Review: LEGO 21344 The Orient Express

November 26, 2023 | 12

All aboard the LEGO 21344 The Orient Express which rolls into LEGO Stores and LEGO.com on 1 December 2023. It’s the 52nd LEGO Ideas set, and features a detailed model of The Orient Express.

I will preface this review by saying that I’m not a LEGO Train expert or even a fan, so I’m feeling a little out of depth with this review, including the discussion about whether you can/can’t motorise it. I did get some help from some actual train experts, and worked with Melbourne L-Gauge Train Club (M>LTC), a local Train-focused LUG (LEGO User Group) in Melbourne, and I have some of their initial thoughts on this set in my review below!

That said, I’m always up for a challenge and was very keen to take this review head on. And yes, I also have comparisons with the LEGO Emerald Night if you want to see both trains side by side.

21344 The Orient Express will retail for US$299.99 / AU$469.99 and will be available on 1 December 2023 exclusively from LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store.

See below for regional pricing and links, where preorders are now open worldwide except for Australia.

• 21344 The Orient Express [US] – US$299.99
• 21344 The Orient Express [AUS] – AU$469.99
• 21344 The Orient Express [UK] – £259.99
• 21344 The Orient Express [EU] – €299.99
• 21344 The Orient Express [CA] – CAD$389.99

Who is this set for? LEGO fans who want a gorgeous display model of the iconic Orient Express train. Train fans who will enjoy the challenge of tinkering with motorising and upgrading The Orient Express to properly run on track.

If you’re planning to order The Orient Express, please consider using these affiliate links as I may receive a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do here on the blog.

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set for this review!

21344 The Orient Express Set Details

Name: The Orient Express
Set Number: 21344
Pieces: 2,540 pieces
Price: US$299.99 / AU$469.99 / £259.99 / €299.99 / CAD$389.99
Exclusive to: LEGO.com / LEGO Stores
Theme: Ideas
Release Date: 1 December 2023
LEGO Designers: Ollie Gregory (Senior Model Designer) @concorers, Kjeld Walther Sorensen (Graphic Designer)

Unboxing and Instruction Manuals

A huge PSA (public service announcement)! The sticker sheet that’s included in the first production run has a colour error, specifically with the shiny reflective yellow stickers. They’re a lot darker and not as reflective as what they should be.

On the left is the error sticker sheet, and on the right is the correct version, which LEGO supplied for this review.

If you’re buying an Orient Express at launch, be sure to contact LEGO Customer Service to request the correct sticker sheets. LEGO already has stock of the correct ones in their warehouses, and they’ll send it out upon request.

This is really quite embarrassing and again, makes me questions LEGO’s Quality Assurance processes, especially for such a key release like this. I understand mistakes happen during production, but surely stuff like this would be caught and rectified immediately. While LEGO’s customer service is stellar, it does put a dampener on those that buy the set at launch, and won’t be able to fully decorate it, especially as the sticker with the name of the train is affected.

All that drama aside… here’s a look at the sticker sheets. There are 2 sticker sheets with plenty of incredible illustrations and art. The reflective sticker sheets used for mirrors and some of the train details are lovely, and give the train that extra bit of shininess, and and art on the floral art decorations are great as well, with plenty of LEGO elements being used.

Here’s a look at the LEGO Instructions manual, which has plenty of nuggets of information about the history and legacy of The Orient Express, information about fan designer, Thomas Lajon, a.k.a. LEt.sGO.

The manual also has a lovely profile of the design team of the set, Ollie Gregory (Senior Model Designer) and Kjeld Walther Sorensen. Ollie is a massive LEGO Train fan, and he’ll be dropping nuggets of information about the interesting features on his Instagram @concorers, till the train launches. Definitely give him a follow!

LEGO Orient Express Minifigures

The LEGO Orient Express comes with a really huge cast of 8 minifigures. The minifigures are an integral part of the set, and provides the essential ingredients for story-telling, with Orient Express staff and engineers and some really interesting passengers.

For a train set, the minifigures are usually sidelined in favour of the actual train, but I really love the rich characters included here.

First up, we have the Orient Express staff. We have a Waiter, Conductor (who doubles as a Porter), Train Station Manager and the Train Driver/Engineer.

The minifigures are great – I really like the clever use of a car door for a napkin, and I like the Train Station Manager’s torso design, which is shared with the Lighthouse Keeper from 21335 Motorised Lighthouse. Maybe they’re relatives.

