PRESS RELEASE for LEGO 10263 - Winter Village Fire Station Announcement

[WhiteFang]

10263 Winter Village Fire Station (available on the 1 October 2018)

Ages 12+.  1,166 pieces

US $99.99 – CA $129.99 – UK £84.99 – FR 99.99€ – DK 799DK – SG $149.90

*Euro pricing varies by country.  Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing.

More hi-res images is available in this album for viewing.

Jump aboard the sleigh and head down to the snowy LEGO Creator Expert 10263 Winter Village Fire Station, where the holiday season is in full swing. Outside the holly-adorned building, the firefighters are busy filling the ice rink with water from their shiny fire truck while an ice hockey player looks on, and a street musician plays yuletide carols on his saxophone.

Build a cute snowman with a cool top hat and help decorate the Christmas tree. Place the gifts and toys below and climb the fire truck ladder to position the shimmering star on the top. Then head over to the fire station and take the stairs to the cozy kitchen. Switch on the light and enjoy a refreshing beverage in the company of the friendly Dalmatian, before you slide down the fire pole and head back to the square for more festive fun.

Fire up your imagination with this delightful LEGO Creator Expert set.

[Gideon8]

Didn't expect it to look so much like a building from a ceramic Christmas village. Amazing! 

[Lord Insanity]

Nice!  I am surprised it took so long to get a Winter Village Fire Station considering how common Santa riding a firetruck is.  Heck I have had Santa riding my 10197 Fire Brigade truck through the Winter Village since 2012.  Not only that but the inspiration of classic ceramic winter village buildings run the full range of typical town buildings decorated for the season regardless of whether they are otherwise "in theme."  I can only hope over the years the Lego Winter Village becomes that diverse.

The new ladder truck will need a few minor mods to look good next to the engine from 10197 but is otherwise fantastic.  (I am so glad its not just another vintage engine.)

I love the little details all over the main building.  I can see many people using that flag on 10197 (myself included.)

Those new vintage fire coat torso prints are simply marvelous.  I am starting to think that not only is this a great Winter Village set it is also a great 10197 upgrade pack.

I have yet to be disappointed by a Winter Village set and this is no exception.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Lord Insanity
fixed typo

[Cyberfounder]

Not my scene, but its looks really good. 

[BigHobbit]

I love every single thing about it from the giant building all the way down to the little baby with reindeer print.

[Khscarymovie4]

Very nice. Honestly was not expecting it to be this good. This is probably the best Winter Villagely set since the Winter Cottage. What makes me the most happy may be the fact that the minifigures actually have a way to get to the second floor without teleporting. The inside is very impressive with a nice interior most Winter Village sets exclude. My favorite part of the interior the kitchen, nice detail's and the bed is awesome. The Fire Truck is different then the City ones but it fits well with the WV line. Fountain and tree are nice too. Only problem may be the bench, this set is already expensive and that just seems like filler. Overall fantastic set though.

Just noticed the baby's shirt. Makes the set even better.

[Modeltrainman]

Everything about this is great!

 

[LegoDakin]

The light brick is back like the other classic Winter Village sets.

[Aanchir]

(copying and pasting this comment from Brickset with some minor editing for context)

A fire station is perhaps more holiday-relevant than it might seem at first glance — in the United States, Christmas and Christmas Eve are the two most common days for home fires, primarily involving cooking and heating sources but also other causes like candles, electrical fires from Christmas lights, the flammability of live Christmas trees when they dry out, and people's general tendency to overlook risks after drinking alcohol.

That said, I get why some people feel like this is a unusual kind of subject matter compared to previous fare. Other Winter Village sets have generally been tied to much cheerier and more festive things people associate with the holiday season, like toys, presents, caroling, skiing, ice skating, Santa Claus, Christmas markets, Christmas cards, Christmas cookies, Christmas vacations, I'm sure part of the reason so many house fires DO happen on Christmas Eve and Christmas is that they're the sort of thing a lot of people prefer NOT to think too much about when planning for or celebrating the holidays.

All in all, a fire station certainly is the kind of building that helps towards any city or village feel more complete. It will be interesting to see if kids' and parents' well-documented enthusiasm towards LEGO fire stations gives this set a boost. Even though a lot of us think of Creator Expert as sets that are for us AFOLs first and foremost, I've come to understand that a lot of adults who might not be involved in LEGO fan communities also love the Creator Expert sets and other D2C exclusives as something that brings them together with their kids (who in many cases might not be old enough to get as rewarding a building experience from sets like this on their own).

