LEGO The Orient Express Train (21344)

This is a proper long-haul session, north of four hours, and it's paced really well across the four modules. You start with the locomotive and tender, the most conventional stretch, with familiar steam-engine techniques and some satisfying wheel-and-rod work. Then it gets interesting the moment you reach the two carriages. Each one is basically a little diorama with a removable roof, so you're building furniture, table settings and berths as sub-assemblies before dropping them into place. There's clever sideways building for the exterior panelling, neat transitions between the cars, and a lot of small-scale detail that keeps your hands busy and your brain awake. It rarely feels repetitive, which genuinely impressed me for a two-carriage set.

If you love parts, there's a lot here. Almost all the exterior decoration is printed rather than stickered, which at this price is exactly what I'd hope for: the Orient Express logo, the 21344 number brick, the Sleeping Car and Dining Car labels, and a lovely printed tile listing the cities on the route. The minifigure lineup is 8 figures all unique to the set, including a conductor, a chef and passengers, plus a cheeky cameo of designer Thomas Lajon himself with dual-moulded legs, a flat cap, and a tiny film camera. The gold and blue livery leaves you with a genuinely useful pile of parts in classy colours. Just go in knowing the value story here is about detail and licensing, not raw part count per dollar.