LEGO 71044 Disney Train and Station

I built the Disney train about two years ago and it’s a great set. It comes with lego mini figures including Goofy who is exclusive to this set. The set can be controlled with a smart phone or a lego Powered Up train controller. The detail in the card and in the train station are excellent. The set it a lot of fun to build and play with. I run this train with my other lego sets on a track that runs around my house on the ceiling. It’s a super fun train to run at parties! Everyone loves Disney:) It’s a replica of the train in Disneyland and it was fun to build it and remember how awesome the real train is!

A good example of where Lego should do better

Big positive is the station. Very nice design, use of colours and a joy to build.Negatives:-The train is like a spikey caterpillar, design wise Not fun to build and looks too overcomplicated.-The closed carriage has a nice interior but why not design with a roof that can be opened more easily, like with hinges?-The ratios seem out of proportion but maybe this is because this is the Disney train.The above three bullets have to do entirely with personal preference, age, etc of courseWhere I think more people would agree with me:-The battery box is a disaster. It needs opening with a screw driver?? And still the batteries... Why not something rechargeable, or 9v/12v. I guess the answer is a commercial one. It doesn't show Lego valuing her ... MoreBig positive is the station. Very nice design, use of colours and a joy to build.Negatives:-The train is like a spikey caterpillar, design wise Not fun to build and looks too overcomplicated.-The closed carriage has a nice interior but why not design with a roof that can be opened more easily, like with hinges?-The ratios seem out of proportion but maybe this is because this is the Disney train.The above three bullets have to do entirely with personal preference, age, etc of courseWhere I think more people would agree with me:-The battery box is a disaster. It needs opening with a screw driver?? And still the batteries... Why not something rechargeable, or 9v/12v. I guess the answer is a commercial one. It doesn't show Lego valuing her customers.-Still using disposable plastic bags. Is it really that expensive to start producing sealed reusable bags witha Lego logo on it? Ikea can do it, and for a company that sells plastic Lego should be able to do it. Also, your products would be more valued and treated with more care by your customers because of it.Same with the box. Cheap cardboard boxes, often way too big for it's content. Make us want to use your box for storage. Remember your quote from the older days? I am sure it costs little extra to do better here. Make cardboard dividers inside the box for instance, especially for the bigger sets.All in all the price is far too steep for value, and more care for the environment should come through your products.

All aboard!! Oh, the memories

Being a HUGE Disney fan & having ridden the Disney Train many times I knew I had to get this set.I have started my own ‘Disneyland’ at home & seem to be adding more pieces weekly lolAs others have stated there are MANY stickers in this set. I’m on the fence when it comes to stickers but these definitely add to the finishing touches. Although one piece in this set is ‘printed’ so I don’t see why the pieces that need stickers couldn’t be printed as well. Also there are many repeated steps in the Station build but the overall finished product imo is worth it.Felt it a little expensive for the piece count but taking into consideration the motor/hub included in this set doesn’t make it overly expensive.I would have preferred to run the train by remote, not by an ... MoreBeing a HUGE Disney fan & having ridden the Disney Train many times I knew I had to get this set.I have started my own ‘Disneyland’ at home & seem to be adding more pieces weekly lolAs others have stated there are MANY stickers in this set. I’m on the fence when it comes to stickers but these definitely add to the finishing touches. Although one piece in this set is ‘printed’ so I don’t see why the pieces that need stickers couldn’t be printed as well. Also there are many repeated steps in the Station build but the overall finished product imo is worth it.Felt it a little expensive for the piece count but taking into consideration the motor/hub included in this set doesn’t make it overly expensive.I would have preferred to run the train by remote, not by an app on my phone but it’s something I can live with.I also purchased the City Tracks #60205 as they are compatible with the tracks as I wanted to extend the track to travel around the Disney Station & the Disney Castle. Presently working on a new piece to add to my own little Disneyland so I’m happy to be able to extend the tracks to travel around the entire thing.I just love that Goofy was included with this set as he has always been a favorite,Overall happy with purchase and looking forward to adding Disney pieces to my own happiest place on earth

