For my final LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Summer set reviews, it’s time to head bad to medieval times and take a look at the Medieval Castle set. Not only is it the largest of the new sets, but it’s also one first new castles we’ve had to build in quite a while. Recently it was mentioned by a member of the LEGO Design Team that the Creator theme would be the home of sets that hark back to classic themes such as Pirates and Castle. That’s why this latest Castle is home to a classic fraction of Minifigures from a bygone era – The Black Falcon knights. For me, it’s also a fun return to my LEGO roots. Back when I was very much younger, one of the first LEGO sets I got for Christmas was set 6080: King’s Castle. So how will this descendant of that classic set compare? Let’s find out in my review of set 31120: Medieval Castle.
Product Description
Kids will love taking a trip back in time with this brilliantly detailed LEGO® Creator 3in1 Medieval Castle (31120). It’s packed with all they need to create captivating stories – a 2-floored Castle toy with an opening gate, water mill, prison, king’s room, 3 minifigures, dragon toy, 3 chickens and a rat. There are also hinges so the Castle can fold open at the back.
3in1 awesome toys fuel kids’ passions
Creative kids have the chance to build 3 different models with this LEGO Creator 3in1 set. They can start with the Medieval Castle, rebuild it into a castle tower with a catapult or transform it into a bustling marketplace with a water mill, tower and prison.
- Set Name: Medieval Castle
- Set Number: 31130
- Theme: Creator 3-in-1
- Pieces: 1426
- RRP: £89.99/$99.99/99.99€
- Measurements: measures over 10.5 in. (26 cm) high, 12 in. (31 cm) wide and 11 in. (28 cm) deep
- Availability: LEGO.com, LEGO Stores & LEGO Retailers
The Castle is split into three sections and just like bygone builds this allows the structure to be either an enclosed fortress or opened up to access the insides of the Castle. Obviously, the bulk of the build is focused on the front of the Castle. The traditional looking frontage includes two defensive towers and a drawbridge. But unlike many previous Castle sets, this one is far much more colourful. The grey of its fortified walls is heavily broken up with yellow and brown trimmed sections and dark blue roofing. In fact, these sections almost tie the set to the recently released LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith set. Those yellow panels really help to differentiate this castle from others. As well as breaking up their offer overtly grey offers.
There are a couple of fun working features built into the set. The drawbridge being the most obvious and can be lowered or raised thanks to a handle on the outer wall of the castle. You’ll also find a water wheel on the outside of the castle walls. Turning this powers the forge inside the blacksmith’s workshop. As well as a workshop, the interior of the castle also includes a small market shall, a throne room and a prison cell, with a removable wall for a hasty escape. There are plenty of other little details built into the build. Colourful toadstools are dotted around the castle walls, green leaves climb the castle walls and an archery target is hidden around the rear of the castle.
One major feature of the Creator 3-in-1 sets, which set them apart from the City sets, are animals. Any critter included in the 3-in-1 sets seems to always be brick-built. This kind of grates when featured next to a Minifigure. I fully understand the reason for them being included, as they help to bolster the piece count of the set and offer more elements to use in the alternate builds. That’s not to say the buildable creature is a bad inclusion. Far from it in fact, as they are fun little builds, in particular, the dragon and the falcon. We have been so spoiled by some amazing animal elements over the years, that anything else is merely second best.
Minifigures are never a focus of the 3-in-1 sets, but this one does include three of them. One is a simple blacksmith, who is joined by two Black Falcon knights. These use the same torsos reintroduced in the LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith set and feature the classic crest of the Black Falcons. In addition to the Minifigures, there is also a skeleton figure, plus extra armour pieces to add to one of the knights.
A key feature of Creator 3-in-1 sets are the ability to rebuild them into other models. As well as a Castle, the set can be crafted into a Castle Tower with Catapult or a Medieval Marketplace. Both are fun-looking builds but the star of the set is most definitely the Castle build. It provides a nice mix of a classic castle design with a few colourful additions as well as featuring a nod to past sets with the Black Falcon Knights. The only downside for me is the lack of detail on the inside of the Castle’s front area. It will be interesting to see how other classic themes are reimagined in the Creator 3-in-1, as the blend with Castle has provided a great set, with some ace details and cool functional parts.
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This set was provided 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. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
