To 3D print or not to 3D print, that is the question for LEGO fans

This year's LEGO Winter Village release, 10361 Holiday Express Train, includes the first-ever 3D-printed LEGO piece, and fans have a lot of thoughts.

The LEGO Group has released its very first 3D-printed LEGO element in a wider release set, with a tiny blue 3D-printed train appearing in 10361 Holiday Express Train. The miniature locomotive appears to actually chug along, with moving wheels and a plume of steam that goes up and down.

At such a small scale, it's a feat that likely would be much harder or even impossible to recreate in traditional LEGO elements, but the use of 3D-printed elements has alarmed some LEGO fans.

"I really, really don't like the idea of a 3D printed piece in 10361 instead of a mini-build of a train, which they would normally make from real LEGO pieces," wrote user LegoKB on reddit. "I think it's a bad precedent. I know they have had 3D printed pieces in Insider Tour sets and for pre-ordering books, but this is a general release."

Some people feel that introducing a new type of element could lead to LEGO sets getting less creative with its brick-built accessories. After all, creating new moulds for elements is expensive, so it's easy to see why the cheaper 3D printing method would be tempting. However, does it abandon the LEGO-fied mentality that has drawn so many to the hobby?

"The point of LEGO really is that you can deconstruct the parts and use them for something else," argued NeoThermic further down the same reddit post. "Take the digger that comes with the set, because it's composed of other parts, when deconstructed, it can be used for anything else.

"The blue train part, on the other hand is set in being train-esque forever. I'm sure someone will find a few [nice part uses] for it, but it'll be more of a novelty usage in my opinion."

Several commenters also note that this isn't the first time that the LEGO Group has experimented with hyper-specialised parts in sets, having done so in the late '90s. It didn't prove popular, and the LEGO charm of re-using elements and building as much as possible is the ethos. Many of those hyper-specialised parts were pretty quickly retired.

Of course, there are some potential advantages of 3D printing. In the case of this train, it's achieving movement that would have been difficult or even impossible otherwise. It also has limited further uses: it looks like a train and will always be a train, as noted above. Such a specific part would never have gotten its own injection mould, even if the technical elements were possible – so is it better to have it this way than not at all?

"The whole point of using 3D printing this piece is that it's a very small piece with what seems like print-in-place moving elements that would otherwise be way too small to handle for the average LEGO consumer," commented JamesEpicFireLord on YouTube on our latest YouTube video. "The wheels on this little train rotate along with the arm, and what looks to be a piece in the smokestack that has a little movement as well. This wouldn't be possible at such a small scale with traditional LEGO pieces."

Over on X, others ponder where 3D printing could be a viable path back to retired pieces, like essential BIONICLE parts that are otherwise gone for good. With the LEGO Group unlikely to revive or rebuild those expensive moulds, this train could be chugging its way to a return of some beloved old friends.

Still, creating specific parts for specific uses is not what many LEGO fans love about LEGO building. It was something that fans criticised Mattel Brick Shop for in the first wave of buildable cars – and many are not keen to see the LEGO Group go down the same route.

"In my opinion, part of the joy of LEGO is using a limited set of elements to make complex designs," argued Isord on another reddit discussion. "Imagine if they had 3D printed special flowers and leaves for every botanical set instead of using pink frogs and purple pirate hats. It would be lame as hell. It's a neat gimmick, but I really hope it doesn't become the norm in any way."

Indeed, the lack of brick-building does stand out if you look closely – and not even that closely, as pointed out by talihiggins5947 on YouTube: "Not a fan. It LOOKS out of place. Like someone accidentally put a piece from a different toy into the set."

It's worth remembering that we don't know what the LEGO Group's plans are for 3D printing. At the moment, the train is exactly that: a train. Whatever else might come from 3D printing, it's far from the end of brick-built accessories. After all, there is a buildable miniature train in 41843 Family Christmas Tree, due for release on the same day as 10361 Holiday Express Train, if you're clamouring for one.

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