Review: 21325 Medieval Blacksmith
Posted by Huw,
21325 Medieval Blacksmith is based on the LEGO Ideas project by Clemens Fiedler that was submitted in 2017 and achieved 10,000 supporters in July 2019. So, it's been a long time from initial idea to a set on the shelves.
Initial reaction when Amazon.co.uk leaked a picture of final model earlier this month was not entirely favourable, with many commentators claiming it differed significantly from Clemens' original idea.
However, now I've built it I can tell you that most of the pertinent exterior features have been carried across, tidied up and improved, and the result is stunning model which might just be my favourite LEGO Ideas set to date.
The completed model
Let's dive in and take a look at the completed model before seeing how it goes together and what's inside.
Overall, it's 30x23cm and the building stands 28cm tall. The ground floor is constructed from stone and houses a workshop and forge, which can be accessed from inside and out.
A stone staircase leads to the half-timbered first floor living quarters. A bent and knarled apple tree stands by the house, and a well is situated beneath it.
The stone arch under the stairs leads to a timber store.
A green frog sits in the tree:Bonsai tree designer Nick Vas must have had something to do with it.
The first floor overhangs the ground floor at the back, held up with four sturdy stanchions. Underneath, there's a small vegetable patch in which a pumpkin is growing.
The heavy stonework on the corners of the building is constructed using a technique that takes advantage of the fact that 1x2 tiles can be positioned 'off grid' which allows them to be aligned where they meet the tiles at right-angles to them.
The blacksmith's wife is a keen archer, as you'll see below, so there's a target on side of the apple tree for her to aim at.
Half-timbered houses were typically constructed using wattle and daub which was whitewashed and that appearance has been captured effectively here.
The curved timbers on the corners add interest and look attractive, although the majority of buildings probably would not have had them. However, some certainly did, such as this one preserved at a museum in the UK.
The roof, which has a concave bend on both sides, is made using the pentagonal shields first seen in Nexo Knights sets to represent tiles and the result is very effective. There are a few gaps on this side where tiles have been lost over time.
The sand green patches at the top are apparently moss, although that is more likely to affect all the tiles rather than just patches. It does add a welcome splash of colour to it, though, but I'm not sure I like it particularly.
A stone chimney stack carries smoke from the forge and interior fireplaces to the top of the house to be discharged through two tiny pots at the top which look inadequate for the amount the forge is likely to produce.
An anvil is provided for the smith to carry out work outside, and he's currently working on a longsword which is being heated up in the hot coals. The forge has a light brick inside it which is operated by pressing in the bellows on the side of it, which I thought was very clever.
The sign over the forge is printed, there are no stickers in the set.
In addition to the building the set also contains a 4-wheel horse-drawn cart transporting two Black Falcon knights and their armour, weapons and a sack.
Their allegiance is clearly indicated with a shield on the side.
Minifigures
Four minifigs are included to bring the set to life: the blacksmith and what I've assumed to be his wife, and two the knights.
The 'smith has a new torso, and legs printed with a leather apron. His wife reuses Robin Loot from 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay's torso.
They both have alternative expressions. I don't think the heads are new, but they are both very appropriate: the smith's head below looks like he's biting his tongue having hammered his finger, perhaps, while his wife has one eye closed to aid targeting her bow.
The Black Falcons faction habited LEGO Castle between 1984 and 1988 in six sets, and one re-release in 1992. This updated torso looks superb and is far more detailed than the original, as you would expect after 35 years. The blue surcoat print continues onto the legs this time, complete with leather belt around the waist and chain mail underneath.
The female's head print, featuring a colourful headband, was used in City set 60264 Ocean Exploration Submarine last year.
Neither have alternative expressions. The shoulder armour/pauldron pieces come from Ninjago and Star Wars and in my opinion the one he is wearing looks a bit big and unwieldy. Her hair is uncommon: it first appeared in series 14 CMF 71010 Zombie Businessman and has only been used twice since.
Helmets, weapons and shields (two, including the one on the cart) are provided for the both of them.
The updated horse with movable hind legs has not been produced in tan before and it makes a pleasant change from white, brown and black. The printed bridle looks superb.
The pieces to fill the gap when the harness is removed are included in the set.
Ground floor
Parts are divided into bags numbered one to 14, with the parts for the ground floor in bags #1 to #5. I like this approach: it means you're not hunting through thousands of parts when building and you can tackle construction in bite-sized chunks as time allows.
The wood store is a great feature that's practically hidden away behind the tree in the completed model but you can see it clearly here as the ground floor takes shape.
The building is constructed in a modular fashion in three sections, with the tops of the walls tiled to allow the parts to be stacked and removed with ease.
The workshop area has tools hanging on the wall and a selection of the craftsman's wares along the side: a pan, a cauldron and a helmet.
