[April Fool's] Prototype Review: 010423 The Majestic Horse
Posted by CapnRex101,
LEGO recently contacted us with an opportunity to examine a prototype model, so we could give feedback in advance of release.
010423 The Majestic Horse looks impressive on the packaging and we can publish our feedback publicly, which is decidedly mixed.
Summary
010423 The Majestic Horse, 475 pieces.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Certain unrealistic features detract from an otherwise satisfying model
- Beautiful shaping overall
- Attractive colour scheme
- Good size for display
- Disappointing head design
- Unrealistic horseshoes
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box and Contents
The packaging is not finalised and we were advised that there could be some changes between the model shown here and the rendition we would receive. Regardless, this horse leaping over a jump looks excellent, capturing the animal's graceful shape, which painters have famously found challenging historically.
The Completed Model
Careful examination does reveal a couple of minor differences between the proposed box image and this prototype design. For example, the stirrups were originally represented by crutches, but those have been replaced with paint rollers. Fortunately though, the horse's dynamic movement remains and its modest size is perfect for display, similar to the upcoming 75356 Executor Super Star Destroyer.
The base measures nearly 18cm long and is surrounded by black tiles and curved slopes. The contrast between these elements and the green plates is appealing, resembling 76989 Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck. Furthermore, I like the foliage and these bright light yellow flowers are welcome, only otherwise found in 10314 Dried Flower Centrepiece.
Reddish brown pieces comprise the fence, known as an oxer. The printed woodgrain tiles on top look splendid, while the rails' red and white stripes introduce another splash of colour. The fence also cleverly integrates a trans-clear support for the horse, which is otherwise only connected to the base through its hind legs.
Despite the limited support structure, the model feels surprisingly stable. Technic pins linking the hind legs to the body are therefore essential, neatly concealed behind a layer of tiles and curved slopes. The general shape of the horse's legs and body is incredibly realistic, while the saddle is also attractive. The muted colour combination of dark red and sand green works brilliantly.
Unfortunately, issues begin to emerge towards the front, as the forelegs lack the detail of those behind. Moreover, I am disappointed with LEGO's interpretation of horseshoes. These red and white shoes are too vibrant, especially compared with the saddle, while their shape is noticeably inaccurate. I favour the truncated cones that represent hooves on the box.
The head also strays from the source material somewhat. This section of the model seems fairly blocky and the exposed studs look awkward, as the horse is otherwise smooth. Additionally, the muzzle should be significantly longer. The pointed ears appear realistic though, while the printed eyes are appropriately oriented in different directions.
Overall
On balance, I think I prefer the version of this model shown on the packaging. Some sections of the design are nicely detailed and I find the horse's hind legs particularly realistic, with muscular shaping. The colourful base looks fantastic too. However, I think the head could be improved, as the current design lacks the elegance I associate with horses.
The hooves also leave something to be desired, partly because of their shape, but also because their red colour is not necessarily what I would have chosen. Nevertheless, with some minor alterations and a reasonable price, I think 010423 The Majestic Horse could be an enjoyable model.
205 likes
108 comments on this article
April Fools!
much build
many wow
gotta go fast
Funny
Sonic the Horse-hog
Happy April Fools
I would buy either the box or assembled model...
My Lovely Horse!
Good one! :))
Hahaha you got me ;)
Way too many stickers. Should have been prints.
Also, the price per part is just ridiculous.
I vote this set as prime contender for the new cancellation program.
I was so confused for about a minute longer than I should have been. Well-played.
LOL
@Huw _PLEASE_ share the instructions with us!!
Gotcha!
Is it bad that it took me to the “horseshoe” part to realize this was April Fools?
Wow two lame April Fool’s jokes on one day? The set number 010423 gives it away
Nice! Well done!
Can we get the poll options above for all the press releases going forward?
And we need a “downvote” option available for comments just for today. I can’t believe the number of “10 days after Spring” Scrooges on the site.
An amazing review from Rex as always.
A horse, a horse. My kingdom for a horse.
