Going to the Medieval Town

Review by Joe Meno

Medieval Town
Set #10193
1601 pieces
$99.99 USD

The Medieval Town set was announced at Brickcon and overseas at the same time, and after seeing the set on display, fans are anxiously awaiting its release. It looks great on display, but how does it build?? BrickJournal received a copy of the set for review and paid a visit to the Medieval Town.

From the box, the set looks very appealing. With the age group being 12+, expect some complex building. There’s a lot of parts, and when the box is opened, a lot of bags! 17 bags make up the entire set, along with two books and a small sticker sheet. And be ready to have a large space to build, because most of the bags are opened in the beginning steps. It was a little annoying to not have numbered bags like some other large models, but having everything opened and sorted on a table made building faster.

Set overview. Box photo and photo above provided by the LEGO Group.

A nice variety of minifigures are in the set –seven figures, including two girls! There’s also two soldiers and a boy, who has the short molded legs (stubbies). The printing on the figures are nicely detailed – the women have decorated dresses and the soldiers have uniforms The other citizens have their own details printed too, such as money bags and rope belts. The same printed torso is used three times, but thanks to the different head and legs, the similarities aren’t easily noticed.

The cows - they are not dark brown - the product photo above this one is more accurate in color.

There’s also some new animals – there are two cows! Reddish brown and with hecks that can move up and down, they also have new horns, that are inserted in the head. Ther’s also new fish that can be held by minifigures. The cutest animals by far, though, are the built birds. A hen, a rooster, and a duck are part of the scene with designs that are based on the penguins in the Batman sets. And one sorta - animal that has not been seen in a very long time returns in this set – the cooked turkey! 

All of these minifigures, animals, and small models are built in the first steps – basically the props are being built for the set before hand. By the time the builder is done with the introductory steps, there’s enough for the minifigures to adventure on their own, with a horse-drawn cart and a street market. The soldiers have a small armory and are ready to patrol, and there is a meal waiting to be eaten.  

The largest model built in these steps is a built tree. Using slopes, arches and leaf elements, a nice organic-looking tree was created – the  best touch to this model are the flowers that are added to bloom the tree. 

However, this only is part of the set – the buildings have yet to be built. And they are great examples of form and function. 

Both buildings are two floors high, with Tudor styling on the upper floor. The first building in the instructions has a stable and blacksmith on the bottom. The stable has two stalls with opening gates, but it’s the blacksmith’s shop that is clever! On the outer side of the shop is a water mill that has an axle that runs through the wall to a propeller inside the shop. While this sounds odd, the prop, when turned, pushes up and drops a hammer on a sword on an anvil – it pushes up and self-releases, which is a really nice touch! The stable has room for two horses.

The water mill.

The opening stove above the stable.

The upper floors to the smith’s shop and stable are pretty open, as some of the props built beforehand are furnishings. One of the rooms has a stove with opening door, and both have portraits hanging on the walls. Constructing this building was interesting because of the some of the techniques that were used in the design. The biggest challenge in building  in the Tudor style is that each color is a different element, so framing structures have to be made to stabilize the walls. The end result is a building that opens and closes to reveal the interior. 

The same building technique is used on the second building, which is a bar on the ground floor and a bedroom and dressing room. I say dressing room because the smaller room has a vanity and a dresser on the wall. Accessories for the room include a perfume bottle and brush. The bedroom has a fireplace and a made bed, which are both built and look great!

Dressing room.

The bedroom and bar below. 

The lower floor has a bar with counter (and goblets) and a place for a keg – which was built earlier. This is another fine detail that might be passed younger builders, but definitely will be noticed by the adult LEGO Fan. This building also opens and closes to show the interior, like the first one.

There’s not much to say against the set. The tan 1 by 4 arch is tough to place on an arched window, so it takes some effort to fit them together. Also, even with the support framing the buildings, closing them is difficult initially as the pin used to keep the sides together doesn’t snap easily. These are minor complaints to the set, though.

Altogether, this set is a great example of playability and design and is highly recommended. The level of detail and accessories make this a set for all castle fans, and an excellent starting point for beginners! For more experienced builders, this is a great set to learn some tricks about building color into buildings and also building in functionality. For those wanting to add to their castle layouts, there is another aspect of the set that is appealing: the building facades close to small portable buildings. 

The good: The set has seven minifigures, including two girls! There are new parts and animals, and a nice selection of parts and a couple of new ones. Good price point.

The bad: A couple of parts are difficult to put together. Closing the buildings isn’t as easy as it appears. 

This will be available in January at LEGO SHop-at-Home and LEGO Brand Retail. A link to the product webpage will be made when orders are available.