A second anvil is situated in the centre, with a molten hot orange-glowing iron ingot on top.
On the other wall, there's a box containing more ingots, armour and a shield on the wall, above a stock of coal or coke for the forge in the corner.
First floor
Construction of the first floor requires a smaller number of pieces than the first, but they are still sub-divided into three bags.
The first floor is occupied by a kitchen, table, and a water barrel in the corner.
Two attractively upholstered chairs are positioned around the table which has been set for dinner with a turkey leg and greens.
A staircase provides access to the second floor/attic.
The awning on the side, above the forge, employs some clever geometry involving a large quarter-circle tile to hold it at the right angle.
The stove is positioned within the chimney stack, and a hearth in front provides space for cooking. There's a chopping board and utensils to the right and what I presume is a butter churner in the left corner.
Good use has been made of the space without it looking crowded. The 3x3 chairs are perhaps a bit on the large side, though, although they do look great and feature some NPU involving axes.
Second floor and roof
Six bags provide parts for the final part of assembly.
A bedroom is situated in the attic and already you can see it has a very interesting feature: an animal-skin rug on the floor.
The roof is supported by arches which I don't think is accurate: I would have thought that it would more likely to have been made with a single straight thick beam of wood. The central support troubles me too: there's nothing underneath in the storeys below to stop it collapsing through the floor.
The bed looks fit for a king, with a delightful bedspread covering it and very ornate decoration at the foot.
A writing table occupies the other end of the room.
The wooden framework along the edges is pinned to the building using brown Technic axles.
The chest houses a rucksack and a round gold 1x1 tile printed with a compass. There must be some significance to that but I don't know what.
The sides of the roof are constructed separately and then simply rested on the main structure, into the wells formed by the tan 1x2 panels on the floor.
The one on this side is held in place by the dormer window and chimney stack.
The one on the other side, however, is not secured at all so can be removed easily to access the interior.
The three subassemblies simply stack on top of each other as they do in modular buildings, held in place with a handful of studs.
Verdict
A lot has been said about how it measures up to the original. Personally I think it compares very favourably. It's smaller, closer to minifig scale, more colourful, stability has been improved, and the roof does not look so haphazard and fragile.
Layout-wise it's very similar. The outside forge and awning are present, the stone chimney stack is pretty much identical and the first floor overhangs on one side.The half-timbering and wall texture is not as elaborate as on the original but not as parts-intensive, either. The tree is much improved, as is the staircase and the supports for the top floor.
So, overall I'm content with the changes. The only thing that bothers me, externally at least, are the sand green patches on the roof. That is easily remedied, though, by replacing them with more blue and dark blue pentagonal tiles, so if it bothers you too, get your BrickLink order in now before everyone else.
One observation I have concerns the lavishness of the interior: the blacksmith looks to be doing alright for himself to be able to afford fancy soft furnishings, with a boar skin rug on the floor, an extravagant bed frame, and turkey for dinner! It's a shame he can't also hire someone to fix the roof and scrape off the moss...
It's a beautifully detailed and attractive stand-alone model that is sure grace your LEGO display. As I said at the start, it's up there with the best Ideas sets and one of my favourites.
It's certainly the best castle-themed set ever and further proof that LEGO Ideas continues to deliver some of the best sets that the Danish toy manufacturer produces.
The 2,164 piece set will be available at LEGO.com on 1st February priced at $149.99 / CA$199.99 / €146.99 / £134.99 / AU$249.99.
Finally, for those that are fascinated by spare parts, there are a lot of them:
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
#Ad: If you purchase anything via the links in this article, Brickset will receive a small commission.
314 likes
107 comments on this article
Didn’t get to say this on the announcement article, but this set looks great. I’m not a fan of building foliage, but the tree still looks unique enough to be an interesting build. Thanks for the review!
The bear rug is great.
Great review! IDEAS continues to impress with nostalgic and detailed models that everyone generally seems to enjoy. I’d love to see more sets like this.
Thanks for getting the review of this beautiful building out so quickly.
It's just so gosh-darnly cute!
This is an amazing set. A bit pricey though
This is really a magnificent set and a delightful review, thanks for it!
My only piece of criticism has nothing to do with the set itself, but TLG's incoherent pricing strategy in the Eurozone: why does it cost an additional €20 in the Benelux? I was really looking forward to ordering it on day 1, now I'll wait until I can go back to Germany because I don't want TLG to think that the Belgian price is okay…
Thanks for the review, Huw! I'll definitely be getting this now, maybe I'll actually do some original story brickfilming with it!
Such an awesome set! Definitely will be buying before too long!
