's the justification for that when there are sets way cheaper that offer far more vaule for money like the Ecto 1 or Delorean? All in all this set is a huge blunder from Lego and Accor, the suggestion to focus primarily on the passenger cars making them borderline "promo material" was such a poor decision from the IP holder and I really wish Lego had tried to talk Accor out of that instead of bowing to their every whim as to appease them. I will sigh and still eventually get this set, but I'll definitely be waiting for it to come on sale before I do. It's such a shame lego dropped the ball on this one so badly, since they'll likely see the sale figures similar to the Croc locomotive as just another sign to not make more trains because they "don't sell well" when it's simply the fact that this set is both not what people wanted and way too pricey for _way_ too little. It's meant to be for "Adult Collectors" or AFOL and yet it's a toy like train next to the most realistic looking coaches Lego has ever released. A true shame, honestly..
personally i dont mind the smaller scale or locomotive change, i think the end result looks very nice and proportional. but the wrong stickersheet and mis spelling on printed tiles is pretty damning for a set with this much prestige and cost attached to it
The offset bushings on the axles could be a reference to Cranks on split axles for the valve gear and piston rods between the wheels. Yes this locomotive has piston rods on the outside, but some locomotives have additional pistons between the frames and wheels for additional power. Or sometimes the piston rods are on the outside and the valve gear is on the inside etc but I digress. The locomotive is based on a Bavarian s3/6 (without the trailing wheel) and that locomotive was known as a compound, meaning it had two more pistons between the frames- four in total. As such I believe this is what those offset bearings represent, albeit rudimentarily.
As a hardcore Lego train fan this is the most exciting train set in years maybe a decade. Best set since emerald night for sure. I can’t wait to day one this set!
I'm happy that there is at least a couple new parts for running gears which means hopefully more steam locomotives in the future. Even if the running gear in this set is very rudimentary. But honestly stickers, poor quality rails and the weird proportions on the train, this is a mess of a set for the price. This one needed more time in the oven to refine the locomotive design once they gave up on making it motorized.
I have things about the train I don’t care for, but the thing that bugs me the most is the fact that there is no hallway in the sleeping car. I realize it would compromise the aesthetics of the car, but it just bothers me as an IRL train fan
I had bent rails in the crocodile set. Got new ones from lego send. But those where also bent. The complete rails display is bent when placing the rails. (The left and right is standing in the air)
i guess just don't look too much into it and enjoy the building experience...use just one carriage if motorized and lastly, great video as always and very helpful in my decision to buy it, thank you
It’s a shame this set isn’t gonna make it into my collection anytime soon, but with without your informative review, I might have completely wasted my money on this set. Thank you for this guide
I run trains on the 9v track. My plans to motorize this set starts with buying two of them. I'll come up with a baggage car that will hold two 9v train motors and some traction weight. That will be sufficient to move the train and one or two more passenger cars.
I'm buying this thing. It will most likely be more expensive than the emerald night in the future, due to this set having two coaches instead of one. Also, this thing will be fun for me to push along on my Lego railroad whenever I feel like it, and then when I am done I can just put it back on it's special stand.
I personally think the set looks alright at best. The coaches are really detailed and are pretty realistic, but the locomotive is pretty simple. The locomotive looks alright but lacks the impressive details of the French Pacific from the original submission, I honestly wish they could've gone with that or any other irl locomotive that has hauled the Orient Express in the past. But other than my gripes with the locomotive, I really like this set.
There really is a lot to love on this set... though I wish they had stuck closer to the original concept... I absolutely love the color scheme they chose, though.
I have a custom train with two coaches that uses the old power functions to run even though the coaches don’t have an interior they are heavy because of the detail I have added the tender holds all the motors and just the motorized bogie isn’t enough and I’m working on putting a motor on the engine for the driving wheels so that it has two motors and twice the power I suspect that a similar solution could be devised to motorize this train too.
I think that Lego should take some inspiration from Cobi that recently started to do trains. They have from what I can tell quite impressive locomotives with wagons being sold separately
They have one stunning engine in couple of variants, but unfortunately it cannot turn on tracks. Except that TY2 is more of a model than a building Toy ( which Lego cleary is). Building Cobi is much more harder, painfull for fingers even. But the end result is nothing less than stunning. I did not get such emotion from Lego siince Green Grocer.
I don’t mind the design change or the lack of instructions provided by Lego for motorisation or any of that. For me the big issue is how absolutely mind-bendingly expensive it is. The price is 50% higher than Concorde and it only has a 25% higher piece count, while occupying a comparable volume of space. If we use Jang Bricks’ assessment of value by looking at how much ‘stuff’ you get, this thing can NOT be worth more than $230 USD.
I think the reason it had to be standard rail spacing compatible from legos side was all the fuss kiced up about the colecctors edition hogwarts express
nice video review, as you mention it isn't clear who this set is intended for. It is not a scaled or even detailed model of the real thing, and not a powered toy train. The cars are not correct for the same era as the locomotive, if you look at the original design you see how the roof of the cars should look like for that era. These are more like the present day OE cars pulled by a fictional locomotive. Lego should have just stayed with the original display idea with a French EST detailed locomotive and one very detailed car that was in correct scale. Regarding licensing there are several companies there that inherent the original orient express name, the closest one is the Venice Simplon-orient express (not the OE Lego partnered with). At the end of the day, they could have just removed the copyrighted badges/names to make a better product without licensing issues (similar to Titanic that's not a licensed set, it doesn't have the white star line flag)
7:24 Just a idea but alot of european locomotives used inboard valve gear, usually meaning the axles would have to have a eccentric lobe or crankshaft for it to connect to.
