(Written by William)
We recently reviewed three LEGO Disney mini-dolls sets that will be available starting January 1st (see links at the end of this post), but there is more! Today, we will talk about three more upcoming sets, this time featuring mini brick-built figures. The style of these new characters looks like a cross between DUPLO figures and LEGO BrickHeadz. What is more impressive is that they also resemble a sort of Japanese anime chibi style, which is its own brand of cute.
Thankfully, LEGO is marketing these sets to ages 5+, which means they should remain reasonably priced and not have any stickers. Also, it is fortunate to know whether or not these are for you, based on how you like the character designs. What actually impressed me though, was some of the thought that went into making these sets. Let me explain in more detail in the following sections.
LEGO MINI DISNEY PRINCESS SETS – CHARACTERS
At first glance, I was not entirely sure what to make of the mini brick-built figures. They have a super-deformed aesthetic with regular minifigure hands attached to a brick-built body, unlike anything we have seen before. The designs are simple to build, but still maintain a lot of character. While assembling them, I was definitely reminded of building LEGO BrickHeadz. However, it was my wife who spotted what they really looked like.
After handing a finished character over, she remarked how it kind of resembled a DUPLO figure. Given the fact that these three sets are rated for ages 5+, it made sense. They are a great way to transition younger builders into the regular LEGO system, while still keeping the play potential of their older DUPLO sets.
I recall in my younger days how my brother had DUPLO while I had LEGO. I never realized back in the day that the two systems were even compatible. I just knew that my building toys didn’t look at all like his, so I didn’t play with his baby toys. After all, I was a big kid.
Now, what if, back in the day, that line was blurred? I could have easily expanded my building potential by incorporating the larger elements as fillers for my larger creations. These characters help create that bridge.
Additionally, each character follows a fairly similar pattern. This means the young builder can start seeing the potential in customizing their figures. What if they want to trade Belle’s dress for Rapunzel’s dress? Just pull off the heads and swap them. And in cases where there are different skin tones, just swap the arms as well, and you’re done.
LEGO MINI DISNEY PRINCESS SETS – INSTRUCTIONS
I haven’t built a lot of recent sets meant for younger builders, so I could be mistaken, but I don’t recall these sets having separate instructions. In each of the new LEGO Disney sets, there are numbered bags, and every numbered bag has its own instruction book. This means the larger #43291 LEGO Disney Belle & Tiana with Castle set has five instructions, while the two smaller sets, the #43284 LEGO Disney Mini Anna & Elsa, and the #43303 LEGO Disney Mini Jasmine & Rapunzel, have two instructions. It is important to note that each instruction will have you fully complete something. You won’t have the case where something is partially built, like in larger, more complex sets.
The way this works for the castle is that it is completely modular. You can swap rooms around or stack them in a wide range of configurations. So, even if a castle section isn’t the full castle, you can still play with whatever part you built.
This division is nice for those instances where you might have multiple young builders. They may want to each build their own thing. These sets allow you to do just that without too much fighting. On the other hand, let’s say you have a single young builder. Having the instructions divided up lets them build at their own pace. They won’t get overwhelmed with too many parts in front of them. They can either take short breaks or build on different days with ease.
LEGO MINI DISNEY PRINCESS SETS – FINAL THOUGHTS
The price of the castle set is $39.99, and the two smaller sets are $9.99 each – not too pricey, I would say. The only thing I should warn you about is that if you get one and you like it, it is almost necessary to buy the other two models.
The complete collection feels like a true playset and a collectible. Not only do young builders have a way to transition from DUPLO, but their parents will like the fact that this set still has the skill training that DUPLO provides, like the need for dexterity to place the characters in the castle, along with color recognition for each and every slot. These are just a couple of ways this model delivers on the educational side.
The part selection for the castle is also pretty decent. You get a large number of 6×6 plates and 2×6 tiles along with tan pillars. I was kind of surprised by just how good a parts pack the castle might be for some builders. And it has the added bonus of not having any stickers.
So what’s the downside? As far as I can tell, the major obstacle will be one of taste. Do you and your child (if you’re getting it for someone younger), like the look of the characters? This is a new character style for LEGO, so it might continue, or if it doesn’t sell well, it might be all we get. In the video below, I talk a bit more about this new style of LEGO Disney sets.
Personally, I do think the characters look adorable. They also have the added bonus of feeling like a build style that could explode in popularity. Fans of LEGO BrickHeadz could even view these as chibi LEGO BrickHeadz. Ultimately, time will tell. If you want to check them out, they are already listed at the LEGO Disney section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the new LEGO Disney mini brick-built figure sets? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
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