Many of you have long hoped for the arrival of roller coasters in the LEGO catalog. Your wish has finally been granted with the set Creator Expert 10261 Roller Coaster (4124 pieces - 349.99 €).

LEGO sent me a copy, I assembled it, I tried to find a place for it, I played with it for a long time and I therefore give you here my impressions, as usual, very subjective on this large box that many of you have already been able to offer since its effective availability on the LEGO Shop.

I have put two short videos in this article to give you a more precise idea of ​​how the merry-go-round works (and the noise of the mechanism). I won't get an Oscar for that, but it should be enough.

First observation, the assembly was not always a part of pleasure. Those who bought this set and who have already assembled it will agree that there are some really very repetitive and a bit boring phases (pillars, support bars).

Of the 4124 elements in the set, 530 round pieces (614301) are used for example to assemble the support pillars and 203 links (6044702) constitute the long chain which allows the wagons to climb the starting ramp. Those who bought the set 10260 Downtown Diner you will find here a sign of the same type to assemble, it is the fun moment of history.

LEGO has tried as often to distribute the sequences in question by inserting a few more fun steps, but nothing helps, we are a little bored. However, it is difficult to blame LEGO on this point, it is the subject that defines the assembly process and it is at this price that we can then enjoy this imposing toy.

In contrast, the Clutch Power (interlocking capacity) of the red rails really seems less "biting" than that of the usual parts. It is not uncommon that after a few tens of minutes of operation some of them slowly begin to detach from their supports due to vibrations. The difference is minimal, but sufficient to slow down or even derail the train of cars.

On the aesthetic level, I finally regret that this Roller Coaster, which if it existed in real life would offer only few sensations, did not benefit from a more thematic look. It's really very neutral and I'm not a fan of the choice of colors for the pillars and rails. It's obviously very personal and I tend to consider LEGO red as too vintage to my taste.

The purple rails of the set 70922 The Joker Manor offer in my opinion a much more modern rendering than the red used here. The dominant white of the structure also doesn't help make this Roller Coaster a really fun ride. Looks more like an old merry-go-round placed in a temporary seaside Luna Park than a big fat one (smiles to sensations.

Regarding the proposed circuit, it is difficult to do better by relying solely on the inertia of the train of three wagons and without climbing even higher. The train descends more or less quickly to the starting point depending on the slope and is content to take turns to the right.

Obviously, a Roller Coaster without looping and without changes of direction, it is of little interest for the regulars of strong sensations, but we will do with in the meantime rails with a curvature and an angle adapted to possibly one day be able to create a looping with a reasonable diameter and gain some speed in the turns.

The 17 green base plates of the merry-go-round do not completely cover the occupied surface, weakening the construction and making the Roller Coaster difficult to transport as is. If you have a few large baseplates, don't hesitate to assemble the merry-go-round on it, you'll thank me later. Otherwise, see the end of the second instruction booklet, LEGO shows how to move everything without taking too much risk.

However, don't be fooled by the two-part construction process of the Roller Coaster. Unfortunately, it is not enough to unhook the two halves of the merry-go-round to move it more easily: Many parts, including the drive chain and some rails, overlap the two modules and must be temporarily removed and then put back in place.

As often, LEGO delivers a set with manual functions and you have to rewind to get the train of cars to the top of the ramp. It's fun five minutes, but if you want to be able to watch your Roller Coaster in action while quietly eating your barbapapa, you'll have to go back to the checkout and purchase a Motor separately. Power Functions (ref. LEGO 8883- 8.90 €) and a standard AAA battery case (ref. LEGO 88000 - 13.99 €) or the version with rechargeable batteries (ref. LEGO 8878 - 59.99 €).

At this point, I'm not even saying it's a shame not to include these items in the box. It is simply unacceptable. The very principle of a merry-go-round is to be in action. Winding while watching the cars go up the starting ramp quickly becomes boring, especially as the train of cars is again ready to go up in a few seconds. Automation should no longer be optional, especially in 2018 and when LEGO sells us a Batmobile that can be controlled via a smartphone application or trains managed by a Bluetooth module ...

If you calculate the spacing correctly, the two three-car trains provided can run on the track at the same time without any problems. With or without minifigs installed in each wagon, they will manage to make a complete turn and will resume the starting ramp. As I said above, be careful to fit the rails well on their supports. The slightest deviation is enough to slow down or derail the train of wagons.