Let's not forget, the Fire Brigade was a controversial addition to the Modular Buildings series among AFOLs, especially with its overtly American design alienating those who preferred to pretend that the three previous buildings in the series were European-based. But on the Inside Tour, Jamie Berard mentioned to me that it actually sold a lot better than the previous buildings. The number of people who have marked down owning the Fire Brigade here on Brickset compared to the numbers who did so for the previous buildings appears to back this up, though I'm sure those sales numbers were both an effect and a cause of the Fire Brigade not being discontinued nearly as quickly as its predecessors.

Anyhow, my thoughts: this definitely fits the quaint and nostalgic aesthetic of the Winter Village sets. I love the snow and ice hanging from the stairways and overhangs (though it's a bit surprising from a safety perspective that a staircase outside a firehouse doesn't have any railings). I love that this not only stands out from the colors architecture of other LEGO fire houses, but also from the colors and architecture of other winter village sets.

The interior of the station is picturesque, yet compact like other Winter Village sets. So I was very interested to see how much livable detail the designers were able to incorporate. On the plus side it has a cute little kitchenette, so the firefighters don't have to rely on ordering delivery and bringing any leftovers home with them when their shift is done. On the minus side, due to the limited space it has fewer beds than the latest LEGO City fire station or the converted firehouse the LEGO Friends are living in now. But I suppose since this is located in a village rather than a city, it's probably OK if on a more average night only one firefighter sleeps at the station in case a call comes in, and the others live close by. As for the other fire station essentials, it's good that there's a staircase to get up to the top floor and a fire pole to get back down to the garage (both City fire stations and other Winter Village buildings like the cottage sometimes have no obvious way to get upstairs). And it's nice to see space for various firefighting equipment in the garage,

The old-timey fire truck doesn't wow me as much since even the newer-looking one from the Fire Brigade had much the same before-my-time nostalgia. That said, unlike City vehicles and other Winter Village vehicles, this one does have a feature common to vehicles from Friends and Modular Buildings sets that I enjoy seeing: the ability to seat two figures side-by-side. It's something I've pretty much always strove for in my own real-world-based MOCs, so it makes me happy any time it shows up in a set. This fire truck also makes good use of parts like the 1x2 curved wedge slopes that weren't around when the Fire Brigade set came out.

The Christmas tree here is a new design for the series, but that said I quickly realized it wasn't much different from a design I'd seen before — the LEGO Creator "How to build a holiday tree" video uploaded last year! https://youtu.be/SMIxE4UZDRg Looking at that video again, I kind of have to admit I like that tree design more. I think it's the more consistent staggering of the wedge plates (unlike this one where the wedge on the second-innermost plate on each side sticks out further than the one below it), the classic Dark Green plates being more visible against the Earth Green ones than on this one where they're mostly covered up, the transparent ornaments, and the spots of snow that offset all the more heavily saturated colors. Even though that tree was a couple modules shorter than this one and certainly couldn't have used such a giant star without looking silly, I almost would have preferred if LEGO had gone with that design or one more like it.

The ice skating rink is simple but still really elegant, with beautiful curved steps in the corners and a nice smooth sheet of ice. One thing puzzles me about the statue — what is the firefighter holding? I guess it's a fire hose, but in the summer is it supposed to function as a fountain? Because in real life it's usually not advisable to keep a fountain running in weather cold enough that it freezes! As for the snowman, its size compared to a minifigure is decent, and it's a good use of the big top hat from The Penguin/Iron Baron, but it feels rather inelegant (but in fairness, I'm not sure there's ever been a minifig-scale snowman I've been perfectly satisfied with).

As far as minifigs go, I like the new baby's moose sweater, the reuse of Jay's scarf from The LEGO Ninjago Movie, and the old-timey uniforms of the firefighters and fire chief — although what I've really long been waiting for in a LEGO firefighter is a modern-looking fire suit in a color like Sand Yellow, and I recently saw some hints I may not have to wait much longer). It's nice to see both hair and helmets for the firefighters, though I suppose the chief is stuck wearing his hat.

Slight pet peeve: I really wish LEGO would come out with a dog mold more suitable for use as a dalmatian than this one, which works fine in other colors/patterns as a German Shepherd but doesn't at all have the droopy ears of real Dalmatians. Cookie, Livi's Dalmatian puppy from the LEGO Friends sets, managed to feel a lot more authentic. In minifig-based themes, a full-sized dog mold like this with droopier ears could have lasting usefulness as all kinds of iconic dog breeds, from Dalmatians to Golden and Labrador Retrievers.

Overall, though, I'd say this is another great showing from the Creator Expert designers! Value for money seems good, it meets most of the usual expectations of the Winter Village series or of an other LEGO firehouse, and it's something the Winter Village series has never had before.

[Renny The Spaceman]

I love this set and all but does anyone else notice the hidden mugging here!

