LEGO Hidden Side Newbury Haunted High School 70425 Building Kit, School Playset for 9+ Year Old Boys and Girls, Interactive Augmented Reality Playset (1,474 Pieces)

This lego set was quite interesting - ghost train with various characters and comes with a app that you could install on your mobile device - that could give it a pokemon like augmented reality fun twist. I have seen my daughter and her friends have lot of fun looking at the set from the ipad camera and role playing and giggling and having a blast. Theres intricate details in the train, as well as characters, but the app really puts in more flavor the overall experience of the set. Good innovation by Lego to keep up with the times.

GOOD: As usual LEGOs attention to detail really shines in the train set, which comes with the main train, 2 smaller cars, a rail and a station. Dont be fooled, each piece is intricately detailed and the even the station has both a front and back that the characters can interact with. Both the train and the station have the ability to transform into haunted versions of themselves - the transformation part is actually both surprising and satisfying. BAD: LEGO is clearly looking for a unique angle with AR app but as a parent, the point of toys like LEGOs is to exercise a childs creativity and take them away from playing on phones. While older children may have their own phones, younger children may feel need to immediately fiddle with the AR app right after they build the toy, which is a shame. As for the AR app itself, it wasnt as easy as a download, point and play and I found it a bit cumbersome to use. CONCLUSION: Unfortunately, it seems like LEGO built in the price of the AR experience into the price of the set - for $80, I would generally expect to get a little more from a typical LEGO set. That said, the train is beautiful and took my 10 year old nephew about an hour to put together, offered several more hour of play (without the AR app) and was a happy with the ability to change the train back and forth. If youre looking to purchase this, dont do it for the AR app but because you love LEGOs and want an awesome train set + station.

This is the perfect holiday activity for our 8 years old twins - there will be help from older cousins if they need it. So, with rain predicted for Thanksgiving, we have a great indoor activity planned. This is a particularly nice building kit - we had to try out a part of out ourselves and almost got hooked completely! They love LEGO building kits - and this one is going to be a special favorite! Quality parts and pieces go together easily.

My son loved it

Overall, my kids (4 and 6) were pretty into this. They liked building it, they liked how the train has little wings and teeth to convert from train to monster, and they liked the set in general. But of course they were also super excited about the game, which is kind of like the Pokemon phone game, where you look around to find ghosts and then tap on them to catch them. Except the game itself isnt as good as Pokemon. Where it shines is that its specifically made to interact with the Lego set youve built, which is neat, but also kind of tedious, and limiting if you want to disassemble what youve built to use the parts for other things. (My kids were less discerning, but theyre little and dont really see how things will play out yet, so I take their opinion on the longevity of the game with a grain of salt...) All in all, its fun, and I recommend it, but dont pay a premium for the AR game.

Best price from all the other WEBSITES and stores I checked.

Great Lego product but young ones need help building

So, when I received the LEGO Hidden Side Ghost Train Express 70424 Building Kit I hid in my closet until Christmas. I knew my 7 year old Lego Masterbuilder would love this. The problem with Hidden Side is that it is definitely for kids older than 8. This build requires all of my time because I had to supervise the build. This is frustrating for my son who doesnt really like to follow the instructions, but since this has an App element to it, I thought it would be integral to follow the directions. Thus, this was not a pleasurable experience for both of us. However, once the build was complete I was ready to download the App. But, wait. The App only works on certain devices and operating systems, so if you have an older smartphone like myself and you cant upgrade from iOS 10, then you are not going to be able to use Hidden Side as intended. The frustrating part is not the just fact we did all of that building and cant use the App, its the fact no where on the box, does it say that! I had no clue I wouldnt be able to download the App. So, now I have a very upset little kid who cant play with the Legos a the box says he can. Usually, I love Legos, and they keep coming out with new and interesting things, but the lack of information with this product isnt really like them. It should be clearly labeled, which iOS or Android systems are compatible. This way people dont waste their time and little kids arent disappointed in a toy that doesnt work to its fullest potential.

The new Hidden Side line of LEGO sets combines an augmented reality game with some incredible transforming sets. The Ghost Train Express includes a fantastic train with a few sections of track, a train station, and six minifigures! The game is an interesting bonus, and interacts with the set, but Ill talk more about that in a bit. The set itself is a fun build, and surprisingly simple, so I think even younger builders can enjoy it. I think the train looks pretty good of itself, but when you see the transforming functions, youll absolutely love it! Theres a lever to reveal a pair of wings, and another to open up its angry jaws! The two train cars include some ghost catching equipment, like a zapper, a cage, and a station for examining your ghosts. The station is deceptively simple, and transforms into a monster itself, with claws that you can expose, and a toothed face. Also on the station is perhaps the most clever build element that Ive seen in a long time. The staircase up the side uses a ladder bar with tiles connected so that when you tilt it at an angle and level out each tile, it makes a perfect stair! I love a simple build that so elegantly creates a design. There are a handful of new parts, and a few in new colors. Train fans will love the new wheels and wheel holders which clip in without a cross bar, and the track sections also include a new ramp for a train to join the track! The game is a clever one, in which one can play as a ghost or a ghost hunter. In order to play all of the features of the game, it does require having a Hidden Side set to be built, but there are a lot of gameplay features that can be accessed without purchasing any sets at all. The play as a ghost can be done any time, but the ghost hunter features are more focused on having a set. Its actually a pretty fun game, and I can imagine that kids will really enjoy it when theyre not playing with the set itself.

My Son and I had a great time building this. Another great idea from Lego.