Amazing

I love this set, I am a massive lego fan and also a disney fan. I have the castle and the fairground expert builder rides. We make a display every Christmas of all the rides and the sets of the winter village that I have, so I thought this would be a perfect addition to the display and I am not disappointed. I love that you can control from your phone. Only disappointment with the app is that you can't then go into camera mode to video it going round with the sounds, as soon as you minimise the app, it stops. But this is not a major deal breaker as we have other ways of videoing this. I can wait to get all the other rides, castles and winter buildings out to see this as part of the display.Only 2 slight issues. One with the stickers, the long 3 part sticker, has a ... MoreI love this set, I am a massive lego fan and also a disney fan. I have the castle and the fairground expert builder rides. We make a display every Christmas of all the rides and the sets of the winter village that I have, so I thought this would be a perfect addition to the display and I am not disappointed. I love that you can control from your phone. Only disappointment with the app is that you can't then go into camera mode to video it going round with the sounds, as soon as you minimise the app, it stops. But this is not a major deal breaker as we have other ways of videoing this. I can wait to get all the other rides, castles and winter buildings out to see this as part of the display.Only 2 slight issues. One with the stickers, the long 3 part sticker, has a mismatch in the colouring. I think the sticker numbers were 12. They are both the same way round, but to complete the pattern properly with the middle sticker, one of the '12' stickers should have been printed around the other way. I think another reviewer has already mentioned this and displayed a photo.Also a slight confusion over the wheels in the engine. In the instructions is shows you needing 6 wheels, but in fact you only use 4. I thought I had missed a step but on checking every picture and going back numerous times through the instructions manual I can see they are not needed, so no idea why they were supplied.Thanks lego and I hope you continue to add more to this theme

Another Great Disney Set

As someone who grew up with a LEGO city in their basement and cobbled together their own makeshift LEGO Disney World, every time I see one of these actual Disney sets, I get immediately nostalgic for my younger self who would have gone crazy for a set like this.This set is really a tale of the two parts. The train was a relatively easy build, with lots of nice little details. It comes with a good starter track and I had no issues setting up the app on my iPhone and getting the power pack connected via bluetooth. (As an aside, in an era where LEGO is becoming more environmentally conscious, I'm not sure I love a battery-powered train controlled by a cell phone, but I will say that I was impressed with the technology and my family thought it was great.)My kids ... MoreAs someone who grew up with a LEGO city in their basement and cobbled together their own makeshift LEGO Disney World, every time I see one of these actual Disney sets, I get immediately nostalgic for my younger self who would have gone crazy for a set like this.This set is really a tale of the two parts. The train was a relatively easy build, with lots of nice little details. It comes with a good starter track and I had no issues setting up the app on my iPhone and getting the power pack connected via bluetooth. (As an aside, in an era where LEGO is becoming more environmentally conscious, I'm not sure I love a battery-powered train controlled by a cell phone, but I will say that I was impressed with the technology and my family thought it was great.)My kids went about playing with the train and characters for hours, with a nice selection of characters that includes special train costume editions of Mickey, Chip, and Dale, Minnie with a cloth dress, and the first ever Goofy! I will point out one minor annoyance: none of the duck characters (Donald, Daisy, Scrooge, the three nephews) that come in other products sit well in a chair like the ones on this train. I imagine that's why none of them came with the set. This was frustrating for small children trying to load the train. You can, of course, show them how to remove their "butt feathers" and then they sit fine. I will, however, warn all parents of small children that if you use the phrase "butt feathers," get ready for three hours of giggling as they take them off and on, see how Mickey likes them, throw them from the train, etc.As the kids played, I built the station, which was somewhat tedious in parts, especially the brick walls. Be prepared for several steps where you're laying alternating patterns that aren't very exciting, despite the designers best efforts to mix things up. In the end though, the station is rich with detail that matches the real station in Disneyland and will bring much joy to Disney fans, from the replica trash can to the model trains and photographs. At the very end, there is a nice homage to the castle set that anyone who has built that set will appreciate.I can only hope that the Monorail sticker was a hint of what's to come next and that LEGO will try their hand at actual attractions and rides in the future. I'm very excited to see where this partnership goes.(P.S. Two very minor errors in this set: One was an error in a manual picture most people won't notice early on building the engine and another was the wrong piece when building one of the tiny model trains. There is a single circle piece that should be black, but two brown ones are included in the bag for that step. Good news, there is a spare black from a prior step.)

