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71044 Disney Train and Station

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The Disney aspect does nothing for me. I'd be happier if they dropped the Disney branding and the mini-figures entirely and just sold this thing for $30 less (because you know Mickey and friends have to be adding a premium to the overall cost) but I also realize that some people who don't really care about trains are going to buy just because it IS a Disney tie-in.

Whatever, if being "Disney" is an excuse to get a new train (especially a steam engine) so be it.  We managed to get a nice little train set out of a terrible movie like the Lone Ranger, why not let the House of Mouse bring us a fresh take on Trains.  It's no Emerald Night and (at first glance) probably pales by comparison to the Maersk Locomotive or the Horizon Express (some of my favorites), but looks better than the two holiday train offerings, comes with a cool little station and looks like it could be a fun build. 

I was disappointed to learn that, while this set includes a Power Up motor, it does not include the remote, opting instead for control via an App on a smart device.  While I can appreciate the advantages of simply running software on an existing device, I ABSOLUTELY HATE being forced into combining Lego with smart phones or computers.  I do Lego to get AWAY from screens and would gladly pay extra to avoid having to open an app to run my trains.  Further, we have a strict separation of "church and state" for my young daughter when it comes to "play time" versus "screen time" (video games are right out) so embedding a train controller in a phone would send her mixed messages.  

I'll probably get this and retrofit a PowerFunctions motor and remote.  I suppose I could pick up a separate PU remote, but I live in the city and Bluetooth pairing is in my apartment is already a hassle, too many devices, too many dropped connections and not enough bandwidth.  Bluetooth was fine when it was new and we were only using it for a wireless speaker or two, but now its the electronic equivalent of the dust bunny under the bed.  We've got dozens of devices (speakers, earphones, fitbits, thermostats, A/C units, lights, nanny cams, etc. - my damn microwave oven even wants to send me a notification when my popcorn is ready) and that's before you even start counting the stray signals from the neighbor's apartments. Honestly, I miss the days of metal track and a speed controller.

But hey, NEW TRAIN!

 

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ALso I feel that train station is the closest thing we will ever get to a "modular" train station. 

I look forward to turning it into a full building, based on the real thing 

 

 

I just realized i really need those red wheels for a MOC. 

Edited by Goldenmasamune

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14 hours ago, ShaydDeGrai said:

The Disney aspect does nothing for me. I'd be happier if they dropped the Disney branding and the mini-figures entirely and just sold this thing for $30 less (because you know Mickey and friends have to be adding a premium to the overall cost) but I also realize that some people who don't really care about trains are going to buy just because it IS a Disney tie-in.

Same. I cannot stand Disney, and the minifigures - as far as I am concerned - are utterly useless and incredibly boring. 

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15 hours ago, ShaydDeGrai said:

The Disney aspect does nothing for me. I'd be happier if they dropped the Disney branding and the mini-figures entirely and just sold this thing for $30 less (because you know Mickey and friends have to be adding a premium to the overall cost) but I also realize that some people who don't really care about trains are going to buy just because it IS a Disney tie-in.

It is the Disney tie in that made this set possible, I bet for every train fan who buys it, there will be 9 Disney fans who buy it. But hopefully some of those nine will turn in to a train fan as a result. As far as the locomotive goes, in my eye it does not look any better than the Lone Ranger locomotive, but that is in part because the Lone Ranger (after adding rods) is a pretty good little locomotive.

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46 minutes ago, zephyr1934 said:

It is the Disney tie in that made this set possible, I bet for every train fan who buys it, there will be 9 Disney fans who buy it. But hopefully some of those nine will turn in to a train fan as a result. As far as the locomotive goes, in my eye it does not look any better than the Lone Ranger locomotive, but that is in part because the Lone Ranger (after adding rods) is a pretty good little locomotive.

I concur. 

For those who can’t stand Disney, there’s nothing stopping you changing the appearance of the train, including removing the Disney branding.

In fact, that’s half the fun - trying to improve the existing train. For example, for the white 60051 train, I added a first class carriage (6 x 28) with fewer seats and bigger tables with a coffee machine, free newspapers tiles and free biscuits (would have preferred croissants, but didn’t have enough space). ?

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@ShaydDeGrai I loved your post. It reminded me of that story in the news recently about the girl using her fridge to tweet.

As for Disney, I don't see the slightest attraction in the characters. I love popular culture as much as the next person. Winnie The Pooh (not the Disney version), Bagpuss, The Wombles. I have no problem with Frozen, Teen Titans...I've even watched Barney and Paw Patrol. But Mickey and Goofy and all leave me cold...