In all honesty, my feeling about this is “at least Lego is throwing us a steam train and they even gave us coupling rods” in all reality any Lego train modeler is going to modify the train how they see fit. That’s the beauty of Lego. Like for instance I personally would get some brick model railroader roller bearing wheels to lower rolling resistance and then motorization is much more possible. I think the locomotive is also pretty decent, it does look like a French 4-6-0. If you’ve ever seen the the movie The Train (1964) the proportions of the locomotives are similar.
Maybe I'm not a true LEGO train fan (or I'm just less nitpicky because I don't have a lot of knowledge about the real-life locomotives that pulled the Orient Express) but I am definitely putting this set on my wishlist! And besides, at the end of the day it's LEGO! If people want a better looking or more accurate locomotive surely there's nothing stopping them from modifying or straight up replacing it with a MOC!
I think people should take this as a lesson when it comes to LEGO Ideas. A lot of people are upset because they wanted the locomotive, but they voted for the Orient Express which is mainly about the carriages.
@RacingBrick Looks like TLG released an updated instruction book with correct city names. Hope the box and physical instructions were also corrected, as well as the tiles when buying a new set with production dates after CW4.
13:25 Just reminder: Istanbul and Sofia are upside down. For Australian viewers? 😀 13:49 The Crocodile Locomotive has a rubber o-rings on their wheels. Mayby this solution would have a better traction. Or put a little weight into the locomotive.
I’ve got some points that I think would make it kind of better: 1. Make a more realistic engine. That engine looks like, two to four studs short and looks like it would barely be able to pull it with the powered up functions. I dislike it. Make it a longer black engine with tender you can put a power box in. 2. I know it might be slightly expensive but give us single kits to make more cars with it. Two is nice, but come on, give us some more, like another sleeping bunk car from the movie, or like the Polar Express-like observation car where you can stand on the back and watch the snowy mountains fly past. 3. It would be nice to have a Hercule Poirot like character for a reference. I understand licensing might be hard but you can just make a character in a nice suit, a top hat, cane, white mustache, old man face, and name him “the detective” if you really don’t want that. 4. The logo could really be spiced up, it would be easy to change out the two sausages and the round piece to the original two fish and lion piece. I know they’re going for the modern branding, but it would make it look super nice either way. 5. You could also give us stickers if we don’t want to use the modern branding either, that way we have a choice. 6. Don’t make the set piece limit 3K, bump it up to something else and make your pieces cheaper so people will buy more of them, that’s just basic economics. But that’s all I can think of. I just really wish they changed the engine because I feel it brings the set down a bit. But whatever, I’m too broke to even buy it anyways. Just some criticism from a random guy on the internet, lol.
There were no observation cars in Europe in the Orient Express (that is a newer thing). However, the idea about the separated sets to expand the train would have been better. Or also better, sell the locomotive and one car, and after sell the additional cars (baggage, restaurant, more sleepers, pullman, etc). And also stations of Istambul, Wien, Budapest, Paris...
Still looks a bit tacky when you think about $300. $70-130 you can let that slide a bit. And especially when you have quality control issues right at the jump. We're talking about the Orient Express here back when people had a certain degree of class & sophistication.🧐
Would a Lego locomotive with 2 mothers be able to pull the Carriages? I have a modified emerald night with a powered up tender and was curious. Or would it be better to buy 2 orient express sets and turn one of the carriages into a baggage car and put mothers on that?
I think this set is for people who don't really care about the changes or didn't follow the original submission and just want a beautiful train to display. Personally, I think the final product looks more aesthetically pleasing than the original, with the consistent color scheme and cleaner locomotive design, but I think the original locomotive is more interesting and would have preferred it if they had scaled it down for this set.
In your last video you already explained why LEGO was maybe kind of forced into the compromise that this set seems to be. As a big LEGO and train enthousiast you would think that this set would be an instant buy but it is not. I was looking at your video's to maybe see some redemption, as sometimes a different perspectice can help sell a set and highlight the nice things that are missed. I also though of how it would look combined with the crocodile. That Crocodile was an instant buy and I still love it. I think if LEGO decided to go with the locomotive and have a generic wagon at the back it would have an instant buy as I love the original fan design.
Honestly i think lego should start making each year two things one is a big lego train set 250-300$/€ and then release like back in the day trains that are cut in different boxes and you can buy and build a train as you want for example the Santa fe is exactly what they should do
Just asking a small question, but with the right modifications and alternate stickers, could the new Lego Orient Express be converted into the Polar Express?
I am not a big Lego builder myself, but I do know that these types of trains always ran with a baggage carriage. Perhaps a 3rd carriage should be added and fitted with 2 engines
I don't really think this product represents the concept and idea that was suggested in the original ideas post. Even if they had to scale it down and change it a bit, this one is not where near a proper train set like the one suggested
This thing just makes me angry, Lego customers being sold out to corporate marketing interests for luxury brands. 3:37 and of course they did not correct the blatant spelling mistakes for București and München.
Idk how practical it is as I'm not familiar with the motorized parts, but I'm thinking if they had kept the original engine design, there might've been enough internal space to double up on the motor and possibly solve the inability to integrate the power functions perhaps?
@@frostedbutts4340 true, I guess it would need some unrealistic design to allow for extra rotations in the middle of the chassis or something in order to move through curves without derailing... that's got me thinking though, what if the battery box was hidden inside the engine instead, that way a completely additional motor could be integrated into the tender instead ?🤔
it looks like it might be a option to place 1 motor in the front of the passenger car and 1 underneath the coal tender with the battery box also in the tender.