“The majestic horse walks into a bar”
…
Barman says “Why the weird face?
Hats off to Brickset for two brilliant (-ly deceptive) April Fool's!!
P.s. I see the cancellation programme has hit the new LEGO Fortnite pretty hard... ;)
My lovely horse....
Hats off. Very good this year.
I actually bought it until seeing the renders further on
Yes, such majestic! If TLG don't produce this set, I will be angery and bamboozle.
Day 1 purchase!
Had me for a few seconds there :) ! Then remembered what day it is lol
This is one the sets ever.
They're gonna sell a illion of them.
As a doge owner, I really want this
I was just skimming, but it took until the 'Overall' section and the face close up for me to figure things out.
Good job and thanks?
I did wonder for a moment. Wouldn't be the daftest thing TLG had ever done...
April Fool's posted after noon...
This seems like a great way to reveal a set.
Absolutely fantastic. I knew it was April Fool's (or should I say April Foals) going in but did not expect the dog head and gym shoes!
It looks like a bit like a dog??
@merman said:
"Wow two lame April Fool’s jokes on one day? The set number 010423 gives it away"
Well, we are not going to get them over multiple days, that would ruin the point!
@MegaBlocks said:
"April Fool's posted after noon..."
It's morning somewhere still...
It really took me a minute to realize the date.
Should be a quote set.
"Karen, you insufferable wench! Release me from this hellish brick dimension at once!"
LMFAO!
Even the model itself think this set is worth poop, as we can see in the final picture.
If it's so Majestic, where's the ans?
Can we please have an interview with the designers?
And how long before this becomes either an Ideas project or Bricklink model?
Played straight and got it bang on IMO - nice work Huw
So, what’s worse than an unfunny April Fools post in the morning. One in the afternoon as well.
(Yes, I am a miserable so-and-so (polite version) where theses ‘jokes’ are concerned and not afraid to show it)
Where’s the jockey!?! What a rip off
Well done, Brickset! In combo with Tiago Catarino? He also has a video review of this prototype:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKU0mOudktE
The face made me cackle
Hahaha, these are my favorite April Fools posts to date! Well done, Brickset.
It’s all jokes until I realised I’d actually quite like it as an official set. The box version or the doge version!
Er staat een paard in de gang,
Ja ja een paard in de gang
O o een paard in de gang
Bij buurvrouw Jansen
Well played, though it worked better in video format like Tiago's review. There it was more like "something's wrong....." until the big reveal, and here it's, well, the very first picture after the box art. Still gotta love how this is still written just like any serious review.
As a prototype review of a possible production model that TLG is looking for feedback on, I'd strongly suggest releasing this one as a 3-in-1 build with options for both horse and doge, along with blue and yellow sneaker options too!
Needs about 3x more volume of poo.
@MCNwakeboard said:
"Where’s the jockey!?! What a rip off"
This model is perfectly scaled with My Dad. I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in the otherwise thorough review.
@ShinyBidoof said:
"So, what’s worse than an unfunny April Fools post in the morning. One in the afternoon as well.
(Yes, I am a miserable so-and-so (polite version) where theses ‘jokes’ are concerned and not afraid to show it)"
You could hole up in your curmudgeon cave with the curtains drawn until tomorrow, and let the rest of us have our fun. :P
This would be funny if it wasn't obvious that someone will be paying hundreds of euros for this at some point.
I would actually buy this set like so many others. It offers better than a lot of current sets they have. But I guess whatever. (I'd take the corgi horse, but I'd love the actual horse honestly.)
You need to check the link to lego, not working.
:(
Is this a prank from Brickset or from The Lego Company itself?
It's like getting catfished by a LEGO set!
Fell for it! Ugh.
@Iguanaboy said:
"Is this a prank from Brickset or from The Lego Company itself?"
Considering several Youtubers also got this set, it seems to come from Lego....which would make this one of the rarest sets ever. One mentioned only 9 of these exist. I assume Brickset and the other reviewers only got this under rather strict conditions. Would be interesting to know how things like this work.
