this is a wonderful set to play with and to display. includes 5 incredible exclusive minifigures to the set, A minifigure that only comes in one other set, and a common figure that is still pretty cool. great pieces, love the hidden escape wall and the way the dagger is hidden. overall, 10/10

Pros: The Alamut guards, Seso, Gool, Tamah, Nizam, all the features in the set, the exclusive camel that was only in 1 other set in a darker tan color, the large doors in dark brown and the castle towers in medium nougat are 100% exclusive just to this set, lots of nice ancient style weapons, especially the blade claw that tamah holds.

Cons: Dastan in that version appears in almost every set of this theme so I wish the Dastan in this set was exclusive, the poles with the golden flags ALWAYS fall off

Parts

Overall I wasn't too impressed by the selection of parts, lots of basic bricks mostly.

The parts which stand out the most are easily the golden domes and the camel, which is actually bigger than a lego horse. Most of the other parts were unimpressive, except maybe for a gold scorpion, and some big doors, but the draws mostly comes from the colors and the abundances of some parts. This set has a lot of tan and some kind of earth orange color. This is currently my only set with orange parts, also, orange turrets are unique to this set. There is also a large number of fences (more than 10), of 4x1 with studs on side (more than 20) and of archs (I think 20-30). Also, it comes with 2 daggers of time. The dagger is quite a strange piece, the handle is hard plastic, but the blade is soft. It is quite a big weapon, being almost as long as a sword.

Minifigures

Minifigures here are good, but none is outstanding, they come with backprinting, I think only Dastan and Nizam have prints on legs, but most of the good comes from their accessories, guards come with nice helmets which I think are rare too, the assassin has a rare hoodie (or whatever it's called) made of hard plastic, and comes with a razor glove (which seems far more rare than the claws glove) but there is also an extra claws glove if he wants to dual wield those. The scimitar is also another rare great piece, it even has 3 studs if you want to customize it.

The build

It's really an easy and straightforward build, there was really no advanced technic used. one thing to note is that the dome part is fragile and easily pops off. If you grab the model by the dome, it is very likely to come off.

The completed model

I first thought the golden dome would make this model, but after finishing the palace part, I thought it looked quite small, and while it has a nice amount of details, I also have models which are much more detailled. However, it is a different story once you connect it to the rest of the model, it gives it much more depth and reveals the model in its full glory.

I still think it's a bit small, the pictures actually makes it look bigger than it is. The only similar model I have is fort legoredo, and it's like twice as big, but the different portions of the model go together very well to form a very nice looking fortified palace.

This build is modular, but it seems to only give you the option to open it up, with king's castle, it looks like you can switch some parts, and still have a closed castle, but it doesn't look possible here.

Overall opinion

Despite being a bit small, it's still a nice model, the fact that it is a closed castle with several ways to assault it, such as going through the doors, breaking a wall, climbing movable stairs or even walls, gives good options for playability. And there is actually a good incentive for attacking this castle, the palace must be full of good loot. Or maybe it is run by a tyran?

Overall, my note for this would be more like 4.5, there is really not much wrong with it, but I have some models I consider more impressive.

This is definitely one of the greatest Lego Palaces/Castles ever made. It is full of gold, as well as deadly defenses. A must-have for any Prince of Persia or Castle collector.

Box/Instructions

The box is way too big but well decorated. And all Lego boxes are ridiculously big, aren't they?

Parts

Brilliant parts. Loads of traps, jewels and a Gold Scorpion, as well as good weapons.

Minifigures

I love the minifigures in this set:

Dastan- Not the best figure in the set, and you can get him with a horse in Desert Attack (7569). 6.5/10.

Nizam- A great evil Emperor/King/Sultan. He doesn't have to be the bad guy from the movie- he can work as any bad guy. 8/10.

Seso- Brilliant tribesman warrior, again, works in many Medieval settings. 7.5/10.

Alamut Guard 1- I don't know why, but I love these guards! Their armour and spears just work so well! 8.5/10.

Alamut Guard 2- This guard's face is better than the other one! 9/10.

Gool- I am not sure who Gool is in the movie, but I like to use him as the captain of the guards, as his armour matches their's. A brilliant figure! 9/10.

Tamah- I am not a big fan of the assassins, and this one is a bit boring. He works well, though. 5.5/10.

The build

An amazing build. The set has lovely pieces and very nice building techniques. One of my favourite builds ever! Didn't take too long, either. 9.5/10.

The completed model

An absolutely excellent palace with brilliant defenses. Whoever controls this palace can display his amazing wealth, and protect himself very well from his enemies with his fantastic defenses. I especially like the oil tipper. 9/10.

Summary

One of the best palaces/castles/Lego sets ever made! 9/10!

Having finished putting this set -back- together, I am once again amazed by this set. It's the largest set in the Prince of Persia line and also the most expensive at $79.99 U.S. I won't complain of that price, not when I have a gift card and was able to finally go in to get it, only to find it was at a discount. Full price, I'd still have gotten this, and I understand those who wait for the sales.

There's a grand total of seven minifigures in this set, five of them being specific characters from the Prince of Persia movie. A new camel mold and just tons of little details all fill this set out.

The entire design makes me think of Persia, so it's great to have a Castle set that's not European based, features another culture outside of Oriental and Ninjago. Most of the best details come from building the back side of the castle with the gold domes and the interior details with the hidden spot for the Dagger of Time, throne, gold cups and gold scorpion.

That the build is modular, makes it easier to assemble and work on the Castle by sections. Like many older classic Castles, the sides of the Alamut playset pop out to allow for easier access to inside the Castle grounds. A section of the walls can be pushed in for either a secret entrance or part of sieging the castle. Catapults on the front turrents, fire trap to drop down on those who break open the gates. A flame catapult from attackers.

There's just lots of details that make the price of picking this set up well worth, especially when there's extra pieces such as an extra Dagger of Time, set of hand claws for the one Hassien warrior. Dastan's sword holders.

Even if you didn't watch or play Prince of Persia and aren't familiar with it, this set can still be well worth it for having or featuring another culture in a Castle theme. It's just fantastic, just be careful of how you store it when bringing it back out later for display.

Everyone seems to agree that this set is a unique masterpiece. With just a few modifications, you can make it look even more like the Taj Mahal or an Indian Palace. And for all of you Indy fans, this makes a perfect stand-in for Pankot Palace from The Temple of Doom, especially if you create a custom Maharaja using Dumbledore's torso, and a Chatter Lal using Harry Potter's face!