One of the most exciting sets this year is #71040 LEGO Disney Castle that will be available this fall. We have already discussed the set in detail (see: LEGO Disney Castle Details & Pictures!), but at that time the designer-video was not yet released. When the video did become available I have considered just adding it to the previous post, however since it includes some really interesting details, I thought it was worth discussing it separately. 🙂
In the designer-video (watch below), after senior designer Marcus Bessa’s introduction with Mickey, the first thing you will notice about the LEGO Disney Castle is how huge it is. Yes, we got the dimensions previously – over 29” (74cm) high, 17” (44cm) wide and 12” (31cm) deep – but it makes a big difference to see it next to a person to really comprehend the actual size. Just look how the almost two-and-a-half feet tall castle towers over Marcus! And it is also substantially wide and deep.
The video also goes into greater detail about the design process. Marcus talks about the challenges he faced in coming up with the shaping of the round towers at the bottom of the castle, as well as the tip of the tallest tower. He even shows some of his initial concepts. Then graphic designer Austin Carlson talks about the new printed elements, and how new minifigures are created from the original clay mouldings all the way to the finished characters.
And of course Marcus shows off the inside of the set as well, pointing out some of the references to classic Disney movies. There are a lot more to discover about this set, but I really appreciated how this time LEGO designers went a bit deeper into explaining their work. It could be very interesting to those who aspire to become LEGO designers themselves, or even for regular LEGO fans who appreciate getting a glimpse into the process. You can watch the whole designer-video below:
As I mentioned above, the #71040 LEGO Disney Castle will be available for sale directly through LEGO beginning September 1st, with early access to LEGO VIP members starting on August 17th. You can find the set with detailed pictures and description under the LEGO Disney Princess section of the Online LEGO Shop.
So what do you think? How do you like the LEGO Disney Castle? And how did you like the designer-video? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
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The castle looks good (apart from being open at the rear), but in my opinion the set is far too expensive at £289 here in the UK. Not sure how Lego calculate their prices as they seem very inconsistent between various sets.
I might try and get hold of some of those printed wall panels, as I like those. Though at the moment I’m not happy with Lego quality control (had modular sets with warped baseplates, missing bricks and the inconsistency of one colour of bricks in one set, had the bricks in 2 shades)………So I don’t think I will be purchasing anything at all for the moment. Yes, Lego are sorting most of these problems, but it’s their quality control that needs sorting given the cost of the sets.
I agree that they could have made a less expensive version. The Disney Castle is so iconic, so making a more affordable variation would have probably made more sense. Although based on what I have been reading, a lot of people plan to buy it the first day it comes out. Maybe the economy is not as bad as the news makes us believe. 🙄
As far as quality control, LEGO has been running their current factories non-stop. There are plans for expansion, which will hopefully help. Their popularity since The LEGO Movie has been explosive. LEGO knows that they have to keep their quality up because that’s pretty much all that separates them from other brands. As far as I know, they are trying their best to keep up and keep things under control. And yes, always call when you run into issues. They take such feedback very seriously.
Anything with a Disney license is going to be more expensive. There isn ‘t a company on earth that is better at squeezing blood from a rock than Disney. Last year the Star Wars Advent calendars were $10 more than the City or Friends editions simply because of the Disney license.
That’s not exactly true. The Star Wars advent calendars have always been $40 instead of $30, and they started in 2011, before Disney owned it. The 2012 calendar was even $50, but that may have been because of Disney. But I agree, Disney makes everything with their name on it super expensive. Not sure Walt would like that…. 😕
Well, Walt was more of a businessman than an artist, despite some incredible results to show for his effort…
Actually love that this is a higher price point as it is reflective of the extreme attention to detail which exists, should it be displayed. The price per piece is not bad given the uniqueness of certain pieces and if considering the end result – which is a work of art! It’s rare to get a set which can be such a display piece AND also offer various scene creations and/or playability, if ever desired. As a true castle fan and collector (legacy sets and especially Kingdoms, etc.) this set appears to set the bar even higher (in all areas) than that of the LOTR Tower of Orthanic. It’s clear Lego is targeting the various customers levels which is illustrates they appear to listen to feedback provided – from kids to adults. This set would be a must for any diehard Disney fan, castle lover, or perhaps someone who is building a Disney World Amusement Park Moc or anyone who appreciates Minifig scale architecture within their City. Really like where Disney has went with many sets having such a focus on theme parks as it takes kids and adults to a “happy” place. While the price is high, Disney created a scaled down Cinderella’s castle (which I do not own) and is more affordable at $70 US and also has great reviews. Personally, would rather Lego continue to create such pieces with this level of detail as it helps illustrate what truly can be done with a “brick”. It’s educational and fun for all ages! It’s safe to say most of us would rather see less sets debut so the quality of sets is there given we all cannot buy every set we see!
Well said and your points are appreciated. I don’t think anyone would argue the quality and amazingness of these large sets. The issue I have heard from LEGO fans is the unusually high number of exceptionally large LEGO sets this year. Most of us have been used to one or two large sets per year, and made sure we budget for them accordingly. This year it is becoming really hard to keep up.
And money is not the only issue, display-space is another major concern. Even keeping these large sets in storage takes up tremendous amount of space. I have an unopened Firehouse HQ and have nowhere to put it. It is so big, it doesn’t fit into any closet or storage space, so I just left it sitting on the floor in our guest bedroom until I figure out what to do with it.
I would say that two large sets like this per year are manageable. They give us something amazing to build a couple of times a year, budgeting is not as difficult, and we can plan for display-space as well. Throw in a few $100-$150 sets in various themes that still have great detail and playability, but are not as big, and most LEGO fans are very happy. This flood of very large sets is making LEGO fans anxious…
Absolutely agree – the rate of D2C’s and sets over £120 this year is insane. I am very glad I’m not a collector of everything as I’d be broke. Ghostbusters HQ amazing vut £280, this amazing but £289, the porsche – same. Big ben comparatively well priced but still £159.
And thats just the ones I actually want. If you add in Hoth, the batcave etc etc
I’m very glad in a way that whilst the Disney castle is lovely, its a very expensive parts pack to me thus I have less compulsion for it than other D2C’s.
Yeah, I have heard from a number of collectors who are simply throwing up their hands. They just can’t keep up. And because collectors often have an “all or nothing” mentality, some of them are even leaving the hobby altogether.
Sorry for a few missed typos – harder to write a review from a mobile device. 🙂
Not particular happy with this set. But then again I wasn’t surprise. I have yet to like a big set designed by Marcos. This just gives me more funds to do custom build.
This is why it is worth paying attention to who are the designers. After a while you might start to see a pattern of who’s designs you like the most. 🙂