One of the showcase sets being released to mark the 90th Anniversary of the LEGO Group is the Lion Knights’ Castle. With over 4000 pieces, 22 minifigures and numerous features inspired by past LEGO Castles, this is the ultimate celebration of a much-loved LEGO® theme. This impressive medieval fort is so big, that it’s built in two halves. After taking a look at the first half of the build, it’s time to delve into the second half. The first section of the castle features a water wheel, kitchen and bedroom. There’s even the Forestmen’s secret hideout. But what can be found in the rest of the Lion Knights’ Castle? Here’s the second part of my review of the 90th Anniversary Lion Knights’ Castle set.
Product Details
A long time ago there was a child who loved to build with LEGO® bricks. Now that child is grown up and there’s a new quest to enjoy. Celebrating 90 years of LEGO history, the Lion Knights’ Castle (10305) building set is a new interpretation inspired by the original LEGO Castle System and a build requested by fans for years.
Tales of daring escapades
The impressive set is packed with surprises around every corner. Discover stunning details on every side of the buildable model, then open it up to explore the interior. There are hidden passages, moveable walls, secret hideouts, a medieval drawbridge and portcullis that open, a mill with a turning waterwheel, towers and turrets, living quarters, an armoury and more. With 22 minifigures, you can set the stage for epic battles and daring escapes time and time again.
- Set Name: Lion Knights’ Castle
- Set Number: 10305
- Pieces: 4514
- RRP: £344.99/$399.99/399.99€
- Number of Bags: Bags x 26 + loose elements
- Stickers: N/A
- Minifigures: 22
- Instructions: Booklet x 1 + LEGO Building Instructions App
- Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online from August 1st – Available to Pre-order Now
The second half of the castle feels a lot more castle-like compared to the first section. The entirety of the building is created from ‘stone’ which makes it look a lot more like my very first LEGO set, 6080: King’s Castle. The base is made from a series of plates, but unlike the first section, these are a lot more stable. Some of the grassy parts found around the first section of the castle can come loose very easily. In fact, there is a very little overhang of the base plates for this part of the castle. Those you can see around the entrance are actually part of a separate section which clips to the larger part of the build.
As with the other half of the castle, it’s built to be an enclosed structure, which can also be opened out to access the interior. Inside the castle, things are a little less detailed compared to the other half. But this is more than made up for with the exterior and the numerous working elements. That’s not to say there aren’t a few fun things to find inside. There are three large chambers inside the largest tower of the castle. At the bottom is a basic dungeon, which also plays a role in one of the set’s functional features. Above this is the entrance leading to the drawbridge and portcullis. At the very top is a weapons room, which partly hides the mechanics of the drawbridge.
In the second half of this section of the castle, there’s even less going on. There’s a small room which has a great little rack of armour on display including a couple of classic shields. The smaller tower found in this section features a working ladder, it can be raised and lowered using a dial on the side of the castle, which also opens a doorway. Although this interior is rather simple compared to the other part of the castle, the outside is bursting with detail.
Right at the base of the castle’s main tower is a hidden cave and escape tunnels. Both are hidden behind two moveable panels. To access the cave, a rocky panel can be lifted open and with this open, another panel can be slid to the left to access the tunnels. Perfect for accessing the inner depths of the castle, be it to make a getaway or sneaking in. It’s a nice way to integrate the Forestmen into the set.
Between these hidden areas is a large black tree. This may seem an unusual colour for a tree, but it’s a nice link back to the Forestmen sets from the original LEGO Castle sets. Unlike those classic trees, this new version uses round elements, which gives it a more modern feel. I also like how it has been built into each level of the castle so it creeps up the wall. It’s not just a tree which adds a simple but great-looking piece of detail. There’s a doorway which leads from one half of the castle to the other. This is framed by a trail of leaf elements and there are green plant studs built into the walls of the castle.
But the biggest aspect of this part of the castle is found in the entrance. Both the drawbridge and the portcullis are fully working. Creating and connecting the portcullis is a little tricky, as you can to make sure you get the chains to set correctly or they get in the way of the drawbridge. You also need to build around the drawbridge mechanism before is fully connected in place. Once it’s complete, there are two ways to make them both move. There’s a dial on the righthand side of the castle which can raise or lower the drawbridge, if anyone happens to be standing on it, they will be cast into the dungeons below. Right on top of the castle tower is a rod which can be wound to raise the portcullis. To drop to it, there’s a sort of anchor lock, moving this cause the gate to drop.
Although I’ve already taken a look at the minifigures featured in the set, it’s worth having another peek at them again. There’s an impressive collection of 22 characters included in the set. They are mainly focused on the Lion Knights, the classic faction which was first introduced in the mid-80s. They are led by a fearless Queen, who rides into battle on her horse, drapped in the Lion Knights livery.
Some other familiar faces also appear in the set, including a couple of the Forestmen and the villainous Black Falcons, who have been battling the Lion Knights since the 80s. The leader of the Black Falcon is also on horseback and is joined by a squire, with a Monty Python vibe to him. In fact, I’m slightly disappointed he is carrying a couple of coconut shells. Finally, a legend of LEGO sets of old makes a return in over 30 years. Majisto the wizard is back and although he looks quite similar to his previous versions, he’s slightly disappointing due to the lack of details on his torso and ‘skirt’ section.
With both halves of the castle complete, they can be combined to create the finished structure. Despite the different appearances each section offers, they combine nicely to create an amazing-looking castle. It takes aspects from multiple classic sets to offer a perfect celebration of the Castle theme and the creativeness of LEGO construction. It can be a little tedious in places but connecting multiple single pieces across the exterior of the castle is worth it for the finished appearance. For me, this is a wonderful link back to where my LEGO journey first began. That Christmas in the late 80s, where ‘Santa’ had left me set 6080. You can check out the first part of my Lion Knights’ Castle review here and if Classic Space is more your thing, you can also read my review of the updated version of the Galaxy Explorer.
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This set was provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
