Did you find my little Easter egg in the video? :) The LEGO 21344 Orient Express product page with all the details is here - racingbrick.com/product/21344-2/

I feel like Lego should already make a series/lineups similar to Speed Champions, but with train cars and locomotives, each one separate with just a corresponding piece of track for a stand. Those who would want to have bigger sets would order more, those who would just want the locomotive and a tender would just buy that. But it they could be releasing those train sets as often as speed champions if there were enough train fans to collect them.

Between the tender being powered-up ready, the locomotive's bulkiness, and the strange offset of the bushings on the driving rods, as though they were meant to be powered by bevel gears, it seems like abandoning motorization was a late decision, made after most of the set had already been finalized. I suspect we may have received a far more visually appealing locomotive had they made the decision earlier in development. Such a shame.

Thanks for the review! Well, 14 years later, still nothing beats the Emerald Night

That was a really interesting review. I think Lego tried to do everything with this train, and missed every mark. For the Lego model collector, the locomotive gives not that "aww" effect that you expect from a locomotive pulling such a luxury train. In your imagination, such a locomotive is a stean-powered dragon. The locomotive Lego provides is size-wise more of a lizard, i.e. it appears too cute, too toyish. Also those drive rods looks just horrible, very rough. As a toy train, the electric option is clearly missing. AFAIK, the Orient Express also had luggage waggons. Which means, it is enclosed and thusly ideal to put in the motor and such. For adult model collectors, Lego could create even a whole environment around that train. From separately available waggons to figure packs with appropriately clothed passengers and train staff, luxury horse coaches, luxury automobiles, a beautiful train station, etc. Modular stuff, you know.

One of the biggest things I dislike is the monotone color scheme. The train being a different color from the passenger cars would feel much more interesting. And again, the loco itself feels quite small (or the passenger cars big). A shame if the licensing partners were responsible for the unappealing changes to the submission.

I think it would have helped if the locomotive was 2 studs longer, and a different color from the carriages, like dark grey, black, or dark green. You want a beast of a locomotive pulling this train.

The train the original designer made is what i'd buy. The one Lego came out with is something I can pass on. At least as a person who only buys really interesting or special lego sets. Like Concorde or titanic

Regarding motorisation, yes the train would be quite heavy. However, if Lego had used the older style of metal axles in the bogies, that would be less of a problem. I have a very heavy train that can still be pulled with just four driving wheels. One trick that helps is to use a small drop of silicone based lubricant on the bearing points (I use lube sold for Rubik's cubes).

11:49 the locomotive wasn’t just scaled down, they picked a completely different kind of engine! The original ideas submission was based on the SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line engine, the more famous engine as that version has been featured recently in the last Mission Impossible film and the last version of Murder on the Orient Express featuring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot. But the set’s engine looks more akin to the original Orient Express engine, I don’t know the kind or model it was but it’s certainly very similar. 13:25 I agree, it’s another miss from LEGO in a lot of ways. Doesn’t really satisfy train fans, doesn’t really satisfy play fans, doesn’t really fit the one off purchase/Icons category either like say the Concorde set. Much like the UCS Hogwarts Express, it doesn’t really know which market it is truly going for, although given the choice I think Harry Potter fans would’ve preferred a UCS Hogwarts Express that fits on regular track pieces like this set does, so maybe LEGO is learning! 😂 13:59 the issue seems not so much a lack of power as a lack of traction. They are plastic wheels as you say, and plastic on plastic is relatively low friction.

I bought the mould king version that is true to the original design. You might not approve, but I also buy instructions of the moc even if not required. It fits on standard track and has huge driving wheels and comes motorized. It will only run on large radius curves which are supplied with the model. That is a beautiful model, but is huge an 10 studs wide but runs fine. It is much more a display piece I will probably get this lego eventually when it is on offer

Nice review Balázs! I believe the Easter egg is the Istambul-Sofia piece that was attached upside down. The incorrect stickers and the misspelled city names are ridiculous mistakes. Probably the QA folks were on break or something. Overall it is another expensive dust collector.

Another great review. Not a huge fan of this set but really appreciate you going into detail so people can make educated purchasing decisions

There is a motorisation solution in the trains section of euro ticks already. I'd love to see this in your next video to see how well it works.

