Lego Winter Toy Shop Set 10199

For many years Lego has been making small Christmas (or Holiday, to be PC) sets for the kids. A snowman, Santa and sleigh, and other little bits of goodness.

In 2010 they rolled out their first true Holiday set, the Winter Toy Shop, and it was an instant hit with children and collectors alike. A beautifully rendered Toy Shop with great colors and interesting whimsical mini figures to delight the kiddies, cute little toys and presents and, to top it all off, a simply smashing Lego Christmas Tree with lights and a big star. Fantastic.

I bought the set on eBay for my son Alex this year and, while it's not the greatest Lego set ever, he enjoyed making it and it looks great set up around the Christmas tree with the other 2 Lego Holiday sets, the Bakery and Post Office. (See my other 2 Lenses on those sets on my link list.)

[Update 2012 Lego Bricks and More]

Although small when finally finished, the Toy Shop is a whimsical sight to behold. The Shop itself, Tree and ladder, park bench, lamp-post and mini-figures can be set up in any number of ways, adding a bit of play value.

The mini-figures add most of the play value though, as the Shop and Tree are a bit fragile and won't stand up to a lot of handling.

If you have older children or are an adult collector buying this as a 'display' piece, than I think you will be very satisfied. For younger children the fact that it falls apart so easily might be a drawback and a bit frustrating.

The Toy Shop is a sight to behold and the main attraction to the set. With some great design features, including a light brick to give it a warm glow, it will delight younger and older Lego fans alike.

The highlight of the set for me is the Christmas Tree. Scaled to be 'big' in comparison to the Toy Shop, it is well made, looks very realistic, and will be a great centerpiece to your Lego Winter village if you decide to collect all 3.

With presents and toys to put under it, a ladder and 'string of lights' to hang, and a beautiful yellow star to top it all off, it is the best rendition of a Tree that Lego has ever done, Holiday theme or not.

Victorian in its design, the interior of the Toy Shop does add some play value and has some sweet design features like the chimney and light brick.

Lego always surprises me with something from each set, whether it's a new building technique or play feature. With the Toy shop there are several toys included, the best being the Jack-in-the-Box who is just so darned cute!

A train, teddy bear and robot are also included, as well as some presents, all well done and very fun to look at.

Finally there is a great little snowman, well done as usual and really cool. (Pun intended.)