I just finished building the Mould King variant. 3898 pieces for half of the price, motorized, lights, steam module and it really looks like the original. But hey, be happy with lazy typos, wrong licence (CIWL logo or nothing) and the minifigures!
The original design looked amazing, the eventual end product not so much. When I first saw this project I considered buying it but as it is now it's a hard pass.
Thank you for showing it can actually handle turns on a layout. Can you try pushing the train with two motors? I run a custom Lego Hogwarts Express with two motors
Let me start by first admitting that I know very little about steam engines and trains. I only know what I like and don't like. I am very disappointed with this Orient Express, #21344. After waiting several months for this set to be released so many things are wrong. I liked the original design of the locomotive I've seen in dark green. It looks bigger and beefier than this locomotive. This engine seems to be a childrens toy. It is too small for the set. The tracks don't line-up correctly which will make it hard to keep it on the tracks for anyone who does motorize it. It seems like everything was scaled-down in size. Was this just so that it would fit on Lego tracks or to make it more affordable? I have the Hogwarts Express and that is more like what I was hoping for. There is only one passenger car on the H.E. #76405, but it is big and beautiful! I think Lego tried to please all the different groups of fans, but did not make any of them really happy. Keeping the piece count down to make the price affordable is another mistake. With so many sets in the $300-$700 range, these big, expensive sets are clearly meant for adults with some disposable income. So why skimp and downsize? I think adults would buy it even at a higher price. (I know I would).
I wonder how long ago this set was actually approved and manufactured as the instruction booklet still references VIP and not Insiders. Either there is a very long lead time for printing instruction manuals or these sets were produced a while ago…
Would have loved if it was just the original engine (even if it was scaled down) and no wagons. But this set ends up very meh. They completely missed their target audience as you said
Luckily "Budapest" is spelled like that in any other language or they would have surely screwed that up as well and you'd be furious. It's almost tradition for Lego to misprint or do a big release with some sort of quality problem. If it's not color inconsistency, it's the wrong sticker color, or typos, or scratched windows, ... you name it. Most of the times a combination of all. "Only the best is good enough" and here we can say Orient Express stands for it too. :))
I think it is interesting that you picked up on the space in the tender being battery pack sized but missed what the alternating bushings under the locomotive represent. If you replace the bushings with small bevel gears and run stub shafts between the three axles, the bevel gears must alternate sides like the bushings to get all three axles rotating the same way. I wonder of the intellectual property owner was dissatisfied with the speed of the motorization scheme so Lego just suggests “it can’t be done”.
Interesting theory. However, why would you put so many gears inside? They just add friction. You only need to power one axle, because they're already coupled with those coupling rods on the outside.
![ประสบการณ์ จ้าง Developer ที่ผมจะไม่มีวันลืม [ภาค1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bzivN4KDg-k/mqdefault.jpg)
Did you find my little Easter egg in the video? :) The LEGO 21344 Orient Express product page with all the details is here - racingbrick.com/product/21344-2/
I don’t have my hands on the set, but the “rail” elements for the track might be in gunmetal gray :)
Names od 2 cities being upside down in one of cars?
@13:27?
Hey what sticker sheet is the metallic one I just got it and need the right one
I feel like Lego should already make a series/lineups similar to Speed Champions, but with train cars and locomotives, each one separate with just a corresponding piece of track for a stand. Those who would want to have bigger sets would order more, those who would just want the locomotive and a tender would just buy that. But it they could be releasing those train sets as often as speed champions if there were enough train fans to collect them.
I’ve been saying the same kind of thing, but with planes instead. I’m no plane or train fan, but it would be amazing.
I miss the days of "My Own Train". LEGO has taken a sharp downturn in it's content in the last decade or so!
in all honesty i'm busy with model railways one of the main driving factors being i didn't had a wide enough choice in trains nor able to get individual stuff from lego themselves. If they had that at the time i started model trains. i'd probably have giant lego layouts now instead of marklin.
That Is a genius Idea! Soo many cool opportunities from steamers to modern freight locos, also a bit off topic but we really lack some good lego ships anywhere from sailships to modern cargo vessels
@@jadran7953 in all fairness also gotta look what kinda market there is for too. My own train was a thing. Honestly some proper lego sailing vessels i'd be all for it. Sadly if the hardcore fans or the affordability is only for a compareably small group. I don't think it'll make the return lego needs. Doesn't take it away it's a damn sweet idea though and would be amazing to see.
Thanks for the review!
Well, 14 years later, still nothing beats the Emerald Night
That set is still my "one that got away" 😪
@@MrAustinParrishsame. that and the maesrk train (which isnt worth the price today)
@@MrAustinParrish For me it was the Crocodile, it was constantly out of stock every time I checked for about a year and then was retired.
The Emerald Night does look pretty nice, but I have a couple MOC steamers I think look better, so I don't feel so bad about missing it.
I do have the Maersk train, though it isn't complete, but someone gave it to me for free so I can't really complain.
@@scottthewaterwarriorI recommend getting crocodile online while you still can. It’s an amazing set and I wouldn’t be surprised if it skyrockets to emerald night level prices
@@backonpro5679 Just did! Snagged a used but complete one for $95!
Between the tender being powered-up ready, the locomotive's bulkiness, and the strange offset of the bushings on the driving rods, as though they were meant to be powered by bevel gears, it seems like abandoning motorization was a late decision, made after most of the set had already been finalized. I suspect we may have received a far more visually appealing locomotive had they made the decision earlier in development. Such a shame.
