Working LEGO Christmas ornament appeals to LEGO Ideas’ new direction

A functional LEGO Christmas ornament has cracked the 10K mark on LEGO Ideas, and – at just 575 parts – slots neatly into the platform’s new direction.

More than two years after creator United Bricks of America first uploaded it to LEGO Ideas, Holiday Village w/Train (Working) has crept past the 10,000-supporter goal, and will now progress to the third 2022 review. Built in microscale on a circular base, the seasonal scene depicts a train running through a snowy LEGO vista, with buildings reminiscent of 10270 Bookshop and 10218 Pet Shop’s townhouses.

The train is apparently mechanised, and can be activated with ‘the flick of a finger’. In a recent update to the project, United Bricks of America clarified that the train is attached to a turntable in the centre of the build, which pivots on its centre point. The model has been designed digitally, however, so the builder concedes that this mechanism works ‘in theory’.

Either way, that’s probably not the biggest selling point of this charming ornament: instead, it’s how well it gels with LEGO Ideas’ new direction for 2023 and beyond.

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For the past few years, LEGO Ideas sets below 1,000 pieces have typically been the preserve of gifts-with-purchase, like 40533 Cosmic Cardboard Adventure and 40566 Ray the Castaway. In fact, the last Ideas set to come in at a three-figure piece count was 21321 International Space Station in early 2020: all 16 regular retail sets that have followed have soared above 1,000 bricks.

That’s all about to change, as three of the four projects given the green light in the record-breaking first 2022 review are small, affordable and accessible ideas. LEGO Insects, Tales of the Space Age and Polaroid OneStep SX-70 should all offer cheaper entry points into the Ideas theme – and that’s where United Bricks of America’s 575-piece ornament could fit in perfectly.

The LEGO Group does already produce its own seasonal builds, of course, including plenty anchored around Christmas, which might hinder its chances in the third 2022 review. For now, it joins 31 other projects in contention in this round.

Holiday Village w/Train (Working)
Wallace & Gromit
The Alpine Refuge
Mechanical Flip Clock  
The Clock Tower Park   
Jack Skellington’s House   
Lover House   
Cat   
House of Open Shutters   
Modular Arcade   
Jaws   
LEGO Zoo   
The Old Western Train Station     
The Neverending Story (40th Anniversary)      
Community      
The Architect’s House      
London Underground        
Sewer Heroes: Fighting the Fatberg       
Cipher Machine       
Golden Clifftop Temple       
JWST       
Classic Thunderbirds       
The Wright Flyer       
BOTW Temple of Time       
Pixar’s Up House with Balloons       
The Travel Suitcase       
Japanese Courtyard Garden       
The Lost City        
Pac-Man Moving Display        
Castle Dracula        
This Is Fine        
Ancient Roman Temple

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