Best of BrickNerd: Weekend Highlight — Article originally published December 14, 2021.

The LEGO Inside Tour (LIT) is a “once in a lifetime experience” that entails a multi-day VIP experience for LEGO fans in Billund, Denmark, the home of LEGO. One of the biggest perks of going on the LIT is receiving one of the rarest LEGO sets of the year given only to those on the tour. Today, we continue the journey exploring these rare sets that we started in Part 1 yesterday.

As a quick refresher, here are all the LEGO Inside Tour models that have been produced in a scrollable gallery below:

2014 The LEGOLAND Train (4000014)

Kicking off Part 2, we are heading to LEGOLAND! (And not those other LEGOLAND sets I wrote about a few weeks ago!) 2014 brought a model of the iconic train in LEGOLAND Billund. A couple of slightly different versions of the train have been a part of LEGOLAND since 1968 when the park first opened. There is a unique printed engineer torso and two 1x2 printed bricks. Luckily, excess stock of these parts seems to show up for sale in LEGOLAND Deutschland and find their way onto BrickLink quite regularly. The set also comes with a small unique sticker sheet.

The model includes the locomotive, two passenger cars, and the loading platform. The roofs of the passenger cars are removable for easy minifigure loading, and there is a section of brick-built railroad track for display.

I built my replica model of this set several years before visiting LEGOLAND Billund, so it was very fun to see the train in person. Steen Sig Andersen designed the model (as he has designed many other of the Inside Tour models) which has 520 parts. The train was reissued in 2014 as a gift for Skærbæk Fan Weekend AFOL exhibitors and as a LEGOLAND Florida Ambassador (lifetime) pass exclusive.

2015 H.C. Andersen’s Clumsy Hans (4000020)

Now it is time to get a little controversial with the most polarizing LIT set in recent memory. This set was more of a sculptural style than previous LIT sets. It is also tied more into Danish culture rather than a LEGO-specific subject. Hans Christian Andersen is an internationally famous Danish author, and Clumsy Hans, the central brick-built figure in the set) is a character in one of his fairy tales.

But there is also a somewhat obscure LEGO connection. Dagny Holm was a well know early LEGO model builder and cousin of Godtfred Kirk Cristiansen (second-generation owner’s family). In addition to creating many of the original LEGOLAND models, she sculpted a LEGO model of Clumsy Hans many years ago, which is shown on the LIT box sleeve for the set.

The nature of this model polarized the LIT attendees. Many liked the model while others were disappointed with the subject matter and blocky appearance—a controversy which is also reflected in slightly lower prices than LIT sets usually command on the secondhand market. Steen Sig Andersen also designed the model which has 714 parts. There are two unique printed tiles in the set. I was able to get engraved tiles for my replica model which I reverse engineered based on pictures alone since I have been unable to locate original instructions (though I may have a lead thanks to one of our wonderful patrons!). Interestingly, this model was reissued in 2015 as a LEGOLAND Florida Ambassador pass exclusive as well.

2016 LEGO Truck Show (4000022)

2016 brought a model of the truck and trailer which drove around Europe from 1996 – 2004 showcasing LEGO products. Both units were custom-designed and built by Volvo Trucks Denmark. The model features pull-out trailer sections to expand the display space, just like the real one. There is storage space within the truck/trailer to store the removable flags/poles and ladders/stairs. There are many Technic elements, half stud offsets, and SNOT techniques used in the model design. And I have to say, it was quite a fun model to build.

There is a unique (and large) sticker sheet for this model, but no unique parts. (My replica model uses an aftermarket sticker sheet.) Steen Sig Andersen again designed the model which has 779 parts. This model was reissued in 2016 as a LEGOLAND Florida Ambassador pass exclusive, which will likely be the last time that a LIT set reissue ever happens. (I have been told privately there will not be any more LIT sets reissued for LLFL).

Fun fact: there is a larger Miniland-scale version of the Truck Show on display in LEGOLAND Billund.

2017 LEGO House Tree of Creativity (4000024)

This set commemorated the opening of the LEGO House in 2017, which seems to have inadvertently affected the direction of LIT sets. The Tree of Creativity—the big one with 6,316,611 parts—majestically stands within the main staircase of The LEGO House. The LIT set was again designed by Steen Sig Andersen, has 1,008 parts, and provides a nice representation of the real thing.

There are three exclusive minifigures included in the set, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Thomas Kirk Kristiansen (4th generation of the owner’s family) and a unique LEGO House figure.

In 2018 a slightly smaller scale model of the Tree was released as a LEGO House exclusive model (4000026). The two sets share many similarities, but it is not a true reissue since there are only 836 parts in the non-LIT version. My replica is reverse engineered since I have been unable to locate original instructions, and I also had to substitute facsimile minifigs for the exclusives. Additionally, I believe that Stuart Harris (LEGO House Master Builder) designed the original sketch model for this set.

