Here we are at the end of September, about to dive head-first into the holiday blitz that happens at the end of every year. And LEGO has already started to prepare by releasing some of their new Christmas-themed sets for 2023. But of course the one we all hold our breath for is their annual addition to the Winter Village Collection, a tradition since 2009. This year, we’re treated to something with a bit more of a scenic feel: 10325 Alpine Lodge. But will this cozy B&B make for a dream vacation, or will it get absolutely roasted on TripAdvisor? You’ll have to read on to find out! Made of 1,517 pieces, and available on October 4 from LEGO stores and their website, the lodge will retail for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box and contents
Featuring a white band of bricks at its south end, the box for the Alpine Lodge falls in line with the packaging for all other recent additions to the Winter Village Collection. The little graphic of the two pine trees (because it is the Two Pines Inn, after all) and sprig of holly is a great touch. And I like the bits of falling snow peppering the dark background.
Turning the box over, we can see all the great play features. Well, really only one play feature with the light-up fireplaces. I don’t know if sitting in an outhouse or signing a guestbook really fall into that category, but I also don’t get out much. The back of the main lodge features 3 decked-out levels and bunking for 3 in this bed and breakfast. And the associated frozen pond offers some other skating activities for the 5 included figs.
Denting in those two punch tabs and spilling the contents out on the floor reveals 2 instruction books, 10 numbered bags of parts, and a small sticker sheet. The first instruction book covers the snowmobile, outhouse, and pond, while the second covers construction of the lodge. And while stickers are never the ideal solution, these four are of a manageable size and offer details that would be impossible to handle with bricks alone. It’s totally acceptable, in my opinion.
The build
I start to work on bag 1, which makes the snowmobile, outhouse, and Christmas tree. The snowmobile design is pretty darn cute, and definitely something worth building on. The implementation of a 1×3 technic beam for the treads is a simple-yet-effective solution in this scale. And the efficiency of the overall design is such that I could see someone’s Winter Village layout dotted with different colors of this ‘mobile. The Christmas tree is yet another unique design for this staple of the WVC set. I may prefer a larger cone on top, but can understand how part/color availability left that as a 1×1 round cone in dark green.
The outhouse is a nice touch, adding a bit of a rustic aesthetic to the set. I’ll be honest, I was reminded of Schrute Farms (from US version of The Office) more than once during the build, and this external privy is just begging for a Mose minifig. The design is clever, using plates on their side for the walls to allow for maximum elbow room. But the need for an exterior toilet begs the question: just where does this set fit into a WVC layout? Oh, and also note we get one of the two pines abutting the commode.
Moving on to bag 2, it covers the frozen pond and surrounding landscape. This section feels a little disjointed from the rest of the set, really only connected via the presence of the second of the two pines. It’s not terrible at all on its own, with skates and hockey gear as well as a cute little dock. But given the size available for skating, I feel like this concept deserves its own entry in the Winter Village Collection (a skating rink on the level of the Lunar New Year Ice Festival), not just a side bit to the most-outdoor of the lineup thus far. Still, something is better than nothing here, and it doesn’t detract in any way from the final set. I’ve got alternatives, but I’ll save them for later.
With that, I put away the first instruction book and move on to the main course. Bags 3, 4, and 5 take care of the first level of the lodge. Primarily made of stone, we can just see the first wall “logs” set in place. And speaking of, there is a ton of timber all through this set. The little lean-to keeping the wood dry and the big stump for splitting are worthy additions to this model. If you wanted to go further, adding a few 1×2 plates or tile to represent the split logs, and potentially storing them inside near the fire in a pile, would be a great added touch.
Flipping the model around, the interior is all fleshed out with a welcome desk, plate of cookies, coffee machine, and dining set. The hearth is tremendous, taking up the entire side wall of the building. The whole scene makes me feel all warm and snuggly, and reminds me of Minnesota in the winter. Oh, and don’t forget to sign the guest book with the actual LEGO pen! This standard pen coloration is new for 2023, and only exists in a few sets as of now. I’m very grateful for the 2 that appear in this set.
And one last thing before we begin work on the next story. I want to point out this beautiful part of the instructions where I was told just how far to push a 3L bar through a series of parts. I am forever grateful to the person who decided to include this graphic, and love the moments when LEGO reads my mind on exactly what I need for proper assembly in the moment. Plus, the lamp’s design is pretty rockin’, too!
