Random set of the day: Grand Carousel
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 10196 Grand Carousel, released during 2009. It's one of 4 Creator Expert sets produced that year. It contains 3263 pieces and 9 minifigs, and its retail price was US$249.99/£179.99.
It's owned by 2,383 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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35 comments on this article
Well, I guess this means we riot...
I just don't have the energy.
I wonder how good this would look next to the modern Creator Expert Fairground sets
The only set were you can find 8 tan beards.
And the only set were you can find tan beards in general.
Why is the carousel covered in decapitated jester heads
Obscene aftermarket prices on this one
@Darth_Mule said:
"The only set were you can find 8 tan beards.
And the only set were you can find tan beards in general."
The only set where you can find a 48x48 Green baseplate as well. Lovely set, just too big, and from what I understood, never really worked well.
It’s a merry go round smh my head
@Monopoly said:
"Why is the carousel covered in decapitated jester heads"
They don't call this the "Elder Jester's Final Moments" for nothing!
@NatureBricks said:
"The rumour is that LEGO is releasing a new roller coaster. Really wish LEGO would release a new carousel, or a smaller Creator one. "
They did make 10257 in 2017
Tan beards!
The only carousel with a sound brick. One of the sets that I am unlikely to get because of its aftermarket price.
I think I might have come across it in a bulk bin once, but it was so dusty and dirty in there it may well have been anything. I also don’t recall seeing a large baseplate, so even if it was in there it was incomplete. All in all I don’t regret passing up that box. I’d probably still be cleaning it.
@Trigger_ said:
"It’s a merry go round smh my head"
Someone’s never heard of a homonym
I’ve been told by several people that this set ran about as well as a filleted fish. One of the other members of my LUG had it working with motorizations, drove about three hours to display at a show, was turning into the venue parking lot when this model experienced a slight case of total structural failure where it was sitting in his front passenger seat, and as far as I know he’s never gotten it to run correctly since then.
Probably the worst set I ever owned!! Bought it new when it came out, & every time you started it, something would break!! Utterly useless apart from being a dust collector!! Xx
@NatureBricks said:
" @goldenguy880 said:
" @NatureBricks said:
"The rumour is that LEGO is releasing a new roller coaster. Really wish LEGO would release a new carousel, or a smaller Creator one. "
They did make 10257 in 2017"
And they made the Christmas one. It's been several years and that set is still $200! I don't have that kind of money. It would make more sense to me to make a new smaller carousel before making another $400 roller coaster.
"
The Christmas one? 10257 is not a Christmas one, its actually a nice version of a carousel and at a smaller footprint, unfortunately that is also now climbing as it has been retired for a few years, but LEGO has done another Carousel since this one. My guess is they will do another in the future at some point.
I remember picking this up in December 2010 from a LEGO store, which I think was technically an "outlet" store at the time. The box was damaged and partly opened, so it was priced down to $200. The staff let me open it up on a table to make sure all the bags and parts were there. I still haven't built it!
I will agree on how terrible it runs. Not smooth at all. Any subtle movement throws it off.
I think the newer version runs smoother but haven’t tested that one.
Any insight on the bizzare minifigure selection? Repeated elements, odd combinations... feels like an afterthought!
I have this one. Was meant to be on the signing table at my Lego themed wedding in 2010 but suffered a catastrophic failure on the way there after going through a roundabout. Millennium Falcon got an emergency call up instead. After about 12 months I rebuilt it and had it together and working fairly smoothly for many years. Some great parts in there.
One of my most wanted sets. I've decided to save up for it regardless of the lacking functionality and the dreadful aftermarket prices. To me, it will always be one of the greatest display models they have made.
@GSR_MataNui said:
"I wonder how good this would look next to the modern Creator Expert Fairground sets "
Can confirm it looks excellent.
I want that large green baseplate!
...and the Power Functions. (I really dislike Powered Up.)
I missed this when it originally came out as it sold out rather quickly for a high priced set. So I ordered most of the parts, except for the stickers, the fabric top pieces & the sound brick. It was the first & only time I have done that. I did change the jester's heads to a variety of female faces & hair styles, as I don't like jesters. It turned out pretty good, but it is very finicky if you move it at all. But it is very majestic in my amusement park & looks great with the roller coaster, having the same color scheme.
I’m sure I remember people losing their minds in excitement when this got revealed. Looking at the comments that enthusiasm has waned somewhat
Built this several times over the years with different modifications never did get it to run smooth recently using the chinese rip off copy which was surprisingly a very good copy.
Regardless of how well it runs, it's a gorgeous design.
Anyone noticed how the second from the right girl has a manly head piece?
After having a closer look at the photo, it seems this runs by a tire spinning against the polygonal edge rather than by a central spindle rotation. I wonder if a more grippy, treaded tire would work better to handle the subtle corners rather than a smooth tire.
I got one about 1/2 constructed in a bulk lot for like $50 a couple years ago. Box and instructions included.
I can confirm that it does not run well and has ripped the tire to shreds with minimal use. It’s also very fragile as others noted. The build is boring.
But it’s beautiful and my kids like it. I just need to change my sound brick batteries which is also not fun. Such a catchy tune though.
Very lucky to have this set, never had any issues with the drive not working or slipping, it’s designed with a clutch so you can disengage it and turn it by hand. Looks very impressive on display the colours are much better than the smaller creator set. Main problem is the baseplate is just too flimsy, so it’s a pain to move, mine sits on a backing board.
Never seen this as too short a lifespan. Always wondered why they didn't hide a more powerful slower extra large PF motor (rather than the faster weaker small motor) inside the centre of the carousle, and build a ticket booth around the battery box?
Definitely one of the most expensive RSOTD ever (price as of the time of posting).
This set looks better than 10257 imo, but 10257 is the better set overall.
@madforLEGO said:
" @Darth_Mule said:
"The only set were you can find 8 tan beards.
And the only set were you can find tan beards in general."
The only set where you can find a 48x48 Green baseplate as well. Lovely set, just too big, and from what I understood, never really worked well."
mine worked great
Everyone posting that their’s didn’t run well. Must have got lucky, mine runs fine, been moved house twice and still fine.
I recently swapped the baseplate for some actual plates for sturdiness.
@jsworpin:
They seem to be a bit like sports stadiums. If you build them well and leave them where they are, they’ll work well for a long time. It’s when you relocate them hat problems are likely to start. One significant problem is that baseplates and tiles seem to lose clutch over time (or at least that’s been my experience). I had a project where I tiled several baseplates, and it was fine at first. Within a year or two, however, tiles started to shed every time I picked them up or tipped them at an angle. I ended up having to add a layer of plates, which mostly solved the problem. I did a 6x6 grid of 6x6 plates in the center, with a ring of 1x plates around the edge. Not only did this exactly fill the baseplates, but it staggered all the seams except for at the edges of the baseplates. It resulted in panels that curled noticeably, but given a few months they flattened out and have been holding strong for about a decade (except for where I’ve subbed in smaller parts for some of the 2x2 tiles, as the 1x1 plates are losing their clutch).
Since the carousel rides on a bed of tiles, if those start shedding, or even just popping up a little, it could cause stuff to get jammed. Also, if people only run it a little bit here and here, things will hold up longer, but my LUG managed to squeak out 11 shows last year, and typically puts in over 20 in a year. If someone tried to run this at every show with that sort of schedule, I expect it would be wearing out parts within a year or two.