The LEGO® Icons Holiday Express Train (10361) is already generating buzz among fans, and not just for its charming holiday details. From the engine’s puffing smokestack to the bell-ringing polar bear surrounded by colourful gifts, it’s packed with playful nods to past LEGO classics. But the real story lies in the tiny blue train tucked inside the set—the first-ever 3D-printed piece included in a retail LEGO product.
For LEGO enthusiasts, this is a milestone moment. Ronen Hadar, Head of Additive Design and Manufacturing at LEGO, likens it to the company’s early days when its founders first invested in injection molding machines in the 1940s. The miniature train isn’t just a neat collectible—it represents nearly a decade of research into mass-producing high-quality 3D-printed LEGO elements.
Traditionally, LEGO bricks are injection-molded, which is perfect for large-scale production. But 3D printing opens new doors for shapes, mechanisms, and play possibilities that simply weren’t achievable before. The little printed train has moving wheels and a puffing chimney, mirroring the larger locomotive in the set, and gives fans a glimpse into the future of LEGO design.
Designer Jae Won Lee saw the miniature as the perfect addition to the Holiday Express, itself an update on the 2016 Winter Holiday Train. Even two child minifigures from that earlier set return as grown-ups, delivering toys to a new generation, bridging nostalgia with innovation. Bo Park Kristensen, who helped refine the miniature train, confirmed that this was the perfect first step in introducing 3D printing to LEGO’s mass production sets.
The additive manufacturing team is already exploring ways to incorporate more printed elements into upcoming LEGO sets. As Ronen puts it, the goal is to make these 3D-printed elements “boring”—not in the sense of dull, but seamless, natural parts of the LEGO System that feel like they’ve always belonged.
For LEGO fans, the Holiday Express Train isn’t just a festive build. It’s a sneak peek at a future where the possibilities for creativity are almost limitless—and it all starts with a tiny, groundbreaking blue train.
