Christmas in July: A Motorized Whimsical Winter Village

It’s Christmas in July—which means there’s only five months until Christmas! A staple of the Christmas season is the winter village, and LEGO winter villages are no stranger to the season. In light of Christmas in July, I wanted to discuss the work of one man who offers one of the most accomplished winter villages I’ve seen: Alexandre Lejeune, aka Alex Winter Village.

Beginnings

Sam: Hi Alex, can you introduce yourself? How long have you been in the LEGO hobby?

Alex: Hi Sam! Thanks for your interest in my work. I’m Alex, 43, from the Gard, south of France. I’m an SNCF TGV ticket inspector, and I've been a full-time guitarist in the Ska Punk Metal band Les Kroutes since 1999. I've been building with Danish bricks since I was 8. Time flies!

Sam: How did you get started on this diorama? How long did it take?

Alex: Despite a slow period from my 20s to my 30s, I never stopped buying LEGO (sets, parts, instructions... anything I could think of). It all started again in 2014 when I discovered that there were LEGO parts exchange groups on Facebook. I was able to remake models that I would never have paid for before (9v train, monorail, UCS Star Wars, city from the Legoland era...).

Then in 2017, I made a little winter village on a piece of furniture near the tree at the request of my daughter who was four years old. Then she asked me to make the merry-go-round spin, so I added a motor. Passion had taken over, and I haven’t stopped since. My diorama is now more than six years old, and constantly evolving as it grows each year with new features.

Sam: When you exhibit your diorama, there’s always a little note from your daughter and sons—do they accompany you in this passion?

Alex: The idea for this little note came from my daughter for my exhibitions. It’s her way of supporting me when she can’t be at my side, and it means a lot to me. The same goes for my two sons-in-law, who can’t always be there. So at our last exhibition together, I gave them felt-tip pens and the freedom to express themselves on this little sign.

Motorization

Sam: Your diorama is one of the most accomplished I’ve ever seen in terms of animation and motorization. Is it your intention to animate every part of your diorama?

Alex: Thank you very much. I really appreciate it because I put a lot of heart and energy into it. One of my great passions is the Technic range. I had a 2m x 3m city in my parents’ garage, and I used to bring to life helicopters, trains, and boats.

Each module (28 on 48x48 stud base plates) contains an animation. Visitors’ eyes are systematically drawn to the life of the diorama, which has enabled me to create surprise scenes that open according to a story and people's gaze.

Sam: The organization of your motorization is impressive. At the back of the diorama, there are lots of little joysticks, each labeled with its function. Is it a skill that comes from your job?

Alex: Many visitors and exhibitors think I’m an engineer—I’m not. I’m just tidy and square (being a pro musician, I beat time). I’ve improved the diorama’s functionality over the years as a result of breakdowns and problems encountered during exhibitions.

Before, there were no control switches at the back: just transformers that I plugged in directly to operate so many motors. But when a transformer or a motor burned out, the whole line was affected. I had to improve the electrical distribution and make each motor independent thanks to switches (joysticks), which is why I put up the identification labels.

Scenes With Santa

Sam: One of the most impressive scenes to me is the arrival of Santa’s mail. Is there a story behind it?

Alex: This is my masterpiece. I managed to hide Santa’s secret workshop in a mountain that opens up thanks to a motorized wall. This part took me over a year to complete. The opening of the mountain took four months to design (with failure after failure due to the weight of the assembly, then success thanks to an adaptation using metal gears). Before opening this secret scene, I tell a story that begins with three elves leaving their house. The audience has to retrace their steps before arriving at the secret mountain.

Sam: There’s also an adults-only torture scene where a PLAYMOBIL Santa gets abused?

Alex: Yes, but not just for adults! 😉 There’s always been this eternal so-called war between the two brands: Playmobil and LEGO. I decided to set up a fun, secret torture scene. LEGO elves mistreat Playmobil Santa Claus on a table that stands up. It’s only fun—but it may have shocked some visitors!

Which is why a reconciliation scene was set up between the two Santas who hide behind a sliding wall in order to calm the most fragile spirits and put a smile back on their faces. After all, who hasn’t had a Playmobil at home? They’re still toys.

Magnets and Movement

Sam: I’d like to talk in a little more detail about the little train that runs around the tree and, in particular, about the technique you used.

Alex: Indeed, in order to give movement around a Christmas tree back in 2017, I developed a system equipped with micro-magnets that I force-fitted without glue into the tenons of the gears and into the underside of the little train. The same goes for my skating rink with the figurines. This gives a magical effect without drilling.

You can find these micro-magnets on the German Supermagnete website, but you can also find them anywhere else. All you need is the right diameter and the right thickness for your project. By way of example, the figurines are fitted with a 2mm-thick micro-magnet.

Sam: I’m no stranger to this technique, having already featured it in an article about Elies’ Super Mario diorama.

Alex: Elies (LEGO Masters France S4 finalist) is a friend of mine, and we belong to the same LUG, Artofbrick. At the expo, he was fascinated by my animations and we discussed his Mario project to set Karts in motion. You can see the result. Elies cites me as a reference in his creations as they winked at me during the final of LEGO Masters with their pirates diorama. Their animations are based on my work.

Sam: You also use metal gears marketed by another brand. Can you share your experience with us?

Alex: In order to succeed in opening the wall of the secret mountain of Santa’s workshop, after numerous failures, my main concern was the weight of the whole thing. The wall weighs four kilos today, and I couldn’t do any less. But it used to weigh six! So I used a single XL motor that I geared down three times, with double rows of metal axles and gears from the English brand MTP (Metal Technic Parts). The high price is a drawback, but it was the only solution for my project. I don’t regret it at all.

Response to the Village

Sam: Motorization is an art that requires a great deal of attention during shows and constant fine-tuning. Do audiences appreciate seeing this complexity?

Alex: Honestly, as someone who’s used to being on stage in front of hundreds of people or more with my band, fixing a fault on my diorama at an exhibition was a big stress for my first few times. Today, I take it with a super cool attitude; and what’s more, visitors are fascinated to see the inner workings of the beast. This leads to a multitude of questions about the parts used, the techniques, the number of motors. I now take pleasure in repairing breakdowns live and sometimes even bring the most curious backstage.

Sam: What are your plans for this diorama, and will you be developing it further?

Alex: Every year my diorama grows. Expansion is planned. I’m not going to spoil too much, but for next year, expect 1m20 more than the current 5m40, with an elf island as a base, to better coordinate the story leading to Santa’s secret workshop.

The plan includes some seven additional animations, including a double secret scene, and new for 2025: two interactive scenes where visitors will be the actors to trigger them (if all goes well).

Caution! A Sultry Santa Scene

Sam: Lastly, I noticed you also have a hidden 18+ scene with Santa and Mrs. Claus…

Alex: In 2018, I had fun motorizing the inside of a house in 18+ mode with Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and an elf. In 2021, I also motorized the roof opening because I used to open it manually, and it was sometimes a live disaster.

Obviously, this is only for adults and just for fun. After all, it’s just bricks! So only push play if you dare!

Sam: Thank you, Alex, for this interview and for taking the time to give us so much detail about your diorama.

Alex: I’d like to thank you. It was a pleasure! Cheers, mate, and see you soon.

Do you also plan to expand your winter village during summer? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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