Review: 10325 Alpine Lodge
Posted by CapnRex101,Log cabin architecture seems perfectly suited to the Winter Village Collection and I am surprised none has appeared before. 10325 Alpine Lodge exemplifies this style, making impressive use of the various curved slopes developed over the last couple of years.
These interlocking logs look fantastic, especially beside the stone walls of the ground floor. The interior is richly detailed as well, maintaining the high standard expected of the Winter Village. On that basis, I hope the Alpine Lodge will serve as a satisfying companion to previous sets from this series.
Summary
10325 Alpine Lodge, 1,517 pieces.
£89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 5.9p/6.6c/6.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
10325 Alpine Lodge is another delightful addition to the Winter Village Collection
- Outstanding log cabin design
- Unique architecture
- Detailed interior
- Clever use of light brick
- Deeper ground floor is awkward for display
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Five minifigures are supplied, two of whom are presented as the owners of the lodge in official images. The male character sports a reddish brown flat cap, developed for the Newspaper Kid Collectable Minifigure and paired well with the overalls. I like the muted colours, continuing with printed sand blue legs.
The second minifigure includes a new torso, featuring a detailed jumper pattern across either side. The addition of decorated legs is again welcome and this textured hair component looks marvellous, covering an alternative expression on the double-sided head. Naturally, both faces are cheerful, as one would expect in such an idyllic setting.
A reddish brown helmet with attached goggles is provided as well, for riding the snowmobile. Meanwhile, the lodge owner comes with a tray of iced biscuits. These printed 1x1 round tiles were introduced in 10293 Santa's Visit two years ago, so I am pleased to see them in another Winter Village set this year.
Three visitors to the lodge accompany its owners, beginning with a skier. This figure's printed legs are interesting, as they have represented shorts in the past, although the dark red stripes on the knees are equally effective as decorative bands. Moreover, I like the dark azure and red jacket, while the reddish brown backpack looks splendid as well.
However, this torso and the female guest's jumper both appeared in 10308 Holiday Main Street last year. I have no problem with repeating elements where appropriate, but seeing them again in sequential Winter Village sets is not ideal. Nevertheless, the sleeveless jumper looks superb and this minifigure also incorporates printed legs, returning from three previous sets.
The child's bright light blue jumper is even less common, having only appeared twice before, while the double-sided head is new. The flushed cheeks and metallic silver braces look good and I am pleased to see this hair element again, created for 21339 BTS Dynamite. A lavender hat is also provided beside various accessories, including medium azure skis, a hockey stick and a suitcase.
The Completed Model
As usual for Winter Village sets, various smaller models surround the focal building and these involve relatively basic building techniques, ideal for younger children. The snowmobile and its sled are accordingly simple in some regards, although their red colour is attractive and I like the Technic beams forming tracks on the snowmobile. There is space for a minifigure on board, of course.
The ball joint between the snowmobile and the sled has significant friction, which is less than ideal for play, although their relative proportions seem reasonable. I like the decorative leaves on either side of the sled and there is room to carry the tree. This captures intricate texture and is assembled similarly to the tree in 10308 Holiday Main Street, albeit scaled down.
Frozen ponds or skating rinks have appeared in this collection twice before, with 10216 Winter Village Bakery and 10263 Winter Village Fire Station. While I continue to love the version from the bakery, this example is more detailed and takes advantage of the opalescent 1x6x5 panels introduced in 80109 Lunar New Year Ice Festival. The whole structure is accordingly assembled sideways and looks beautiful.
Unlike in 80109 Lunar New Year Ice Festival, there is nothing beneath the ice on this occasion. The shimmery effect is appealing though and I like the wooden jetty, especially with a few parts scattered to form snow on top. A small snowman and some trees are also included and the taller tree resembles those in 21343 Viking Village. In addition, ice skates are available to rent and a blue hockey puck is provided too.
There are no bathrooms inside the lodge, hence the presence of an outhouse. This would not necessarily be an appealing prospect in such wintry conditions, but is a fun inclusion, even so! Another tree grows outside, comprising dark green and white fern elements. These each return from 21343 Viking Village and the dark green fern is also found in 10315 Tranquil Garden.
The first of four stickers is applied on the door, forming an appealing crescent-shaped window. The interior is relatively spacious for such a small structure, although still basic, featuring a tan toilet seat and the requisite toilet roll. I appreciate the use of white 1x1 tooth plates on the sides, forming snowdrifts against the outhouse.