I didn't know I was meant to hate this set until I engaged with the wider community, so I guess it's back to lurking

A fastastic review, as always! 😊 I have to agree that this set doesn't seem to exactly meet the desires of any particular group of consumers: the engine bothers railfans, the lack of motorization bothers casual LEGO train fans, and the quality control issues concern everyone. Still, I plan to eventually build the carriages and display them with a different engine.

I'm happy to have another true steam locomotive set since 2009, however it's still a massive swing and miss from Lego. I do think the end result is quite nice and charming in it's own way, though like the majority, I would've much preferred the 231 K Pacific or something close to it. This set costs far too much for what you're getting, and couple that (pun unintended) with the lack of motor functions, issues of sticker misprints and spelling errors, this set unfortunately seems to have it's "need gone now!" clearance sale future set in stone. Lego has unfortunately released another shelf queen locomotive, that similarly to the UCS Hogwarts Express will inevitably sit and collect dust, which is the complete opposite of what people wanted from this set. I agree that this set doesn't particularly appeal to anyone either, the train nerds (myself included) are pretty disappointed and unsatisfied with the lack of motor functions and huge departure from the submission with a high cost, while the non train nerds no longer want it since they were hoping to run it around the Christmas tree. I mean, come on, $470 and it doesn't have a motor let alone instructions how to fit one? What's the justification for that when there are sets way cheaper that offer far more vaule for money like the Ecto 1 or Delorean? All in all this set is a huge blunder from Lego and Accor, the suggestion to focus primarily on the passenger cars making them borderline "promo material" was such a poor decision from the IP holder and I really wish Lego had tried to talk Accor out of that instead of bowing to their every whim as to appease them. I will sigh and still eventually get this set, but I'll definitely be waiting for it to come on sale before I do. It's such a shame lego dropped the ball on this one so badly, since they'll likely see the sale figures similar to the Croc locomotive as just another sign to not make more trains because they "don't sell well" when it's simply the fact that this set is both not what people wanted and way too pricey for _way_ too little. It's meant to be for "Adult Collectors" or AFOL and yet it's a toy like train next to the most realistic looking coaches Lego has ever released. A true shame, honestly..

I do love how this train can run on regular track and the coach design is very sleek. Keep up the good work in your videos!

Sofia and Istanbul have been applied upside down 😉. Overall and disappointingly, the locomotive is clearly too small for the size of the wagons. Nice review!!

personally i dont mind the smaller scale or locomotive change, i think the end result looks very nice and proportional. but the wrong stickersheet and mis spelling on printed tiles is pretty damning for a set with this much prestige and cost attached to it

The offset bushings on the axles could be a reference to Cranks on split axles for the valve gear and piston rods between the wheels. Yes this locomotive has piston rods on the outside, but some locomotives have additional pistons between the frames and wheels for additional power. Or sometimes the piston rods are on the outside and the valve gear is on the inside etc but I digress. The locomotive is based on a Bavarian s3/6 (without the trailing wheel) and that locomotive was known as a compound, meaning it had two more pistons between the frames- four in total. As such I believe this is what those offset bearings represent, albeit rudimentarily.

Wow, this thing is a true beauty. I absolutely love the overall colors and design of this train, and the interior is super detailed, especially for this scale. I will consider getting this for myself, and I cannot wait to see your reviews for the January 2024 lego technic sets!

Great review, pretty underwhelming set. I would have paid more for something closer to the submission.

Brilliant review, I quite like the step by step insights into your building process!

Seems to me like Lego really dropped the ball on this set. A definite miss from me!

Yup! Thank you for the video.

Love the set. Will buy 2 looks great with lighting in it.

I'm happy that there is at least a couple new parts for running gears which means hopefully more steam locomotives in the future. Even if the running gear in this set is very rudimentary. But honestly stickers, poor quality rails and the weird proportions on the train, this is a mess of a set for the price. This one needed more time in the oven to refine the locomotive design once they gave up on making it motorized.

As a hardcore Lego train fan this is the most exciting train set in years maybe a decade. Best set since emerald night for sure. I can’t wait to day one this set!