@Huw said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"April Fool's posted after noon..."
It's morning somewhere still..."
It was April 2 somewhere as well, then.
If anyone tries to sell this on the secondary market, this will probably be worth a lot of money.
Unfortunately, last year’s excellent April Fools Brickset joke has had me waiting for this for a long time! It didn’t get me but the doge head is hilarious, and the poll makes it even better. Beautifully done.
After the majestic tiger now we get the majestic horse. What no flower piece on the rear?
What's the over/under on rebrickable instructions for the packaging version within 12 hours? The main body and head & neck are each only 2 studs deep, and the legs and sides of the saddle look no more than 1 stud deep, excluding SNOT-work, so it shouldn't be too hard to reverse-engineer it.
I wish the box version was a real set.
Where can I buy this set?
my favorite part is the set details page
Yes I agree
Lego: LOL! Have fun guys, hope you liked our joke! Peace and love!
Lego fans: re mortgage their house to buy a copy from eBay.
Well played, and the dead-pan tone kept me chuckling throughout. Best April Fool’s you’ve done in years!
Fully convert it over and I would unironically love a dog agility model.
So many huge announcements today!
Congratulations on getting the date format correct.
@merman said:
"Wow two lame April Fool’s jokes on one day? The set number 010423 gives it away"
Wow two salty comments in one day? U mad?
I would buy if the head stays the same
Hands down, best set of the year
This had me howling!!!
Best one yet. Very well done!
What amimal was that thought was bear
LEGO Employee: Hey, guys, I got a great idea for April Fool's Day! We'll pull a classic bait-and-switch, but the joke's on them, because there won't be any actual physical set!
LEGO Factory: *produces actual physical LEGO set*
LEGO Mail Room: *ships actual physical LEGO set*
Recognized LEGO Fan Media: *publish photos and video of actual physical LEGO set*
AFOLs: What the hell? They released an actual physical LEGO set...as an April Fool's Day joke? That is beyond messed up!
eBay: *gleefully starts rubbing hands together and cackling maniacally*
So, @Huw, @CapnRex101, do you guys have to send this back now that the joke is done, or do you get to keep this actual physical "not an actual physical LEGO set"?
It has been over 15 minutes now and still can't stop laughing with tears. Thank you!
I think with some minor revisions, this will be a pretty popular set. I think that replacing the stirrups is the biggest issue, though I also agree the muzzle should be a bit larger.
Looks just like the box art...although let me put on my glasses...there...no...No...NOOOOOOO!!!!:D
Change few things Centaur
Looks like a set from the LEGO Imagine line. Nice one.
Hahaha awesome set!! Here in Spain we do these kind of jokes at December 28th. ;-p
I didn't realize this was a Dodge until I got to the poll. Lmao
I'm in the wrong door of Brickset again...
Is it Scala-scale? Can My Dad ride it?
This is what happened to Artax after he sunk into the Swamp of Sadness for not getting The Neverending Story IP license.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Iguanaboy said:
"Is this a prank from Brickset or from The Lego Company itself?"
Considering several Youtubers also got this set, it seems to come from Lego....which would make this one of the rarest sets ever. One mentioned only 9 of these exist. I assume Brickset and the other reviewers only got this under rather strict conditions. Would be interesting to know how things like this work."
Yes, it is a prank from TLG. Huw included the following note in the set page 010423 :
"Produced as a prank set for April Fools' Day 2023 and sent to select Recognized LEGO Fan Media."
Also there is a video with the reactions:
https://mobile.twitter.com/LEGO_Group/status/1642074591559335936
Oh my gosh that set costs way too much for the amount of pieces you get with it! The Lego Group trying to rip us off again. I bet you don't get VIP points if you purchase it either.
@quixotequest: No...this would be "The Neverending Sorry" (Nana, Nananaa, Nana...:))
How far LEGO has fallen. Think about the cool products they could’ve made instead of this, yet they continue to treat LAN like kings and the rest of us are ignored.