Furthermore, the shape of the outhouse is realistic, thanks in particular to the angled roof. The light bluish grey rocker plate on the front looks odd though, while the back is somewhat lacking in details. However, there was little opportunity for additions, given the need for space inside the bathroom, so a couple of dark brown and dark tan elements must suffice.
The titular Alpine Lodge looks wonderful, faithfully recreating the architecture I would associate with these buildings in reality. The combination of stone and wood appears authentic and I find the colour scheme attractive too. In addition, the size of the lodge feels appropriate, measuring 21cm across and 22cm in height. These dimensions are near-identical to 10275 Elf Club House, so this building will not overwhelm its precursors.
Masonry bricks are used to impressive effect across the ground floor, blending light bluish grey and dark bluish grey elements. The external shutters look lovely and equipment is provided for chopping logs into firewood, with a wood store nearby. The angled roof protecting those logs is fittingly rustic and features a layer of snow on top, gradually sliding off, it seems.
While light bluish grey is dominant on much of the façade, the chimney breast mainly comprises dark bluish grey pieces. I think this colour swap works well and the occasional 1x1 round plates scattered across the stonework are effective. On the other hand, the bulging section may seem slightly odd, but is required for an internal function and seems fairly realistic.
A sign hangs outside, identifying the lodge as the Two Pines Inn. This is fitting given the trees beside the frozen pond and the outhouse and the sign itself looks excellent, including another sticker. Additionally, I like the brick-built lights flanking the entrance and the shovel kept on the wall is a practical inclusion, alongside an empty box where you could place the skiing gear.
While the ground floor looks great, the dark orange level above is far more eye-catching. The use of 1x1, 1x2 and 1x4 bows across the exterior is exceptional, providing superb texture and authentically overlapping at the corners. All three pieces are new in dark orange and I love how they fit around the windows, as well as the bird house introducing some additional detail.
1x4 bows are used on the windowsill and the railing around the balcony as well, representing accumulated snow. The grey squirrel disturbing the snow is a charming addition, joining a bird and a dark bluish grey kitten as the animal residents of the lodge. The floral garlands above are also welcome, since the exterior would otherwise be lacking in colour.
The buildings in 10308 Holiday Main Street received criticism because their interiors were fairly shallow. The lodge adheres more closely to earlier Winter Village models. The back is open for easy access, but the rooms inside have reasonable depth, striking a suitable balance between play value and interior detail, in my opinion.
However, the ground floor is unusual, extending beyond the physical footprint of the building. This technique is common in Friends sets and works well, as long as the resulting space has proper use. In this situation, I understand the desire to include a dining area, but the extension makes the whole lodge more difficult to display, especially given the precedent of prior sets.
I like the combination of reddish brown palisade bricks and dark green plates for the reception desk and buffet table. These furnishings suit the cabin and fit nicely around a couple of arched pillars, supporting the upper floor. The stickered guest book and pen introduce some detail here and the drink dispenser is excellent too, including three adjustable levers.
Christmas trees are an important presence within the Winter Village Collection, appearing in most of its constituent sets. As mentioned earlier, this design is similar to the model in 10308 Holiday Main Street, but reduced in size to fit indoors. A variety of colourful 1x1 round tiles are supplied to decorate the tree, as well as red elements to build a circular mat underneath.
The dining area beside the fireplace certainly appears cosy. The 1x1 half round tiles forming the ends of the tablecloth work well and the rug underneath is a welcome feature. Even so, I remain uncertain whether this extension was really necessary. After all, the armchairs alone would have looked perfect beside the fireplace and avoided the need for an expanded floor area.
Six trans-orange flames are placed inside the fireplace, which looks nice with the decorative greenery on top. However, pressing the button on top of the chimney activates the light brick inside and the fire seems even better when illuminated, of course! The light is actually placed above the flames, but they catch the light beautifully, so appear to be lit from underneath.
As normal, there are no staircases between floors, but that maximises space for furniture on each level. The bedroom therefore contains two matching beds and three cabinets, featuring 1x2 jumper plates as drawers. These look good and I like the continued use of earthy colours, especially beside the dark orange floorboards.
White 1x1 half round tiles denote snowy footprints inside and these are found outside on the balcony as well. Equally subtle storytelling features have been essential to the Winter Village series since its launch, so I always appreciate them. There is plenty of room for minifigures to stand out here and the dark brown railing contrasts strikingly with the dark orange walls.