Thank you for this very detailed, very well photographed review with lots of pictures of the build and of the interior. This is a fun, cute set that would be right at home in a bustling medieval town and I would very much like to have a copy. The significance to the rucksack and compass, as stated in the designer video, is that it's a nod to the fan designer who likes to go hiking, and therefore doesn't have any relevance to the historical accuracy of the set as a whole. As for the curved half-timbers, those are a simple and elegant solution to the problem of how to mount the half-timbers diagonally in a set-quality build. Notably, the fan model didn't have diagonal timbers at all, so I think they're an improvement.
The horse looks like a palomino.
I don't buy many minifigure sets these days, but I do like this very much.
Slight correction—one of those shoulder armor pieces is from Ninjago, the other is originally from Star Wars. I generally like both, which I feel look better than the classic breastplate piece because of how they bulk up the shoulders (which in my opinion helps compensate a little better for the extra height a neck accessory adds to a figure's proportions, even if it's less "realistic").
Great review, thank-you! Personally I like the look of the sand green moss. It adds a little more colour to it.
Great review once again!
I remember it being posted on Ideas with a few thousand votes, seeing this now is incredible. At first the difference was jarring but seeing a full review convinced me it's done justice to the original submission.
The compromise the designers made was for the best imho, it's cheaper and more people will be able to enjoy this great set.
Would love to see this model next to 10193 Medieval Market Village!
Great review, increased my inclination to buy it on day one! It is an excellent set, the colours and exterior of the building grab my attention especially. And I love the tree and horse cart!
Does the fact that this set has been teased by Amazon means it will be available there too?
Last year I complained that we had no good pirate sets, and within a week they released Barracuda Bay. This year I complained that we had no good castle sets, and we get this.
Problem is I've been complaining about overpriced, phoned-in Star Wars sets for a couple of years now with no results. Oh well, I'm 2 for 3, I'll take the win.
Another small correction, the blacksmith's wife's torso is actually reused from Robin Loot from Pirates of Barracuda Bay.
Thank you for the corrections.
Thanks for the review! A few notes: the Black Falcons' Fortress re-release was in 2002 and I might be wrong, but I don't believe the female knight's head print comes from 60274. Also, the blacksmith's legs were seen on a few coffee shop employees in the past, if I remember well.
Quick question: Is it possible to get a close-up of that door print on the ground floor?
I like it a lot, looks even better through your photos.
"the blacksmith looks to be doing alright for himself ..., with a boar skin rug on the floor, ..., and turkey for dinner!"
Don't forget, his wife is an archer - maybe a result of her hunting skills?
I was inclined to buy it, but this review persuaded me to go for it :) Love all those little interior details. And no stickers, awesome!
Do we know if there will be more sets with modernised Black Falcon minifigs? Hard to build an army with just two... I would hope for a small battlepack/minifigure set
@Tupperfan said:
"Thanks for the review! A few notes: the Black Falcons' Fortress re-release was in 2002 and I might be wrong, but I don't believe the female knight's head print comes from 60274. Also, the blacksmith's legs were seen on a few coffee shop employees in the past, if I remember well."
You're right, a typo, it was 60264, and yes right on the legs as well. Sorry, I don't build many sets with minifigs in them nowadays so I'm not au fait with all the parts.
" Quick question: Is it possible to get a close-up of that door print on the ground floor?"
The doors are made from 1x4 tiles printed with a wood grain, https://brickset.com/parts/6329605 .
Oh my, the interior is gorgeous! That blacksmith sure has an eye for home decor.
Concerning the horse coat, my guess would be that the designers chose that color thinking of the dun coat of some rustic breeds such as the Fjord or the Henson.
The palomino coat comes to mind too, but evokes more a parade horse than a draft horse!
Thanks @Huw and no worries!
Love all the details, interior and exterior! Who needs modular buildings when there's Ideas? Also, unlike the modulars the tiles on top of each floor are in colour so no odd striping around the building. Yes, the floor plates are slightly off colour to the rest of the walls but you don't really notice that, they blend in really well.
@essel: Or you can go to Sweden and pay €190.
Just a thought... if this is an 18+ set, aimed at adults for display, why not leave the interiors empty and make the model bigger for a greater display showpiece using the same amount of pieces. Do we really need interiors? They are never played with!
I absolutely LOVE it. Also, c'mon guys, the last article; we don't need that in the comments.
Lego has rarely given a satisfactory way of carriage drivers to direct the horses. No reigns or anything like that. Kinda disappointing. Otherwise it looks amazing. If I were into castle (and had money at my disposal) I’d definitely get it.
A there is the beskar spear, Lego had misplaced...
@meesajarjar72 said:
"Just a thought... if this is an 18+ set, aimed at adults for display, why not leave the interiors empty and make the model bigger for a greater display showpiece using the same amount of pieces. Do we really need interiors? They are never played with!"
