Review : LEGO Icons 10305 Lion Knights' Castle

We continue today with a quick overview of the content of the LEGO Icons set 10305 Lion Knights'Castle, a large box of 4514 pieces including 22 minifigs which will allow from next August 3 and in exchange for 399.99 € to assemble a strong tribute to one of the emblematic universes of the brand.

As with the other set celebrating the brand's 90th anniversary this year, the reference 10497 Galaxy Explorer (99.99 €), it is obviously not an identical reissue of the set 6080 King's Castle which could be considered as the reference product and which was much less ambitious and above all less expensive.

The public price of 399.99 € leaves no room for doubt, LEGO goes there frankly by offering a huge playset which will undoubtedly end up as a simple exhibition product for the majority of nostalgic fans who will acquire it. The product is designed to provide playful possibilities when fully or partially open and to occupy a smaller space when closed in on itself, so LEGO does not sacrifice either theoretical playability or the obvious display potential of this castle. .

The homage to the product and to the reference universe is less obvious here than with the content of the set 10497 Galaxy Explorer : A castle can be assembled well, but it does not look like the somewhat crude constructions experienced by those who played with these products in the 80s. The references are elsewhere, on the walls and on the torso of the minifigs and LEGO finally pays homage to all of his work rather than to a specific reference. Fans wanted a castle, they got one and in my opinion it more than lives up to what you'd expect from a premium toymaker in 2022.

I won't give you the verse on the different stages of assembly and on the techniques used, keep the pleasure of discovery for the moment when you open the big box and you will begin to understand that you do not have to regret have spent 400 €. Just know that LEGO misses no detail, including accessibility to the different spaces of this castle.

There is always a staircase or a ladder in the corner to move around inside the premises and this detail reinforces the impression that the manufacturer has taken care to think out his product down to the smallest detail. No stickers, everything is stamped and there is only plastic except for the two banners that float on top of the walls and the queen's cape. These three pieces of fabric are unfortunately only printed on one side.

Some features are there and we are not content to "open a door" or "tilt" a piece of wall. The drawbridge is functional as is the portcullis placed just behind. The two mechanisms that put these elements in motion are very well integrated into the construction, I leave you the pleasure of discovering the tricks that will allow you to afford a few minutes of nostalgic pleasure.

The water wheel is also mobile and it even sets in motion the millstone placed on the other side of the wall. The functionality may seem trivial and it will probably never be used again after a few minutes, but it embodies our playful "activities" as children, such as when we spent time filling up our little Majorette cars with a dummy gas pump. .

The manufacturer allows this product to be assembled with four hands with two separate instruction booklets to build the two modules which will then have to be joined together via a few clips to obtain the complete enclosure. The assembly phase is rather entertaining, even if we could expect the worst when discovering the imposing gray walls made up of stacked bricks.

However, like a Structure, we alternate here regularly between simplistic stacks and the construction of furniture or more detailed accessories and we do not regret the long hours devoted to this big whiff of nostalgia. The layout of the different rooms is sufficiently substantial to identify their function even if, to my taste, it lacks a bit of smooth tiling or carpet in places, the visible studs really contrasting with the smooth walls.

As I said above, the complete model is both a luxury playset more than 70 cm long when deployed and a high-end exhibition product with a footprint of 45 x 33 cm and very accomplished finish on all sides when the castle is closed. The usual principle "We don't see it anymore but we know it's there"characteristic of Modulars will therefore apply here too even if it will be enough to open the castle to take advantage of the various rooms and other integrated hiding places that I leave it to you to discover without spoiler.

The hinges are rather discreet, the closing adjustments on each of the two modules and on the junction between the two are very correct and the possibility of opening the playset will not immediately jump out at those who discover the object in its configuration. of exposure.

A medieval castle without knights and other villagers is of little interest and LEGO also goes all out here with 22 minifigures. The pad prints are generally very successful and there is enough to fill the different levels of the castle as well as the surroundings of the rocky peak on which it is installed. Direct references to the different factions imagined by LEGO in the 80s are there with a slew of coats of arms all very well executed. Everyone will find their favorite faction there and the tribute seems rather exhaustive to me.

The nine Lion Knights are all equipped with the same torso and the same pair of legs, it is the accessories and the faces that will make the difference and only the queen benefits from two personalized elements. Same recipe for the three members of the Black Falcons with identical outfits and the three Forest Guardians who use the torso already seen in the promotional set 40567 Forest Hideout.

Those who grumble about the subtle tweaks to some of the various emblems will have short memories, LEGO has never been shy about tweaking and altering these illustrations over the years and sets in the range. Perhaps a few additional animals are missing to flesh out the bestiary a little, a real vegetable garden at the foot of the walls and enough to cover the blue surface with a few Tiles transparent.

Some of the minifigs recycle elements already seen elsewhere and others are a bit less detailed than the rest of the cast. We can see a "vintage" guarantee of the product with a tribute to the simplicity of figurines dating from the 80s and this is the case of the magician Majisto who looks like the minifig of "Merlin" that many fans have known, pad printing less torso. In my opinion, it was not really necessary to make tons of it anyway, I think that the simple fact of finally seeing your silhouette in a set will be enough to produce a great breath of nostalgia.

We could spend hours trying to find flaws or bad positioning in this big set, but that would be giving it a role it doesn't have. It's not a reissue of a specific product, it's not an educational product, it's just a high-end tribute for adults nostalgic for a universe that fascinated them during their childhood, which benefits of the essential modernization of techniques and takes advantage of the inventory of parts available since the 80s. Those who despaired of one day seeing their favorite medieval factions return to the LEGO catalog have finally been heard, that is the essential .

This debauchery of parts and figurines, however, places this product in a price range that will not put it within the reach of all budgets and that is a bit of a shame. Was it absolutely necessary to produce a castle of more than 4000 rooms to celebrate an anniversary to which the fans of the first hour who do not necessarily have 400 € to spend would have liked to be invited? there was probably a way to offer a more modest castle without sacrificing all the details and fittings, just to make it accessible to more people.

We also note that the two parts of the castle can be self-sufficient, proof that it was undoubtedly possible to offer something acceptable with an inventory reduced by half. Otherwise, it remains the Creator set 31120 Medieval Castle, less ambitious but closer to the products of the 80s in terms of finish and which is sold for 99.99 €.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at July 24, 2022 next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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