Great review! In the next video please try to connect the Crocodile locomotive to the 2 cars of the Orient express and see if it will work.

Definitely gonna buy it

Very good review - thank you! 🙂 At this price level I have expected an exclusive print of the train attendant but not a generic "City"-train torso.

Petition for Lego to make a flying Scotsman set :

I had bent rails in the crocodile set. Got new ones from lego send. But those where also bent. The complete rails display is bent when placing the rails. (The left and right is standing in the air)

Why is the Sofia / Istanbul sign upside down at 13:27?

I'm not buing the "too heavy" excuse, Horizon Express was INCREDIBLY heavy by Lego standards and yet it STILL was motor-ready.

The emerald night was the peak of Lego trains

Glad I went with the MOC

I have a custom train with two coaches that uses the old power functions to run even though the coaches don’t have an interior they are heavy because of the detail I have added the tender holds all the motors and just the motorized bogie isn’t enough and I’m working on putting a motor on the engine for the driving wheels so that it has two motors and twice the power I suspect that a similar solution could be devised to motorize this train too.

I run trains on the 9v track. My plans to motorize this set starts with buying two of them. I'll come up with a baggage car that will hold two 9v train motors and some traction weight. That will be sufficient to move the train and one or two more passenger cars.

Ive just bought the set and im waiting for it to get shipped so will hopefully have it soon

I personally think the set looks alright at best. The coaches are really detailed and are pretty realistic, but the locomotive is pretty simple. The locomotive looks alright but lacks the impressive details of the French Pacific from the original submission, I honestly wish they could've gone with that or any other irl locomotive that has hauled the Orient Express in the past. But other than my gripes with the locomotive, I really like this set.

It’s a shame this set isn’t gonna make it into my collection anytime soon, but with without your informative review, I might have completely wasted my money on this set. Thank you for this guide

LEGO needs to create a dedicated trains theme in 2024

i guess just don't look too much into it and enjoy the building experience...use just one carriage if motorized and lastly, great video as always and very helpful in my decision to buy it, thank you

I see you swapped out the green space age panel and made a new one, great choice and nice little Easter egg you slipped in there!

i would rather have the original design than this one even if it was only a display piece

Maybe I'm not a true LEGO train fan (or I'm just less nitpicky because I don't have a lot of knowledge about the real-life locomotives that pulled the Orient Express) but I am definitely putting this set on my wishlist! And besides, at the end of the day it's LEGO! If people want a better looking or more accurate locomotive surely there's nothing stopping them from modifying or straight up replacing it with a MOC!

7:24 Just a idea but alot of european locomotives used inboard valve gear, usually meaning the axles would have to have a eccentric lobe or crankshaft for it to connect to.

nice video review, as you mention it isn't clear who this set is intended for. It is not a scaled or even detailed model of the real thing, and not a powered toy train. The cars are not correct for the same era as the locomotive, if you look at the original design you see how the roof of the cars should look like for that era. These are more like the present day OE cars pulled by a fictional locomotive. Lego should have just stayed with the original display idea with a French EST detailed locomotive and one very detailed car that was in correct scale. Regarding licensing there are several companies there that inherent the original orient express name, the closest one is the Venice Simplon-orient express (not the OE Lego partnered with). At the end of the day, they could have just removed the copyrighted badges/names to make a better product without licensing issues (similar to Titanic that's not a licensed set, it doesn't have the white star line flag)

I have things about the train I don’t care for, but the thing that bugs me the most is the fact that there is no hallway in the sleeping car. I realize it would compromise the aesthetics of the car, but it just bothers me as an IRL train fan

So beautiful is this set .can’t wait to get it soon

3rd car could be postal or something with a beefy motor setup

@RacingBrick Looks like TLG released an updated instruction book with correct city names. Hope the box and physical instructions were also corrected, as well as the tiles when buying a new set with production dates after CW4.

I don’t mind the design change or the lack of instructions provided by Lego for motorisation or any of that. For me the big issue is how absolutely mind-bendingly expensive it is. The price is 50% higher than Concorde and it only has a 25% higher piece count, while occupying a comparable volume of space. If we use Jang Bricks’ assessment of value by looking at how much ‘stuff’ you get, this thing can NOT be worth more than $230 USD.

