LEGo Set #10245
This set has a few disappointments, but some great things too. It was much easier to build than the Winter Toy Shop, but without quite as much fun. Still, if you’re planning on putting together a LEGO Christmas display, then this set probably has what you’ll need.
First of all, let’s talk about Santa. How awesome is he? For some reason I love the Santa minifigure even though I realize it’s pretty generic. The hat and torso are both available in the Build-a-Minifigure bins. With the beard, you can’t even tell who Santa is, but regardless I love having a LEGO Santa!
Mrs. Claus was the first big disappointment. Perhaps being married to Santa Claus is stressful, or maybe she just needs to balance out his jolliness. The Mrs. Claus minifigure looks like a total grumpy Claus. She comes with two expressions: indifferent and upset. Her hair also has a hole in it for an accessory, but none is provided. So she just looks like she has a hole in her head.
Then we’ve got the elves. I was really happy with the variety. Each elf its own expression and torso. They all have elf hats, which include pointy ears to complete the elf look.
The reindeer look great, but Rudolph was missing! In all you get four adult reindeer to pull the sleigh and a baby reindeer that’s still in reindeer school I guess. I fixed the lack of a Rudolph problem easy enough by switching in an extra red peg for the brown peg nose on the baby. Now Santa can say to him, “With your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
I really liked the workshop itself. The upstairs is a bit cramped, but comes with a nice chair and several letters. The toy conveyor belt is a great looking piece of furniture and comes with a couple of little toys on it. And the decals are a nice touch, especially the picture of Santa and Mrs. Claus (still not smiling) on a summer vacation at the beach.
The sleigh looks great with several pearl gold pieces decorating it. The four reindeer attach to it, though their antlers sometimes get in the way of each other. And the sleigh itself holds several presents.
So overall it’s a nice Christmas set, but I could have been satisfied with the Winter Toy Shop and the smaller Santa’s Visit set. A better Mrs. Claus would have helped and I would like to have seen a little more in terms of toy building (more little toys, maybe some work benches).
Minifigures: Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, 4 Elves
Pieces: 883
Recommended Ages: 12+
Time to Complete: About 3.5 hours
Price: $69.95 on Amazon
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