In this politically correct world that we live in, you can't call it Christmas, but that's what this set and the theme that it belongs to is all about. The Winter Village Station is part of a the Winter Village line that started a few years back. It's listed under the Creator Expert theme, but really could be considered its own theme. This set was released in the US on 1 October 2017 and is meant to go with last years set the Winter Holiday Train (#10254-1). This set contains 902 pieces. It retails for $79.99 in the US which works out to $0.089 per piece. This isn't too bad and these sets often don't go on sale too often, but you can wait to see if Amazon or LEGO Shop@Home does a sale on them at some point.
I'm a big fan of this theme although I didn't like the Winter Holiday Train as a LEGO Train fan. I was hoping LEGO would release a train along the line of the Emerald Night or the Maersk Train. This set seems better to let's see how it goes...
Here is the box. Nothing out of the ordinary here. It shows what the set looks like with the Winter Holiday Train on the back. It might work for advertising, but it doesn't work for me.
The contents are 9 bags split into 2 sets. It also includes 2 instruction booklets that are sealed up along with a small sheet of stickers. The set adds 4 pieces of straight track as well.
The first part of the first set of bags includes the track, a level crossing, 2 trees, and 2 street lamps with wreaths on them. There isn't anything too out of the ordinary from this part of the build.
The second part of the build is the bus. This vehicle falls in line with the style of other vehicles seen in previous Winter Village sets like the postal vehicle in 10222 Winter Village Post Office and the snow plow in 10229 Winter Village Cottage. The top is removed easily to insert passengers and there are 3 seats for passengers and a seat for the driver. As you can see, there is space on top for luggage storage or in this case some colorful presents. While I like the design and look of the vehicle, the child minifigures don't fit well in this vehicle to include the boy that comes with this set. Kids stand while riding I guess.
The second set of bags finishes up the set with the construction of the station itself. It's not a bad looking design and the build uses some creative techniques to come up with the details so I can't complain there. It does use a fair number of stickers that I dislike placing on though. I also am not a fan in general of how the Winter Village theme only has the fronts of buildings, but not the backs. While I understand this is for the play factor, I still prefer to have a full up building for a display. In the past I have bought 2 Winter Village sets and put the 2 halves together, but I think I need to try and create the other half of the building on my own as a challenge.
This view of the station has some good detail to include a newspaper rack, a clock tower, and the window opens up to where a passenger can order a coffee from the barista.
The inside of the station is rather sparse, but it has some details. On the right you see the ticket counter with the sticker that lists the train schedule. The station master has one extra ticket that he can give out which thankfully is a printed 1x2 tile. The barista has a small station to work at and make some beverages for passengers. There's also a small Christmas tree up in the attic area that you could probably use as a decoration elsewhere in the set.
This picture shows the walkway and station platform. I like how the guide chain is set up. Using microphones to attach the chains is a pretty genius idea. This view also shows the clock tower a little closer and the floor and structure underneath. It's a pretty simple design, but it has a good look to it in my opinion.
This set comes with 5 minifigures. There's a bus driver, a boy, an older woman, the station master, and the barista. They are a good bunch and I think they go well with the set.
Why should you buy this set? If you're a fan of the Winter Village line, then you'll definitely want it to keep up with the theme. Also, if you're a train fan, it's a good addition to any LEGO train display. As I mentioned, I would prefer it to be a complete building versus the half, but I'm up to the challenge of finishing off the back on my own. At under $0.10 a piece, it's priced good. These sets don't typically go on sale, so look for a chance to get double VIP points or to get one of the free gifts with a purchase