Good set for Disney and/or Train fans

I'm not the biggest Disney fan, but I am a huge train fan, and aside from the cycle of passenger and cargo trains they release every few years, we don't get a lot of interesting sets for train fans.Aesthetically, this set is really beautiful. It steps out of the usual 6-stud wide train builds, and gives a solid 8 wide build that, given the scale, works better, in my opinion. The train looks great, but it causes problems if, like me, you do something like put the train on your Winter Village track. It hits both the Winter Village Train Station and the gates on the railroad crossing. Some quick modifications fix it, though.Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did not have a problem with instructions or misprinted stickers (although, for sets this large and ... MoreI'm not the biggest Disney fan, but I am a huge train fan, and aside from the cycle of passenger and cargo trains they release every few years, we don't get a lot of interesting sets for train fans.Aesthetically, this set is really beautiful. It steps out of the usual 6-stud wide train builds, and gives a solid 8 wide build that, given the scale, works better, in my opinion. The train looks great, but it causes problems if, like me, you do something like put the train on your Winter Village track. It hits both the Winter Village Train Station and the gates on the railroad crossing. Some quick modifications fix it, though.Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did not have a problem with instructions or misprinted stickers (although, for sets this large and costly, I would have preferred printed bricks). Unlike previous large sets I've built, there is only one numbered bag used at a time. That avoids a lot of confusion and makes it a lot simpler, as you don't have to wonder why there are three bag 1s, and only two bag 2s, but 4 bag 3s... you know you are getting the right parts for each set of steps in the instructions. If you're old-school, you can still feel free to dump them all in a giant pile from the start and have fun digging for bricks.This is my first Powered Up (PU) train, and unlike the other PU train sets (Cargo and Passenger trains), this does not include a remote, which means you will need a mobile device - Apple or Android, to control the train. Make sure your device can handle it. You otherwise might want to buy a remote control separately, which is a lot cheaper than getting a whole new mobile device.If you are using the app to control the train, it's got two "modes," one regular and one winter. The interface gives you a different appearance, and the optional background music (very nice touch) is different. The app lets you ring the train bell, blow the train whistle, and control the speed of the train. All in all, it's a pretty nice system. Note, you cannot do ANYTHING else with your device while playing with the train, as switching apps causes the system to disconnect automatically. There's nothing you can do about it. It's a fine default behavior, but there's no settings where you can adjust it.That leads me to some of the bad things about this system, and it's mostly related to PU, and not the Disney Train, but since that's what it comes with, I think it's fair to include it here.Firstly, it's supposed to automatically disconnect and shut down the hub (the controller for the train - the "brains" that attach to the motor) when you exit the app. The light on the hub does go off, but then I have no explanation for the miserable battery life of the hub. 6 brand new AAA batteries were gone before a week was up, and I only ran the train a few minutes at a time, maybe a dozen times, before the batteries wore out. 6 new batteries to play with programming the hub, and in less than 20 minutes the train was going noticeably slower. I have now ordered two sets of rechargeable batteries. For a company that seems so concerned about the environment, the miserable battery life is really quite bad.The other thing, as I mentioned, is that PU lets you create your own controls - it lets you "program" the train. The screen that lets you build your own gives you a number of pages of different icons that you can link together to make stuff happen; it includes several computer programming concepts that should allow a novice to learn a little bit about programming logic. Great bonus, right? Except there's no documentation for ANY of the icons/constructs that are included, or how to use the interface at all. Some are easy to figure out, some not. There are other concepts, like being able to create sub-blocks of "code" that I figured out after some time, but I look at this and shake my head at the idea that someone who doesn't already know how to program could figure any of this out. I'm a professional computer programmer, and I had trouble trying to figure it out. Do you know the different between local and global variables? I do. Not so sure a 10 year old with no programming experience would.It's also quite difficult to do all this on a little phone screen. If you have an Android or iOS tablet, that might ease the pain. Being able to do something really cool on my laptop would be great, but there's no Windows interface available. How does the LEGO Group create a programmable device like this without getting the resources out there for people to program it? And there's really no excusing it - the Boost system has been out for at least two years.I ultimately was able to make a little program and, using the color sensor from boost, have the train run independently while occasionally stopping at the Winter Village Train Station for a few moments before proceeding around the track again. Despite the issues and lack of documentation, that's the kind of cool thing both adults and kids could get into.

