The 10245 Santa's Workshop is the latest release in the Lego Winter Village line of holiday themed sets. It was released in September of this year, and seemingly sold out from Lego around the beginning of December, which I suppose is to be expected from a Santa Claus themed set released around the holidays. Thankfully, I had the foresight to buy this set early so I didn't have to pay the ridiculous prices I've seen on Amazon and eBay. And the good news is that even though this set is out of stock from Lego, it hasn't been retired yet. The bad news is that it isn't projected as being available until February of 2015. You think Lego would anticipate demand, with the popularity of Lego exploding over the last year, but they couldn't keep things like the Exo Suit or the Research Institute in stock and both those sets had a huge buzz around them.
Opening up the box, you get 883 pieces, allowing you to build Santa's workshop, his sleigh, five reindeer, a toy assembly line, a few wrapped and unwrapped presents, a Christmas tree, and six minifigures (Santa, Mrs. Claus, and four elves), so there's definitely a lot of value to this set. And if you combine this with the Toy Workshop, or any other holiday set you've managed to pick up, you'll certainly have a nice holiday scene to display.
Moving on to the actual build, as with most modern Lego sets, the pieces came bundled in various numbered bags, seven of them if I'm not mistaken. Now there's always some sorting that's involved when you're dealing with large Lego builds, and thankfully each numbered bag corresponded with a different part of the build: 1 being the reindeer and sleigh, 2 the larger half of the workshop, and 3 the smaller half and the toy assembly line. So once you start sorting pieces, you'll end up with something that looks similar to this.
Now the fun part begins.
The Build
After separating the pieces from the first bags, I was able to put together this little guy, who happens to be one of the best Santa Claus minifigures I've seen available. Unlike the Santa from the Santa's Sleigh polybag, he comes with a a nice red coat and gloves, instead of what looks like red pyjamas, and setting him apart from the Lego Advent Calendar's version are white eyebrows and a red gift sack. Which proves to me this is the one true Santa Claus.
Next we have the North Pole sign, just in case you didn't know where we were, and a tiny Christmas tree. Both are well designed, the tree especially so, but I kinda wish it was a bit bigger, but that's just splitting hairs, because it does look great.
Moving on to the four adult reindeer included in this set. These are really solid builds. The full-sized antlers are well done, and the harnesses to attach them to the sleigh is great. Come to think of it, I never really considered how they were supposed to connect until I started build the set, but I think Lego did the best they could. I say this because there is one slight problem, and that's that the reindeer's antlers actually get in the way of one another, meaning they can't stand uniform next to each other. It's a minor gripe, but it is one that stands out. Lego also included a few extra pieces that replace the harness attachment if you want to let your reindeer roam free during the off season.
Now it's time to take a look at the Workshop itself. Unlike Santa's sleigh, the contents of Bags 2 and 3 are supposed to go together, so I'll be reviewing the rest of this set as a whole. Although I suppose you could keep both halves of the workshop separate to expand to size of your play area.
This portion of the build is actually split into two parts: the two-story portion, which houses Santa's office, and the single-story portion, which houses the elves' workshop. The front of the build also has a lot of neat details, like the candy canes outside the front door, the clock above it, and the string of lights going across the roof. And of course there's the snow-covered roof that sells the North Pole setting.
Taking a look inside, we see Santa's office, complete with a fancy desk chair and a stack of letters to Santa. The ladder is a nice touch, allowing access to the second floor, and while it looks good, I personally could do without it as it takes up a good amount of interior space. But it is easy to remove, so it's a minor complaint. Moving on to the workbench, we have a few tools, cans of paint, and a candle/torch thing. I'm assuming it's a candle since fire isn't generally needed for toy production... I think. I really don't know how to make toys, I only play with them.
There's also a fireplace in the workshop, and right above it is one of my favorite parts of the set: Santa and Mrs. Claus' vacation picture.
I just love that they're hanging out on the beach drinking what better be pina coladas..
The last part of the set I want to feature is the string of lights across the roof. It's a really simple design, but I honestly feel like I would never have thought of it.
And for those of you interested, here's the gifs of everything being built.
The Verdict
This is a great set, and there's a lot of value here. Maybe not for the individual pieces, but the minifigures are great, and the set as a whole is really well done. Santa's sleigh is the best I've seen in Lego form, the reindeer design is fantastic, and the workshop looks great, especially if it's on display next to other holiday sets. But even if this is your first holiday set, it's a great one to start things off. I've really enjoyed this set, and I'm sure you will too,
Opening up the box, you get 883 pieces, allowing you to build Santa's workshop, his sleigh, five reindeer, a toy assembly line, a few wrapped and unwrapped presents, a Christmas tree, and six minifigures (Santa, Mrs. Claus, and four elves), so there's definitely a lot of value to this set. And if you combine this with the Toy Workshop, or any other holiday set you've managed to pick up, you'll certainly have a nice holiday scene to display.