2018 Ferguson Tractor (4000025)

This model commemorates the original plastic toy (not brick-built) version of the Ferguson Tractor sold by LEGO in the 1950s. This original model was reportedly very successful and helped finance the company’s expansion into the bricks we all know and love. The set has 450 pieces (the smallest LIT set in recent history), including two exclusive printed tiles and five unique color/element combinations (For the curious: 1 2 3 4 5). I believe there were a few more unique parts in the set in 2018 but they have since appeared in retail sets.

LEGO reportedly had to mold a special batch of the large tire since they had not been used in a set since 2010 and there was no remaining stock. This time around, Steen Sig Andersen designed the final model based on Stuart Harris’ original sketch model.

Differing from years past, the box used a high-quality render of the model overlaid on a color drawing graphic. This replicates the box from the original Ferguson Tractor packaging. My replica is reverse-engineered based on photos alone since I have been unable to locate original instructions.

2019 LEGO System House (4000034)

Now onto one of my favorites because I got this in person. This was the set my wife and I received when we attended the LIT in 2019. (Little did we know it would be the last LIT for a few years due to the global pandemic.) The set depicts the LEGO System House which functioned as the first international headquarters building for the company. The model depicts the grand opening day, with the sales representatives standing on the roof next to their applicable country flag. A short video of the event even shows young Kjeld serving refreshments to guests.

The roof of the set is removable with a fully detailed interior. (The conference room at one end of the building provided the ideal spot for all the minifigure business cards we received on the LIT from various LEGO employees.) Of particular note is the drafting machine in the office area. While LEGO frequently uses 3D printing when developing prototype elements, this was the first 3D printed part to ever be released in a set. I assume the likelihood of ever needing a drafting machine element was quite low, so a new mould was not justified.

But speaking of new moulds…. on the tour, the designers gave a presentation on the development of the set. Like most LEGO sets, it went through multiple iterations from the initial sketch model to the final production-ready design. The model was quite far into this process before anyone realized that the window frame they used never had a corresponding glass element created! So, they were faced with a significant redesign utilizing another window frame or making a new mould for the glass. They chose to make a new mould, rationalizing that it could be used for other sets. But as far as I can tell, the new mould has only been used for this set (so far). Once again, Steen Sig Andersen designed the final model based on Stuart Harris’ original sketch model. There are 997 parts in the set.

If anyone wanted to be a critic of this set, you could argue it’s a little like building a white shoebox. A friend once joked “Oh, I thought it was an IKEA Bygglek box!” But the addition of all the wonderful interior features and 10 minifigs make up for boxy exterior shape.

Today, the building is fairly non-descript. The main front entrance has been closed off and the cantilevered awning removed. At least the textured wall panels vaguely resembling brick studs have been retained. From an overhead perspective you can see that the skylights are still present. The building is now part of the LEGO Idea House complex, a facility where LEGO employees and VIPs can experience the brand and learn its history.

One more interesting note about this set: it comes in a much bigger box than former LIT sets. For many years LEGO had standardized the size of the LIT exclusive set boxes. When we planned to go to the LIT, I packed a slightly larger box and some bubble wrap to bring my set safely home. But this set was considerably larger in all three dimensions than the standard! So much for advanced planning… This photo compares the standardized LIT box with the LEGO System House box. There is definitely a bunch of ABS in the 2019 set!

In Conclusion

So just how many LIT exclusive sets have been produced? Well, it’s hard to tell. In 2005, each set was numbered xxx/100. In 2019, the sets were numbered xx/80, but there was a unique sleeve for each of the four tour groups (each with a different group photo printed on the sleeve). So, there are at least 320 sets for 2019. I have seen evidence of some unnumbered sets, although I don’t know how common they are. The reissued sets in a different format also add a variable to the equation. (These sets are also more likely to be sold as “used, no instructions, no box, no exclusive pieces” since few sellers collect the pieces as I have but then sell them as the legit set.)

Interestingly, many of the LIT exclusive sets have found their way into the LEGO House History Collection display cases. There is no mention of the LIT and some sets have been modified for display, but they are unmistakable to the trained eye. Here are all the ones I noticed on my last trip to Billund:

While some lucky fans were able to attend the LIT multiple times in the early years, it will literally be a “once in a lifetime” experience from now on. The LEGO House has said that priority will be given to people that haven’t previously attended. With demand exceeding the available spots every year, though, a second chance will be quite unlikely. (Hmmm, I wonder how much it would cost to legally change my name?) It seems like LEGO has recognized the desire for meaningful sets like these related to LEGO history and created the LEGO House exclusive product line with the Wooden Duck and Moulding Machine, but the LIT sets will still hold that allure of being super rare and meaningful at the same time.

So there you have it. All of the LEGO Inside Tour sets built and in one photo. I had hoped by now there would be two new additions, but sadly the LEGO Inside Tour had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. Thankfully plans are in place to run the tours in 2022 where another lucky group of LEGO fans will receive their own once in a lifetime souvenir—and I will begin the challenge of building a replica model!

Which LEGO Inside Tour model is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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