I’m pleased to share the official details and photos of the upcoming LEGO 10258 London Bus, the next iconic vehicle to roll off the assembly line of LEGO’s series of Creator Expert vehicles!
London’s red double decker busses are perhaps one of its most recognizable icons and it’s great that LEGO are paying homage to one of Britain’s enduring cultural icons via this charming model.
The Creator Expert London Bus includes 1,686 pieces and features the bus in its instantly-recognizable bright red colour scheme. The set’s has a general release date of 1 August 2017, with early access for LEGO VIPs on 17 July 2017.
The details in the press release are a little unclear, but it seems to suggest that you’ll be able to purchase this set from tomorrow onwards from 5 LEGO Brand Retail Stores in London. Either that or you can go in-store and check the set out.
The pricing for 10258 London Bus has now been released. It will cost AU$199.99 in Australia and £109.99 in the UK. Check out the product pages below:
- LEGO 10258 London Bus – US$139.99 [US product page]
- LEGO 10258 London Bus – AU$199.99 [AU product page]
- LEGO 10258 London Bus – £109.99 [UK product page]
England has been getting a ton of love from LEGO, what with recent releases such as the Buckingham Palace Architecture set, Creator Expert Big Ben, and London Skyline set. Oh and not to mention the massive flagship stop at Leicester Square. Now they also get to add a Creator Expert vehicle to their list of British LEGO sets as well!
10258 London Bus takes LEGO fans down a nostalgic journey, celebrating the iconic design which features a wealth of authentic details. From the bright red colour scheme to the bus’ signature curves, the LEGO model itself is a terrific take on the real-world London Bus which is also known as the AEC Routemaster.
Many of the London Bus’ physical features are captured remarkably well such as the panoramic windshield, specially made standard-tread tires, destination sign, and an open rear boarding deck with a hand pole, ticket bin, fire extinguisher and a half-spiral staircase that leads to the upper sightseeing deck.
Functions include an opening hood with engine, detailed driver’s cab with a sliding door, and a removable roof and upper deck for access to the detailed interior with worn look seating and additional authentic details, including a forgotten umbrella, newspaper, empty beverage can and discarded chewing gum. Reversible transit advertising posters are also provided as printed labels with a 1950s or present-day London promotion.
The London Bus is also designed as a display piece, and would look ideal next to the other LEGO Creator Expert Vehicles such as the Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Beetle and Ferrari F40.
The scaling isn’t particularly realistic when you put these vehicles together, which may be slightly unsettling for those that prize accuracy and realism. But from the designer video, it looks to be quite sizable – the LEGO London Bus measures over 7” (18cm) high, 13” (34cm) long and 5” (13cm) wide which will make it one of the largest Creator Expert vehicles yet!
One of the things I really like about the London Bus is the option to change the license plates, as well as the signage on the side which you can switch between the tourism centric Explore London banner, or the more classic advertisement with English Biscuits on it!
The new elements included in this set are a set of tires with standard tread, quarter bows and arches in red, and 1 x 1 x 1 A2/3 bricks with vertical studs.You also get a can drink, umbrella and printed ticket tiles as well!
To see more of the Creator Expert London Bus, be sure to watch the designer video below.
Objectively, I think this is a fantastic model. The iconic design of the London Double Decker Bus is surely going to excite many Brits and tourists who have been lucky enough to visit London and seen one of these in the flesh.
Personally, I’m a little underwhelmed. I’ve been a massive fan of the Creator Expert Vehicle series, mostly because the previous models have all been based on iconic automotive models. This one feels a little more touristy (almost like its meant to promote tourism to London) and doesn’t really satisfy my personal interests from an automotive sense.
It’s also a little on the boring side and I probably won’t be ordering this one immediately. It doesn’t really scream “BUY ME!” and in a year with some really outstanding sets being released, I’m afraid that other sets like Ninjago City are much higher on my priority list.
I’d love to know what you think of this set, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!
Stephen Round says
Having grown up in London in the 1960 & 1970s Ihad to have on even now Perth, Australia is home.
Anh says
wow
Customize Minifigures Intelligence says
Lepin wasted no time cloning this one. Judging from their speed this is actually quite late. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1689169578057510.1073741851.1673084802999321&type=1&l=2914664bb6
Mike says
Thanks so much for the great review.
I’m only really interested in the larger Technic and Creator vehicle kits so this is a definite “must get” for me – especially since I lived in London throughout the 1990’s and loved the Routemaster buses. (Even when the new modern buses came in in the mid-90’s I’d still get a Routemaster if I had the choice). I know there has been quite a bit of criticism about the front of this version though and especially the grille and the front wheel arches (which I must admit are dead ugly) but I’m pretty sure I’ll still pick this up when it comes here in Australia at a better price than the Lego store.
Kamarul Kamarudin says
Hi Jay, read through your write-up, sorry if I missed it but when would us lucky Australians get to see this in our local store? Thanks 🙂
Jay says
Hey Kamarul, apparently, it’ll be out in early August! Keep your eyes peeled for it!