The structure of the ride is really solid, it's more the fact that something gets loose every now and then here or there that ends up being annoying. Before each session, I got into the habit of going around the arena to check that the circuit was in place. I then said to myself that I was doing maintenance like the teams of amusement parks do in real life ...

Too bad the ingenious tire-based drive mechanism placed in the first corner is not better integrated into the merry-go-round. It drives the train of wagons by friction until the first descent and even if the solution employed does its job, aesthetically I find these three appendages rather unsightly. A second sign could have concealed the entire mechanism.

To accompany the merry-go-round, LEGO provides a large handful of minifigs (11) and a few items that add a little life to the middle of the white pillars plugged into the green plates. Ticket booth, fruit juice stand, barbapapas saleswoman, etc ...
It's decorative, and these independent elements can easily be moved elsewhere, for example in the middle of the different rides at your fun fair. LEGO even thought of integrating a route that visitors must take to access the start area. In real life, this path would be bordered by barriers ...

For those wondering what integrating elements from the LEGO Boost 17101 Creative Toolbox set into this ride, the answer is simple: The Move hub and the motor are used to drive the chain when the sensor installed at the foot of the ramp detects the arrival of the train. Your tablet will also play typical fairground music.

LEGO does not mention the possible use of elements from the Bluetooth ecosystem Powered Up which will accompany the new LEGO CITY trains and the Batmobile in set 76112.

This Roller Coaster is obviously doomed to become the star of exhibitions where it will work in a loop as long as there are batteries, to the delight of children. If you want to set it up in your home, make sure you have the space and the inclination to watch it play on a loop.

In short, after the wow initially, I came to my senses and the set lost some of its splendor in my eyes. At 350 € a toy, like many of you, I take the time to assess the qualities, the faults and in this specific case the playability of the product.

By the way, LEGO could crack an alternative model for this type of large box. Building a second Roller Coaster with a slightly different circuit could have prolonged the fun even if the assortment of rails provided automatically limits the possibilities.

I am not sulking my pleasure, I am very happy to have been able to have this Roller Coaster in my hands. During the first few minutes, I admit that I took great pleasure in seeing it work. But I'm no fan of animated dioramas, and I wouldn't know what to do with such a merry-go-round, other than watching it dust on a piece of furniture and let time do its work on the white pillars which will inevitably turn yellow.

The 10261 Roller Coaster set is undoubtedly a beautiful demonstration of LEGO know-how, but in my opinion it lacks the little extra that would make it a really fun and spectacular toy. You can do better by purchasing The LEGO Batman Movie sets for the same budget. 70922 The Joker Manor (279.99 €) and Creator Pirate Rollercoaster (84.99 €), two rides themes which are obviously less interactive but also less neutral.

If you bought this set, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. There will probably be as many opinions as there are owners of the set, other readers can get a better idea of ​​the interest of the thing.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included in the game. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before June 10 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

As promised, members of the VIP program can in principle purchase the set from today LEGO Creator Expert 10261 Roller Coaster (349.99 €) and start making room while waiting for delivery ...

We will quickly talk about this large box of 4124 pieces here and if you acquire it, we will then have the opportunity to exchange our opinions following the test that I will offer you shortly.

Remember that if you want to bring a little automation to the contents of this box and not be satisfied with manual functions, you must purchase a Motor separately. Power Functions (ref. LEGO 8883- 8.90 €) and a standard AAA battery case (ref. LEGO 88000 - 13.99 €) or the version with rechargeable batteries (ref. LEGO 8878 - 59.99 €).

If your amusement park was only waiting for this Roller Coaster so that you can increase the price of the entrance, this is where it happens depending on your country of residence:

LEGO today unveils the next set in the LEGO Creator Expert range: This is the set 10261 Roller Coaster with its 4124 pieces and its retail price for France of 349.99 € (The set is online on the LEGO Shop).

You will need to make room on your shelves to install these roller coasters: The set is 88 long, 41 cm deep and 53 cm high.

It will also be necessary to go back to the cash register to motorize the thing with a kit Power Functions (M engine at 8.90 € (ref. 8883) et AAA battery box at 13.90 € (ref. 88000)), as shown in the video below:

Those who invested in the set 17101 LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox may integrate certain sensors to automate the activation of the wagon drive chain on the ramp and add additional effects.