The fourth and final sticker forms a pastoral painting on the wall, resembling the farmer and ox from 10305 Lion Knights' Castle. The bedroom includes brick-built curtains too, although these arguably highlight the simplicity of the bed underneath. There would not be enough space for a truly complex design, but I think patterned bedding would have been sufficient.
A shorter bed is occupies the opposite side of the room, sandwiched between a narrow cabinet and a fireplace. Placing the bed immediately beside the fireplace seems potentially dangerous, but the village does have a fire station! Also, I find this tiny fireplace rather charming and there are even a couple of printed 1x1 round tiles depicting logs inside.
The light brick is located immediately behind this fireplace, requiring the aforementioned bulge on the chimney breast. Again, the warm glow looks stunning and I am impressed by the double use of this brick, illuminating two floors. However, the position of each fireplace renders the glow almost invisible from the outside, unlike several previous buildings in the Winter Village.
Reaching the top floor, we find a loft bedroom. Unsurprisingly, space is more limited here, but there is still another bed and a table alongside, as well as a yellow present. The repeated dark orange floor and tiled rug look splendid, but a couple of blue Technic pins are visible underneath the roof, unfortunately.
Both roof panels are secured using Technic beams, partly disguised using flowers. The beams remain fairly obvious, but also serve a functional purpose, as the roof panels can be moved to place minifigures inside this bedroom. Given the restricted headroom, this would otherwise be quite difficult, so the feature is useful.
Overall
Charm is really the fundamental feature of a successful Winter Village set and 10325 Alpine Lodge satisfies that requirement for me. I like that the architecture is distinctive and appears realistic, but still feels cohesive with previous sets. The dark orange logs are undoubtedly the outstanding design detail and they look marvellous, unlike anything else in the series so far.
The accompanying models are slightly simpler and some may consider them superfluous, but these have been a consistent feature of the Winter Village Collection since it began. Moreover, the price of £89.99, $99.99 or €99.99 remains intact from previous years and I think represents fair value, particularly because this is narrowly the biggest Winter Village set to date, by piece count.
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51 comments on this article
I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)
Looks lovely. And the price indeed seems fair for what you get.
The folding roof looks as though it transforms the Lodge into 'flight mode'!
@toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
The crescent window motif on the outhouse predates Shrek, and has been popular especially in cartooning for many decades as a signifier for outhouses.
@toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
But it isn’t. Almost all outhouses had those, at least in Europe.
I liked the look of this set instantly when it was revealed. Thanks for the review - it has helped make my mind up to to get this at some point. The set looks suited to adapt and expand. The LEGO City advent calendar is beginning to look like a good complement to this as well...
A nice return to Winter Village form after last year's relative disappointment (for me). I plan on making the chimney a bit taller (this one would never pass building inspection) but otherwise no notes. OK, maybe add a bit of a trunk to the freshly cut tree on the sled. I really like the conifer style tree and might even Bricklink parts to expand the style to other parts of my village.
Anyone think if is this going to be more popular than the Viking Village?
I’m planning on getting the Viking Village day one along with the Hoth AT-ST because the Chicken Walker is set to retire this year.
A really lovely set, and one that you could easily buy multiples of to "bulk up" a winter village or create an alpine ski town. Really lovely and charming!
Two Pines Inn? Better not let Marty McFly near this set or it’ll soon end up Lone Pine Inn
@Endermen39 said:
"Anyone think if is this going to be more popular than the Viking Village?
I’m planning on getting the Viking Village day one along with the Hoth AT-ST because the Chicken Walker is set to retire this year."
It's christmas,considering holiday coming up, think theyll outnumber afols
but afol's like viking village has great piece count...
@missedoutagain said:
" @Endermen39 said:
"Anyone think if is this going to be more popular than the Viking Village?
I’m planning on getting the Viking Village day one along with the Hoth AT-ST because the Chicken Walker is set to retire this year."
It's christmas,considering holiday coming up, think theyll outnumber afols
but afol's like viking village has great piece count..."
Thanks. I wasn’t sure because I haven’t been to a Lego store in 8 years because the closest one is 4 hours away and have never been to one in October let alone the first day of the month. There’s not even one in my state. I have to drive Al the way to New Orleans for the closest one.
thanks for the review, it looks lovely :-)
I like that extended footprint at the back. Gives a bit more sense of space without extending the whole back. Seems easy enough to modify if you want to shorten it too.
Fantastic! Look forward to these sets every year!