Maybe you coul try to put the battery box in the tender and put a normal train motor (City) where ths wheels of the tender we're.

I think the reason it had to be standard rail spacing compatible from legos side was all the fuss kiced up about the colecctors edition hogwarts express

Thank you for showing it can actually handle turns on a layout. Can you try pushing the train with two motors? I run a custom Lego Hogwarts Express with two motors

There really is a lot to love on this set... though I wish they had stuck closer to the original concept... I absolutely love the color scheme they chose, though.

Would a Lego locomotive with 2 mothers be able to pull the Carriages? I have a modified emerald night with a powered up tender and was curious. Or would it be better to buy 2 orient express sets and turn one of the carriages into a baggage car and put mothers on that?

I think that Lego should take some inspiration from Cobi that recently started to do trains. They have from what I can tell quite impressive locomotives with wagons being sold separately

It’s a shame about the loco not being anywhere near to scale but budget constraints are evident.

it looks like it might be a option to place 1 motor in the front of the passenger car and 1 underneath the coal tender with the battery box also in the tender.

Imma pass this one... hard. 😊

The locomotive is the wrong configuration in the original it is a 4-6-2 however in the lego its a 4-6-0 its missing the trailing wheels

Just asking a small question, but with the right modifications and alternate stickers, could the new Lego Orient Express be converted into the Polar Express?

13:25 Just reminder: Istanbul and Sofia are upside down. For Australian viewers? 😀 13:49 The Crocodile Locomotive has a rubber o-rings on their wheels. Mayby this solution would have a better traction. Or put a little weight into the locomotive.

In your last video you already explained why LEGO was maybe kind of forced into the compromise that this set seems to be. As a big LEGO and train enthousiast you would think that this set would be an instant buy but it is not. I was looking at your video's to maybe see some redemption, as sometimes a different perspectice can help sell a set and highlight the nice things that are missed. I also though of how it would look combined with the crocodile. That Crocodile was an instant buy and I still love it. I think if LEGO decided to go with the locomotive and have a generic wagon at the back it would have an instant buy as I love the original fan design.

I'm really torn on this one! I WANT to love it so much, but... without powered up it feels a bit static but I do like how much detail is in the passenger cars and I get how that weight causes some of the other issues. Maybe a double points weekend or amazon discount buy.

I think people should take this as a lesson when it comes to LEGO Ideas. A lot of people are upset because they wanted the locomotive, but they voted for the Orient Express which is mainly about the carriages.

I wonder how long ago this set was actually approved and manufactured as the instruction booklet still references VIP and not Insiders. Either there is a very long lead time for printing instruction manuals or these sets were produced a while ago…

I’ve got some points that I think would make it kind of better: 1. Make a more realistic engine. That engine looks like, two to four studs short and looks like it would barely be able to pull it with the powered up functions. I dislike it. Make it a longer black engine with tender you can put a power box in. 2. I know it might be slightly expensive but give us single kits to make more cars with it. Two is nice, but come on, give us some more, like another sleeping bunk car from the movie, or like the Polar Express-like observation car where you can stand on the back and watch the snowy mountains fly past. 3. It would be nice to have a Hercule Poirot like character for a reference. I understand licensing might be hard but you can just make a character in a nice suit, a top hat, cane, white mustache, old man face, and name him “the detective” if you really don’t want that. 4. The logo could really be spiced up, it would be easy to change out the two sausages and the round piece to the original two fish and lion piece. I know they’re going for the modern branding, but it would make it look super nice either way. 5. You could also give us stickers if we don’t want to use the modern branding either, that way we have a choice. 6. Don’t make the set piece limit 3K, bump it up to something else and make your pieces cheaper so people will buy more of them, that’s just basic economics. But that’s all I can think of. I just really wish they changed the engine because I feel it brings the set down a bit. But whatever, I’m too broke to even buy it anyways. Just some criticism from a random guy on the internet, lol.

I am not a big Lego builder myself, but I do know that these types of trains always ran with a baggage carriage. Perhaps a 3rd carriage should be added and fitted with 2 engines

I think that the little wheels or something in the inside are the valve gear.

