It's in the pages of the October 2023 update from the official LEGO catalog intended for adult fans of the brand that we are discovering today the first visuals of the LEGO Ideas set 21344 The Orient Express Train, a box of 2540 pieces which according to the latest rumors should be available from November 1, 2023 at the public price of €299.99.

The product inventory will make it possible to assemble a reproduction of the famous train with its locomotive and two wagons. The train will be accompanied by eight minifigs and an exhibition stand with a section of rails.

Because there is more than just Star Wars in life, this October 1st is also an opportunity for LEGO to market some new products in various universes including the very successful LEGO Ideas set 21343 Viking Village (€139.99) which I spoke to you about in detail a few days ago in a dedicated review. This set was on pre-order until now, it is now available in stock at LEGO.

As usual, it's up to you to decide whether to give in without delay by paying full price for these boxes or whether to show a little patience and wait for the inevitable reductions that will be offered in the weeks and months to come at Amazon, on FNAC.com, at Cdiscount, at Auchan and at a few other resellers.

Note that FNAC has the exclusivity of the LEGO Ideas set 21343 Viking Village for France. The set is currently up for pre-order with availability announced for October 3.

ALL NEWS FOR OCTOBER 2023 ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

(All links to the shop redirect to the version of the official shop for your country of connection)

Good news for those who have not yet pre-ordered their LEGO Ideas set 21343 Viking Village at LEGO at the public price of €139.99, FNAC is currently offering a pre-order for this box at the price of €114.99 with effective availability aligned with that of LEGO, i.e. October 1, 2023.

Please also note that FNAC has exclusivity in France for the marketing of this box which should therefore only be available directly from LEGO and in this brand. It is difficult to know at this stage whether this exclusivity is temporary or not.

LEGO IDEAS 21343 VIKING VILLAGE ON FNAC.COM >>

Remember, LEGO recently launched some mini-constructions accessible via Pick a Brick Builds online service and we have to believe that the initiative has since largely found its audience since the manufacturer is now giving the cover with seven new mini creations which will soon be available via the same channel.

To put it simply, each of these mini models can be ordered directly via the service Pick a Brick whose interface provides direct access to the list of parts forming the inventory of these creations. All that remains is to order the proposed parts to obtain the complete inventory of the selected product.

The instructions for each model are also available for download in PDF format and provided free of charge in the form of digital sheets grouping the steps on a minimum of pages and therefore identical to those present in the brand's polybags.

It is not yet known when these new constructions will be available, LEGO is content to indicate that each model will first be adapted to the quality constraints of the brand. The detailed list of selected creations can be found at this address.

The seven models of the first wave are still available for sale at this address:

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Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Ideas set 21343 Viking Village, a box of 2103 pieces currently available for pre-order on the official online store at the public price of €139.99 with availability scheduled for October 1, 2023.

It is therefore a question here of assembling a portion of the Viking village comprising a forge, the farmhouse of the head of the place and a watchtower. It's not yet a real village but it's a good start for anyone who would then like to expand the area with a few buildings reusing the different techniques offered. We can almost conclude that it is a Structure thematic and (vaguely) historical with well appointed and easily accessible interiors and a very acceptable overall build finish.

The diorama is divided into three separate sections but LEGO only provides one instruction booklet. To assemble the set with several people, it will therefore be necessary to turn to the digital version of these instructions available within the official application.

The construction process is quite linear, starting with the base of each of the modules and then alternating between the walls and the furniture to finish with the roof. No base plates, the base of these modules is entirely part-based. No stickers in this box, so all the patterned pieces you see in the photos are stamped.

The interiors are well laid out considering the space available. Do not expect to play in the different constructions of the village, even if the roofs of each of the buildings are easily removable. At best, you can come back from time to time to admire the interior of the premises. The outskirts of the village are embellished with a pontoon which inevitably calls for the presence of a boat. The LEGO Creator set 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent, which is the subject of a wink in this box via the stone engraved with runes in front of the forge.

This set from the Creator range, marketed since summer 2022 and which is still available from LEGO at the public price of €119.99 (and for many cheaper elsewhere), will do the trick even if the level of detail of the latter is a little behind that of the new village. The secondary construction of the Creator set, a Viking house, may also be able to expand this new diorama.

The different sections of the set can only be combined in one way and it is not possible to rearrange the places other than in the planned configuration. The set is therefore very modular but not modular. As the entire diorama is surrounded by water, it only works visually when all the modules are present.

The diorama is cleverly designed for display and to offer something interesting to admire from any viewing angle with its two side sections angled at 45°. The counterpart to this aesthetic choice: the set will take up space on your shelves with substantial measurements, 46 cm wide by 26 cm deep and 24 cm high at the highest point.

If you are looking for the 2103 pieces of this new set which seems to offer a rather attractive content/price ratio, they are there: the product uses a slew of small elements which are in the rocks of the surroundings, the walls of constructions and the many decorations "typical" of the period concerned.

It's almost as if the designer tried to bloat the product inventory to the extreme with subsets that might not deserve as much breakdown, but we won't complain, it's still more building fun. I would have added at least a small boat to take advantage of the maritime or lake side of the product, there is nothing provided to exploit the surroundings of the island.

The endowment of minifigs may seem basic at first glance with only four characters, but each of these figurines has benefited from obvious care with very high-flying pad printing and accessories that have not been neglected.

The torsos and legs are lined with pretty patterns, the faces are very detailed and the patterns of the shields provided, both delivered in duplicate, are sumptuous. The supplied helmets are equipped with horns, you can easily remove them if this detail bothers you. This product has no "historical" or educational value anyway, it is a simple adult toy that vaguely evokes Viking culture as it has been popularized since the XNUMXth century. If this explanation is not enough for you, you will only have to consider it as an attraction of Puy du Fou.

For those who have a feeling of deja vu: the torso of the blonde warrior delivered here is also that of the blonde fighter in the set 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent, that of the village chief also equips a fighter from the same Creator set. Only two of the four faces delivered are new, that of the archer and that of the character with orange hair, the other two are that of Santa Claus and a rather common female face in the LEGO CITY range.

Let's not beat around the bush, this product inspired by the winning creation of a competition organized on the LEGO Ideas platform has been rather well received by fans and I think it is justified.

This set ticks all the boxes, or at least all my boxes: the main attributes of the construction that served as a starting point have been retained, the product offers a very entertaining assembly experience and it embeds a few features that allow you to to make the pleasure last a little, the public price is contained even if the inventory may seem substantial when it is mainly a question of many small elements and the minifigs provided are very elaborate.

There is therefore no valid excuse not to crack, even if the theme addressed will not appeal to everyone.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 15, 2023 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

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