You are assuming that you are representative of all adult builders. A lot of adults do love building interiors and showing them off—we don't all just build sets to leave untouched on shelves. And I'd personally feel pretty disappointed with a set that skimped on things like interior details just to make the set as a whole take up more space.
Great review of a brilliant set. The exterior looks great, but the level of detail for the interior is even more impressive!
I'm going to have a tough time deciding between this and the next 'Creator Expert' vehicle come my birthday.
How, can you confirm the number of helmets, armor, and shields? Seems like there might be more than 2 with the items inside (unless those counted in the picture of the two soldiers). Looks like definately 3 armor pieces (one with the large shoulder). Thanks!
I dont know why but i feel that its not blacksmiths wife, rather his daughter. And she is a rebel, shooting bow and stuff. Also i think that the knight with the gray hair comes to the blacksmith to repair his shoulder armour- thats why he has one shoulder only and at the building we have only those two shoulder types. Oh, and maybe the knight is also with his daughter who instead of being a princess wants to be a knight. So both dads have a lot in common :)
@Joehead14 said:
"How, can you confirm the number of helmets, armor, and shields? Seems like there might be more than 2 with the items inside (unless those counted in the picture of the two soldiers). Looks like definately 3 armor pieces (one with the large shoulder). Thanks!"
2 shields and helmets for the Knights, and one shield, two shoulder armour and one helmet in the workshop.
*Fearful wallet noises.*
NC gardens review when?
BTW, great review and set.
Thank you Huw for a very comprehensive review with so many detailed photos from different perspectives. I suppose the blacksmith is doing alright for himself as he doesn't have much competition.
That bed is gorgeous! (Thanks for the review of this nice set)
Love all the details on the interior!
And you forgot to mention the husky doggo :)
According to the designer video, the fan designer is a hiker, hence the compass and rucksack.
This looks excellent, most of the major changes seem to be the color of the roof and a slightly more emphasized staircase. On the whole it looks to be about the same size. And there are some people who should be very pleased that the designer elected to use brown Technic axles rather than the dark tan or grey variants...
Beautiful, I can't wait for February 1st! And I just bought 22 dark blue tiles on bricklink to fix the green part of the roof, thanks for the tip Huw :-)
Great review!
Contrary to many claims that the set has been "simplified", I feel that many of its clever and conscientious details actually ADD to the complexity and level of detail. Particular examples include the stone quoins and arches on the lower level, the mossy areas at the roof peak and near the base of the walls, the dark algae stains further down the roof, and the seamless, interconnected wall and roof timbers.
Honestly, the original project's ramshackle look wasn't really all that complex. The timbers were almost all created from SNOTted 1x4 tiles, which resulted in numerous gaps — the horizontal and vertical beams around together weren't joined neatly at the corners or connected in any way to the wall posts, and the diagonal roof trusses had gaps every four studs where the separate 1x4 tiles didn't meet together neatly. The set designer fixed those issues and even added some curved timbers to reinforce the vertical wall posts!
Likewise, the textures and colors of the original model's stone walls were repeated across the entire lower level, rather than showing specific masonry techniques or signs of weathering on different areas of the wall. And each row of roof shingles was formed from an identical hinged segment with two uneven layers of plates and tiles added on top (unlike a real slate roof, which layers higher rows of shingles on top of lower ones, not next to them).
I don't mean any of this as a snub against Clemens's amazing work on the original project. Even official set designers almost never generate a masterpiece-level set design on the first try! Usually it takes several iterations of sketch models, selecting the best elements of each one to carry forward, and often passing the sketch model to another designer or seeking their input and feedback between iterations.
The designers also did an amazing job filling the interior with an astonishing range of details. It feels like every time I look, I spot another exciting detail that I hadn't noticed before.
Just last night it dawned on me how many accessories in and around the house (the cooking pots, cauldron hanger, kitchen knife, lantern, wall sconces, oil lamp, and perhaps even the chair frames) are built in Black or Titanium Metallic, suggesting that they are the very sort of wrought-iron goods that the Blacksmith creates right downstaiars in his shop!
Likewise, the blacksmith shop itself is stocked with iron bars in both rod form (black "lightsaber blades") and blackplate form (black "gold ingots"). I am very impressed with this attention to detail, since blacksmiths would often use different shapes of raw material for creating different products! And of course, the other new blacksmith tools like the grinding stone and bellows are beautifully constructed. It's brilliant how the designers made it so the bellows can function as an "on switch" for the light brick in the forge!