Joshua s. says
Jay, when are you going to review the spiderman homecoming sets?
Jay says
Soon! The Vulture set is up next. Just built it the other day and it should be up in the next few days 🙂
z says
“be sure to watch the designer video below”
Am I blind, or is the link to the video, or the actual video not there?
Jay says
Ah thanks! Not sure what happened but the embed disappeared. It’s been restored!
DC says
Saw this today in the Lego store.; a little underwhelming… I expected it to be bigger. Bought the Saturn 5 instead for the same price 🙂
Jay says
Oh lucky you! From the photos I’ve seen online, I’m not a fan of the scaling of the set, when you set it up next to the other Creator Expert vehicles. The Saturn is the better pick 😉
Hammerdragon says
I had recently started buying red bricks with the intention of building my own bus. That’s that project out the window with this set. Add this to the Old Fishing Store and Ninjago City and I think I’ve unfortunately reached my full quota of Lego. I just don’t have the room. Do next project now will be the extension on the house so I can get back to buying more Lego
Lego Collecter says
It’d be cool the get this with less than 150 euros which would be about 160 dollars.
Jay says
It’s about 130 Euros, which isn’t too bad!
Lego Collecter says
At the lego store it’s about 140 euros in the original price, but it’s gonna cost about 20-30 euros more when I could get it from finnish stores…
Too bad I can’t buy them directly from lego, because I don’t have a credit card? and my dad has one but he doesn’t want to give the credit number…
Jay says
Ah.. right. Just ask him to buy it for you and you can pay it back in cash!
Lego Collecter says
I’m definetly gone buy this one when I can get from Finland. I have both Volkswagen and I’d really like to look for to have this double decker bus to my collection.
Jay says
Sweet 🙂 Are you planning to also get the Mini Cooper and Ferrari F40 too?
Lego Collecter says
I would, but the ferrari and mini cooper cost so much from the stores that you can get it from and can’t buy directly from lego.
Jay says
Bummer. Have you tried looking online on eBay or Bricklink? Might be cheaper?
Warmongurl says
I’m not too excited about the set. However, it is pretty cool how many high piece count sets Lego has released this year. Since many of them will make great display pieces, Lego is definitely acknowledging it’s many AFOL 🙂
Jay says
Yeah, they’re definitely recognizing the buying power and appetite of AFOLs for bigger and more elaborate sets.
Raspberry milshake says
Is this minifigure skale?
Raspberry milshake says
“scale”
Jay says
Unfortunately, it isn’t.
DC says
Sure? You could just about squeeze two mini-figures in those seats and it would be no more cramped than a normal London bus… elbows everywhere! 🙂
Jay says
I’ve never been on one so I wouldn’t know! Sounds like the tube, heh.
Bob says
I’ve loved the other LEGO Creator vehicles, but this one seems much more simplistic in design. My previous builds – the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mini Cooper and the Ferrari F40 – all ended up as magnificent, highly detailed display models that truly emulated the real thing (and I’ve got the camper van for a later build).
This looks far more like a toy to me, which is a shame. It’s not bad value, at £109.99 for 1686 pieces (6.5p per piece), and I’m sure I’ll buy and build it – as I am that kind of LEGO magpie – but it looks as if there is going to be quite a lot of repetitive building going on, and that can be a bit on the dull side.
Jay says
Yeah, that’s how I feel as well. I think it looks like a toy, mostly because they were trying to stay true to the Bus’s original design which does look quite simplistic.
From what I’ve heard/read about the build experience, it does look quite a fun and varied process. It looks like it employs quite a few cunning tricks to get the curves and shape right.
Fiona says
I think it’s superb. It’s at the top of my wish list.
Jay says
Nice, glad you like it! It’s a really nice design, but it isn’t all too exciting to me.
Chris L says
Must buy for me as I have the mini london bus. Maybe not a day one purchase but a Myer 25% off purchase.
Jay says
Haha yeah, I’m glad my mini Bus gets a friend too. But I’m not in a rush, I’ll just wait till I can nab it for 20%+ off!
Ian Hazlehurst says
Wow love it, I guess its going to be over £150 (GBP) with 1686 pieces, I’ll be buying it anyway.
Love the fine detail right down to worn seats & discarded chewing gum!
DC says
£110 in the UK
Jay says
That’s pretty decent!
Jay says
£110 actually!
Marsha says
I too am a bit underwhelmed with the bus. It could really do with characterful driver, conductor, and passengers. I know the vehicle series doesn’t usually come with minifigures, but it really needs something as its engine and build are nothing out of the box. When I compare it to the fishing store and the ninjaro building, ninjaro wins hands down. Also,I was disappointed to hear that the proportions of the old fishing store do not match those of the modular buildings in my cityscape. So definitely Ninjaro is the one I’ll buy!
Jay says
Yeah, I like the design but the subject matter isn’t something that I’m personally excited for. Like you said, there are so many other outstanding designs vying for our money this year. It’s kind of a good position to be in, being spoilt for choice!