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16 hours ago, Goldenmasamune said:

ALso I feel that train station is the closest thing we will ever get to a "modular" train station. 

I look forward to turning it into a full building, based on the real thing 

I was actually thinking along those same lines when I first saw the station, and thankfully, it seems to use fairly common pieces in fairly common colors, which means it should be easy enough to buy the parts to transform it into a modular train station.  I might actually do that myself & see if I can get it on my LUG's train layout sometime....

2 hours ago, Rizwanul said:

I concur. 

For those who can’t stand Disney, there’s nothing stopping you changing the appearance of the train, including removing the Disney branding.

In fact, that’s half the fun - trying to improve the existing train. For example, for the white 60051 train, I added a first class carriage (6 x 28) with fewer seats and bigger tables with a coffee machine, free newspapers tiles and free biscuits (would have preferred croissants, but didn’t have enough space). ?

My thoughts exactly:  Remove all the Disney branding, and you've got yourself a nice, generic 4-4-0 "American" style locomotive that could fit just about any railroad in the US during the mid-late 1800's, which is basically what I plan on using this as.

12 minutes ago, Retro said:

As for Disney, I don't see the slightest attraction in the characters. I love popular culture as much as the next person. Winnie The Pooh (not the Disney version), Bagpuss, The Wombles. I have no problem with Frozen, Teen Titans...I've even watched Barney and Paw Patrol. But Mickey and Goofy and all leave me cold...

Same, which is why I plan on selling/trading all the minifigs that come with the set.  In fact, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & Co. are my least favorite parts of the entire set, but the actual train & station are still nice enough for it to be worth buying as far as I'm concerned.

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As a general LEGO fan I really like this set but as a LEGO train builder not so much.

Too many design compromises and those new wheels still don’t win me over even in red.

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3 hours ago, dtomsen said:

Too many design compromises and those new wheels still don’t win me over even in red.

I see several users is refering to "new wheels"... What is the difference(s)? When did the "new wheels" come out the first time?

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20 minutes ago, Chilis said:

I see several users is refering to "new wheels"... What is the difference(s)? When did the "new wheels" come out the first time?

The New Elementary has a few good shots of the new parts and small discussion of the new set

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On 8/14/2019 at 10:52 AM, Tcm0 said:

You can even fit a normal boost motor in the hogwarts express you are space efficient.

  Hide contents

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I know, but in an ugly fashion ;)

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13 hours ago, Rizwanul said:

In fact, that’s half the fun - trying to improve the existing train. For example, for the white 60051 train, I added a first class carriage (6 x 28) with fewer seats and bigger tables with a coffee machine, free newspapers tiles and free biscuits (would have preferred croissants, but didn’t have enough space). ?

Isn't that what Virgin Trains East Coast did and many of the other UK trains? (grin)

 

11 hours ago, Laura Beinbrech said:

Same, which is why I plan on selling/trading all the minifigs that come with the set.  In fact, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & Co. are my least favorite parts of the entire set, but the actual train & station are still nice enough for it to be worth buying as far as I'm concerned.

Recoup some of the cots by reselling the minifigs to those of the absolute opposite position- "why would I want a train set but boy do I want those figures!"

 

5 hours ago, Chilis said:

I see several users is refering to "new wheels"... What is the difference(s)? When did the "new wheels" come out the first time?

Hey, there are some people still calling for 9v to live on... and some folks who I'm pretty sure have succeeded in keeping 12v alive. (grin) Back on topic, for a small train like this the wheels should not be an issue. But for a train of cars that are each 8 wide and over 70 studs long, the friction can make all the difference.

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1 hour ago, zephyr1934 said:

Recoup some of the cots by reselling the minifigs to those of the absolute opposite position- "why would I want a train set but boy do I want those figures!"

That's kinda my plan... I figure there is probably someone in my LUG at least who would be willing to make a deal for the figs.  I just want the train (and the station).  I might even see if they still have any of the Winter Village Fire Station sets left at the LEGO store here soon, since I could use one of those as a parts pack for adding on to the station from this set (they look to use almost identical brick palettes) or just BL what I need.

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On 8/15/2019 at 2:05 AM, ShaydDeGrai said:

Further, we have a strict separation of "church and state" for my young daughter when it comes to "play time" versus "screen time"

Oh man, another tried this argument on the Technic forum complaining about the new Control+ hubs using smartphone control.