I'm not really a dedicated collector of Castle sets most of the time, but I love LEGO castles a lot and have been especially impressed with some of the ones in non-Castle themes like Ninjago, Elves, and Nexo Knights. Part of the reason the actual Castle theme hasn't really drawn me in is that ever since my childhood, I've been unimpressed with how much more emphasis they have on siege warfare and military conflicts than on the everyday lifestyles of medieval people. I once read an article about the development of LEGO Friends which mentioned that a girl presented with a LEGO Castle set expressed disappointment that "there's nothing inside to do" (even though boys had usually been willing to just use castles as a background or base for their medieval battles), and that reaction truly resonated with my own experiences.
However, this set (much like the project it's based on) comes far closer to the level of detail and "livability" than any other true "Castle" set I've ever seen, and the more I see of it, the more I want to add it to my own collection and experience the building process for myself!
Day 1 !
Definitely in agreement about the roof, I don't think the dilapidated parts are really needed. The rest is great though, one of the nicest LEGO minifig scale buildings they've done.
Thanks for this elaborate review @Huw!
I absolutely love this set. It is on the top of my wish list.
Castle has always been my favourite theme (of course, I like many others themes too, but if you can only pick one theme I will pick castle most of the time) ever since I was a little kid, and I look very much forward to adding this particular set to my Lego castle collection.
This Ideas set is THE set I could not even have dreamt of having very fond memories playing with this set: 6040 Blacksmith Shop amongst a bunch of other castle sets.
@meesajarjar72 said:
"Just a thought... if this is an 18+ set, aimed at adults for display, why not leave the interiors empty and make the model bigger for a greater display showpiece using the same amount of pieces. Do we really need interiors? They are never played with!"
You don't even imagine how mad this would make me and many of my Lego friends.
ALso that 18+ sign is cringe. It serves no purpose besides"allowing" adult people to buy Lego.
Thanks for this, @Huw. This looks like a classy set and will be on the birthday list (possibly nudging out some space sets).
Love the blue roof tiles in particular - a fab flourish to an already excellent set.
@DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"I like it a lot, looks even better through your photos.
"the blacksmith looks to be doing alright for himself ..., with a boar skin rug on the floor, ..., and turkey for dinner!"
Don't forget, his wife is an archer - maybe a result of her hunting skills?"
For sure we are looking at a two-income household. Clearly the wife is from the Forest people clan where she was taught archery from a very young age. And that new book deal is also bringing in some coin.
Great review! I've enjoyed the detailed descriptions and photos. I also watched the designer video this afternoon, so it was a double treat.
"(...) the smith's head below looks like he's biting his tongue having hammered his finger, perhaps (...)"
-Nah, that's a "I'm deeply concentrated" face if I've ever seen one! I have that exact look, tongue out; when I'm building LEGO (or doing anything else that warrants deep concentration).. ??
@essel said:
"This is really a magnificent set and a delightful review, thanks for it!
My only piece of criticism has nothing to do with the set itself, but TLG's incoherent pricing strategy in the Eurozone: why does it cost an additional €20 in the Benelux? I was really looking forward to ordering it on day 1, now I'll wait until I can go back to Germany because I don't want TLG to think that the Belgian price is okay…"
I feel your pain. Lego prices should be consistent throughout the Eurozone. It���s ironic that prices in Belgium are so high, when half of the Lego en route to the UK at the moment seems to be stuck in Belgium somewhere....
Sharp review, Huw! I suppose it's too late to work in a photo of the shop next to a Modular Building for size comparison?
I’m slightly worried about the price, but my wallet will probably have to be temporarily silenced. Overall, this is just great, although it probably needs another minifigure or two.
Am I the only one that thinks this set is better than the original?!
sure the original iis a good moc, but this just has so much more lego 'blood' to it
"It's a shame he can't also hire someone to fix the roof and scrape off the moss..."
If I had to guess, the blacksmith is the type who adamantly/stubbornly insists on doing it himself but never actually has the time to get around to it. Sometimes folks have a hard time swallowing their pride. But that's just my own theory.
Not a Castle fan but I am so buying it one day.
@Huw said:
"Thank you for the corrections."
Just one more then! The orange glowing ingot isn't molten... it would be all over the floor if it was! Looks very effective though.
The old night looks exactly like Sam Elliott :-D
@Huw said:
"Thank you for the corrections."
There were also Black Falcons in the 1992 set 6057 Sea Serpent, which was the last set to date to feature this faction. There was also Black Knights Boat (1547) in 1990 featuring a Black Falcons' shield, yet the minifigs appear to be Black Knights -- which confused the heck out of me as a kid. And it still does. Maybe a way to clear inventory?
@Henry_D said:
"Great set, but if i buy it , my fishing store set would be ashamed of my decision. Plus im not into “friends” theme."
You could probably make a drinking game out of every time an insecure AFOL disparagingly likens anything with the slightest hint of color to a Friends set. This is perhaps the stupidest one I've seen, though, considering the set doesn't have any pinks, purples, or even pastels of any color.
