There is a lot of buzz about the recently revealed #10305 LEGO Lion Knights’ Castle and the #10497 LEGO Galaxy Explorer. We already discussed the sets briefly, but it’s worth talking about them some more.
Back in February last year, the LEGO Ideas team ran a survey to see what LEGO theme fans would like to see celebrating the 90th anniversary of the brand. The final four choices going up against each other were LEGO Bionicle, LEGO Classic Space, LEGO Pirates, and LEGO Castle. As the response to the survey was overwhelming it was decided that LEGO was going to release not one, but two sets!
Celebrating 90 years of LEGO history, the #10305 LEGO Lion Knights’ Castle building set is a new interpretation inspired by the original LEGO Castle system and a build requested by fans for years. The impressive set is packed with surprises around every corner. You can discover stunning details on every side of the buildable model, then open it up to explore the interior. There are hidden passages, movable walls, secret hideouts, a medieval drawbridge and portcullis that open, a mill with a turning waterwheel, towers, and turrets, living quarters, an armory, and more. With 22 minifigures, you can set the stage for epic battles and daring escapes time and time again. This set comes with 4,514 pieces and the prices are as follows: £344.99, $399.99 USD, €399.99, $549.99 AUD, and $499.99 CAD. It will be available in August at the LEGO Icons section of the Online LEGO Shop.
The #10497 LEGO Galaxy Explorer retains all the joy of the original 1979 set but on a bigger scale. You can take your time crafting the features of this buildable model including the blended delta wing configuration of the original craft. The spaceship sits on three retractable landing legs and features opening rear doors and a retractable ramp to deploy the rover. The rear of the ship houses the rover compartment with extra tools. The cockpit opens to reveal the interior of the spaceship where there are seats for all four astronauts as well as living quarters with two beds, computers, and storage compartments. This set comes with 1,254 pieces and the prices are as follows: £89.99, $99.99 USD, €99.99, $179.99 AUD, and $129.99 CAD. It will ship in August, but it is already available for pre-order at the LEGO Icons section of the Online LEGO Shop.
In the video below, LEGO designers Mike Psiaki and Milan Madge talk about the sets in detail. I was very pleased to see that the Galaxy Explorer comes with a couple of alternate models (so we can build a whole fleet!), and the Lion Knights’ Castle is full of references to early LEGO Castle sets.
Great sets, aren’t they? But wait, there is more! You can even participate in contests to win the sets! The actual date for the 90th anniversary of the LEGO brand is August 10th. To celebrate this, the LEGO Ideas team is launching a handful of mini-contests in the run-up to LEGO’s birthday. There will be one each week, for five weeks, and each contest will be open for only two weeks. All of the judgings will happen on August 4th and all the winners will be contacted the same day. The first contest is about building your favorite LEGO set of all time in micro-scale. Please note that the LEGO Ideas team is looking for creations that are not based on any third-party intellectual properties (IPs). So please don’t build creations based on Star Wars for instance. If you are the grand prize winner of this contest, you’ll win the following: #11021 LEGO Classic 90 Years of Play, #10305 LEGO Icons Lion Knights’ Castle, #10497 LEGO Icons Galaxy Explorer, #40567 LEGO Forest Hideout (Gift with Purchase), #30510 LEGO 90 Years of Cars. Submit your entry no later than July 7th, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST. If you’re interested, head over to the contest page to read the contest rules and get started!
What do you think? Do you have any of the early LEGO Castle and LEGO Space sets? Are you excited for the upcoming sets? And are you planning to participate in the contests? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!
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