Love it - Fix a few flaws

I'm a 100% Disney fanatic with a "Disney Room" containing 8 showcases, and walls full of memorabilia. So, I have Steamboat Willie (5 stars), Disney Castle (5 Stars), and Pirates of Barracuda Bay (a billion stars and I sort of call it a Disney-like ship). Well, I'm not very happy with this set - I mean it is beautiful in every sense of the word. A fun, mildly challenging build which took me about 6 days (3 hours a day to build). Since I'm a collector, I want my Lego items to be pristine and worthy of display. My main complaint, as well as other builders are the stickers! 3 full pages and the artwork does not match when the final project is done. I'm not a good sticker guy, I leave fingerprints on the adhesive, I don't align them properly. I've bunched them up, got ... MoreI'm a 100% Disney fanatic with a "Disney Room" containing 8 showcases, and walls full of memorabilia. So, I have Steamboat Willie (5 stars), Disney Castle (5 Stars), and Pirates of Barracuda Bay (a billion stars and I sort of call it a Disney-like ship). Well, I'm not very happy with this set - I mean it is beautiful in every sense of the word. A fun, mildly challenging build which took me about 6 days (3 hours a day to build). Since I'm a collector, I want my Lego items to be pristine and worthy of display. My main complaint, as well as other builders are the stickers! 3 full pages and the artwork does not match when the final project is done. I'm not a good sticker guy, I leave fingerprints on the adhesive, I don't align them properly. I've bunched them up, got them stuck together, and frankly, made a mess of things. So sad.My other complaint is that the batteries don't last long and the access to change them makes it a bit tedious of an operation. A little better thoughtful design would be appreciated.Since this set does not meet my criteria for display - I just gave it away to a family member. I will buy it again if Lego decides to print the artwork on the bricks.Lastly, a small quibble is that the panels on the train seem to fall of a lot.

Pure Disney Bliss

I received this big huge set of LEGO’s from my family and I screamed with excitement when I opened the present. I already have SteamBoat so this is a great one to work on next before the big big one the Disney LEGO castle. If you LOVE DISNEY you have to have it all! I am one of those people! I opened the box Christmas night with my kids and husband and there were so many pieces and a lot are very small, so the little ones were quickly moved away. My older kids decided to work with me on this and I love when I get these because they always want to help. All of the little intricacies blow my mind. Down to Walts caboose and the little objects inside such as the tea set make it more intimate as you build the set. For those of us that are Disney fanatics this set will be ... MoreI received this big huge set of LEGO’s from my family and I screamed with excitement when I opened the present. I already have SteamBoat so this is a great one to work on next before the big big one the Disney LEGO castle. If you LOVE DISNEY you have to have it all! I am one of those people! I opened the box Christmas night with my kids and husband and there were so many pieces and a lot are very small, so the little ones were quickly moved away. My older kids decided to work with me on this and I love when I get these because they always want to help. All of the little intricacies blow my mind. Down to Walts caboose and the little objects inside such as the tea set make it more intimate as you build the set. For those of us that are Disney fanatics this set will be a perfect set to build and put away as an art piece. Also if you have kids it is fun to build together and talk about memories of Disneyland or DisneyWorld as you build the set. We did that and it was a very touching time. The set was difficult to do. Definitely not a set for younger children and remember the small pieces. I think ages 10 and up could do this set. It may be a challenge but with patience it could be done. It takes time and you have to really pay attention to the directions. I put it in my cabinet where I have other Disney LEGO items, it is fragile so if you are going to keep it out keep it somewhere safe. Love this and can’t say enough about LEGO. They always get it right!

This is such a great set.

