Review: LEGO 43212 Disney Celebration Train

March 28, 2023 | 3

The LEGO and Disney 100 celebrations continue well into April, when 43212 Disney Celebration Train rolls into the station, with a colourful cast of Disney minifigures in tow.

Along with 43217 Up House, 1 April will see the the launch of 2 new sets celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary, and today, we’re going to take a look at the 4+ set from this wave, 43212 Disney Celebration Train.

In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out my review of 43217 Up House!

43212 Disney Celebration Train is aimed at very young children, but with a really strong LEGO minifigures lineup including the debut of Moana as a minifigure, makes for a compelling buy for LEGO Disney collectors and completionists – that’s if you can stomach the premium Disney pricetag.

Let’s jump into my review of 43212 Disney Celebration Train, ahead of its release to see if it’s worth the ticket price!

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for review.

43212 Disney Celebration Train Set Details

Set Name: Disney Celebration Train
Set number: 43212
Pieces: 200
Price:  US$39.99 / AU$59.99 / £34.99 / €39,99 / CAD$49.99
Minifigures: 6 (Moana, Woody, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse)
Theme: Disney 100
Release Date: 1 April 2023
Set Designer: TBD

Opening the box reveals 5 numbered bags and 5 instruction manuals. Each bag builds a different component of the Disney Celebration Train, and I do like this “Build Together” concept, which you can use to share the build among siblings OR to spread it out across several days to lengthen the lifespan of the build.

As this is a 4+ set, one of the main highlights is that there is no sticker sheet, so all the elements included are printed!

43212 Disney Celebration Train Minifigures

For LEGO Disney fans, the highlight of the set is the sheer number of minifigures included. You get 5 exclusive minifigures in the set, plus Woody from a variety of Disney properties.

The large number of minifigures is a big draw of the set, especially for older fans, and from left to right, we have Woody, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Moana, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan, a varied selection spanning different eras of Disney, from classic animation, to the CGI Pixar era.

Here’s a look at Mickey and Minnie Mouse which have exclusive outfits. Mickey is dressed in a train conductor’s outfit, and Minnie has a pink cardigan over her signature red polka dot dress.

The printing on Mickey’s torso is a little shoddy, with the yellow looking very dark, and not quite matching the vibrancy of his arms, but Minnie’s is pretty close to perfect.

She comes with a round fabric skirt, which is a nice bit of detail that gives the minifigure an interesting look and silhouette, but doesn’t quite stay down and drape nicely, so you’ll have to use her hands to tuck it down.

Here’s a look at their back printing. I really do like Minnie’s dual-moulded legs, and her printed yellow shoes, which match her yellow bow on her head.

Up next we have the Woody minifgure, which I believe is the same minifigure as the one from the Toy Story 4 sets (like 10766 Woody & RC) as he has identical torso, and face prints.

This is the “short” Woody with regular legs, and it’s still a great minifigure, with LEGO really nailing his torso printing, as well as his brown boots on his dual-moulded legs.

Here’s a look at Woody’s alternate face, and back printing, which of course features his drawstring to activate his voice lines.

It would’ve been nice to have a slightly refreshed and updated Woody, for example side leg printing for the spurs on his boots would’ve been a really nice bonus, but this is still a really good Woody minifigure, and is great if you missed out on the Toy Story 4 theme.

Next we have the duo Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. The Peter Pan minifigure previously made an appearance in LEGO Disney Minifigures Series 1, which was 7 years ago, so this is a great opportunity to easily get a Peter Pan if you missed Series 1.

He has Tinker Bell as a companion, which is somewhat of a rare LEGO Disney minifigure as she was only available in the now-retired 71040 The Disney Castle, so fans will be delighted to be able to access a much cheaper alternative.

Here’s a look at their back printing, and Tinker Bell’s large clear blue butterfly wings, which fit her fairy wings shape really well. Unfortunately, they both lack dual-sided heads which is a bit of a letdown as I’d have alternate expressions.

Here’s a Peter Pan compared to his LEGO Disney Minifigures Series 1 counterpart. The 2023 version has a more auburn-toned hair-colour, which is also more matte, but suffers from the lack of leg printing, which makes the Disney Series 1 version the superior version.

Really odd that we didn’t have any leg printing at all, which makes Peter Pan look really plain.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an older Tinker Bell minifigure for a comparison, so this official image will have to do. I think the newer Tinkerbell is slightly nicer as I like the fact that her skirt is printed on her legs, as opposed to fabric skirt, and the wings are much nicer compared to the Bumblebee Wings of the Disney Castle Tinker Bell.

Either way, it’s a big win to have Tinker Bell in a fairly accessible set, which means you won’t have to pay out the nose for a Tinker Bell minifigure on the aftermarket.

And last but certainly not least, we have Moana who makes her long-awaited debut as a LEGO minifigure! I love the design, and the detailed prints on her torso and legs, and I’m particularly impressed with the colour matching of her skin, which is pretty close!

Here’s a look at her back printing and alternate expression.

Of course, Moana has made countless appearances as a minidoll, here’s a comparison with the most recent Moana minidoll from 43210 Moana’s Wayfinding Boat.

For LEGO Disney minifigure fans, the addition of Moana now means that there are 5 LEGO Disney Princess minifigures for now, with four more to come in LEGO Disney Minifigures Series 3.