Early sale for members of the VIP program starting May 16 on the LEGO Shop and in the LEGO Stores before a global availability announced for June 1, 2018.

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the set 10303 Loop Coaster, a box of 3756 pieces which will join from July 5, 2022 (VIP preview from July 1) what is now called LEGO Fairground Collection, a label that brings together the sets on the same theme already marketed so far: 10244 Fairground Mixer (2014) 10247 Ferris Wheel (2015) 10257 Carousel (2017) 10261 Roller Coaster (2018) et 10273 Haunted Houses (2020)

The premise of the product is simple: it is in principle a top-of-the-range toy intended for older children who will have the means to pay for it with its public price set at €399.99 and the promise of this big carousel, it's is above all to offer a circuit with two loops whose crossing is based only on gravity. You obviously have to assemble the thing before you can have fun with it, but I must admit that on this type of product, I'm generally in a hurry to finish the assembly to take advantage of the advertised features.

As for the set 10261 Roller Coaster (4124 pieces - 349.99 €) marketed in 2018, the motorization of the product is possible but it is optional. It's really disappointing knowing that milling to raise the nacelles will quickly tire many purchasers of the product beyond the phase of wonder at the on-board mechanism and that it will therefore then be necessary to go back to the checkout to afford the essential two ecosystem elements Powered Up to be integrated: a motor 88013 Technic Motor L (34.99 €) and a battery box 88015 Battery Box (34.99 €).

This article is not an infomercial glorifying the toy in question, expect some criticism from me. I have indeed just spent three days building this product and "having fun" with it and there is a lot to be said. I deliberately don't dwell on the assembly of the merry-go-round, we oscillate between sequences of stacking pieces, attaching 258 chain links to each other and setting up rubber bands and other pieces of string to arrive at the long-awaited result and finally have the right to have a little fun.

The track circuit is well designed with a few well-thought techniques so that the different sections of track are connected to each other and we avoid assembling the chain of the many pillars seen in the set 10261 Roller Coaster. The tower with its elevator is not of boundless creativity and its assembly and of an abyssal boredom, but the structure ultimately only serves to take passengers to the top of the carousel and to give a little volume to the whole building.

It should be noted above all that the inventory of carousel rails in the LEGO version is now being expanded with a few modules with angles and curvatures that make it possible to build loops. I doubt that many fans will ever start building alternate versions of this Loop Coaster, the necessary budget necessarily limits the possibilities, but know that you get a total of 41 sections in this box. Not all of them are used for the carousel circuit, there are also some along the central pillar of the tower on which the ballast circulates and on the roof of the boarding platform where they serve as an internal structure. You also get five pods, three are used on the carousel, two are used to slide ballast down the center ramp.

We cannot say that this cumbersome carousel was designed with the essential solidity and the no less necessary rigidity in mind, which would allow it to be moved without taking too many risks. The instruction booklet clearly documents how to carry the construction to limit breakage, but it is still insufficient to avoid having to devote a few long minutes to rechecking everything. It will therefore be advisable to embark on the assembly of this big ride on the place of exposure of the construction or at least near it. the Loop Coaster is not "modular", nothing is planned to disassemble it into subsections which would greatly facilitate the storage or transport of the thing. The base is not of sufficient rigidity to guarantee movements without breakage, it is moreover perforated in various places as if it were necessary to save a few parts.

The operation of the Loop Coaster requires that all the parts are in their place and that the junction between the rails is absolutely perfect. We spend a lot of time checking these different points between two fun sessions, there is bound to be a pillar that moves or a few studs that come off a little during the operation of the tower with its elevator and repeated passages of the nacelles on the circuit. This is especially the case when the Loop Coaster is motorized via the elements of the ecosystem Powered Up, the manual use of the toy being less brutal and more "respectful" of the various connection points at the level of the tower. You won't escape the pod train stuck somewhere on the course or the failed start at the top of the tower with a ramp that doesn't line up perfectly with the first rail of the circuit.

We get a little tired of milling to get the nacelles up to the starting point at the very top of the tower, I counted eleven turns of the crank from the blocking point of the ascent support on the short section of the chain made up of 33 wider links that circulates around the central axis of the tower, all to obtain five seconds of descent. For those wondering, the ballast visible on the other side of the central pillar of the tower assists the rise of the mini-starting ramp. The circuit is very short, the two loops obviously have their effect during the first uses but the ride is quickly completed. And you have to grind again.