That's a very compelling review. Just before I checked Brickset this evening, I said "I don't think I'll be ordering the Ideas Blacksmith set. It's a little pricey." Now I am thinking, "When and where can I fit that set into the 2021 Lego budget?" Thank you!
I can picture this right next to the Treehouse. I think the interiors of both have the same feel. I'd never considered this before, but the Treehouse could quite easily be a medieval set too.
@ Huw
"The chest houses a rucksack and a round gold 1x1 tile printed with a compass. There must be some significance to that but I don't know what."
Obviously you didn't watch this set's Designer Video on You Tube! :)
@max_villano said:
"That's his wife? I thought she was his daughter. "
A bit awkward, since there's only one bed...
Due to her wearing green garb and being an archer, I get the feeling she might be aligned to the Forestmen, which were usually presented as enemies of the Black Falcons. So, if she is a member of the Forestmen, there's a troubling family dynamic going on.
@Huw In your verdict you mention the 'boar rug', but I actually assumed it was supposed to represent a bear skin. The head is certainly shaped more like that of a small bear. Boars would make for much smaller rugs, plus they have bigger heads compared to their bodies. Also, they're not black. :-)
Otherwise, a great in-depth review of an awesome set. I'm a huge Castle fan, so this is right up my alley, even taking the historical inaccuracies into account. I hope there'll be more Black Falcons in the near-future.
This is something that maybe come back to life the castle themes.Great review.
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/80d1940d-cce6-4e2d-b05d-999eeaea3cf9
@Snaz said:
"I absolutely LOVE it. Also, c'mon guys, the last article; we don't need that in the comments."
I just think we need to address the unrealistic nature of some of the set's elements
...a pumpkin and turkey leg in a Medieval European setting? C'mon now! XD
Disclaimer: This comment is a work of satire, the set looks great and I just wish I had the funds for it...
I didn't say bear because I (perhaps incorrectly) assumed they weren't roaming the countryside of the part of the world where I imagined the building to be in the medieval ages. Boars on the other hand probably were...
If you consider how rich the tech giants have become now it makes sense that a couple that can write & also forge things out of metal would do alright for themselves in the Medieval period.
I had expected a cat &/or mouse as well as the dog - if only to stare at the bear-skin rug.
Odd to allow an apple tree to grow over the well though. They are going to be drinking apple tree leaf tea for every drink.
@Huw said:
"I didn't say bear because I (perhaps incorrectly) assumed they weren't roaming the countryside of the part of the world where I imagined the building to be in the medieval ages. Boars on the other hand probably were..."
Bears were definitely roaming medieval Europe, especially in woodland areas in Eastern Europe and Alpine regions, although they wandered as far westwards as France and Belgium and as far north as Sweden. They would've been (dark) brown rather than black, though -- black bears being native to North America.
The countries in which European bears were (and still are) common, being the central and eastern parts of Europe, do roughly correspond with the Holy Roman Empire, which had the Imperial Eagle (on which the Black Falcons emblem is clearly based) on their flags and coat of arms. Certainly, there were also boars in this area, but the size and shape of the rug definitely indicate this is likely supposed to be a bear. Additionally, I've never seen a boar skin rug with the head still attached. Those were usually mounted to walls.
This set looks great! I am expecting it to be my next favorite set next to Old Fishing Store which is still one of the few sets I have never taken apart and continue to lovingly display to this day. I think the IDEAS line produces the best structure builds, even better than the Modular line. Hopefully there will be more like this and Fishing Store in the future.
"... there are no stickers in the set."
I'll buy two of them.
Splendid review and photos! Thank you.
Just bought the extra tiles. I can't bear (no pun intended) the thought of a wealthy blacksmith and his talented wife living under that roof.
A beautiful, indeed I'll say superb, Ideas set. I'm disappointed that TLG has been cramming everything remotely advanced into the 18+ theme and by extension their boxes. Many of the 18+ sets look great with the minimalist black background but here there is a missed opportunity to do some boxart for a structure that certainly deserves it.
This is a 100% I'm gonna buy it!
Is this sitting on a baseplate or multiple smaller plates patched together?
@Huw As an architect, I'm impressed by your concern for the structural stability of the roof and its central support!
However, as a wildlife enthusiast, I'm dismayed at your lack of awareness of the existence of bears throughout southern France, northern Italy and Germany in the Middle Ages! Although to be fair, by then their population was probably already decimated due to overhunting (and had disappeared entirely from Britain). And besides, I like the idea of a boar better! ;)
Could this possibly be intended to be farther north than Britain or France--in particular, Scandinavia? In that case the "husky" could be a fairly accurate rendition of one of several all-purpose breeds from Iceland, Sweden, or Norway. Another possibility might be the Keeshond. At any rate there were many spitz-type breeds in Europe by the 1600s, and there must have been more than a few there earlier as well.