I was disappointed that the first Lego Disney castle was going to be the one from Florida, so when Lego announced this set I had to jump on board.I really got this for the train. And it's fantastic. I love running it, I set it up around the Christmas tree last year and we all had a lot of fun with it. I finally built the station a few months later and I love that too. Now it's on a shelf, populated with city mini figs and... So awesome.All that said, there were a few issues I had with the set so I can't give it the five brick rating. The first was that while I wasn't missing any pieces per se, I received three that were the wrong color. I'm color blind, and didn't even notice (dark red and brown were the confusing bricks), but my son pointed it out to me. Lego ... MoreI was disappointed that the first Lego Disney castle was going to be the one from Florida, so when Lego announced this set I had to jump on board.I really got this for the train. And it's fantastic. I love running it, I set it up around the Christmas tree last year and we all had a lot of fun with it. I finally built the station a few months later and I love that too. Now it's on a shelf, populated with city mini figs and... So awesome.All that said, there were a few issues I had with the set so I can't give it the five brick rating. The first was that while I wasn't missing any pieces per se, I received three that were the wrong color. I'm color blind, and didn't even notice (dark red and brown were the confusing bricks), but my son pointed it out to me. Lego handled it really well, even though some months had passed since I purchased it. The right bricks arrived and I installed them right away.The next thing I wish they'd included was another passenger car that was front facing. Just having the one holiday blue passenger car diminishes the set. I've been organizing my legos to try and go for designing one myself.As with the added passenger car, the other thing I think is missing are the loading areas to either side of the main station. I know, it would make the station bigger, but it would also be more authentic.Lastly, the stickers. I didn't have any problems with placing them or anything, but it bothered me that they were so generic. The station doesn't say "Disneyland Station," just "Disney Station." The engine of the train is labeled "Disney Train" and the tender reads "Disney Railroad." The caboose doesn't say anything. The engine is clearly based on the CK Holliday and the caboose is obviously the Lilly Belle. C'mon.The takeaway is that the set is really great. I love the little lego kit brick of the castle, and the detail throughout is just so good. Lego handled the wrong brick thing really well. Because of a bad experience I had with them once I get nervous telling them they've made a mistake. And the sticker thing is totally a nerd obsessing.If you like Disneyland or trains, then this is definitely something you should consider picking up.

Very impressive, true-to-life set

I went back and forth on this one for about a year. Every time I looked at it I felt, I have to have this...but that price tag! I finally got it on a whim while in a physical Lego store with my daughter.My first recommendation(s): Take your time and treat this as two sets. Maybe even take a break between building them.I recommend time, because if you rush through it you will miss appreciating so many great things. This set is unique because it not only has the traditional things we love about Lego, but the dedication to replicating the original train and station are incredible, so go slow and watch these amazing pieces of Disneyana come to life in your own home.The train: this is a very impressive replica of the C.K. Holliday locomotive at Disney. It seems ... MoreI went back and forth on this one for about a year. Every time I looked at it I felt, I have to have this...but that price tag! I finally got it on a whim while in a physical Lego store with my daughter.My first recommendation(s): Take your time and treat this as two sets. Maybe even take a break between building them.I recommend time, because if you rush through it you will miss appreciating so many great things. This set is unique because it not only has the traditional things we love about Lego, but the dedication to replicating the original train and station are incredible, so go slow and watch these amazing pieces of Disneyana come to life in your own home.The train: this is a very impressive replica of the C.K. Holliday locomotive at Disney. It seems that this locomotive was once green and now a green/mostly blue, but either way, Lego really captures the essence of the C.K. Holliday locomotive from the actual park. The passenger portion is literally an exact replica of the one you sit in at Disney as you ride through the Grand Canyon and Primeval panoramas. And lastly, the interpretation of the Lily Belle at the end is well done considering how detailed that caboose is in real life. In total, and what I like most is that so many great colors are used, and yet, they all come together really well. I wondered if they would, and I'm still impressed when I look at it. Also, my daughters love to watch the train "come alive," it really makes the station come alive as well.The Station: Talk about an impressive replica, even down to the two storm drains (the one on the left is wider than the one on the right at the real station and Lego does the same thing). The façade (outside) is stunning to look at, but the interior steals the show. So many little details, and the train models are super fun to build and the fact Lego made each distinct is impressive. Also, little things like the chandelier being capable of swinging make it all seem so real.Overall, the build is super fun. As many others have said, this set is extremely sticker heavy (especially the Lilly Belle (Caboose), so take your time placing those stickers so that everything lines up just right!The only real challenge I warn of is sticker placement. Not only do you need to line stickers up across multiple Lego pieces, but some you need to place within tight, confined spaces.Is it worth the price tag? For me, yes. Would it be if I was not a Disneyland, and specifically Disneyland train/station fan? the answer depends. Are you a fan of very real replicas in Lego form? If so, yes. And if you are into playability, then this set gives you so much as well. Is it overpriced (have a Disney tax)? Again, yes, but it is a very unique set that is very beautiful as a display as well!In short, if you have the money to spend on it (in other words, if the cost is the only thing worrying you, but you have it), I wouldn't pass it up.