LEGO 10305 Icons Burg der Löwenritter, 22 Minifiguren, Jede Menge Details

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EDIT TO ADD! Turns out I’m the one who’s full of it. Thanks to Jamin Hoyle for pointing out in the comments that the toilet actually empties outsidethe castle walls – and there’s a brown “frog” on the ground to prove it. And last but certainly not least, everyone’s favourite Castle faction – the Forestmen! After making a triumphant return in 40567 Forest Hideout, it’s great to see 3 Forestmen included in the set – we get a male, female and a young girl all garbed in Forestmen green. Here’s a look at the completed Book 1, which assembles the keep and left-hand section of the build. Because the build is split into two books, you can build this together with someone else, with each person focusing on one build. Once both halves are complete, you bring them and snap them together to create the Lion Knights’ Castle.

Lion Knights’ Castle has instantly become one of my favourite LEGO sets of all time. I’m a big fan of Vintage LEGO (I get so much more satisfaction from my vintage collection than my modern collection), and a big Castle fan, so this in essence is my dream set. From the inside we see the dollhouse in full affect as each of the three levels is built in such a way that we can see the entire room, both interior and exterior but in two halves while at the same time splitting up the halves in such a way that it could be two separate rooms. With so much color variety on the inside and differing looks there is so much variety in his build. No stone is left untouched as everything feels very intentional and well put together. Stages 14-25 – Lion Knight’s Castle Keep

Stages 2-13 – Lion Knight’s Castle Living Quarters

I am also delighted to see the return of horse barding, and I believe t his horse is also a new colour – appearing in dark orange for the first time. The play feature of the wheel/mill works very well, with rotation on both sides of the wall. The spinning wheel uses some simple Technic gearing to turn the millstone, which sits on a smooth tile base. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit in this room, now if only I was able to sit down could I really put it to its proper use. On the other side of the room is a writing desk writing desk with teal accents, and a fireplace sits to the side. A single twin bed will sit next to the wall, suggesting that one of these kids is just visiting. (Probably the one wearing Forest Guardians clothes.)

Part of the appeal, though, is admittedly in the sheer quantity of them – line up nine of these in a row and that’s a formidable defence of such a formidable castle, just as you’d want it, and just as it was in the LEGO Castle sets of 30 to 40 years ago. Anyone missing? Perhaps a ghost would have really capped off the line-up.And then there’s the impressive collection of shields that come in this set. Do you recognise them all? LEGO have come a long way with Queens, and I must say, this Warrior Queen Lionne will go down in history as one of the most-loved Castle characters. The good news is that there’s a way out of the dungeons. A section of the outer wall can be shifted aside, leading to sweet, sweet freedom. But eventually, there’ll be a knob you can turn to raise and lower the drawbridge. This play feature works well, but I do kind of dislike the smooth tile used for the surface. This is a spot where some wood grain would have helped the look a lot.

Open the set up and you’ll find a beautifully detailed dollhouse-like interior, with more than ten rooms Old meets new! Here’s a comparison between the old Lion Knights from 6080 Lion King’s Castle, just to demonstrate how far printing standards have come.

As we start the second book of instructions, we begin the other half of the build we steer away from the living quarters and start building up the main militaristic base of command for Lion’s Knight’s Castle. Just like the first half of the castle this castle is built in a dollhouse style such that you can open it up to see all the details hidden within. Bag 14 – Dungeon foundations This is the one spot where the humor of this set falls flat for me. I get that a skeleton in the dungeon is a classic trope, but these days this joke hits differently. And they even doubled down on it with a quip from the wizard in the instructions. I dunno. For a castle described as “a place of trades and treaties, as well as a haven for those in need” having a prisoner die of neglect sure calls the rest of the spin into question. This set comes in a massive, tab-sealed box. Like the 40657 Forest Hideout, the styling leans heavily into retro theming and colors. The 90 years of play logo in the lower right is one of the few immediate indicators that you’re not looking at an actual vintage set. Well, that is if you ignore the glaring upgrades to this castle from the 1978 “All Yellow, All the time” concept. This is the largest minifigure-scale LEGO Castle set ever, expertly designed to the very high standards we have come to expect in 2022, produced within an almost unlimited budget of quantity, size, variety and more. It’s a LEGO castle that all of that can produce, pulled together with that clean, modern aesthetic of current LEGO design, measured against an engrossing (and time-consuming) build process and faceted with all sorts of fun details.