Before we know it, the Christmas shopping season will be upon us. In fact, LEGO® holiday themed sets are already popping up. The advent calendars came out in early September. Shortly after, Winter Snowball Fight hit the market. It was followed by the BrickHeadz Nutcracker and Christmas Wreath. This week, the LEGO® Group announced the 2020 Winter Village Collection set. I was lucky enough to receive a pre-release copy for review. I broke out my Christmas playlist while building this one. It might be September, but I wanted that Christmas feeling to go along with this experience. Without further ado, let us look at the Elf Club House (10275).
NOTE: The LEGO® Group provided this set for review. However, the provision of products does not guarantee a favorable review. I will use my usual rating system (click here to learn more) and provide my honest opinion.
ELF CLUB HOUSE SUMMARY
- NAME: Elf Club House
- SET #: 10275
- THEME: Winter Village Collection (18+)
- COST: $139.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 1197
- MINIFIGURES: 4
- OF INTEREST: 1 Reindeer
- VIP RELEASE DATE: September 23, 2020
- GENERAL RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2020
ELF CLUB HOUSE QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 88% (Good value per brick and in terms of build time.)
- BUILD: 90% (Great design with no major issues. Instructions can be hard to follow.)
- MINIFIGURES: 72% (No proper Minifigure legs, too few characters, but lots of accessories.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 100% (Great fun all around.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 88%
ELF CLUB HOUSE (10275) REVIEW
VALUE: 88%
In Canada, Elf Club House costs $139.99. Additionally, the kit contains 1197 pieces. Consequently, the cost-per-brick is $0.12. My current average is $0.14/brick as a point of reference. Therefore, this set is a good value at full price, earning 87%.
The Elf Club House took me three hours and 32 minutes to build (212 minutes total). As such, this set costs $0.66 per minute of build time at full price. Again, that is a good value, earning 88%. Averaging this score with the value-per-brick gives an overall rating of 88%. The Elf Club House falls short of an excellent value. However, it is certainly still a good buy.
BUILD: 90%
The Elf Club House is a fun build, and sufficiently challenging. This comes as no surprise since it is an 18+ set. However, one issue that I have with this branding is the color of the instruction manual. The pages are all black. Consequently, dark color bricks are hard to see. I found myself squinting a lot. The manual can achieve a more “grown-up” look using white pages. Otherwise, I do not have many issues with this set. If I nitpick, it has an open back. I am not a big proponent of that style. However, all the Winter Village Collection sets are like that. Therefore, I expected it and it is not something that costs a lot of review points.
The set comes with a few small builds. There is a sleigh for the reindeer to pull. Additionally, the elves have an outdated computer to compile their naughty and nice lists (this was apparently a conscious decision by the designer). However, the most impressive is the Christmas tree. I have not seen a tree built this way before, and the product looks great. Additionally, you assemble some small gifts to go under it. What I like here is that these builds do not take away from the main build. The LEGO® Group often tries to insert too much into a set. In the end, none of the builds get the attention they deserve. Not so with the Club House. The side builds add to the overall feel in this set.
The interior of the Club House features a fireplace converted into a waffle machine. It dispenses waffles. Additionally, the ground floor has a dining area and a gift-wrapping area. On the second floor, the elves have a bedroom. Incidentally, Santa’s alarm system for getting the elves out of bed is a little questionable. Turning a clock causes all the bunk beds to collapse and drop the sleeping elves. Finally, the kit has a light brick. However, there is a minor issue with it. I found the switch does not stay in place very well.
Overall, my complaints about the Elf Club House are all minor issues. I am not fond of open back sets, but I expected that design going into this set. Additionally, the light brick set-up should be sturdier, and I find the black manual pages hard to read at times. Otherwise, the set looks amazing inside and out. The small builds you assemble do not take away from the main structure. In fact, they compliment it well. I rate the overall build at 90%.
MINIFIGURES: 72%
The Elf Club House comes with four minifigures. However, all of them have stumpy kid legs. This is a major issue for me. I get that these are elves and they are supposed to be short. However, short legs have an alternative nowadays that allow minifigs to sit. These elves cannot sit in their breakfast chairs. They also cannot attach to the beds. That may be a conscious choice given that they are meant to fall out according to the design. All the same, I would like the option.
Otherwise, each character features the same elf hat with ears and torso with front and back print. Additionally, two of the characters have double-sided faces. Finally, there are loads of accessories. The set includes a pair of snowshoes, a small evergreen, a scarf, three mugs, a teacup, a tea pot, scissors, a frying pan, a clock, and six printed waffles. I rate the design of these characters at 50/60 (83%).
In addition to four Minifigures, the set also includes a reindeer. For the purposes of the brick-to-fig ratio, I will count it as a figurine. Therefore, five figurines in a 1197-piece kit equals a brick-to-fig ratio of 239:1. Comparatively, my average is currently 146:1. Therefore, for a kit this size, you are not getting very many characters. However, it is still passable, earning 61%. Averaging this with the design score yields an overall Minifigure rating of 72%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 100%
I know a lot of AFOLs are eagerly waiting for this set. KFOLs will get a kick out of it too. In both cases, adding the Elf Club House (10275) to your existing Winter Village Collection is a must. This set is a lot of fun and makes a great display piece. The only other Winter Village set I own is the Toy Shop. However, I have kept it built since receiving it as a Christmas gift years ago. I enjoyed it a lot. The same it true for this set. Additionally, as a collector of LEGO® animals, you get a reindeer. The scientist in me needs to point out that real reindeer do not look like this one. The colors are all off. However, it is a new animal all the same. I rate the entertainment score at 100%.
OVERALL SCORE: 88%
The Elf Club House (10275) is a well-designed set. Additionally, it comes at a good value. The only major downside is the Minifigures. They should have moveable legs, and there should be more of them. Alternatively, the set could include a second reindeer. Regardless, the contentious points about this set are all minor. This is an impressive addition to the Winter Village Collection. I would have bought it myself if the LEGO® Group had not sent me one. I recommend picking one up. What are your thoughts on the Elf Club House? Feel free to comment below or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
What do others think?
Brick Insights is an awesome site that aggregates LEGO® set review scores from around the web. Based on their statistics, you can see what other reviewers think of the Elf Club House (10275) below.
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