LEGO Ideas River Steamboat Set Casts Off At Toy Fair 2025

Today has been a big day for LEGO with the release of a ton of new sets for March 2025 as well as the debut of new sets at NY Toy Fair 2025 that are inspired by Bluey and Marvel. However, if you’re the kind of LEGO fan that rushed to pick up The Endurance set this past holiday season, the debut of the LEGO Ideas River Steamboat Set #21356 (amusingly code-named “Project Toot”) is going to be more your speed.

Indeed, LEGO has debuted their first steamboat set at New York Toy Fair, and it comes from fan designer as part of the LEGO Ideas platform. At 4,090-pieces, it promises to be a challenging build that will result in an authentic depiction of a classic river steamboat. However, this vessel comes with some surprises. It’s been refurbished for entertainment tours complete with a steam engine museum. Features include a detailed pilothouse, crew cabin, bathroom on the Texas deck, a music stage and restaurant on the main deck, and a kitchen on the boiler deck. 

Like the recent Endurance set (which I own and love), the steamboat will also feature functional elements like a working paddle connected to a ‘steam’ engine, a rudder activated by the ship’s wheel, and removable decks for access to the the interior rooms. You can take a closer look at the set via the gallery below, then continue on for answers on burning questions such as: when, where, how much, and what freebies do I get with this?

The LEGO Ideas River Steamboat set will be available exclusively for LEGO Insiders in early access starting on April 6th / 7th at 9pm PT / 12am ET and for all customers from April 10th right here at the LEGO shop priced at $329.99. Furthermore LEGO Insiders will receive a free Gift with Purchase: The LEGO Amelia Ticket Booth from April 7th through April 13th, or while supplies last. The official description for the GWP set reads:

“This detailed LEGO Amelia Ticket Booth (5009157) building toy features a ticket window, tower, jetty and a flag. Decorations include printed elements marked ‘TICKET’ and ‘AMELIA’ with schedule information. Inside the building is a riverboat museum with a small riverboat model and a microfigure. Fun to build and play with, the 152-piece LEGO Ticket Booth building set is a creative gift for kids aged 10 and up.”

The new LEGO set was designed by Illinois, USA-based LEGO fan Aaron Hall, as part of the LEGO Ideas program. Aaron had the following to say about the project: “My fascination with LEGO boats began with the Black Seas Barracuda set (#6285), which captivated me with its intricate rigging for the masts and sails. Growing up along the Mississippi River, I developed a deep interest in paddle boats, which naturally inspired me to create this steamboat model. The design process involved researching images to capture the essence of steamboats and selecting specific LEGO elements to bring my vision to life. I was determined to scale the model for minifigures and incorporate modular boat hull bases as a nod to the classic LEGO pirate ships.”

You can take advantage of LEGO Insiders offers by signing up for a free account right here. If you want to dive into the deep end, you can find all of the upcoming releases here in the “Coming Soon” section.  After the launch, they will shift here in the “Available Now” section. Some of the new releases will be available here on Amazon, but in most cases you’ll want to stick with LEGO to take advantage of their special offers