The latest LEGO castle line called LEGO Kingdoms, gave us some nice basic LEGO castle sets for 2011. To be honest though, I found LEGO Kingdoms quite lack-luster, especially right after the very interesting and imaginative previous LEGO castle line; Fantasy Era. The trolls, dragons, wizards, skeletons and dwarves of Fantasy Era created a truly fascinating world, compared to the unimaginative lion-knights and dragon-knights that have been released and re-released so many times in LEGO castle since the 1980s.
However having said that, there is one LEGO castle Kingdoms set I’m very excited about; and that is the just released #10223 LEGO Kingdoms Joust. Although I have written a previous, introductory post on the LEGO Kingdoms Joust set, I wanted to show you a bit more detail on it. (Read previous post here: LEGO Castle: New LEGO Kingdoms Set Coming!) I think you will agree that it is truly beautiful! Here is an overall picture of this latest of the LEGO castle sets:
Please note that this is a LEGO Exclusive set for more advanced builders (recommended for ages 12 and up), and it does not contain any of the juniorized large panel-elements. However this also means that this LEGO castle will take quite a bit of time to put together (contains 1,575 pieces). So, if you enjoy large, intricately designed sets, then I definitely recommend this one! It works beautifully both for play and display! In my opinion it is one of the nicest castle sets LEGO ever made, and my personal favorite. 🙂
Here is the official description on the #10223 LEGO Kingdoms Joust set:
Watch the Knights battle it out at the Royal Joust!
It’s the most exciting event on the LEGO Kingdoms calendar! Join the King and Queen at the Royal Joust as the knights on horseback battle it out for the hand of the beautiful Princess. This detailed set recreates all the majesty of a medieval pageant, from the large, 6-roomed castle with linked wall extensions, 2 knights’ weapons tents, royal viewing box, jousting fence and of course 2 magnificent jousting horses. Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene that is truly fit for a King! Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers.
- Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers!
- Knight minifigures include armor decoration, helmet, jousting pole, shield and 2 extra weapons!
- Features castle with 6 detailed rooms with lots of accessories and 2 knight’s tents with weapon holders!
- Open back for easy access to linked wall extensions!
- Also features royal viewing box with flags and coat of arms!
- Includes 2 knight’s horses with detailed decoration, weapon holder and armored headgear!
- Explore the castle rooms!
- Battle it out for the hand of the princess!
- Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene fit for King!
- Castle measures 20″ (51 cm) wide and 12″ (30 cm) tall!
One of the most unique features of this LEGO castle is that you can combine two of the sets for a larger, even more intricate version of the jousting scene. Check this out! 😀
The LEGO minifigures included are also really nice. Here is the whole -line up (click on the picture for larger view):
Please note the Black Falcon knight! Is this a simple nod towards a LEGO fan-favorite from the past? Or perhaps a sign that the well-loved Black Falcons will be resurrected? 8)
To get a real feel for this LEGO castle I also thought to share with you this excellent video-review by Brickformula. It is a bit long, but if you are a LEGO castle fan you won’t mind, as it is full of interesting tidbits, alternate set-ups, and a time-lapse built at the end. Enjoy the show! 😉
The LEGO Castle Kingdoms Joust set is available at LEGO’s website: #10223 LEGO Kingdoms Joust. The price is $119.99 (7 cents a piece) – an excellent price for such a beautiful set! So, what do you think? Is the LEGO Kingdoms Joust on your “must-have” list? If not, why not? 🙄
If you are a LEGO castle fan here are some other post you might like:
- LEGO Castle: New LEGO Kingdoms Set Coming!
- LEGO Lord of the Rings Coming in 2012!
- Dear LEGO… Heroica Rocks!
I will say I an kinda dissaponted with its release date. Last year would have been much better. There are almost no other Kingdoms sets still available. I love the fact that it is modular with the King’s Castle, but because I had purchased several LEGO castles before the King’s Castle, and that there were no other sets, at the time, that were modular with it so I did not buy it. When I saw this set, I wanted to buy it and the King’s Castle, but by that time the King’s Castle had been sold out for several months in most places. Again, I love this set and the minifigures, but I really wish that it was released around spring/summer of 2011 so that it would go with the other Kingdoms sets.
Jacob, yes, the release date of the Joust set was quite odd; right after Christmas. Didn’t make much sense to me either to release such a gorgous set AFTER the holidays, and AFTER all the other Kingdoms sets sold out. Maybe there was a delay in production? One good news is that I have heard there will be more castle sets later this year. Hope they will be compatible with the Joust set. Fingers crossed. 😉
i agree
Love it…especially after that disastrous looking barn, windmill and trees of 2011 that looked like something amateurish off Brickshelf! 🙁 I honestly thought they were fakes when they were first posted on the internet! Otherwise I quite like the lion and dragon knights and their realistic knights look. And we also finally got that gorgeous ‘pot’ helmet from that range 🙂 But please no more Falcon knights! I’ve never understood the craze for Falcon knights. They are so 1980’s boring I’m sorry to say 😛 And yes I grew up in the ’80’s so I can say that with full impunity 😛 I just think Lego should move forwards rather than delving into nostaglia about minifigs that were rather plain in the first place. I’d love to see more medieval village ideas that can be added to the existing village sets. And what about a ‘roasted boar’ to set alongside the roasted turkey piece? haha
Nick, good ideas! I would say though that the bringing back the Falcons would be a huge hit! I know for a fact that there are many LEGO fans who would go crazy over them. As you said; it is a nostalgia thing. Those kids who were not able to get the Falcons in their childhood are now adults with money. 😉
Nice set, but I won’t spend $120 on a single set. Would have been nice if they could have gotten it down to $80 like Battle of Alamut even if it meant losing some details or using some panels. Does Lego really think that many people are going to shell out $240 for 2 sets? Maybe a castle fanatic who doesn’t collect any other themes… or someone from the 1%
Kumabot, good points! Yes, the Joust set has a pretty steep price. However please note that this is a LEGO exclusive set; meaning it is much more detailed and has no large panels and such. It is more in line with the Modular Buildings, then regular LEGO castle, and geared towards adult collectors…with money. 😉
I don’t know about the 1% thing though. It seems like all my LEGO friends are spending tons of money on their hobby! Like picking up 5 Death Stars here, and a whole series of Modulars there, throw in some Castle, and a few Super Heroes seems to be pretty standard. Maybe the economy is not doing nearly as bad as they say on TV.
This is for Jacob, I will be seeling a brand new sealed King’s Castle on Ebay 1st weekend in February. I was fortunate enough to find 1 at target and 1 at TRU after Xmas, so I kept 1 and am selling the other.
I also read on the Lego Group’s Twitter page that “The Kingdoms line continues in 2012” YAAAAAY!!!!
And Admin, yes, this is definetly on my Must Have list.
YAAAY i like kingdoms