Here’s a look at their back prints – none of these minifigures have dual-sided heads.

Next we have an old but wise-looking scientist, and a regal Duchess who is dressed immaculately. She shares the same dress as the singer from the Modular Jazz Club, and I really love the fur collar and clever design of her black handbag.

She features a newly recoloured scarfed headpiece, which first appeared in Series 24’s Potter and it’s really neat to get a plain black one!

Here’s their back printing – the Duchess features an alternate head.

And the most interesting minifigures is Pippin Reed from LEGO Adventurers, and a cameraman who is based on the fan designer!

It’s so incredible that we’re getting so many Adventurers characters showing up in random sets, especially with Dr. Articus Kilroy, or his twin, Dr. Charles Lightning also popping up in the Modular Natural History Museum.

Here’s a look at their back prints – Pippin Reed’s torso is a new design introduced in this set, and she also has a scared face. A really nice nod to LEGO Adventurers, and so exciting to get a 2023 version of one of the stars of the beloved 1990s theme.

There’s also plenty of luggage for the conductor to lug into the train, and there’s even a chest with a Mosquito encased in Amber, and some gems.

There’s a mystery on the train, with gems being hidden in various parts of The Orient Express, suggesting that there’s some shenanigans going on. Is someone smuggling precious gems across the border? I’ll leave you to discover the gems as you build the train so as not to spoil the locations of where they’re hidden.

I really like the period minifigures, and found them absolutely delightful – full of character, personality and flavour to really inject a sense of time, and Adventure(rs) into the set.

The Final Model

When The Orient Express was revealed, there was heated debate about the train, both from the design, to the colour scheme, with many train fans feeling it was quite a letdown for such a historically significant train.

While we now know that the change in colour scheme (from the original Ideas submission) was due to a request from The Orient Express, I think the images and marketing material for The Orient Express really didn’t do the set justice as it’s a remarkable display model.

For one thing, the train is absolutely massive, measuring 116 cm (46 in.) long. Here’s a LEGO Saturn V for comparison. As you can tell by now, I love using the Saturn V as a ruler and to provide a sense of scale, because it’s conveniently 100cm tall.

The size of the carriages especially will surprise you, especially if you’re familiar with the carriages on LEGO City Trains or The Orient Express.

They’re large, chunky, heavy and full of detail, and really look like impressive LEGO Train MOCs that you see at LEGO Conventions. See here next to some carriages that Melbourne L-Gauge Train Club (M>LTC) brought to a meetup, where I had The Orient Express to preview to them, and get their thoughts on.

Let’s start with the locomotive, which is easily the “weakest” part of the model. The locomotive is called Sapphire Star, a nod to The Emerald Night which is a really poignant connection. It’s quite short and stubby, but there are some nice details, such as the golden bands on the engine.

These are all printed elements which are nice.

The front is very plain, and it’s disappointing that it’s just plain – I really would’ve liked the dish to have some printed decoration, or even a sticker to look like The Emerald Night.

That said, there are some lovely details and a really clever technique, which uses a LEGO helicopter blade for the running board!

There’s also some ingenious use of recoloured elements, like these gold pens and dark blue minion heads, as well as the large Belville bucket, which appears in black for the smokebox! I can see this plain black bucket being used extensively to upgrade Train MOCs due to its shape, size and colour.

A generous gift to LEGO Train fans!

I also really like the stickers (error sticker sheet drama aside) – the metallic stickers used for the Sapphire Star nameplate, and the 52 (a nod to this being the 52nd LEGO Ideas set) on the locomotive look really good, contrasting with the dark blue.

Speaking of more gifts to LEGO Train fans. These coupling rods are a brand new element and make for a much more attractive alternative to plain old Technic beams.

And here’s a look at The Sapphire Star’s cab, where we have more lovely pearl gold details used for the dials and levers.

And here’s a look at the underside of the Locomotive which gives you a better look at the leading wheels/pony truck.

Up next, let’s take a look at the Tender!

The tender is pretty basic, and has a latch that opens up. The use of a small wooden door is a cute little detail.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, it’s hollow and empty on the inside. As if it’s an invitation or a challenge to motorise it.

And here’s the underside of the Tender.

Oh, before we get to the carriages, here’s a look at an issue with the brick-built train tracks. Myself and other LEGO Fan Media who got this set for review found very noticeable lifting with the tracks.