Quite frankly, there is a stark difference between using a smartphone in place of a physical controller, and using a smartphone to watch YouTube or play games.

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1 hour ago, Bartybum said:

Quite frankly, there is a stark difference between using a smartphone in place of a physical controller, and using a smartphone to watch YouTube or play games.

Or watch someone on youtube playing games.... sigh

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4 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

Or watch someone on youtube playing games.... sigh

You realise gaming channels are popular because of the commentary right? People don’t watch gaming channels solely because of what game’s being played. It’s like watching your friends play games, only the communication is often one-way.

Edited by Bartybum

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16 hours ago, Chilis said:

I see several users is refering to "new wheels"... What is the difference(s)? When did the "new wheels" come out the first time?

There are new all-plastic wheels (they took the metal axles out). They came first with the hidden side train.

 

Edited by Tcm0

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Why are the plastic axle wheels bad again?

Edit: never mind, just watched the above video. That's a bit of a pity

Edited by Bartybum

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Love this set! As a Disneyland and lego fan this is a must for me. It will work great with the castle. I just wish they produce also Main Street and my mini Disneyland would be complete. 

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On 8/16/2019 at 2:01 AM, Tcm0 said:

There are new all-plastic wheels (they took the metal axles out).

@Tcm0

Thanks for taking the time to share this video, TCM.  Definitely a difference between the plastic and the metal axles.  I hate to see quality reduced for I'm sure the sake of cost.  Still like this set, but looks like LEGO "cut a few corners" with this train.

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I think the set looks pretty great overall. When I heard rumors that it would be based of the train I was unsure if I would like the set but I do think ther train section is pretty good. Nice detail on the station. Not as good as the castle but still good and I am exited to see what other Disney D2C's lie down the road.

Edited by Khscarymovie4

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Maybe a little off topic, but I see this train and station as a potential for a few Disney ride sets.  Someone previously mentioned Main Street and with the Jungle Cruise movie coming out, would love to see a few ride entrances like that of the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, perhaps even Small World.  Lots of opportunities here and for us Disney fans, we can have this new train steaming around the various sets.  Now do I need to purchase the Disney Castle...?

In the spirit of Disney:

6963151183_8374965e16_c.jpg

Disneyland Railroad Water Tower & Tunnel by WesternOutlaw, on Flickr

6963312989_c761f6891e_c.jpg

Disneyland Big Thunder by WesternOutlaw, on Flickr

6817144294_067211211a_c.jpg

Disneyland Rivers of America by WesternOutlaw, on Flickr

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If the price/exclusivity is anything like the Disney Castle, it won't move down a lot at all (Castle hasn't moved even 10% in 3 years), some stores still even ask €50-€100 more (€400 or more) for the Castle then LEGO itself right now.

At least for my area, going by online prices.

No remote control is also a bummer for longevity/compatibility, while I can understand the app might add fun sounds and all, noone knows how long those apps will be used, a seperate remote right now is another €25.

 

Edited by TeriXeri

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On August 15, 2019 at 9:23 PM, Bartybum said:

Oh man, another tried this argument on the Technic forum complaining about the new Control+ hubs using smartphone control.

Quite frankly, there is a stark difference between using a smartphone in place of a physical controller, and using a smartphone to watch YouTube or play games.

For adults, a smartphone is probably as good as a physical controller, but for young children there's a growing body of child development literature that finds there is a world of difference between them.

Multiple studies have found that using "touch controls" on a flat surface as opposed to actual knobs, buttons and levers retards find motor skill development.  The haptic feedback  of grabbing, turing or pressing  something that actually moves is fundamentally different from simply encountering resistance when pressing on a solid surface and that richer feedback is essential for toddlers and young children.

In addition, focusing on a physical, reflected light 3-D object stimulates different areas of a developing child's brain compared with a light emitting 2-D surface.  Screen time, regardless of what it's displaying or whether one is passively watching or actively interacting, reduces the "blink rate" of the viewer's eyes, screws with normal serotonin production and disrupts circadian cycles (or in terms that parents of young children can better relate to: it screws up nap time and makes tantrums more abrupt and intense).

The color bars that you lay on the tracks in Duplo trains are a far better control solution than the Bluetooth-Phone App solution used here as far as Pre-schoolers (and even up to 3rd grade (9-10 year olds) when it comes to Serotonin and circadian effects) are concerned.

 

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