[Hive]

A very nice looking set that's different from all other offerings in the Winter Village lineup. It's somewhat overpriced though, which is a disappointment. But we'll still get it, after having skipped the train-themed sets from the last few years.

[JasperL]

It's a nice building, but it doesn't feel wintery to me. Those few white tiles en tooth pieces don't do the trick for me.

[sasbury]

Great looking set. Well done by Lego.

I like the new vintage formal firefighter uniforms. I was hoping we'd get single-tank air tanks (the double ones from the Classic Space era are incorrect) and some printed firefighter helmets, but overall I give this set an A.

[Fenghuang0296]

2 hours ago, sasbury said:

Great looking set. Well done by Lego.

I like the new vintage formal firefighter uniforms. I was hoping we'd get single-tank air tanks (the double ones from the Classic Space era are incorrect) and some printed firefighter helmets, but overall I give this set an A.

There were single-tank air tank parts in the Lego Ninjago Movie. Worth a look?

I really like this set. I was going to make the Train station my Christmas purchase for this year, but . . well, it'll still be available next year. And this thing is a beauty - though I'm noting that the light grey and dark red evokes the Gostbusters firehouse quite a bit. 

I feel like the bench is a bit superfluous, and the tree is ugly, but the frozen fountain is beautiful - even if I wish the entire thing was done in Pearl gold, not just those little ornament parts. 

The new firefighter uniforms are a gorgeous combination with the pearl gold helmets. (Though I kind of wish they included some breathing equipment - but, of course, I can add that myself any time.) And the fire truck is simplistic, but functional . . and I'm open to MODing it, of course. 

[dragonk1ng]

Reminds me of Disneyland's Fire Station!

[Robert8]

I really dislike the tree and the snowman. But the rest of the set looks great. 

Wish the dog had a new print but I guess having a dalmatian is almost mandatory for a fire station

[Gideon8]

@Robert8, yeah, the solid colored rounded studs on the tree looks rather odd to me... I wonder if they would look better if they are transparent? Maybe add some blue transparent round studs too?

[Man with a hat]

Nice. better than expected. And I especially like the firefighters uniform printing.

[mirecg]

To be honest I'm a bit disappointed here. I really love the Winter Village series and was looking forward to get a new set this year like a small child :) . Even though the set is nice and has some nice features, from my point of view it doesn't fit the Winter Village very well :( I was expecting a small Winter Village town hall or a caffee house / restaurant..... simply a place where the minifis can have wonderful time in the Christmas mood :) 
Having said this I still might be getting one of these because I'm really so keen on expanding my Winter Village, but it is still a kind of bitter sweet feeling now. 

And what was the reason for using the two 2339 Brick, Arch 1 x 5 x 4 - Continuous Bow in LBG and not Dark red??? at the gate. 

 

Edited September 10, 2018 by mirecg

[adwind]

@mirecg  This is exactly what I think! Beautiful set, nice details, minifigs and everything (except some small issues) but there's just not enough of Christmas spirit in it (it's there but not enough) - and that's why I'm thinking maybe to pass this year as well... Just like you I passed 2 previous sets because of the bad design but used that 2 years to hunt for all those cool sets that have been released before. And yes when I was looking at images of bakery, post office etc. - they did have that Christmas thing. :) 

[Laura Beinbrech]

5 hours ago, Man with a hat said:

Nice. better than expected. And I especially like the firefighters uniform printing.

Me too!  I mean they are perfect for officer uniforms for one of my factions.  Said minifig torsos + the load of bricks in dark red & other useful parts are the main reason why I'll be seeing about picking up one or two (depending on price) of these sets in a month or two, and I'll probably be grabbing more of the fireman torsos on BL down the road, whenever I find them.

[lightningtiger]

The level of awesome is beyond 100%, I love all the exterior detailing in this set........gets the tiger thinking for some MOCs now ;)

Brick On everyone ! 

[wooster]

What is the blue scooter thing?  Is it supposed to be a scooter?  A shopping cart?  A child's pretend car?

BTW, I love everything about this set...just curious about that blue thing.

[nana]

I agree there's not enough Christmas spirit in this set. At the first glance, I though it was a city set. I have all the other winter village sets. My winter village set up is already too big and I am not sure if I should continue collecting this line. Maybe I will wait one more year to see the next winter village set and decide.

[Mrcool1804]

I was really happy about this set considering I built one for the Winter Village Contest back in 2012. I think the tower that houses the fire pole is great. with the white window inserts. One thing that I can not figure out is if the garage doors open to the outside or if they open in. It appears to me that they open in, which makes no sense. With limited space inside the station you should not have inward swinging doors. The ladder truck stickers with the gold leafing ladder 4 is a very awesome touch!