The black tracks are purely for display, but these were very noticeable, and I’m not sure what’s the culprit here. Maybe they’re too thin? Either way, it’s very strange, and along with the issue with stickers, makes me wonder what LEGO’s QC department is doing. ‘

Let’s take a look at the Sleeping Car, which has the French word Voiture-Lits printed on bricks along the side.

All the exterior decorations are printed, which is a really nice touch, including the Orient Express logo, set number 21344 brick, and bricks denoting the Sleeping Car vs the Dining Car.

The tile with the names of the cities that The Orient Express passes through are also printed.

Which brings us to our next issue with the set, with numerous typos on the city names, which are meant to be spelt in the native language of the countries they’re in.

Munich is meant to be München, and the tile is missing the Umlaut. Bucaresti is meant to be spelt București, for the Romanian capital.

It’s even more embarrassing when promotional photos of the Orient Express La Dolce Vita has the correct spelling for Munich and Bucharest.

Extremely sloppy, and again, I cannot understand how things like this managed to pass through so many stages of approval, unless The Orient Express provided LEGO with incorrect reference images. But still, this should’ve been caught and fixed.

The roof of the Carriages pop out easily, allowing you to easily access the interiors. To make things even easier, the windows can also be removed which gives you a much better view of the minifigures and furniture inside.

The Carriages are where the LEGO Orient Express truly shines and where the majority of design effort went into – for good reason.

The Orient Express is famed for its opulence and luxury. It’s never been about the locomotive pulling it and all about a luxurious train ride through Europe, whether you’re spending the night in the Sleeping Car, or enjoying fine dining in the Dining Car.

The Orient Express La Dolce Vita returns in 2024, and an overnight suite for two will cost from 6,600 euros (around US$7,200) to  25,000 euros (around US$27,000) per night.

Opulence.

Here’s a look at the Suite, which contains a massive double bed, a desk, couch and your very own ensuite bathroom.

I really like the mirror sticker here, which has a cool perspective of the other side of the room.

And here’s a look inside the ensuite bathroom, which has some really groovy tiling on the floor, and the most interesting LEGO sink I’ve ever built. The details are immaculate throughout the train, and you’ll find yourself relishing in some really nice furniture builds.

And if you’re on a budget, bunk beds are also available. Or these might be for the Train Staff and Crew.

There’s also a game of backgammon on the small desk to keep the crew occupied as they rest and relax.

Oh, there’s even a tiny sink in the corner of the staff quarters!

Across the carriages, you’ll find these gorgeous stickers featuring floral and botanical art, meant to mimic the art deco pieces on the Orient Express. I love that these make great use of actual LEGO Plant elements to really anchor the set within the LEGO universe.

Next, let’s move on to the Voiture Restaurant, or the Dining Car!

There’s a lot of hustle and bustle in the Dining Car, with plenty of room for 2 tables, and a bar.

With the carriages being expanded to 8-studs wide, there’s so much room not only for really fun furniture, but space in the aises for the minifigures to walk through.

I really love these upside down cupcakes for the lampshades.

Here’s a look at the bar where your favourite drinks and beverages are served, even if you want a cup of tea and a slice of lime!

This is probably the best sticker in the set, featuring LEGO birds and grapevines.

And again, more of these gorgeous illustrations.

The Orient Express vs The Emerald Night

It’s not a coincidence that the locomotive pulling The Orient Express is named Sapphire Star, a homage to its sister locomotive The Emerald Night, the legendary Creator Expert train from 2009.

Special thanks to Rambling Brick for loaning me this legendary LEGO Train!

The Emerald Night is considered one of the best LEGO Trains ever, mostly because it was designed less like a toy City Train, and more like a model train, inspiring an entire generation of Train MOCs and designs.

There are a few similarities but as you can see above, the carriages of The Orient Express far dwarf The Emerald Night, which only has a singular 6-wide carriage. The Orient Express’ two carriages give it a much more complete look, and the 8-wide design also makes it much larger and so much more impressive.

That said, despite The Emerald Night looking a smidge smaller, the locomotive is still a little larger than The Orient Express, and has a far more interesting design which will appeal more to hardcore train fans. The Orient Express’ locomotive does look so much more simplistic and stumpier in comparison.

Here are more shots of The Orient Express vs The Emerald NIght. This one in particular, really highlights just how plain The Orient Express’ locomotive is compared to The Emerald Night – something that train fans will not enjoy.