I'd buy that original Green loco you showed to go with my non real lego Big Boy.

Idk how practical it is as I'm not familiar with the motorized parts, but I'm thinking if they had kept the original engine design, there might've been enough internal space to double up on the motor and possibly solve the inability to integrate the power functions perhaps?

Give 9v and maybe FX Bricks/Tracks a try, it is still the best lego electrical and train system.

Now let’s hope Union Pacific partners up with lego and gives them their list of demands for their lego train, heavy, Big, and, powerful.

I hope motorizing the cars with 9 volt motors help make the train go on its own

Not worth it😅

In all honesty, my feeling about this is “at least Lego is throwing us a steam train and they even gave us coupling rods” in all reality any Lego train modeler is going to modify the train how they see fit. That’s the beauty of Lego. Like for instance I personally would get some brick model railroader roller bearing wheels to lower rolling resistance and then motorization is much more possible. I think the locomotive is also pretty decent, it does look like a French 4-6-0. If you’ve ever seen the the movie The Train (1964) the proportions of the locomotives are similar.

I'm buying this thing. It will most likely be more expensive than the emerald night in the future, due to this set having two coaches instead of one. Also, this thing will be fun for me to push along on my Lego railroad whenever I feel like it, and then when I am done I can just put it back on it's special stand.

I think this set is for people who don't really care about the changes or didn't follow the original submission and just want a beautiful train to display. Personally, I think the final product looks more aesthetically pleasing than the original, with the consistent color scheme and cleaner locomotive design, but I think the original locomotive is more interesting and would have preferred it if they had scaled it down for this set.

is it possible to pull the two carriages with a city locomotive because the carriages are the orient Express and local engines pulled it

So the way I see it is what you’re really paying $300 for is two nice train cars to put behind your Emerald Night, if you have one.

So Lego redesigned the locomotive so it can run on city tracks and didn't provide a motorized option? Huh?

Still looks a bit tacky when you think about $300. $70-130 you can let that slide a bit. And especially when you have quality control issues right at the jump. We're talking about the Orient Express here back when people had a certain degree of class & sophistication.🧐

I think it is interesting that you picked up on the space in the tender being battery pack sized but missed what the alternating bushings under the locomotive represent. If you replace the bushings with small bevel gears and run stub shafts between the three axles, the bevel gears must alternate sides like the bushings to get all three axles rotating the same way. I wonder of the intellectual property owner was dissatisfied with the speed of the motorization scheme so Lego just suggests “it can’t be done”.

It would run slow but if you use the right gears even a small motor would work for it

using a car door as a towel really makes my brain hurt. How would anyone came up with that lol

love this and lego certainly tried to get the colour right compared the real train carriages ,not sure on the engine though think it should have been a bit bigger and a different colour.The wrong sticker set is bit of a stuff up on legos part and pretty poor ,and as for the stickers i think they could have printed most of them i certainly would have paid that little bit more for that.I think they have done a alright job of it and will most likely get it to go along with the hogwarts train.Great review keep up the work!!!👍👍

How does the set, and building experience compare to the UCS Hogwarts set?

Honestly i think lego should start making each year two things one is a big lego train set 250-300$/€ and then release like back in the day trains that are cut in different boxes and you can buy and build a train as you want for example the Santa fe is exactly what they should do

Maybe try motorizing it with a BuWizz brick

A custom baggage or combine car could be added only in reality it holds one or two motors to move the train

@3:45 there is one more mistake. İSTANBUL not ISTANBUL in local language. But Im not sure which one is written on the original train.

13:28 Did you leave the tile that says "Sofia" and "Istanbul" upside-down on purpose just to annoy me?

I'm kinda temped to buy two of these so I could have 4 passenger cars and the parts to build a larger custom MOC locomotive. But IDK if I could justify the $600.

The winning idea train,is much better than what lego came out with.Why don't they just ask fans for an idea,then create it? They have no intention of releasing the actual design To many mistakes on this for most of us.The engine is terrible,but I do like the carriages.I know this train uses many different engines,but the chosen design looks weak.

Would have loved if it was just the original engine (even if it was scaled down) and no wagons. But this set ends up very meh. They completely missed their target audience as you said