LEGO explains scale changes to 21344 The Orient Express Train

The LEGO Group has explained why the design team completely changed the scale of the original submission for 21344 The Orient Express Train, citing a recent Wizarding World locomotive…

Director and screenwriter Thomas Lajon found success at the first time of asking through LEGO Ideas, as his Orient Express model rocketed to 10,000 votes and received the green light from the review board in October 2022. The finished model is now upon us in 21344 The Orient Express Train, but it’s changed more than a little on the way to shelves – not least in its size and scale, pulling back to make it compatible with regular LEGO rails.

By contrast, the original design pitched a larger locomotive with a single carriage, sitting on its own brick-built track. That’s essentially the same approach as last year’s 76405 Hogwarts Express Collectors’ Edition. But as early as the initial review process, the reception to that LEGO Harry Potter set steered the design team away from following in its tracks for the Orient Express – and towards maximum compatibility with existing LEGO set-ups.

“Once we approved the set we looked into it, and we saw a lot of the comments about the Hogwarts Express,” LEGO Ideas Design Manager Jordan Scott tells Brick Fanatics and other LEGO Fan Media. “And then we really just went, ‘This has to fit on the tracks because this is the most iconic train we could have made, so let’s aim for that change in scale. But let’s talk with Thomas first, let’s talk with the Orient Express.’ It made the most sense, in all honesty.

“If we wanted to do this with two cars and at [the scale of the Hogwarts Express], you’re doubling the price maybe. So we were very upfront with Thomas on the first meeting, like, ‘We’re going to change the scale, because we want this to make sense with everyone’s train collection. This is one of the most iconic trains in the world. If you can’t put it with all of your other LEGO trains, it would be quite a disappointment.’ He was on board with that, so that was really nice to have that feedback from him.”

It wasn’t just the reaction to 76405 Hogwarts Express Collectors’ Edition that helped to shape the direction of 21344 The Orient Express Train, however, but general community response to the results of the first 2022 review.

“There were a lot of comments on fan blogs and stuff when we picked this one, and a lot of people were hoping that the scale might change because it was so big,” Jordan adds. “So we listened. We care about what the consumers want, what the fans want. If we just ignored everything and just went in with our gut, we might not hit those beats, but for all the Ideas sets we look at what people are saying.

“Like, ‘Oh, we really like this, but we don’t like this.’ Okay, maybe we need to look into that. Or maybe we should change this. We really are responsive to feedback, and hopefully people appreciate that we take it on board.”

The lesson here is pretty obvious. Next time the LEGO Ideas team announces future sets – and the results of the first 2023 review should be right around the corner, based on previous years – you might want to consider making your voice heard somewhere on the web. You never know who might be reading, and what influence you might have on the design of those products…

21344 The Orient Express Train launches December 1 for £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99. Check out more images of the set here, and find more insights from Jordan over on our YouTube channel (or by hitting play above).

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