LEGO Medieval Blacksmith Review

It is not often that we look at one of the LEGO Ideas sets here on GamesReviews, but LEGO was nice enough to track down the Medieval Blacksmith set for us to review, and although it took a bit of time to find and get it here, it was well worth the wait. This large and detailed set from LEGO brings me back to the days of playing with my castle LEGO sets, complete with knights, peasants, and more. But with the hefty price tag, is this set worth it? Let’s dive in!

The LEGO Medieval Blacksmith set retails for 149.99 USD / 199.99 CAD and comes with 2164 pieces. The set includes 4 mini-figures: a blacksmith, archer, and two knights. There are also two animals included in the set, a horse and a dog.

The Build

One of the biggest differences between LEGO Ideas sets and other LEGO sets is more so in the instruction manuals than the actual set building difficulties. With more pieces assigned to each step, the difficult and perception required  to put these sets together is always a tad more difficult, hence why they are tailored to an audience of 18+. That being said, I built the entire set in a few hours with the help of my seven year old son. He definitely struggled with putting some of the steps together, especially at the beginning when laying out the terrain around the base of the blacksmith’s workshop and house.

Throughout the build, there were a few tough moments, even for myself. Most notably, putting together the tree that juts out from the side of the shop was much more difficult than I would have imagined, based on the angles of the instruction manuals and the very specific process required to put each branch of the tree together, as well as the trunk. Still, this moment also highlighted how creative the design team at LEGO (and the original IDEAS creator) actually was. I’ve seen some creative tree concepts before, but this one takes the cake. The amazing way they have used pieces in untraditional ways in phenomenal – the thing I noted here was the use of the three stemmed flower base to create small branches.

Other aspects of the build also show off the incredible creativity that goes into these massive sets. While the first and second layer easily detach from the base since they are only held on by a few studs, I was interested to see how LEGO would handle the slopped roof. Would it be hinged? Would it be stuck like the bases of each layer? I was shocked to find out neither of these two options were used – rather, the two side roof pieces simply lay in place, using hidden blocks on the underside of the roof that neatly sit in notched spots on the side of each roof. For the look of these, as well as the playability, this is a huge plus, and one I was amazed by as I put it together.

The final fascianting design piece that I enjoyed was the detail on the side of the building, as well as the ornate moldings on the roof edges. The use of flag brown pieces to create a Tudor style exterior was fantastic, and although putting some of these pieces on was a bit of work to line things up properly, the final product looks absolutely amazing. As someone who has always been fascinated with the Tudor architectural style, this build hit home even more so than it might have otherwise. The set is currently sitting across from me on a shelf in my office, and I just love looking at it – it’s also become a conversational piece for those seeing it on my various conference calls as well!

Playability

Ultimately, the LEGO IDEAS sets are generally meant as display pieces, but with three young boys in my home, it’s hard for any LEGO set not to come down off a shelf to be played with. This was no exception. I do need to commend LEGO here again. Yes, the set is fantastic to look at, and displays really well. But it plays well too, especially when paired with some of the other LEGO Castle sets that will be coming later this year. My kids have spent countless hours foraging swords for the knights, and battling back evil forces. The blacksmith’s building has become a fortress for these few warriors as they trek out and destroy monsters, gather loot, and so much more.

The older you get, the less likely playing with this set is a reality. While expansive, it’s still a LEGO set and some of the interior elements are pretty tight, which means little hands can play with ease, while larger hands such as mine become clumsy, knocking over pieces and more. What’s worse, when I do knock things around – mostly the stupid pot in the kitchen – it’s near impossible for me to actually put it back in place. It’s a minor annoyance, and one that really has almost no impact on my enjoyment, or my kids enjoyment, of the set.