I wonder if the sales of the light house had anything to do with that decision. This train would have been $400 powered up. . Ugh . I would buy this if it were $220 US but not much more.
Yes, the offsets of the bushings were a strong clue that motorisation had been part of the plan, as well as the obvious placement in the tender for the battery. I can only assume this was a cost based decision. I wondered about the effectiveness of the traction from four tyred wheels on the loco. It may be on the limit given the weight of the coaches combined with the drag of the new style plastic axles. The metal axles on many previous models tend to run more freely.
That was a really interesting review. I think Lego tried to do everything with this train, and missed every mark. For the Lego model collector, the locomotive gives not that "aww" effect that you expect from a locomotive pulling such a luxury train. In your imagination, such a locomotive is a stean-powered dragon. The locomotive Lego provides is size-wise more of a lizard, i.e. it appears too cute, too toyish. Also those drive rods looks just horrible, very rough. As a toy train, the electric option is clearly missing. AFAIK, the Orient Express also had luggage waggons. Which means, it is enclosed and thusly ideal to put in the motor and such.
For adult model collectors, Lego could create even a whole environment around that train. From separately available waggons to figure packs with appropriately clothed passengers and train staff, luxury horse coaches, luxury automobiles, a beautiful train station, etc. Modular stuff, you know.
Good analysis IMHO ! From the collector side, TLG missed the point because of the toyish look of the engine. Moreover, from the City/train addict they missed it too because of the huge difficulty - i would even say impossibility - to motorize the locomotive as we all saw how it is BIG bricks built and leaves no room for any lego motor. The tender is too tiny so not a solution.
The only way to motorize this "hybrid" set seems to put Powerd Up unit AND motor(s) in one of the cars/wagons, thus badly raising costs, or building a special one without doors, as the 8 studs width is perfect for that, plenty of room here.
Once again, TLG wants us to spend more and more money just to get it motorized, I am not buying 2 sets just for that ! they had to make choices I understand that but for me it is - sadly - a NO go. The set is much too expensive for a set that should have been a Creator one, not an Ideas/icons one. BIG marketing mistake IMHO !
...but for collectors, it is a nice and average set to display though.
Thx Balazs for the very pro and honest review, as always 👌👋
Glad someone mentions this. The bulky, elongated body and front flaps (smoke deflectors) of a high powered locomotive, similar to the original green one we see early on in the video, gives off a much more regal and powerful look. And the color scheme is atrocious too.
@@horvathbenedek3596when I build mine I'm going to look at other models I've seen for smoke defectors. Hopefully I have the parts?
@@silvesterpeel5379 You don''t even need any too special parts for it. You can see two pipes along the top of the steam tank - you could clamp something like a droid arm onto them, have them end in 2-3 2x1 hinge part, clamp a flat 4xsomething piece onto it, and if you wanna be fancy, cover that with flat, glossy tiles. I don't know the names of these parts off the top of my head, but I hope you could understand what I said. Essentially like building two wings as smoke deflectors, and if you want to fix it in place you can connect it to the bricks at the bottom of the steam tank.
@@horvathbenedek3596 that's the thing I don't know what pieces I have to determine if I connect to the pipe or tile connect?
One of the biggest things I dislike is the monotone color scheme. The train being a different color from the passenger cars would feel much more interesting. And again, the loco itself feels quite small (or the passenger cars big). A shame if the licensing partners were responsible for the unappealing changes to the submission.
I think it would have helped if the locomotive was 2 studs longer, and a different color from the carriages, like dark grey, black, or dark green. You want a beast of a locomotive pulling this train.
Or try to make it look like a real locomotive.
@@gamerfan8445 The locomotive in itself doesn't look that bad. The problem is that the OE would never be pulled long distance with a locomotive like this, but that is what they are trying to convey in this set. And that's what is putting of rail fans.
2 studs longer or a narrower boiler. Colour wis i'm quiet fine with it. I work with trains as hobby restore real steam locomotives and so on. But the proportions are off to me. I like the tender but the engine itself is a let down. I don't mind it being a smaller engine due to having here in belgium CIWL coaches also been ins ervice outside of the orient express in those days same in france. Similare coaches just not named. For more loca international.
@@Hans-gb4mv OE was pulled along by some ratty old diesel locomotive when I went on it. Not sure that would have made for an interesting Lego build though.
The locomotive should be green & the carriages where originally a very dark brown with gold letters & pinstripes the whole set is wrong
Another great review. Not a huge fan of this set but really appreciate you going into detail so people can make educated purchasing decisions
11:49 the locomotive wasn’t just scaled down, they picked a completely different kind of engine! The original ideas submission was based on the SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line engine, the more famous engine as that version has been featured recently in the last Mission Impossible film and the last version of Murder on the Orient Express featuring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot. But the set’s engine looks more akin to the original Orient Express engine, I don’t know the kind or model it was but it’s certainly very similar.
13:25 I agree, it’s another miss from LEGO in a lot of ways. Doesn’t really satisfy train fans, doesn’t really satisfy play fans, doesn’t really fit the one off purchase/Icons category either like say the Concorde set. Much like the UCS Hogwarts Express, it doesn’t really know which market it is truly going for, although given the choice I think Harry Potter fans would’ve preferred a UCS Hogwarts Express that fits on regular track pieces like this set does, so maybe LEGO is learning! 😂
13:59 the issue seems not so much a lack of power as a lack of traction. They are plastic wheels as you say, and plastic on plastic is relatively low friction.
