Review: LEGO Disney 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Cottage

Today we quickly go around the set 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Cottage, a box of 2228 pieces which will be available as an Insiders preview from March 1, 2024 at the public price of €219.99. The product caused a sensation when it was announced, and we need to come back to it with a clear head to check if it finally lives up to my expectations and the price requested.

The assembly of the three constructions delivered in this box is relatively entertaining, with two small secondary models rather well presented embodying the wishing well seen on the screen and the glass coffin and the main course: the house with yellow roofs . We quickly see that we will have to come to terms with the facade of the premises, the construction not being closed on all its sides. If the facade is promising, the other side of the house is a little less so with large openings which reveal the fittings. We are once again in the cinema setting more than in the accomplished representation of the subject treated but this is the lot of many LEGO products which favor playability over the model aspect. It's hard to blame the manufacturer for offering its customers the opportunity to have fun with their toys.

We can console ourselves by saying that the other side offers a beautiful view of the layout of the premises which is of a very good standard with numerous pieces of furniture and other diverse and varied accessories, but I know that many of us regret not being able to obtain in a product clearly marked "18+" a "complete" house intended for exhibition instead of an ersatz playset with which no one will really have fun knowing that there is no bonus no stairs to access the floors and the different spaces are difficult to access unless you use your fingertips.

The pretty roof is obviously the most laborious section to assemble, it will be necessary to be vigilant and not to mix the parts to maintain the appearance desired by the designer. I won't spoil the process for you, you will discover it if you invest your money in this box, but it is convincing on arrival with a very realistic texture and the possibility of removing a section of the roof to take full advantage of the spaces that it covers.

The central hinge which connects the two sections of the cottage makes it possible to slightly improve the accessibility of the premises but it does nothing aesthetically because it significantly changes the layout of the building and the house is not necessarily ricochet then more truly faithful to that seen on the screen. This feature, however, remains interesting for anyone who would really like to take advantage of the furniture piled up in the different rooms and possibly install the dwarves around the table in the main room or in their respective beds identified by stickers.

Don't expect too much to be able to install the seven dwarves realistically around the large table in the main room, the short legs do not bend and they will therefore at best be installed standing on their chairs. On the other hand, they fit into their respective beds even if the room is not a spacious suite and all the furniture is crammed in with forceps.

The facade of the house is also in my opinion very successful with textures and details which give it the very rustic appearance of the cottage seen on the screen, the work provided on this precise point is appreciable with a truly satisfactory result. We will take pleasure in going into the detail of the different elements of decoration or layout with at the end some good ideas for the benefit of all those who are passionate, for example, about medieval-style creations.

You already know that the fireplace on the ground floor is equipped with a luminous brick which undoubtedly contributes more to raising the price of the product more than to heating the dwarves' food and the use of which will require as much habit of holding the must pressed on the button which protrudes from the foot of the facade. It's a system from another age without much interest and I would have happily done without this specific element for a public price falling below €200, but that's not an option.

The vegetation surrounding the house is welcome, it's not the thick forest seen in the animated film but it's a good start to recreate some context. Everything here is more symbolic than totally respectful of the reference film, you also have to make do with a small handful of small animals while Snow White is accompanied by a much more substantial menagerie on the screen. Even at €220, we feel that LEGO is struggling to maintain its margin and cutting back on the details that could make the product something more accomplished and more complete than the somewhat inexpensive representation offered.

We obviously cannot escape a large sheet of stickers but there are still a few pad-printed pieces in this box such as the two Tiles flanked by the inscription "Snow White" which take place on the sides of the glass coffin and which quickly disappear under the vegetation present around the object. French speakers are rarely at the party at LEGO and here, as is often the case, we have to make do with the English names of the different characters.

The supply of figurines is correct with Snow White, her stepmother The Queen, Prince Florian and obviously the seven dwarves. Nothing to say about Snow White and the Prince, two figurines already delivered identically since last year in the set 43222 DisneyCastle, the two characters are successful and conform to those seen on the screen with their usual faults in terms of the superpositions of light-colored pad printing on a darker background.

The rest of the casting seems much less convincing to me with on the one hand a Queen who looks like Palpatine, already seen in the set 43227 Villain Icons and which still seems to me to be so sloppy graphically and technically and on the other hand the seven dwarves with their faces, some of which graphically seem a little disappointing to me. The torsos of the different dwarves are very appropriate, the hats and beards match, but some of the facial expressions seem off to me.

This is very personal, but perhaps we are simply reaching the limits here once again when it comes to making a face look puffy or inflated on a classic minifig head and I find some of these dwarfs without noses and artificially chubby, a little ridiculous.

I know that some of you will not fail to compare this product with the two rather interesting ideas on the same subject proposed and rejected at their time on the LEGO Ideas platform, the debate will not take place anyway and that is LEGO which decides when and how certain products which have been in the pipeline for many months are marketed. There will therefore be no point in crying out for plagiarism, the recovery of the idea or the need for a petition; it is the manufacturer who has control and he alone.

On arrival and putting aside the slightly excessive price of this pretty box, I think that there is something here to please fans of the Disney universe who will be lenient with the savings made and the few approximations techniques and aesthetics observed. The house really has character, it will easily find its place in an interior decoration decorated with the main characters and a line of dwarves returning from work, that's the main thing. Building what this box contains while watching the 1937 animated film for the hundredth time promises a great evening that the most nostalgic fans will surely appreciate.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 4, 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.