It’s been a big year for Disney, with many of the LEGO® Disney sets celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary. Although this set I’ll be taking a look at today is inspired by an important film from Disney’s history, it doesn’t form part of the LEGO Disney 100 range. Instead, it’s part of the Disney Princess theme and also continues the microscale Disney builds which began with a tiny version of Walt Disney World’s Castle. However, this latest mini Disney set doesn’t take inspiration from Disney’s theme parks instead it heads to Agrabah and its grand Arabian palace. Is this a diamond in the rough? Take off and take flight with a closer look at the upcoming Mini Palace of Agrabah.
Product Details
Set Name: Mini Disney Palace of Agrabah | Set Number: 40613 | Pieces: 506 | Theme: Disney Princess
RRP: £39.99/$39.99/39.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 5 (3 steps) + Loose elements | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Minifigures: N/A | Insiders QR: No
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & Disney Parks
Previously, the microscale or mini LEGO Disney sets have been inspired by attractions found within Disney’s theme parks. These have included Cinderella’s Castle and the Haunted Mansion. This set is inspired by the grand palace first featured in the 1992 animated classic, Aladdin, along with its live-action remake released 27 years later.
The palace is built upon a black base, which is made up of various plates. This seems flimsy at first but as you have the structure of the palace it becomes more sturdy. The base plate mirrors the design of the other mini Disney sets, although it doesn’t feature the same rounded corners. It’s similar enough to make the set feel as if it’s part of a series.
The actual palace is constructed in sections. The central part is layered directly onto the base, but many of the tower sections are connected to jumper plates dotted around the base. These are also used to add mini trees and other tiny details. All these small details and the gold-coloured elements used to create the domed roofs of the palace help capture the building’s ornate appearance.
The set also deploys the use of a couple of very unusual build techniques. The first is an ‘L’ shape panel which sits over a section at the rear of the palace. This isn’t connected by any studs, instead, being held in place by its surroundings. There is a similarly unusual technique used for the stairs found at the front of the palace. This is created by a series of 1x2x1 wall elements. These are stacked on top of each other, which causes them to create steps. These are then laid in a gap between the palace wall and the building. Again not being physically held by clutch power, instead it’s held in place by surrounding sections. This provides unique visual detail and build experience.
Unfortunately, the set lacks a minifigure which the other mini Disney sets did have. It’s possible the reason for the omission is due to the fact the set is part of the LEGO Disney Princess theme, which favours mini-dolls over minifigures. Although it is a shame it lacks the addition of a character, these never physically connected to the overall set beyond being relevant to the theme of the build. It does technically feature a character from the film as there is a very small recreation of the magic carpet, carrying a magic lamp.
Overall
It matches the style and scale of the previous mini Disney sets, meaning it makes a great companion piece for those sets. It’s also not a direct recreation of how the palace appears in either the animated or live-action versions of Aladdin. Instead, it offers an expression of the palace and is quite obviously the Palace of Agrabah. The pricing will be the set’s greatest hurdle. It lacks a minifigure/mini-doll and has the smallest piece count but commands the highest price point of the three mini Disney sets. This is probably due to the various large golden drum-lacquered used to top the palace’s towers. It may not be as cool as the mini Disney castle, but it’s an interesting set to build and I’d definitely like to see more microscale builds of iconic locations and buildings from films.
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The LEGO Group provided this set for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
