This is set 10257, the Lego Creator Carousel. It has 2670 pieces, is for ages 16+ and is tagged for Experts. It retails for £159.99 in the UK and $199.99 in the USA – which makes it a very respectable 6p per piece.
Taking a closer look you can see right away the attention to detail that those 2600 pieces afford. Whether it’s the mirrored stickers in the centre column, the use of actual yellow fabric for the top, or the piping and book decals around the rim, this is in every way a fantastic looking set.
Each carriage is a unique build, with an elephant, a frog, a tiger, a swan and a flamingo. And when the carousel turns then all except the swan will move up and down. Turning the carousel can be done with either this hand crank, or via the addition of a battery box and motor. Retrofitting these in is very staightforward, but it is very noisy in motion.
The set includes 7 minifigures, which is a rider for each carriage, many of whom have two faces, along with a grandmother to take photos and a man to occupy the also included ticket booth.
I believe the age range and expert status of this set mark it as one more for display than play, much like the Ferris Wheel set from a few years ago. And it will look great beside that set on my shelf. But I didn’t really enjoy building it very much. While very technically impressive, with some clever engineering required to design a circle that not only rotates but allows the carriages to move as well, the repetitive nature of the build left me cold. Out of the 5 sets of bags, the last one involves building 12 of one thing, then 12 of another, and then 24 of something else. That’s the kind of Lego building I typically find very dull, and while I understand the necessity of it given the shape, it does put me off wholeheartedly recommending that you pick this set up.