A truly charming Winter Village set which I'll get as soon as there's a nice GWP. (The waiting list grows!)
The only very minor negative being the dunny door sticker, which looks nothing like a window due to the usual awful colour matching! Easily left off and forgotten about though.
Lovely winter village set. Will definitely add this one to my own Christmas village.
Very cute design. Lovely village inn.
And the ice rink terrain is very nice too.
All good stuff for a Xmas display.
Are the head of the “grandpa” new? Or is it possible to find it in other sets too?
Nice review. I like the set. Sadly it appears that '99.99' is the new '59.99' nowadays, but I think pretty good value for the money, and its other home/lodging as opposed to more shops which I think is nice as well.
@vzarmo said:
"Are the head of the “grandpa” new? Or is it possible to find it in other sets too?"
No, it's been around since about 2016
@TheBrickBulbasaur said:
" @vzarmo said:
"Are the head of the “grandpa” new? Or is it possible to find it in other sets too?"
No, it's been around since about 2016"
Rly? thanks for the info.
Good review! In addition to providing room for the coffee table, I suspect that the extended floor is also meant to create space so that all the minifigs have space to gather together by the fireplace and Christmas tree for holiday festivities (such as to sing carols together in the evening, or to unwrap the presents that are currently scattered about upstairs on Christmas morning).
On the whole, this downstairs lobby space strikes me more as a "living room" than a dining area — cushy armchairs are not really typical for a dining table, and the comestibles are limited to hot drinks and Christmas cookies rather than, say, a breakfast buffet. And I can't say I mind the protruding floor at all — certainly it seems no more obtrusive to me than the "uncovered" portions of 10229, 10245, or 10293!
I love the SNOTted "log cabin" construction here — the texture and the way the logs meet in the corners are the authentic-looking approach to this sort of architecture that I've seen in any theme, certainly more so than Creator 3-in-1 attempts like 5766 and 31048. The snow-covered roofs and the jettied construction of the upper floors are also nicely constructed, while the grey stone walls of the ground floor and chimney provide great contrast with the warm tones of the wood.
The outhouse is a great fit for the rustic setting, and stands out beautifully from anything in earlier Winter Village sets. The small jetty over the frozen pond suggests to me that this pond likely serves as a fishing hole or swimming hole in the warmer months.
All in all, this set manages to be very unique and imaginative, while still fitting in naturally with the series both thematically and aesthetically! It's great that even after all these years, this series still seems nowhere close to running out of new directions to expand in.
@ThunderCracker81 said:
" @toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
But it isn’t. Almost all outhouses had those, at least in Europe."
Really? I've never seen anything but hearts on outhouses, maybe that's just in Sweden then?
Winter Village isn't something I'll ever collect, but I really like the outhouse! The lounge area should have had the cocoa cups from Friends.
A solid entry for the Winter Village series, but they really should've included a handful more candlestick pieces to make each of the pine trees taller to hit home the whole Two Pines Inn idea.
What I love the most is the full (& THICK!) snow coverage on all the outer pieces…roof, railings, etc. even TREES! That completely gives a feeling of cold and winter, something I’ve not felt as strongly from previous sets. I can’t wait to get this.
Oh, and the price is spot on.
Very fair to great price already.
@toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
Typically outhouses are built/portrayed with crescent windows.
@madforLEGO said:
"Nice review. I like the set. Sadly it appears that '99.99' is the new '59.99' nowadays, but I think pretty good value for the money, and its other home/lodging as opposed to more shops which I think is nice as well."
Seven out of the last eight winter village sets have been priced at 99.99.
@Brickalili said:
"Two Pines Inn? Better not let Marty McFly near this set or it’ll soon end up Lone Pine Inn"
Eh, they're prepared. They've got a couple extras, just in case.
@Ridgeheart:
I don't think OSHA has jurisdiction outside of the US, and Alpine stuff is usually found in countries bordering the Alps. Europe also uses 240v power for residential, which isn't exactly making an attempt to keep kids safe (not that OSHA has jursidiction inside private homes, either).
@Aanchir:
It would be really nice if there were a clean way to put the 1x1 round tiles with endgrain print on the ends of the "logs", though.
@MrClassic:
Crescent moons are the stereotypical design for US outhouses as well. However, a lot of US National Parks have more modern outhouses, where the door is solid and all the ventilation is done through the roof or upper wall.
@toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
Not really a reference, most old fashioned wooden outhouses have those
@toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
I don't see what this has to do with Shrek. The crescent moon is a very typical cut-out in outhouse doors, the most typical after a heart shaped one, I might argue.
@MrClassic said:
"
@ThunderCracker81 said:
" @toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
But it isn’t. Almost all outhouses had those, at least in Europe."
Really? I've never seen anything but hearts on outhouses, maybe that's just in Sweden then?"
I have seen crescent moons in real life, but hearts were indeed most common, here in Belgium and the Netherlands to my knowledge. I've also seen rhombuses and multiple smaller round holes.
Love the outhouse and animals.
Will probably have the child wear the helmet/goggles and be pulling his parents on the trailer with their nervous faces. ;)
@twentythree: The mother doesn't really have a nervous face, although you could easily interpret her alternate face as her closing her eyes because she wants her last moments to be peaceful...
Looks really nice , much more appealing to me compared to some previous Winter Village entries as it can be more general purpose and less santa claus focused, or easily converted to a mountain lodge/restaurant/inn even with a summery look.
Als this year has not 1 but 2 Ski focused sets, so this is a good entry to go along with it.
@toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
The crescent window in an outhouse predates the movie Shrek by many years.
Somebody once told me
This toilet looks familiar
I just can't really say why.
It is looking kind of nice
Surrounded by some ice
It's a lovely winter in my swamp.
I am wondering what the gwp is going to be with this one?
@ThunderCracker81 said:
" @toothctrlv said:
"I'm surprised there hasn't been any pointing out of what looks like a shrek reference with the outhouse and its crescent window :)"
But it isn’t. Almost all outhouses had those, at least in Europe."
Well, not in Belgium...a heart is the symbol that is used here. I have never come across a crecscent moon, So to me atleast it looks wierd.
With the black BTS hair in the Botanical Garden and the dark brown one in this set, I really did not need to buy the BTS set earlier this year....
@darthmar said:
"I am wondering what the gwp is going to be with this one?"
I think there's a Star Wars GWP on the 1st. But hopefully that's just theme related and there'll be something less boring too.
@sjr60 said:
" @darthmar said:
"I am wondering what the gwp is going to be with this one?"
I think there's a Star Wars GWP on the 1st. But hopefully that's just theme related and there'll be something less boring too.
"
I've heard the SW GWP is only a metal Republic credit and fabric patches of the Venator minifigs, and that it will be tied to the Venator.
I hope this is wrong, because I'm not buying the Venator for patches and one credit!!! After all, Republic credits are useless in most of the galaxy far, far away....
@Endermen39 said:
" @missedoutagain said:
" @Endermen39 said:
"Anyone think if is this going to be more popular than the Viking Village?
I’m planning on getting the Viking Village day one along with the Hoth AT-ST because the Chicken Walker is set to retire this year."
It's christmas,considering holiday coming up, think theyll outnumber afols
but afol's like viking village has great piece count..."
Thanks. I wasn’t sure because I haven’t been to a Lego store in 8 years because the closest one is 4 hours away and have never been to one in October let alone the first day of the month. There’s not even one in my state. I have to drive Al the way to New Orleans for the closest one."
I'm quite committed to my Xmas display. So, I don't mess around when it comes to the WV set- as long as it's quality like this one.
Lego often has trouble accurately providing holiday merchandise to both their online and brick 'n mortar stores. This is especially true when it's at a good price and well-designed.
I wouldn't mess about if it's important to you to get before Xmas. Besides, NO is a fantastic town! I sure wouldn't miss an excuse to go. ;)
Love the WV Alpine Lodge but the two pines are too short. Have bought 100 extra dark green fern pieces to extend the height. With a name like Two Pines Inn they need to stand out.
The crescent moon symbol is quite common on stereotypical depictions of American outhouses. Also, great set, but how does it compare to the shadow box version?
I like the front of the building but the inside feels a bit boring.
"The male character sports a reddish brown flat cap, developed for the Newspaper Kid Collectable Minifigure and paired well with the overalls. I like the muted colours, continuing with printed sand blue legs."
To me it looks like the Grandpa character is wearing a carpenter's apron rather than coveralls.
Must finished building this. It was a very enjoyable build from start to finish. The little pond is great & the snowmobile is pretty ingenious. The lodge is beautiful, using dark orange is yummy. The creation of the logs was satisfying to make. Always happy to get new hairpieces too!
Also, they head on the kid isn’t quite new. It’s from the CMF girl with the foal, but may be new to sets.