The Original submission was based on the French Pacific PLM 231 K 8, as you can see at 1:10 in the instructions, and it was also part of the original submission's description. Additionally, there's no "original" Orient Express engine, since this train used tons of different locomotives during its operations. The locomotives are even changed during a single travel in different countries.
One note about traction, lego trains are typically very light, so a bit more weight on the city loco should give it a bit more traction (also a band upgrade can be performed). I suspect also the layout of the engine wheels is to allow one to add gearing into it, as I've seen similar constructions for three-wheeled bogies before. One thing RB should try is adding some bands to the loco wheels and motorising that!
@@RacingBrickWhile you are correct that there was no original OE locomotive, putting something like a pacific design in front just feels much better. This train was build for long distance travel, and by the time the train had taken on its majestic form that many know and love today, you would put your best passenger locomotives in front of it, like a pacific type. But then again, you can find pictures of the OE being pulled by a 4-6-0 like the one in the set, but they should have given it a different color imho. It's rare to see dark blue steam locomotives and while the designers matched it to the carriages, there was no official OE loco.
Locomotive looks like the one used for short distance passenger trains not international express. Something based off on Emerald Star would be better.
@@jacekpietrzak445They changed locomotives at every border crossing, the distances weren’t that huge.
I bought the mould king version that is true to the original design. You might not approve, but I also buy instructions of the moc even if not required.
It fits on standard track and has huge driving wheels and comes motorized. It will only run on large radius curves which are supplied with the model. That is a beautiful model, but is huge an 10 studs wide but runs fine. It is much more a display piece
I will probably get this lego eventually when it is on offer
Nice review Balázs! I believe the Easter egg is the Istambul-Sofia piece that was attached upside down. The incorrect stickers and the misspelled city names are ridiculous mistakes. Probably the QA folks were on break or something. Overall it is another expensive dust collector.
The train the original designer made is what i'd buy. The one Lego came out with is something I can pass on. At least as a person who only buys really interesting or special lego sets. Like Concorde or titanic
Regarding motorisation, yes the train would be quite heavy. However, if Lego had used the older style of metal axles in the bogies, that would be less of a problem. I have a very heavy train that can still be pulled with just four driving wheels. One trick that helps is to use a small drop of silicone based lubricant on the bearing points (I use lube sold for Rubik's cubes).
I also use silicon based lubricant on my LEGO trains with metal axles, some lightweight stuff meant for plumbing that I bought for water blasters. With lubricant added, my 4-6-2 can pull 5 passenger cars no problem! IDK how their weight compares, but I think my passenger cars are actually slightly longer then these too. Though all my steamers are tender powered, the 4-6-2 having two PF train motors as the tender bogies and about a full pound of coins added for weight to increase tractive effort.
There is a motorisation solution in the trains section of euro ticks already. I'd love to see this in your next video to see how well it works.
I do love how this train can run on regular track and the coach design is very sleek. Keep up the good work in your videos!
A fastastic review, as always! 😊 I have to agree that this set doesn't seem to exactly meet the desires of any particular group of consumers: the engine bothers railfans, the lack of motorization bothers casual LEGO train fans, and the quality control issues concern everyone. Still, I plan to eventually build the carriages and display them with a different engine.
Yeah, even with the disappointing loco I was still thinking this would make a beautiful train to run around my Christmas tree... except that it doesn't run, and there's no point trying to push it around the tree when it's hard to access in the back. Guess I'll keep building my own trains for the tree, which really isn't bad tbh, it's a fun annual tradition.
Wow, this thing is a true beauty. I absolutely love the overall colors and design of this train, and the interior is super detailed, especially for this scale. I will consider getting this for myself, and I cannot wait to see your reviews for the January 2024 lego technic sets!
Sofia and Istanbul have been applied upside down 😉. Overall and disappointingly, the locomotive is clearly too small for the size of the wagons. Nice review!!
I'm not buing the "too heavy" excuse, Horizon Express was INCREDIBLY heavy by Lego standards and yet it STILL was motor-ready.
I'm happy to have another true steam locomotive set since 2009, however it's still a massive swing and miss from Lego.
I do think the end result is quite nice and charming in it's own way, though like the majority, I would've much preferred the 231 K Pacific or something close to it.
This set costs far too much for what you're getting, and couple that (pun unintended) with the lack of motor functions, issues of sticker misprints and spelling errors, this set unfortunately seems to have it's "need gone now!" clearance sale future set in stone.
Lego has unfortunately released another shelf queen locomotive, that similarly to the UCS Hogwarts Express will inevitably sit and collect dust, which is the complete opposite of what people wanted from this set.
I agree that this set doesn't particularly appeal to anyone either, the train nerds (myself included) are pretty disappointed and unsatisfied with the lack of motor functions and huge departure from the submission with a high cost, while the non train nerds no longer want it since they were hoping to run it around the Christmas tree.
I mean, come on, $470 and it doesn't have a motor let alone instructions how to fit one?
What's the justification for that when there are sets way cheaper that offer far more vaule for money like the Ecto 1 or Delorean?
All in all this set is a huge blunder from Lego and Accor, the suggestion to focus primarily on the passenger cars making them borderline "promo material" was such a poor decision from the IP holder and I really wish Lego had tried to talk Accor out of that instead of bowing to their every whim as to appease them.
I will sigh and still eventually get this set, but I'll definitely be waiting for it to come on sale before I do.