The other defect of the manual world: you still have to grind to go down the starting ramp and allow the train of nacelles, which remained braked by the mechanism present just before the arrival in front of the boarding gates, to set off again for a turn. Finally, I can't help but mention the use of a piece of string to connect the ballast to the climbing mechanism of the ramp that accommodates the nacelles. This string does its job, that's not the problem, but the clearly visible presence of this piece of string on a high-end product at 400 € leaves me perplexed.

I am also a little disappointed by the aesthetics of the elevator system that allows the nacelles to reach the starting point. This is not a classic configuration for this type of carousel and despite the debauchery of parts, string and chain links I do not find myself on the Blue Fire or Silver Star from Europa-Park. The ramp needed to reach the highest point of the carousel at 92 cm high would probably have been too steep if it had to stay in the format used here, but I remain a little wary of this oversized elevator with its big pillars.

Some will probably cry at the technical feat with this imposing product which combines an ingenious climbing system and a circuit with two loops crossed only thanks to gravity, but let's not forget that we are in 2022 and that at 400 € the few kilos of plastic is the least you can do to get a product that fulfills its main function. We are not sold a carousel model but a toy presented as functional.

Misfires are annoying and patience and attention to detail is required to achieve the promised effect of a full ride. It is better not to neglect the various settings detailed in the instruction booklet, otherwise you will have to come back later to correct the exact position of the ballast with its notched winch which allows it to be positioned correctly or the number of links in the chain. A technical detail: there is an error in the instructions with a reversed sequence and two pieces were missing in the bags of the copy I received.

LEGO does not forget to deliver a large handful of minifigs, some with new torsos, and pretty little secondary constructions in this box. It's always taken to animate the aisles of your amusement park even if it is probably not the main motivation of those who will spend 400 € in this product.

The promise was there and it responded to the criticisms about the somewhat sad ride of the set 10261 Roller Coaster : this new model is visually very consistent with modern colors, it is a little more fun to assemble than its predecessor and the two loops make your mouth water. However, the experience is a little spoiled by the many failures that we strive to try to correct in order to really obtain a complete cycle. It's a shame, because the majority of us will have fun for a few minutes before putting the construction in a corner to return to it only occasionally and this short phase of pleasure had to be irreproachable in my opinion.

In summary, we are faced with a toy for adults who can afford to spend 400 € on this bulky carousel in order to perhaps integrate it into a thematic diorama. The gameplay is there, it is short-lived and repetitive, but that's the lot of many LEGO products. The lack of motorization by default is unspeakably petty, knowing that all you need is a single motor and a simple battery box to be able to put the carousel in an autonomous loop. You might find me a bit of a killjoy, but my LEGO budget is not infinitely expandable and when it comes to buying a product that promises me a feature, I expect it to be simply up to LEGO's pricing requirements. Now it's up to you to see if this impressive merry-go-round deserves to sit on your shelves.

I'm a nice player by the way, I leave to the winner the motorization kit that I managed to get financed by LEGO and the Hoth Bricks minifig that you see in some photos. I keep the batteries, do not abuse.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 30th June 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

LEGO today unveils a novelty of what is now called the Fairground Collection : the big set 10303 Loop Coaster with its inventory of 3756 pieces, its 11 minifigs and its retail price set at €399.99. Global availability announced for July 5, 2022 with a VIP preview starting July 1.

A little more ambitious than the (smiles to the red rails of the set 10261 Roller Coaster (4124 pieces - €349.99) marketed in 2018, this carousel whose elevator culminates at 92 cm high finally offers loops, two for the occasion. The entire construction occupies a floor area of ​​85 cm long by 34 cm wide.

The motorization of the carousel will be possible but it will be optional as usual: it will be necessary to acquire two elements of the ecosystem separately Powered Up to stop milling, an engine 88013 Technic Motor L (34.99 €) and a battery box 88015 Battery Box (34.99 €). If you don't already have these two in your parts stash, then you'll have to spend an extra €70 to be able to really enjoy this high-end toy or run it on its own on display.

We will talk more about this new big carousel which will certainly delight all lovers of amusement park dioramas in a few days on the occasion of a "Review ".

LEGO 10303 LOOP COASTER ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

(The link to the shop redirects to the version of the official shop for your country of connection)