Moving on to the actual build, as with most modern Lego sets, the pieces came bundled in various numbered bags, seven of them if I'm not mistaken. Now there's always some sorting that's involved when you're dealing with large Lego builds, and thankfully each numbered bag corresponded with a different part of the build: 1 being the reindeer and sleigh, 2 the larger half of the workshop, and 3 the smaller half and the toy assembly line. So once you start sorting pieces, you'll end up with something that looks similar to this.
Now the fun part begins.
The Build
After separating the pieces from the first bags, I was able to put together this little guy, who happens to be one of the best Santa Claus minifigures I've seen available. Unlike the Santa from the Santa's Sleigh polybag, he comes with a a nice red coat and gloves, instead of what looks like red pyjamas, and setting him apart from the Lego Advent Calendar's version are white eyebrows and a red gift sack. Which proves to me this is the one true Santa Claus.
Before I get to the actual build, I want to point out these two pieces, which are exclusive (as of this posting) to this set. They're both printed pieces, and while adding the eye and fur detail to the reindeer is ultimately unnecessary, it does add just enough to give the build an extra "pop."
And it helps in separating the adult reindeer from the baby reindeer. This little guy is a cute addition to the set, and I feel it really helps to set the playful mood surrounding this build. I love the stubby little antlers and legs, and the lack of fur further drives home the fact that he's not yet an adult reindeer.
Next we have the North Pole sign, just in case you didn't know where we were, and a tiny Christmas tree. Both are well designed, the tree especially so, but I kinda wish it was a bit bigger, but that's just splitting hairs, because it does look great.
Moving on to the four adult reindeer included in this set. These are really solid builds. The full-sized antlers are well done, and the harnesses to attach them to the sleigh is great. Come to think of it, I never really considered how they were supposed to connect until I started build the set, but I think Lego did the best they could. I say this because there is one slight problem, and that's that the reindeer's antlers actually get in the way of one another, meaning they can't stand uniform next to each other. It's a minor gripe, but it is one that stands out. Lego also included a few extra pieces that replace the harness attachment if you want to let your reindeer roam free during the off season.
And finally, we have the sleigh itself. This piece is really well done, and is a pretty good size, allowing for all the presents to fit snugly behind Santa. I like the use of upside down arch pieces for the side of the sleigh and the lanterns on the back are also a nice touch.
Now it's time to take a look at the Workshop itself. Unlike Santa's sleigh, the contents of Bags 2 and 3 are supposed to go together, so I'll be reviewing the rest of this set as a whole. Although I suppose you could keep both halves of the workshop separate to expand to size of your play area.
First things first, we have Mrs. Claus baking her way into our hearts, complete with a red cloak, a precious apron design, and a tray of freshly baked cookies for Santa and his elves to enjoy. Wait a minute, did I say elves?
I most certainly did. Just look at those little guys, all cheery and ready to make all those toys for the boys and girls across the world. Speaking of making toys...
Gone are the days of simply making things by hand, as this set gives the elves their own toy assembly line, complete with a replica of the 1980-something blue spaceship that Benny is so fond of.
Now, the assembly line is actually the last thing to be built in this set, at least if you're going by the instructions, and while we already went over the beginning with Santa's sleigh, maybe it's time to get to the real meat of this set: Santa's Workshop.
I most certainly did. Just look at those little guys, all cheery and ready to make all those toys for the boys and girls across the world. Speaking of making toys...
Gone are the days of simply making things by hand, as this set gives the elves their own toy assembly line, complete with a replica of the 1980-something blue spaceship that Benny is so fond of.
Now, the assembly line is actually the last thing to be built in this set, at least if you're going by the instructions, and while we already went over the beginning with Santa's sleigh, maybe it's time to get to the real meat of this set: Santa's Workshop.
This portion of the build is actually split into two parts: the two-story portion, which houses Santa's office, and the single-story portion, which houses the elves' workshop. The front of the build also has a lot of neat details, like the candy canes outside the front door, the clock above it, and the string of lights going across the roof. And of course there's the snow-covered roof that sells the North Pole setting.
Taking a look inside, we see Santa's office, complete with a fancy desk chair and a stack of letters to Santa. The ladder is a nice touch, allowing access to the second floor, and while it looks good, I personally could do without it as it takes up a good amount of interior space. But it is easy to remove, so it's a minor complaint. Moving on to the workbench, we have a few tools, cans of paint, and a candle/torch thing. I'm assuming it's a candle since fire isn't generally needed for toy production... I think. I really don't know how to make toys, I only play with them.
There's also a fireplace in the workshop, and right above it is one of my favorite parts of the set: Santa and Mrs. Claus' vacation picture.
I just love that they're hanging out on the beach drinking what better be pina coladas..
The last part of the set I want to feature is the string of lights across the roof. It's a really simple design, but I honestly feel like I would never have thought of it.
And for those of you interested, here's the gifs of everything being built.
The Verdict
This is a great set, and there's a lot of value here. Maybe not for the individual pieces, but the minifigures are great, and the set as a whole is really well done. Santa's sleigh is the best I've seen in Lego form, the reindeer design is fantastic, and the workshop looks great, especially if it's on display next to other holiday sets. But even if this is your first holiday set, it's a great one to start things off. I've really enjoyed this set, and I'm sure you will too,
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