@Brikkyy13 said:
"How far LEGO has fallen. Think about the cool products they could’ve made instead of this, yet they continue to treat LAN like kings and the rest of us are ignored. "
Bro did not know it was the first of April.
What an exquisite specimen! You might not like it, but this is what peak design looks like.
@Brikkyy13:
This got sent to fan media sites. LAN get the Christmas sets, but I don’t think they got this.
@PurpleDave said:
"So, @Huw , @CapnRex101 , do you guys have to send this back now that the joke is done, or do you get to keep this actual physical "not an actual physical LEGO set"?"
As far as I know, we get to keep it.
Whether this should actually be considered a set is debatable. It arrived as literally a bag of hand-picked parts with digital instructions, which we have been told not to publish because there are some building techniques that LEGO would avoid in an official product.
@CapnRex101:
So, the box is fake, or at least not something they’ve allowed out of the building?
Shameless plug for BrickNerd, for those of you who would like to know a bit more about this: https://bricknerd.com/home/the-majestic-horse-the-making-of-legos-april-fools-prank-4-2-23
So well done. I, too, don’t care for the choice of color. :)
@PurpleDave said:
" @CapnRex101:
So, the box is fake, or at least not something they’ve allowed out of the building?"
Yes, I assume LEGO either printed one for their promotional shots, or the box was entirely digital in those images.
The head is almost identical to a preexisting MOC: https://live.staticflickr.com/645/21527966829_2d172c793b_b.jpg
wow just wow
@CapnRex101 said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"So, @Huw , @CapnRex101 , do you guys have to send this back now that the joke is done, or do you get to keep this actual physical "not an actual physical LEGO set"?"
As far as I know, we get to keep it.
Whether this should actually be considered a set is debatable. It arrived as literally a bag of hand-picked parts with digital instructions, which we have been told not to publish because there are some building techniques that LEGO would avoid in an official product."
Illegal techniques are a CRIME.
Edit: having now seen the build thanks to my black belt in Google-Fu, it seems that no actual illegal techniques are being used, it's more a matter of questionable stability in the build-process.
Any thoughts on whether this set follows the same...uh, standard as 31129 Majestic Tiger
@Ridgeheart:
Whether it’s a technique that actually stresses a part (like the Audi set that, uh, “forced” the issue), or a design that’s not built in a stable manner, I think the Design Department treats them the same way. It’s just that the former might be documented internally so set designers know not to even try getting it through to production. The latter would need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis, since every set design is different. Unless it’s a Snowspeeder.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Ridgeheart:
Whether it’s a technique that actually stresses a part (like the Audi set that, uh, “forced” the issue), or a design that’s not built in a stable manner, I think the Design Department treats them the same way. It’s just that the former might be documented internally so set designers know not to even try getting it through to production. The latter would need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis, since every set design is different. Unless it’s a Snowspeeder."
RE the snowspeeder: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. They hit on a good idea back in 2004 when that design came out. Not much (if anything) can be changed to make it better. Just be glad they didn't get stuck on the 1999 version instead!
@Murdoch17 said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Ridgeheart:
Whether it’s a technique that actually stresses a part (like the Audi set that, uh, “forced” the issue), or a design that’s not built in a stable manner, I think the Design Department treats them the same way. It’s just that the former might be documented internally so set designers know not to even try getting it through to production. The latter would need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis, since every set design is different. Unless it’s a Snowspeeder."
RE the snowspeeder: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. They hit on a good idea back in 2004 when that design came out. Not much (if anything) can be changed to make it better. Just be glad they didn't get stuck on the 1999 version instead!"
It's apparent in the build-video that the front-legs on the horse are particularly flimsy, and the way the head attaches to the body is also kind of dodgy. In fact: @CapnRex101, how does the thing hold up in terms of sturdiness? I'm morbidly curious.
Even having opened this tab as an "Brickset April Fools, read it when you have time" thing... you got me in the first half. I guess having a good buildup is important for any joke, really made me cackle when the Doge face popped up!