It's such a shame lego dropped the ball on this one so badly, since they'll likely see the sale figures similar to the Croc locomotive as just another sign to not make more trains because they "don't sell well" when it's simply the fact that this set is both not what people wanted and way too pricey for _way_ too little.
It's meant to be for "Adult Collectors" or AFOL and yet it's a toy like train next to the most realistic looking coaches Lego has ever released.
A true shame, honestly..
personally i dont mind the smaller scale or locomotive change, i think the end result looks very nice and proportional. but the wrong stickersheet and mis spelling on printed tiles is pretty damning for a set with this much prestige and cost attached to it
The offset bushings on the axles could be a reference to Cranks on split axles for the valve gear and piston rods between the wheels. Yes this locomotive has piston rods on the outside, but some locomotives have additional pistons between the frames and wheels for additional power. Or sometimes the piston rods are on the outside and the valve gear is on the inside etc but I digress. The locomotive is based on a Bavarian s3/6 (without the trailing wheel) and that locomotive was known as a compound, meaning it had two more pistons between the frames- four in total. As such I believe this is what those offset bearings represent, albeit rudimentarily.
I didn't know I was meant to hate this set until I engaged with the wider community, so I guess it's back to lurking
Great review, pretty underwhelming set. I would have paid more for something closer to the submission.
Seems to me like Lego really dropped the ball on this set. A definite miss from me!
Love the set. Will buy 2 looks great with lighting in it.
As a hardcore Lego train fan this is the most exciting train set in years maybe a decade. Best set since emerald night for sure. I can’t wait to day one this set!
LEGO needs to create a dedicated trains theme in 2024
I'm happy that there is at least a couple new parts for running gears which means hopefully more steam locomotives in the future. Even if the running gear in this set is very rudimentary. But honestly stickers, poor quality rails and the weird proportions on the train, this is a mess of a set for the price. This one needed more time in the oven to refine the locomotive design once they gave up on making it motorized.
Great review! In the next video please try to connect the Crocodile locomotive to the 2 cars of the Orient express and see if it will work.
The emerald night was the peak of Lego trains
Definitely gonna buy it
But just because i got a soft spot for steam trains😂😂
Very good review - thank you! 🙂
At this price level I have expected an exclusive print of the train attendant but not a generic "City"-train torso.
I have things about the train I don’t care for, but the thing that bugs me the most is the fact that there is no hallway in the sleeping car. I realize it would compromise the aesthetics of the car, but it just bothers me as an IRL train fan
Apparently the idea is that the people in the sleeping car just jump over the bed. This was a major mistake.
Brilliant review, I quite like the step by step insights into your building process!
Yup! Thank you for the video.
Petition for Lego to make a flying Scotsman set
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I had bent rails in the crocodile set. Got new ones from lego send. But those where also bent. The complete rails display is bent when placing the rails. (The left and right is standing in the air)
Interesting, my Crocodile display is mostly flat compared to the one under the Orient Express
I see you swapped out the green space age panel and made a new one, great choice and nice little Easter egg you slipped in there!
I thought wait a minute, something didn't look right there and when I went back and looked, sure enough, you changed it!
i guess just don't look too much into it and enjoy the building experience...use just one carriage if motorized and lastly, great video as always and very helpful in my decision to buy it, thank you
It’s a shame this set isn’t gonna make it into my collection anytime soon, but with without your informative review, I might have completely wasted my money on this set. Thank you for this guide
I run trains on the 9v track. My plans to motorize this set starts with buying two of them. I'll come up with a baggage car that will hold two 9v train motors and some traction weight. That will be sufficient to move the train and one or two more passenger cars.
i would rather have the original design than this one even if it was only a display piece
I'm buying this thing. It will most likely be more expensive than the emerald night in the future, due to this set having two coaches instead of one. Also, this thing will be fun for me to push along on my Lego railroad whenever I feel like it, and then when I am done I can just put it back on it's special stand.
Glad I went with the MOC
I personally think the set looks alright at best. The coaches are really detailed and are pretty realistic, but the locomotive is pretty simple. The locomotive looks alright but lacks the impressive details of the French Pacific from the original submission, I honestly wish they could've gone with that or any other irl locomotive that has hauled the Orient Express in the past. But other than my gripes with the locomotive, I really like this set.
There really is a lot to love on this set... though I wish they had stuck closer to the original concept... I absolutely love the color scheme they chose, though.
I have a custom train with two coaches that uses the old power functions to run even though the coaches don’t have an interior they are heavy because of the detail I have added the tender holds all the motors and just the motorized bogie isn’t enough and I’m working on putting a motor on the engine for the driving wheels so that it has two motors and twice the power I suspect that a similar solution could be devised to motorize this train too.
I think that Lego should take some inspiration from Cobi that recently started to do trains. They have from what I can tell quite impressive locomotives with wagons being sold separately
They have one stunning engine in couple of variants, but unfortunately it cannot turn on tracks.
Except that TY2 is more of a model than a building Toy ( which Lego cleary is). Building Cobi is much more harder, painfull for fingers even. But the end result is nothing less than stunning. I did not get such emotion from Lego siince Green Grocer.
Ive just bought the set and im waiting for it to get shipped so will hopefully have it soon
Why is the Sofia / Istanbul sign upside down at 13:27?
I don’t mind the design change or the lack of instructions provided by Lego for motorisation or any of that.
For me the big issue is how absolutely mind-bendingly expensive it is. The price is 50% higher than Concorde and it only has a 25% higher piece count, while occupying a comparable volume of space.
