Lego Review: 40107 Winter Skating Scene

Today I'll be reviewing Lego's Brick Friday giveaway, the 40107 Creator Winter Skating Scene.

This set was originally available with all purchases over $99 or more (thank you, Winter Village Market) over Thanksgiving weekend, otherwise known as the most gluttonous time of the year, as part of Lego's Black Friday "Brick Friday" event. Now, thanks to some users on Reddit, I've learned that the set is still available with online purchases of $99+. This hasn't been advertised, and I can't find any information on Lego's homepage, so my guess is this set will probably be available throughout the month on December while supplies last. I'll monitor the situation and see what develops.

I always feel funny reviewing sets that aren't widely available, but I figure there is a pretty active Lego aftermarket if you were not willing to spend the $99, and if it's for sale somewhere, then there's someone out there wanting to know what they're getting themselves into before they buy it. Or, if you're like me, you just read reviews to feel justified in your purchase. I'll gladly accept both to my readership.

While this is the second of the two holiday themed Lego giveaways (the first being the 40106 Creator Toy Workshop), I decided to review the Skating Scene first since I feel it fits in better with the Winter Village Market, which is next on my review schedule.

Being that this set is only 129 pieces, it's fairly quick and easy build. It probably took me about 30 minutes to put the thing together, and that's because I was stopping every few minutes to snap a picture.

I feel the need to point out that Lego separated the pieces into three or four baggies, which seemed rather unnecessary since it's a low piece count and some pieces were already in the box sans bag.

The set comes with two minifigures, one with an adult body, the other with a child's. While the instructions show an adult male and child female, Creator sets are kinda mix and match, so there really isn't any right way to put the minis together. 

The minis come with a few accessories: a couple snowballs, hockey sticks, and a good amount of hockey pucks. It also comes with a pair and a half of minifigure skates (or door handles, for those keeping track at home), but I had enough in my extras pile for everyone to get a pair. 

As for the scene itself, I really like it. It's nothing too fancy, but it fits the winter theme well and has a surprising amount of playability for such a small set. The use of clear blue tiles for the ice allows the minis to easily glide when wearing their skates, which also means the pucks can easily find their way through the goal posts. The sled and slide combo also works really well. And the lamp post with the mistletoe hanging off it is a nice touch. 

The Verdict

It's a shame that this set isn't widely available, because there's a lot going on here. Not that it's particularly hard to get your hands on, but I'd much rather not have to buy $100 worth of Lego or pay the sometimes ridiculous eBay markup to get it. I certainly wouldn't mind getting an extra to give as a gift, or to expand upon this set by making the pond bigger and adding a second goal. 

And while I haven't opened the Winter Village Market yet, just based on the box image, it looks like it'll be a nice fit for the set.

So if you already have the Winter Skating Scene, you did good. And if you don't , you still have time.