The best LEGO sets of 2016 – 10254 Winter Holiday Train

The Brick Fanatics team have been thinking back over the past year to select which LEGO sets stand out as the best of the bunch. Whether you are looking for a last minute Christmas present, deciding which LEGO set to treat yourself to, or just want to reflect on another LEGO year, enjoy this week-long look back at the best LEGO sets of 2016…

There has never been a better time to be a LEGO fan. With such a huge range of characters and themes, almost everyone will find something that appeals to them. 2016 alone saw an incredible range of sets available to consumers, so picking just one is a tricky task. After much deliberation, my pick is 10254 Winter Holiday Train from a theme that may only give us one set per year, but has grown from strength to strength since 2009.

Like many, I look forward to displaying my winter theme collection every year, excited in the knowledge that it will soon expand by one new and highly anticipated set.  After a bit of a controversial sore spot last year, with the re-release of the marginally updated 10249 Winter Toy Shop, the LEGO Group turned things around in a big way this year with the release of a new holiday train to adorn our winter villages.

It’s a set that can easily be enjoyed by all ages for play and display. Although not an especially challenging build, it allows plenty of room for creative modification should you wish. The overall colour scheme of red, green and gold creates a distinct Christmassy feel and looks seasonally vibrant once built. I was very pleased that the LEGO designers also included a full loop of train track so that you could display this around the base of a Christmas tree if desired.

Another reason I love this build is because it’s a perfect representation of what LEGO sets should be about. We all love minifigures, but it’s disappointing when you’re picking up a set purely because you need another Iron Man torso variant, despite a lacklustre building experience. While this set contains average minifigures (nice, but nothing to pop champagne over), the train itself is a fantastic build. My favourite part by far being the miniature steam train that actually revolves around the Christmas tree on the middle carriage when the train is pushed around the track. Such simple execution, but genius in effect. There are even additional instructions included to allow builders to add Power Functions and control it remotely

Whether  a fan of trains, of Christmas, or simply after an enjoyable set to build, this is one almost anyone would be happy to find underneath their tree. Wrapped or otherwise.

10254 Winter Holiday Train is a LEGO Store exclusive, available now – with a free exclusive Gingerbread Man minifigure, until December 20