Perfect for those who don’t quite like the LEGO Minidoll aesthetic that has been the traditional home of LEGO Disney Princesses, and I must say, I do really like having these iconic characters in the equally as iconic LEGO minifigure form.

43212 Disney Celebration Train Builds

The build for the set is fairly simple as it’s a 4+ set, so it’s really easy to put together for younger kids who are beginning to transition away from Duplo to LEGO.

The first thing you build is the LEGO Disney Celebration train engine, which Mickey rides on.

A nice surprise here is the inclusion of this printed brick, which has the Mickey motif and some sparkles printed on the side of a 2×4 brick.

Here’s a look at the front, which has a Mickey element to it, and the cab, which has some studs that you can affix Mickey too.

Next we have Peter Pan’s Pirate float, which is shaped like a Pirate Ship, complete with fabric sails with a jolly roger printed on it.

The sail in particular is a particular highlight, as it’s just so nostalgic, and the red and white stripes just give off Black Seas Barracuda vibes, and I can already see LEGO Pirates fans being especially keen on this piece to use for their MOCs.

Next we have the Woody’s Roundup float, which sees Woody being positioned on a turntable, flanked by a barrel and a cactus.

The turntable can spin around, but unfortunately, there isn’t a mechanism that connects it to the spinning wheels of the train, which would’ve been really nice, but probably a bit too complicated for a 4+ set.

The printed Sheriff 2×6 tile is a really nice touch which adds a lot of character to the float.

And I also really like this adorable cactus in the corner.

Next we have Moana’s Island Float, which is shaped like a large wave crashing against some rocks. It’s visually interesting, and the colours work really well here, and Moana can stand on the wave, which cleverly uses a curved windscreen.

The crab just minding his own business beneath the crashing waves is a nice touch.

And at the back is a little treasure chest which has a trans-green round tile in it which represents the Heart of Te Fiti.

And last but not least, is a small Train Station, which looks a bit more like a market stall run by Minnie Mouse.

There are some delicious baked treats like a cake with blue icing, and even a cupcake awaiting the train.

The train engine and floats connect easily via ball-joints, and you can switch around the order of floats, and pull them along. For those with smaller kids, this is a really underrated play feature, as young kids who are train-obsessed will love pushing the cars along.

What I liked:

• Great cast of minifigures included such as Moana and Tinker Bell
• No stickers and some nice printed parts included
• Fabric Pirate flag
• Offers some decent playability for younger kids

What I didn’t like: 

• A little on the pricier side
• Peter Pan lacking leg printing
• Recycled Woody minifigure

Final Thoughts:

It’s in the name of the set itself – that this 4+ train set is a celebration of all things Disney, befitting its part in the Disney 100 theme.

There’s some much-needed variety here, with Disney Princess, Pixar, Disney animation and classic Disney all being represented in some capacity, with characters that both the young and old can relate to.

The set’s strength really lies in the minifigure department, and for many, this will be the sole reason to pick the set up. The minifigures mostly do not disappoint, and I love that we’re getting an option to get Tinker Bell without having to spend a fortune, and also get Moana as a minifigure.

The generosity of elements is also a staple of 4+ sets, and between the printed brick, Sheriff tile, and inclusion of the fabric sails, LEGO parts enthusiasts will be able to find some value here, once you’ve done building it, parting out the minifigures and ready to salvage this set for your parts collection.

The price is a bit of a tricky one to evaluate. Going by US$5 / AU$6 / £3.5 as the standard for licensed minifigures (using the Disney 100 Minifigures as a benchmark), this feels like terrific value in the US, where the set is priced at US$40, and also the UK where it’s priced at £34.99, but in Australia, it feels on the steeper side of things at US$60.

The set’s relatively high pricetag also makes this a bit of a tough sell, if you’re buying it for younger kids, who might run the risk of getting bored of it quickly, but thankfully, Disney parents can easily rescue the minifigures for safe-keeping and their own collections.

At the end of the day, this set is really geared towards Disney superfans, who will appreciate the varied cast of minifigures from different eras of Disney. It does make for a fun way to introduces these characters to younger kids, and to open up opportunities to rewatch some of these classics (Moana is 7 years old!) if you have Disney Plus.

Buy this if you really like collecting Disney minifigures, or if you have a train/Disney superfan that’s just getting into LEGO, but it would be best to wait for a sale if possible.

Build [3] – Simple and basic build that’s catered towards younger inexperienced builders
Real Value [3] – Feels a tad expensive, but offset by the relatively good minifigure lineup
Innovation [4] – I like the mixture of different eras of Disney, and that this is the first 4+ train set
Coolness [4] – Disney fans will be delighted with the different eras and characters depicted here
Keepability [2] – A set that’s destined to have the minifigures removed for collections, and the parts eventually harvested for parts collections or the LEGO tub

Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰

Thanks for reading my review of 43212 Disney Celebration Train, ahead of its release in April. Be sure to also check out my review of 43217 Up House, which I think will steal

43217 Up House will be available from1 April 2023 from LEGO.com, your local LEGO store or most toy stores.

If you plan on purchasing 43212 Disney Celebration Train please consider using the affiliate links found in the post to support the blog, as I may receive a small commission with each purchase.

What do you think of the LEGO Disney Celebration Train?

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