LEGO Unboxing – Wintertime Carriage Ride 40603

We were lucky enough to receive two more Christmas GWP gifts from LEGO in the post this week, one of which was the scenic, old-world-styled Wintertime Carriage Ride 40603.

In order to secure this add-on free gift, you must make a qualifying online LEGO purchase equal to or greater than €150/$150/£130 between the 1^st and 14^th of December. The model is only available while stocks last, so make sure you don’t wait around too long if you like the look of this festive transport build.

Make sure to also check out our unboxing of the other Xmas gift-with-purchase we received – Christmas Decor Set 4060

Wintertime Carriage Ride 40603 invites collectors to journey into the warmth and magic of the Christmas holidays with a nostalgic Victorian-esque carriage pulled by a horse and directed by a driver wearing a suave top hat. The 153-piece set also includes two passengers in modern clothing. At first glance, this set has a lot of adaptability and display potential, be it decorating a spare shelf or mantlepiece, adding to a Christmas-themed modular city, or just adding something festive to your desk for the month ahead.

Let’s hand the model over to our resident LEGO builder as we preview the latest GWP set and take a closer look at what’s inside the box…

Wintertime Carriage Ride – First Impressions

My first thought is how useful this model would be to bulk out a large Christmas diorama or modular build street scene. The regal carriage has a certain Dickensian quality, which would not look out of place beside a set like 2020’s Charles Dickens Tribute 40410.

The box contains two bags and a printed colour instruction booklet. At 153 pieces, this should be a nice relaxing set to build alongside some Christmas music. To get into the mood, I’m popping on the soundtrack to 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Wintertime Carriage Ride – Building The Model

Step one – assemble the minifigures and our noble, hard-working horse.

The golden carriage wheels are some of the most stunning elements included in the set. Here we see them attached to the front axle, along with some pleasant greenery with the all-important festive red.

Next up: the undercarriage. This section includes some clever technic bricks for attaching the front axle and ensuring it can move to the left and right.

The top of the carriage comes together nicely, with an assortment of smooth, curved bricks, more green additions to the rear, and the eye-catching front perch for the driver. This section also includes a sturdy seat element. In the old days, this section used to be affectionately known as the ‘dickey box’.

And here is the finished carriage, complete with two lights to help the driver see what he is doing. The large rear wheels are my favourite elements in the set, along with the rear trunk for carrying passengers’ belongings.

All that remains is to attach the carriage to the horse and ensure the passengers and driver are safely seated!

Wintertime Carriage Ride – Final Thoughts

We enjoyed previewing this Christmas GWP. As commented on by our builder, the model makes a great addition to festive dioramas and street scenes, adding a touch of class and vintage glamour to any collection.

The minifigures are charming (especially the driver in his top hat carrying a sumptuous carrot for the horse!), and the carriage itself holds many stylish details. That said, we would have liked to see a few more Christmassy additions, perhaps a felled Christmas tree transported on the back or a few wreaths on the side.

As a free add-on, this set is certain to provide some fun building entertainment to KFOLs, giving the adults a chance to tackle some of the larger sets they will have likely purchased to get the free GWP…

OUR RATING: 6.7/10