Still would have preferred a goat, but we can't have everything. I think this is a very impressive set!
Doesn't look like it has over 2100 pieces.
The last time the Black Falcon's appeared in an original set was in 1992 'Sea Serpent' 6057 so technically they span from 1984 to 1992. Although you could argue that wasn't a Black Falcon's set as the main faction in it was the Black Knights but 2 Black Falcons are in there. That was the last time they appeared in a set that wasn't a re-release.
I've always seen the Black Falcons as a representation of the Teutonic Order given the symbol of the falcon/eagle (the LEGO faction were also referred to as 'Eagle Crests' back in the day with their main rivals being the 'Crusaders'). The eagle is also the Prussian symbol that would maybe place the set in north-east Germania. I'm no historian though so I'm happy to be completely wrong.
This just makes me want Kingdoms to come back even more
Love the great review. Still not sold on the set itself though. There are just too many things that annoy me about it to be willing to fork out so much money. Perhaps when it's available with a nice discount I might pull the trigger, but it's certainly not a day one purchase for me. Then again, hardly anything ever was a day one purchase for me, so there.
I certainly appreciate the effort and the willingness to offer anything Medieval or Castle related, but has everything they officially release nowadays got to look like something straight out of Disneyland?
I'm definitely going to be purchasing this set, however, I'm a little disappointed in the small amount of armour included and the including of a husky instead of a goat, chicken, or pig which would have made more sense to me.
This made me remember that when I played with my castle sets in the 80's I though of the Black Falcons as the evil ones and the Lion knights as the good guys :)
@Brickmarked said:
"Thank you Huw for a very comprehensive review with so many detailed photos from different perspectives. I suppose the blacksmith is doing alright for himself as he doesn't have much competition."
You're kidding: this will be the *third* blacksmith in my village, after 3739 (https://brickset.com/reviews/57576) and 10193 (https://brickset.com/reviews/57578). And I don't even own 6040 or 6918.
Oh, for a baker's shop, or something, you know, else.
This looks sooo good. Maybe I'll get it.
"rucksack" haha its actually a german word but seems very common in english?! very nice review huw!
Thanks for the great review!
I think I might actually buy this set, making it my first Ideas set!
It's so lovely on the outside and the interior is great as well.
Regards,
Mitch
@mediAFOL said:
" @Brickmarked said:
"Thank you Huw for a very comprehensive review with so many detailed photos from different perspectives. I suppose the blacksmith is doing alright for himself as he doesn't have much competition."
You're kidding: this will be the *third* blacksmith in my village, after 3739 (https://brickset.com/reviews/57576) and 10193 (https://brickset.com/reviews/57578). And I don't even own 6040 or 6918.
Oh, for a baker's shop, or something, you know, else."
I daresay it'll be easy to convert the Blacksmith Shop into a bakery. It's already got a big oven, just slap a rack on the forge and put some baguettes on top.
Huw: The head on the blacksmith is used on the "Harl Hubbs" character from the newest City advent.
Magnificent set!
I didn't get a chance to say this before the release thread was locked but since Lego is giving us updated Black Falcon minifigures I would love to see updated Crusader minifigures as well.
A few odd parts choices by Lego aside (already covered in the announcement post's comments), it is a decent set and this is a solid review of it. I do wish they'd either gone with the original theme proposed in the Ideas submission or if they were going to monkey with it, then go all the way back to something that would fit in better with the original '80s Black Falcon theme. This is somewhere... not really in between... but somewhere else and doesn't really fit well in either aesthetic. It's okay as a standalone piece though the Ideas version would do even better. They should have thought more of how this would look in a display with Black Falcon sets or just gone all the way and done what was proposed in Ideas as that had a lot more character to it, imho.
If I'm honest, I don't think the sand green pieces on the roof represent moss. They look more like a patina starting to form up.
I know they don't really make themes out of ideas sets, but people have been crying out for a medieval theme for forever. I personally want some dwarves and trolls again - or a medieval theme that resonates towards that anyway.
If that's too much to ask, having a carpenter/seamstress shop as another building to go with this blacksmith's/hunter's cabin, I think that would be really cool
I'm definitely a fan of the final model and will be picking one up when i see a good gift with purchase or double points offer. The original model was beautiful but it was unrealistic to believe that lego would release it as-is. hope they bring out a new castle theme in line with this. I have the black knight's castle and its been one of my favorites in my collection for like 25 years
@Lyichir said:
" @meesajarjar72 said:
"Just a thought... if this is an 18+ set, aimed at adults for display, why not leave the interiors empty and make the model bigger for a greater display showpiece using the same amount of pieces. Do we really need interiors? They are never played with!"