Here’s a look at the tender.

But where The Orient Express has the clear edge is in the carriage department, dwarfing the Emerald Night in size, scale and design.

The decorations on the side of The Orient Express, and the far classier gold and dark blue livery make this a no-contest.

What do LEGO Train fans think of it?

To help with this review and to understand the challenges behind motorising The Orient Express, I worked with Melbourne L-Gauge Train Club (M>LTC), a local Train-focused LUG (LEGO User Group) in Melbourne.

I got the chance to show The Orient Express to them, and asked for their thoughts on it, as train experts, as well as the possibilities of motorising it – something that the design team didn’t incorporate into the design of the set. It can be done, just not easily.

They also brought along some of their own MOC trains, which are fantastic. They usually have an active presence at LEGO Shows and Conventions across Australia, and if you’ve seen them at Brickvention, you’ll understand just how talented they are with trains.

Here are some of their thoughts on The Orient Express

Kade: Overall really good. I loved the detail of the cars both inside and out. The new elements and printed elements are great. At first, I thought the Locomotive was a little basic, but there was nice part usage with the helicopter blades, and when looked at it from the point of view of the public (not a Train enthusiast), it was quite well build,

Alex McCooke: The set is about the train, and LEGO sees the carriages as being more important than the locomotive (in the instructions, the carriages are built first, before the engine). It’s unclear what the loco is based on. From a quick scan of the instructions, there is no mention of any particular locomotive. LEGO’s design criteria appear to be that it is dark blue to match the carriages and vaguely European-looking. I think it is interesting that for motor cars, LEGO builds specific models with pretty good accuracy, but with a railway locomotive they feel they can get away with something generic.

The locomotive looks better in real life than in LEGO’s promotional pictures. The thickness of the boiler and relatively short length do make it look a bit stubby from certain angles, but not as bad as in LEGO’s own photos. The wheels on the leading truck (bogie) are too close together and would look better with wider spacing. Another relatively simple modification would be to extend the boiler by a couple of studs.

There is quite a bit of detail in the loco and some nice parts usage, for example pens for safety valves. The new coupling rod element finally provides a reasonably attractive legal option for purists who do not want to use 3D printed parts. However its use will be limited to locos with a matching wheel spacing.

While the set is not designed to be motorised, LEGO have made sure the train can run on standard track. Articulation is provided where required and the middle wheelset of the tender slides from side-to-side.

Towballs are used instead of magnetic couplers, perhaps because the magnets did not hold well enough with the heavy carriages.

The best way to motorise the set would be to build an additional baggage van or guards van with space inside for a battery/receiver inside and two train motors underneath. Another option would be to put train motors under one of the carriages but you would need to remove interior detail to make room for a battery. The train runs well with two motors. A single motor would likely be insufficient. There should be room inside the loco for an L motor but it would require a significant redesign to make space and a single motor would probably not be powerful enough.

Ashley Bognar: I agree with all that Alex has said. The loco, while small, is nicely detailed with some newly recoloured parts. The printing across the set is nice too.

That said, it is obvious that the set is designed as a display model and not a playset. It will take a fair bit of modification to get it to be motorised. The easiest way is to motorise a carriage as Alex suggested or extend the tender considerably to put motors under that. The lack of magnetic couplers is unfortunate but likely due to their excessive weight.

The last criticism I have is the plastic wheelsets. On light toy sets, they’re totally fine. but with the weightier cars of this set they show their flaws. The LEGO train community will be able to remedy that with the older wheelsets fitted with aftermarket roller bearings.

It’s not a perfect set in anyone’s eyes, but you can’t please everyone, lest the LEGO train fan community. Expensive as it may be, it is surely a must purchase.

Easy Ways To Motorise The Orient Express

At the meetup, we did play around with some of the carriages that Melbourne L-Gauge Train Club (M>LTC) brought, including one with two motors in it, giving it a bit of power.

Here it is in action pushing it on a straight line. I tested this on a curved track, but found that it struggled to push it through the bends.

I also went out and bought my own LEGO City Train, as I was curious if the 60336 City Freight Train would be able to push it along, and lo and behold, it did.

I had a bit of fun with this, and the kids absolutely loved playing with the remote control and train, and even though this is Powered Up, I might just keep it around and enjoy it with my kids!

