LEGO® review: 41838 Travel Moments

LEGO® 41838 Travel Moments is billed as a collaborative build to display travel memories and mementos. There are some new prints and a handful of recolours to look at, plus we will answer this burning question: where are all those colours hidden in the final model?

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

41838 Travel Moments
Price: US$149.99/ £129.99/ 149.99€/ AU$249.99
Pieces: 1231
Release Date: 1 August 2024, pre-order available now

LEGO 41838 Travel Moments on LEGO.com

Buy individual pieces from 41838 on LEGO® Pick a Brick

 

Inspiration for the set

41838 Travel Moments has been marketed slightly differently in the US than the rest of the world.  There's an extra note on the US LEGO website where the set is said to be "...inspired by the ingenuity of the winning model from LEGO Masters US; this set invites builders to embark on a journey of creativity and exploration." 

It seems that the US version of the set has exclusive content and a portrait of LEGO Masters US Season 4 winners Christopher and Robert, although we don't know the specifics yet as we received the rest-of-world version.

I have not followed the LEGO Masters series and, other than the fact they both have an airplane called World Wonderliner, I probably would not have linked the two models.

Parts

New prints

There is no sticker sheet in this set, instead we have seven new printed elements.

• Brick Curved 1 x 4 x 1 1/3 No Studs with Windows and WORLD in White (6489655)
• Brick Curved 1 x 4 x 1 1/3 No Studs with Windows and LINER in White (6489657)
• Brick Curved 1 x 4 x 1 1/3 No Studs with Windows and WONDER in White (6489656)
• Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 1 No Studs with Windows in White (6489658)
• Tile Round 1 x 1 with Suitcase Icon in White (6489660)
• Tile Round 1 x 1 with House Icon in White (6489661)
• Tile Round 1 x 1 with Camera Icon in White (6489662)

Recolours

• Technic Brick Special 1 x 2 with Pin Hole and 1 x 2 Plate in Blue (6488776 | 73109)
• Tile Special 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Photo Clip in Black (6502463 | 2229)
• Brick Special 1 x 2 x 1 1/3 with Rotation Joint Socket in Black (6507242 | 80431)
• Slope Inverted 45° 3 x 1 Double with 2 Blocked Open Studs in Blue (6488776 | 73109)

Rare elements

There are quite a few rarer coloured elements that sneaked into this set.  The following elements have previously only appeared in 2 sets or less:

• 1 x Brick Round 2 x 2 D. Tube with Rotation Joint Ball Half in Black (6432442 | 1994)
• 8 x Slope 18° 2 x 1 x 2/3 in Black (6513918 | 5404)
• 2 x Plate 2 x 10 in Bright Green (6462430 | 3832)
• 2 x Plate 2 x 8 in Reddish Orange (6469085 | 3034)
• 1 x Tile Round 2 x 2 Half Circle in White (6494548 | 5520)
• 3 x Wedge Plate 2 x 2 Left in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6476744 | 24299)
• 1 x Wedge Plate 2 x 2 Right in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6476749 | 24307)
• 1 x Wedge Plate 2 x 4 27° Left in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6421618 | 65429)
• 2 x Wedge Plate 2 x 4 27° Right in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6458390 | 65426)
• 2 x Plate 1 x 12 in Bright Yellowish Green/ Lime (6392869 | 60479)
• 2 x Plate 2 x 10 in Aqua/ Light Aqua (6355730 | 3832)
• 2 x Tile Round 1 x 1 Quarter in Sand Green (6316573 | 25269)
• 4 x Slope Curved 2 x 1 No Studs [1/2 Bow] in Transparent/ Trans-Clear (6508253 | 11477)

Special mention to 4 x Technic Brick 1 x 16  in Bright Yellowish Green/ Lime (6132379 | 3703) which has actually appeared in 3 sets, although all 3 were LEGO® Education sets, so less well-known.

High quantities

There are quite a few plates in this set; not all are pictured here, but as you can see there's a good pile of Dark Blue and a nice mix of colours and sizes overall.

Buy individual pieces from 41838 on LEGO® Pick a Brick

 

Packaging & instructions

We don't normally mention packaging but when there's a LEGO box full of bags, it is good to see they are the new paper-based kind.

Can you spot the odd one out?  Why is one bag 100% plastic? I have no idea but it was odd to see one amongst all of the outer and inner paper bags in the set.

There are five instruction booklets so a family or team can pass a booklet to each member and assemble a section of the build.  LEGO has done this often with sets in the past and it does work well. Of course there's now also the Builders App, but many people prefer to have electronics away when focusing on a LEGO set.

The build

Since this set can be shared amongst a group, the build experience will be different if you build it from bag 1-15 in order, like I did.  I'm not going to lie: it was not a very exciting nor engaging build.

Vehicles

We have these simplified, oversized vehicles to perhaps represent the manner in which you travelled or will travel. I believe these represent a car with caravan (or perhaps that's a tractor and trailer), motorhome, ship and train. 

The central airplane stand is poseable thanks to the Rotation Ball joint. The plane itself uses all the main new printed elements as expected.  It's not the most shapely plane I have seen built at this scale but I believe it represents a smaller passenger jet plane. My research led me to images of the Gulfstream G650, so I imagine something along those lines - not the most common plane for a family going on a holiday.

The circular base holds a secret compartment holding a suitcase, globe, compass and a camera.  Im not entirely sure what the 2x4 Brick in Trans Satin represents but children (and discerning adults) often see any brick like this as 'treasure'.

World map

The map is made in four sections that are connected together at the final stages.  Each section is certainly sturdy with a Technic frame and the deliciously colourful plates.

The final result is a flat earth with all the variations of land represented in white, green, dark green, lime, sand green and tan using plates, wedge plates and tiles.

While the front of the world map is interesting enough, I actually was more impressed with the back of the map.  Suddenly the location of all those lovely coloured plates becomes clear!  You can also see the two Technic wall hanger elements in position from this side which allow you to mount the map on a wall.

The photo clips are built on a structure together, with some attached via Mixels joints and others using clip hinges.  This allows whatever ephemera you choose to display to be angled into position.

Final model

Having built the model I decided to stick with the LEGO theme and displayed my mementos of Home of the Grangemouth Brick. The Grangemouth brick does not come with the set! 

And just to note, while you can mount the flat earth portion of the set to a wall and angle the clips upward to hold your ephemera, the vehicles, including the plane, all fall off – so put them on a shelf first!

Closing thoughts

Well, one thing about LEGO is that every set will not suit every person, and sadly this was not the set for me.  At £129.99/$149.99/€149.99 this is not a particularly cheap set, but perhaps a family who want to create a memento of a 'trip of a lifetime' or plan a future adventure will find this acceptable. I found the vehicle models basic in their design and overall the set was not particularly fun to build. 

On the plus side, there are quite a few rarer elements supplied within the set that will make them easier to buy, either on LEGO Pick a Brick or the secondary marketplaces. If you see this set on sale, the large number of longer Technic bricks and plates might make it a worthwhile investment for parts. 

I do like the idea of building a set together and the multiple instructions are a welcome idea to encourage collaborative builds, especially for families.

I think the rear of the world map is aesthetically pleasing, and while I won't be displaying it on my wall, I did enjoy taking this photograph of the skeleton to share with you all.

Buy individual pieces from 41838 on LEGO® Pick a Brick

READ MORE: Review: LEGO® Icons Botanical Collection sets 10368 Chrysanthemum & 10369 Plum Blossom

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