You are assuming that you are representative of all adult builders. A lot of adults do love building interiors and showing them off—we don't all just build sets to leave untouched on shelves. And I'd personally feel pretty disappointed with a set that skimped on things like interior details just to make the set as a whole take up more space."
Agree. Additionally, many of us photograph in-situation Lego scenes, do brickfilms etc. Interiors are critical to these aspects of the hobby. And...they are just plain fun. :)
I just wish it had a goat.
Some part of my soul just loves little cozy homes like this and as set, it truly is one of the best. And the price is pretty reasonable too, once it goes live it will certainly be purchased
@gne_builders said:
"Huw: The head on the blacksmith is used on the "Harl Hubbs" character from the newest City advent. "
Sorry correction just the back of the head is the same.
Regarding the curved timbers, I actually just spotted a house in Michigan that had some that are about halfway between the very gentle curves that are linked in the article, and the much more extreme curves in this set. But I thought to myself that it's one thing to see that on a modern building, but that it doesn't mean they ever did it when this set would have been an example of daily life.
@meesajarjar72:
I was just thinking to myself that people don't complain enough about the skimpy interiors on the early Modulars, and that we need to have more sets for them to complain about.
@Brickalili:
I don't know about pumpkins, but you can buy turkey legs at pretty much any medieval ren faire.
@Huw:
I've never heard of anyone using a boar skin for a rug. They're not really big enough for more than a welcome mat, and the hair is probably tough and bristly. Brown bears would be a possibility, but the rug is the wrong color. No type of black bear seems to live anywhere close to Europe (shh, nobody tell Pixar!).
@ToysFromTheAttic:
The American Black Bear is native to North America, but there's also an Asian Black Bear (lives mostly in mainland SE Asia), the Sun Bear (lives in SE Asia), the Sloth Bear (lives mostly in India), and the Spectacled Bear (lives in the Andes Mountain range). All five of these bears are black or mostly black. In Europe, though, only the Brown Bear seems likely.
@sklamb:
The Black Falcons don't seem particularly fitting for Scandinavia. That thar's Viking country!
@The_Creator:
It's probably meant to represent a wolf, a wolfdog, or a breed of dog that looks fairly wolflike.
@mediAFOL:
In all fairness, 3739 doesn't seem like it would have stayed in business very long, as the blacksmith didn't seem very productive. And 6040 probably worked exclusively for the local military, while 6918 appears to have been forced out of business.
@FoolECK:
The blue roof tiles are smooth, like slate. The green parts of the roof vary from smooth to studded, suggesting the parts that have been green the longest are starting to build up volume. This is something that would happen with moss, but not with a patina.
@PurpleDave: True dat. OTOH, by, say, 1500 Sweden was no longer exactly a Viking settlement, even though they were descended from Vikings!
@PurpleDave:
Both turkeys and pumpkins are New World fauna and flora, respectively, and thus would not have been found in Europe during the actual Middle Ages. However, the "turkey" leg could be that from a goose while the "pumpkin" could perhaps be seen as a stylized turnip, if one was really being a stickler for anachronisms.
And I agree, the "husky" could be a wolf pup that the hunter is raising.
@LordDunsany:
Well, that joke didn't live very long...
The set looks great, I would love to see more from this theme, time to bring back LEGO medieval castle series!
I am mostly a "Technic" guy but I will get this (eventually), just like I will soon get Pirates of Barracuda Bay. Certainly because they are both very nicely done but more importantly, to signify to Lego that it should definitely create a "Legacy" theme with a big set released each year of one of their numerous previous themes that we all want to see coming back - I may not be into Castles and Pirates (not even City or Town for that matter) but that does not mean that I don't like to see the superb creations made by the people of these themes. I am still hoping that a proper "Classic Space" set will get to 10000 votes. Maybe after that we can vote on an Adventurers set...
@Huw I am surprised that you did not post a picture of the set with a dozen of goats. I guess you did not want to twist the knife in the wound.
P.S. Surely a wealthy blacksmith like this one can buy a goat or two...
Unfortunately, the price has once again become far removed from the material input. Many small parts push the number of parts.
The result deviates me personally again too far from the fan design and has too much color - especially turquoise, light blue and light brown. The original was more in keeping with the times in terms of color - a bit duskier/washier.
I also agree, that the husky should have been more of an Irish wolfhound or sheepdog.
The light brick is the standard solution, but I expect more a flickering LED and if you push the Bellows, the light intensity goes up.
But it is the question what you expect or whether you like it and whether you can not use your money better. But if I vote for a fan design, then I also expect that it comes close to this and not that the marketing department prevails. If this is too far apart then one criterion is already not met to buy it.