I can start this with a very brief mini-review which will apply to a small number of you out there: if you’re the kind of person who likes to build up Lego scenes with numerous buildings in a village-style, you need the Alpine Lodge. It’s as simple as that. This winter themed lodge looks gorgeous when built, and if you’ve got a few other snowy builds already set up this will sit perfectly amongst them.
But what if that’s not you, what if you just like building the occasional Lego set to display for a while? Well, good news: you should still give this some serious consideration. It’s lovely to build, has some really neat touches and even included a light-up fireplace for extra cosiness. So let’s dive in and see what we’ve got.
The Alpine Lodge is made up of several individual parts, that all come together to form a really nice scene in its own right. As well as the snow-topped log cabin, there’s a snowmobile ready to deliver a Christmas tree elsewhere, an outdoor toilet and a small skating rink, complete with skates and ice hockey sticks. They’re really nice little extras to add to the actual lodge, but it’s in the larger building where the majority of the cool stuff can be found.
From the front the lodge has the look of a warm, cosy log cabin, with snow covering the roof, balcony and floor around the outside. A covered log pile hints at the warmth within, while the flowers along the wall and old-style sign hanging to the side give that traditional feel that makes you want to see what’s inside. Turning the finished lodge round gives you the open back of the model, and it’s here you’ll see even more nice little touches and features.
The roof lifts up to show the bedroom in the loft, and moving down a floor gives you a couple more beds as well as the door out to the balcony at the front of the lodge, complete with snowy footprints and a squirrel perched on the handrail. But it’s the bottom floor where all the great details are. Here you’ll find comfy-looking chairs next to an open fireplace, which lights up when you press the top of the chimney down. I’d have liked a way to keep this on without holding the button down, it would’ve looked really cool in a dimly lit room, but it’s a nice touch anyway. Down here there’s also a small kitchen complete with coffee machine and doughnuts, and a decorated Christmas tree to make it feel even more festive. All of this feels really nicely spaced, removing large empty spaces without making it feel cramped, and combine that with the mix of wood and brick on the walls the whole setup feels really nicely balanced.
The instructions are largely obvious and clear, although while building this I did have to get some brighter light on the instructions at times, mostly when putting together the darker brown pieces which didn’t stand out too well on the darker instruction background. Generally though each step was well highlighted where necessary, and I didn’t have any issues with not knowing where the pieces needed to go, or how different sections of the build went together. It’s a decent sized undertaking, but considering it’s around the £90 mark you’d expect to have a fair bit of building to do, and this doesn’t disappoint.
So if you’re looking for a new building in a larger display, or want something festive to display somewhere, the Alpine Lodge is a really great addition to your collection. Even at the price point it’s sitting at, it’s an easy one to recommend.