Lakeside Lodge

I was first introduced to Lego with a gift of the Black Seas Barracuda when I was six, from an older cousin who had lost interest in the hobby. Over the next decade+ I would collect well over one hundred more sets, most as gifts and all loved dearly. In my early 20's I made the unfortunate choice to sell my entire collection, tens of thousands of pieces, hundreds of minifigures and countless memories. I've regretted it for years. I had played with the idea of restarting my old passion and buying a new set to begin a new collection, until one day I simply picked this set up while looking for a gift for a relative and said to myself "this looks cool, I'm going to get it". Simple as that. I put together the main build first, that same day, and took it apart, assembled the additional two builds, then made a freestyle build. I was hooked again. For the simple reason that this set was my rebirth into the world of Lego, it holds a special place. Regardless, it is an excellent set, with all the old touches of realism and creativity that I have always adored about Lego; the stylish part in the minifigure's hair; the detailed wooden aesthetic with end pieces that create a log cabin-esque appearance; the cut stumps of trees scattered about; the small touches of antique feathered pen, a letter one can assume is precious to the cabin's owner, either sent from a loved one or bound for one. The frog was a wonderful touch as well, suitable for the small watered area near the cabin. This set rekindled a lifelong passion I had ignored for many years, and I've since upped my collection to half a dozen sets. This set remains my favorite among them, both for being the first of my new collection and for simply being a fantastic build, well-valued, wonderfully detailed and surprisingly satisfying in all of its three builds. Well recommended and well loved. more less

I bought this Lego for myself, a grandmother of 4. I love mooses, and this set is just so detailed and cute I couldn't resist. The log cabin opens and has detailed furnishings. There are, in addition to my friendly moose, also a fish and a frog! It makes me happy, and it was fun to put together. Now I know you are wondering, am I going to let the grandkids play with it? Only if they are real careful, if not it will be put up high to keep it safe! This is Mom-Mom's Lego! more less

I almost like this set better than the Corner Deli. While the Corner Deli has lots of opportunities for MOCs and to be scaled up as a modular, this build is quite satisfying and I found the alternate builds to be just as charming. I can easily see how you could take two or more of these sets and build a larger lodge, though I haven't seen any MOCs of this. Plus there's the moose. Who doesn't love the moose? more less