For the next level in the lodge, we need bags 6 through 8. With them, the chimney is extended further, a 2nd story landing is established, and the main bedroom is fully fleshed out. Plus, we get to lay out the grid of log pieces along the walls. This is some fantastic technique, and the final look is perfection. No stability is lost as a result, and the windows are incorporated beautifully. I also appreciate how this set feels snowier than past offerings in the WVC line, further leaning into that “outskirts of town” vibe.
The interior of the second story offers two beds with medium blue sheets, and a bunch of sand green furniture. I appreciate the bits of Christmas greenery festooned throughout this build, making the lodge feel very much like a seasonal build. That said, the décor is easily removed if you’d like to make this a year-round alpine cabin.
Finally, bags 9 and 10 finish out the rest of the model. With the debut of 10293 Santa’s Visit in 2021, I feel like LEGO’s roof game has really stepped up a notch. And the top of the Alpine Lodge is no exception! The three panels are connected using Technic beams, and slot in perfectly. The railing of the landing is completed, and a darling “Two Pines Inn” sign is added to the side.
Flipping the model around, we can see the final bed added in the attic section, along with some more decorations. Surprisingly, the tree from the first bag comes back and gets a smattering of 1×1 round tile in pearl pink, blue, and yellow to make for a lovely indoor Christmas tree. I should also say that I do like the idea of the 1×3 jumper plates on the beds to give minifigures something to attach to instead of sliding off the covers. it’s a simple, effective solution, I just wish all 3 beds had it.
At this point, I can properly display the main play feature: the light-up fireplaces. This chimney is a two-tier model, so the large hearth and small inset fireplace in the bedroom both feed into the same stack. Pressing down on the chimney cap activates the 2×3 light brick‘s yellow bulb, and the effect is quite nice, illuminating plenty of trans-orange bricks.
The minifigures
While I won’t pretend to be a big minifigure guy, I do have to say I like the offerings in this set. Featuring 5 minifigs, there’s the two inn owners, a traveler, a kid, and a skier. Each of them come with versatile torso prints, all double-sided, and most of the legs are printed as well. Every face but the male co-owner is double-sided, with my favorite being the kid’s with their rosy cheeks. Looks like they’ve been out skating on the pond for too long and needs to warm up by the fire. Also included is some alternate headgear, as well as appropriate accessories like a scarf, backpack, ski equipment, and hockey/skating gear. Also of note, this set includes three single-piece animals: a dark gray kitten, a red bird, and a light gray squirrel.
Conclusions and recommendations
After last year’s disappointing Holiday Main Street Winter Village set, the Alpine Lodge is a return to what a LEGO set of this type should offer. I do have some minor complaints, but none of them stand in the way of this being a fantastic set and one I highly recommend! The price point is on-par with other sets in the line as of late, and the price-per-part is outstanding (one of my biggest benchmarks during a review). While there’s only one real “play feature,” there are innumerable stories that can be told with these pieces, making it valuable for both display and hands-on adventures.
But I do want to get back to that frozen pond and the name of the B&B. For being named the Two Pines Inn, I would expect bigger pine trees, rivaling the height of the house. And that’s where I would’ve liked the parts used in the pond (and potentially the outhouse) to go. Not committing to some significant landscape pieces, in the most rural of the WVC sets to date, feels like a missed opportunity. And some simple pines on either side of this cabin could still contribute to the stories being told in the set, but also help amp up the display of those who’ve been collecting the whole Christmas village since 2009. For those of you that display your Winter Village each year, how do you handle the foliage in your town’s landscape? Let me know in the comments.
Available on October 4 from LEGO stores and their website, 10325 Alpine Lodge is composed of 1,517 pieces and will retail for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Here’s all the pictures from the review:
Generally after everything has been set up all the extra bits like vehicles, ponds and lamps/benches get moved around wherever play takes them. I’d love to eventually create a base where the buildings are minted on a pivot point to spin them and access both sides.
I have built up a fully Lego scenery base for my winter village. I use trees based on a design I saw years ago online that use the long “straws” with 5×7 leaf pieces attached with 1×1 or 2×2 round bricks to form a trunk. Some of these trees are 10″ tall. I have a “winter” set that incorporates white leaf pieces that I use for my winter village.