LEGO Ideas 21344 Orient Express visual tour and gallery

Grab your ticket for a ride on the most luxurious train of all time with our visual guide to 21344 The Orient Express Train, the latest LEGO Ideas set to depart from Billund.

Based on an initial concept by filmmaker Thomas Lajon, 21344 The Orient Express Train is one of only a few super-detailed LEGO trains, taking the same route as 10194 Emerald Night, 10277 Crocodile Locomotive and 10219 Maersk Train. It’s also the second such train to roll into the station in consecutive years, hot on the heels of last year’s 76405 Hogwarts Express Collectors’ Edition.

21344 The Orient Express Train differs from that LEGO Harry Potter set in one key way, though – as we’ll find out during our trip through everything the 52nd LEGO Ideas set brings to the table. Tickets, please…

LEGO Ideas 21344 The Orient Express Train build

21344 The Orient Express Train crafts its steam locomotive, tender, dining car and sleeping car entirely out of bricks, then pops them on a huge 116cm-wide brick-built display base that mimics regular LEGO rails. While piecing together that stand may conjure up memories of 76405 Hogwarts Express Collectors’ Edition’s part-intensive base, this one at least looks a little quicker to assemble.

The meat of the set will come in the train itself anyway, which includes fully-realised interiors for both its carriages, enough minifigures to populate the entire model (more on those later) and plenty of stunning dark blue elements. This will be a build to relish, perhaps while watching Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express…

LEGO Ideas 21344 The Orient Express Train scale

Did we mention a base that mimics regular LEGO rails? Yep: unlike 76405 Hogwarts Express Collectors’ Edition, 21344 The Orient Express Train is fully compatible with standard LEGO track. That represents a significant change from the model originally pitched by Thomas Lajon, but it was one of the first decisions the LEGO design team made when adapting his concept for the finished product.

The train does still come in slightly larger than many of its contemporaries at eight studs wide rather than six, but the set underwent rigorous testing to make sure it could still handle taking corners and manoeuvring around LEGO railways. The result is a model that could drop right into any minifigure-based LEGO city layout.

LEGO Ideas 21344 The Orient Express Train details

With 2,540 pieces in the box, 21344 The Orient Express Train is not short on details. Beyond printed elements for much of the exterior of the train (including the Orient Express logos), you’ll find most of those inside the two carriages, which are built out into a sleeping car and dining car respectively. That means beds, bathrooms, desks, a seating area, dining tables, a bar and plenty more besides.

LEGO Ideas 21344 The Orient Express Train new pieces

There’s some really neat part usage to discover in 21344 The Orient Express Train, from gold pens for the locomotive’s whistles to the Minions head piece recoloured in dark blue. But it also has its fair share of brand new pieces, too – best of which for train enthusiasts will be the new coupling rod piece, which offers a much stronger connection between the locomotive and its carriages.

The design team has apparently also achieved the clever sideways building technique for the carriage’s walls using a new element, but we’ll have to wait until we have our hands on the set to take a closer look at that one.

LEGO Ideas 21344 The Orient Express Train minifigures

While 21344 The Orient Express Train is not based on any particular pop culture appearance of the train (such as Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express), it does come with a full cast of characters inspired by archetypes associated with the train over the decades. As well as a conductor, waiter, porter and railway worker, the model includes a film director (in a nod to fan designer Thomas), scientist, writer – inspired by Adventurers alum Pippin Reed – and a Duchess. You’ll just need to add your own moustachioed Hercule Poirot.

21344 The Orient Express Train launches December 1 for £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99. Click here to check out even more images of the brand new set.

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