If we use Jang Bricks’ assessment of value by looking at how much ‘stuff’ you get, this thing can NOT be worth more than $230 USD.
I think the reason it had to be standard rail spacing compatible from legos side was all the fuss kiced up about the colecctors edition hogwarts express
3rd car could be postal or something with a beefy motor setup
nice video review, as you mention it isn't clear who this set is intended for. It is not a scaled or even detailed model of the real thing, and not a powered toy train. The cars are not correct for the same era as the locomotive, if you look at the original design you see how the roof of the cars should look like for that era. These are more like the present day OE cars pulled by a fictional locomotive. Lego should have just stayed with the original display idea with a French EST detailed locomotive and one very detailed car that was in correct scale. Regarding licensing there are several companies there that inherent the original orient express name, the closest one is the Venice Simplon-orient express (not the OE Lego partnered with). At the end of the day, they could have just removed the copyrighted badges/names to make a better product without licensing issues (similar to Titanic that's not a licensed set, it doesn't have the white star line flag)
7:24 Just a idea but alot of european locomotives used inboard valve gear, usually meaning the axles would have to have a eccentric lobe or crankshaft for it to connect to.
Now let’s hope Union Pacific partners up with lego and gives them their list of demands for their lego train,
heavy, Big, and, powerful.
In all honesty, my feeling about this is “at least Lego is throwing us a steam train and they even gave us coupling rods” in all reality any Lego train modeler is going to modify the train how they see fit. That’s the beauty of Lego. Like for instance I personally would get some brick model railroader roller bearing wheels to lower rolling resistance and then motorization is much more possible. I think the locomotive is also pretty decent, it does look like a French 4-6-0. If you’ve ever seen the the movie The Train (1964) the proportions of the locomotives are similar.
Maybe I'm not a true LEGO train fan (or I'm just less nitpicky because I don't have a lot of knowledge about the real-life locomotives that pulled the Orient Express) but I am definitely putting this set on my wishlist!
And besides, at the end of the day it's LEGO! If people want a better looking or more accurate locomotive surely there's nothing stopping them from modifying or straight up replacing it with a MOC!
I think people should take this as a lesson when it comes to LEGO Ideas. A lot of people are upset because they wanted the locomotive, but they voted for the Orient Express which is mainly about the carriages.
@RacingBrick Looks like TLG released an updated instruction book with correct city names. Hope the box and physical instructions were also corrected, as well as the tiles when buying a new set with production dates after CW4.
13:25 Just reminder: Istanbul and Sofia are upside down. For Australian viewers? 😀
13:49 The Crocodile Locomotive has a rubber o-rings on their wheels. Mayby this solution would have a better traction. Or put a little weight into the locomotive.
I’ve got some points that I think would make it kind of better:
1. Make a more realistic engine. That engine looks like, two to four studs short and looks like it would barely be able to pull it with the powered up functions. I dislike it. Make it a longer black engine with tender you can put a power box in.
2. I know it might be slightly expensive but give us single kits to make more cars with it. Two is nice, but come on, give us some more, like another sleeping bunk car from the movie, or like the Polar Express-like observation car where you can stand on the back and watch the snowy mountains fly past.
3. It would be nice to have a Hercule Poirot like character for a reference. I understand licensing might be hard but you can just make a character in a nice suit, a top hat, cane, white mustache, old man face, and name him “the detective” if you really don’t want that.
4. The logo could really be spiced up, it would be easy to change out the two sausages and the round piece to the original two fish and lion piece. I know they’re going for the modern branding, but it would make it look super nice either way.
5. You could also give us stickers if we don’t want to use the modern branding either, that way we have a choice.
6. Don’t make the set piece limit 3K, bump it up to something else and make your pieces cheaper so people will buy more of them, that’s just basic economics.
But that’s all I can think of. I just really wish they changed the engine because I feel it brings the set down a bit.
But whatever, I’m too broke to even buy it anyways. Just some criticism from a random guy on the internet, lol.
There were no observation cars in Europe in the Orient Express (that is a newer thing). However, the idea about the separated sets to expand the train would have been better. Or also better, sell the locomotive and one car, and after sell the additional cars (baggage, restaurant, more sleepers, pullman, etc). And also stations of Istambul, Wien, Budapest, Paris...
Maybe you coul try to put the battery box in the tender and put a normal train motor (City) where ths wheels of the tender we're.
It’s a shame about the loco not being anywhere near to scale but budget constraints are evident.
Still looks a bit tacky when you think about $300. $70-130 you can let that slide a bit. And especially when you have quality control issues right at the jump. We're talking about the Orient Express here back when people had a certain degree of class & sophistication.🧐
Would a Lego locomotive with 2 mothers be able to pull the Carriages?
I have a modified emerald night with a powered up tender and was curious.
Or would it be better to buy 2 orient express sets and turn one of the carriages into a baggage car and put mothers on that?
"The Sapphire Star name is a nod to the Emerald Night"
So just taunting us with a better set, huh?
Will buy two of this gorgeous set 👌👌with lights it will be fabulous. 10/10 for me.
I hope motorizing the cars with 9 volt motors help make the train go on its own
I think this set is for people who don't really care about the changes or didn't follow the original submission and just want a beautiful train to display.
Personally, I think the final product looks more aesthetically pleasing than the original, with the consistent color scheme and cleaner locomotive design, but I think the original locomotive is more interesting and would have preferred it if they had scaled it down for this set.
I'd buy that original Green loco you showed to go with my non real lego Big Boy.