So yeah, it can definitely be motorised and you can either cheat and use a stock standard Freight Train locomotive to push it along, or look at ways to modify the Tender/Boiler to fit in motors.

You can also check out this thread on Eurobricks for a discussion, inspiration and ideas that other Train fans are employing to motorise The Orient Express.

What I liked:

• A really good looking train with a great colour scheme
• Great carriages with plenty of lovely interiors
• Fun and interesting cast of minifigures
• Is a really huge display model, but can also run on LEGO track
• We finally get a proper LEGO train aimed at adults

What I didn’t like: 

• Locomotive is a little stubby and looks plain from the front
• Quite expensive
• Motorisation wasn’t factored into the design and is not easy unless you’re really experienced with modifying trains

FINAL THOUGHTS:

For what it sets out to accomplish, I think 21344 The Orient Express is a really fine LEGO set and it’s about time LEGO fans get a proper spiritual successor to The Emerald Night.

I empathise with the purpose of the set, which was to do something incredible befitting of The Orient Express license, pack it with luxurious details to reflect The Orient Express’ legacy of opulence, and also ensure that the mistakes of the Hogwarts Expressed weren’t repeated and that it could run on LEGO track.

The Orient Express has always been about luxury and the sleeping and dining experience on board, and LEGO have rightfully focused on getting the interiors and details just right. There’s plenty of fun furniture and features in both the Sleeping and Dining Car, and with plenty of space, it doesn’t feel cramped, and thanks to the windows, and roof being easily removed, access is also a breeze.

I’m also a big fan of the colour change, but I may be biased as Dark Blue is my favourite LEGO colour, but I still think the contrast with the golden stickers and printed decorations make this a really attractive model to display.

There are some bugbears – I’m fine with the Locomotive looking quite basic, it works in this context as Locos aren’t the real focus point of The Orient Express, but sloppy mistakes like the Sticker Sheet error, city name typos, and lifting track does sour the premium brand of The Orient Express.

With a US$300 / AU$469.99, this isn’t a cheap set, and while it’s satisfyingly large and looks the part, it’s still quite an expensive set, sharing the same price as 10326 Natural History Museum which also launches on 1 December 2023.

That said, getting a huge train for Christmas does have a very old school, nostalgic vibe to it, and for fans of model trains, this will be a treat to build and display. I also like that there’s an invitation or challenge to fans to motorise and get this to work, without the help and explicit help from LEGO.

I’ll end on a closing thought on why motorisation wasn’t a key design factor. This all goes back to 21335 Motorised Lighthouse and the less-than-stellar reception it received because it has motorisation and expensive component baked into the set. I think the negative fan response to LEGO including the Motorisation in the box, was a factor into why it was abandoned with The Orient Express.

Powered Up components are pricey, and it would likely cause the price of The Orient Express to balloon further, which wouldn’t be ideal for the consumer, who would get sticker shock at the thought of paying US$400 for a train. By stripping it out, and allowing the LEGO Train Enthusiast community to figure it out, use their own wheels, connectors and motors, it does also save some money and doesn’t compromise the design in any way.

I think 21344 The Orient Express is a really good set. Well-designed, an aesthetic joy to display with plenty of surprises and delights with the interiors and minifigures. But it is pricey, and with LEGO’s willingness to swiftly discount sets, I think it’s a safe bet to wait on a sale on this set, if you’re on a budget.

It’s a good thing that LEGO have finally delivered the spiritual successor to The Emerald Night, and I hope this kicks off a new era for LEGO Trains for adults.

Rating and Score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰

Build [3] – Quite a simple, straight forward build. Very beginner-friendly and filled with fun furniture and interior builds
Real Value [2] – Feels quite expensive compared to its contemporaries.
Innovation [3] – Builds on the template set by Emerald Night but this time at a much larger and more ambitious scale.
Coolness [3] – While I’m not personally a huge Train fan, I am excited that the community finally get a really good 18+ Train experience
Keepability [4] – The Orient Express is historic and iconic, and I think this will hold up well as a collector’s item, given how rare detailed trains are for LEGO.

Thanks so much for reading my review of 21344 The Orient Express.

21344 The Orient Express will retail for US$299.99 / AU$469.99 and will be available on 1 December 2023 exclusively from LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store.

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for an early review!

What do you think of the LEGO Orient Express? Are you excited for a LEGO Train in this scale and ambition?

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