So beautiful is this set .can’t wait to get it soon
In your last video you already explained why LEGO was maybe kind of forced into the compromise that this set seems to be. As a big LEGO and train enthousiast you would think that this set would be an instant buy but it is not. I was looking at your video's to maybe see some redemption, as sometimes a different perspectice can help sell a set and highlight the nice things that are missed. I also though of how it would look combined with the crocodile. That Crocodile was an instant buy and I still love it. I think if LEGO decided to go with the locomotive and have a generic wagon at the back it would have an instant buy as I love the original fan design.
Imma pass this one... hard. 😊
Honestly i think lego should start making each year two things one is a big lego train set 250-300$/€ and then release like back in the day trains that are cut in different boxes and you can buy and build a train as you want for example the Santa fe is exactly what they should do
Just asking a small question, but with the right modifications and alternate stickers, could the new Lego Orient Express be converted into the Polar Express?
So the way I see it is what you’re really paying $300 for is two nice train cars to put behind your Emerald Night, if you have one.
That locomotive looks incredible!
using a car door as a towel really makes my brain hurt. How would anyone came up with that lol
I am not a big Lego builder myself, but I do know that these types of trains always ran with a baggage carriage. Perhaps a 3rd carriage should be added and fitted with 2 engines
Only reason I’m not getting this is because I don’t have room for it. It’s a beautiful train!
That never stopped me. We will make room. . .
I don't really think this product represents the concept and idea that was suggested in the original ideas post.
Even if they had to scale it down and change it a bit, this one is not where near a proper train set like the one suggested
So Lego redesigned the locomotive so it can run on city tracks and didn't provide a motorized option? Huh?
This thing just makes me angry, Lego customers being sold out to corporate marketing interests for luxury brands.
3:37 and of course they did not correct the blatant spelling mistakes for București and München.
Idk how practical it is as I'm not familiar with the motorized parts, but I'm thinking if they had kept the original engine design, there might've been enough internal space to double up on the motor and possibly solve the inability to integrate the power functions perhaps?
The original engine design would have been awful for motorisation. It's super long with 0 articulation, so would run like crap on Lego's tight track.
@@frostedbutts4340 true, I guess it would need some unrealistic design to allow for extra rotations in the middle of the chassis or something in order to move through curves without derailing... that's got me thinking though, what if the battery box was hidden inside the engine instead, that way a completely additional motor could be integrated into the tender instead ?🤔
it looks like it might be a option to place 1 motor in the front of the passenger car and 1 underneath the coal tender with the battery box also in the tender.
Not worth it😅
I just finished building the Mould King variant. 3898 pieces for half of the price, motorized, lights, steam module and it really looks like the original. But hey, be happy with lazy typos, wrong licence (CIWL logo or nothing) and the minifigures!
Get a job 😅
The original design looked amazing, the eventual end product not so much.
When I first saw this project I considered buying it but as it is now it's a hard pass.
Thank you for showing it can actually handle turns on a layout. Can you try pushing the train with two motors? I run a custom Lego Hogwarts Express with two motors
Let me start by first admitting that I know very little about steam engines and trains. I only know what I like and don't like. I am very disappointed with this Orient Express, #21344. After waiting several months for this set to be released so many things are wrong. I liked the original design of the locomotive I've seen in dark green. It looks bigger and beefier than this locomotive. This engine seems to be a childrens toy. It is too small for the set. The tracks don't line-up correctly which will make it hard to keep it on the tracks for anyone who does motorize it. It seems like everything was scaled-down in size. Was this just so that it would fit on Lego tracks or to make it more affordable? I have the Hogwarts Express and that is more like what I was hoping for. There is only one passenger car on the H.E. #76405, but it is big and beautiful! I think Lego tried to please all the different groups of fans, but did not make any of them really happy. Keeping the piece count down to make the price affordable is another mistake. With so many sets in the $300-$700 range, these big, expensive sets are clearly meant for adults with some disposable income. So why skimp and downsize? I think adults would buy it even at a higher price. (I know I would).
Give 9v and maybe FX Bricks/Tracks a try, it is still the best lego electrical and train system.
It would run slow but if you use the right gears even a small motor would work for it
I wonder how long ago this set was actually approved and manufactured as the instruction booklet still references VIP and not Insiders. Either there is a very long lead time for printing instruction manuals or these sets were produced a while ago…
I think that the little wheels or something in the inside are the valve gear.
Would have loved if it was just the original engine (even if it was scaled down) and no wagons. But this set ends up very meh. They completely missed their target audience as you said
Luckily "Budapest" is spelled like that in any other language or they would have surely screwed that up as well and you'd be furious. It's almost tradition for Lego to misprint or do a big release with some sort of quality problem. If it's not color inconsistency, it's the wrong sticker color, or typos, or scratched windows, ... you name it. Most of the times a combination of all. "Only the best is good enough" and here we can say Orient Express stands for it too. :))
I think it is interesting that you picked up on the space in the tender being battery pack sized but missed what the alternating bushings under the locomotive represent. If you replace the bushings with small bevel gears and run stub shafts between the three axles, the bevel gears must alternate sides like the bushings to get all three axles rotating the same way. I wonder of the intellectual property owner was dissatisfied with the speed of the motorization scheme so Lego just suggests “it can’t be done”.
Interesting theory. However, why would you put so many gears inside? They just add friction. You only need to power one axle, because they're already coupled with those coupling rods on the outside.
A custom baggage or combine car could be added only in reality it holds one or two motors to move the train
How does the set, and building experience compare to the UCS Hogwarts set?