Review: LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle

September 17, 2021 | 3

With so many large-scale releases in 2021, the year has actually been an excellent year for LEGO fans on a budget, or if you’re like me, with little to no room left for massive 4-digit piece sets.

Enter 40478 Mini Disney Castle, which was revealed to much fanfare and excitement! This miniature version of the larger and more expensive 71040 Disney Castle is a great alternative for LEGO fans on a budget, and for any type of Disney fan.

40478 Mini Disney Castle has a release date of 1 October 2021, and will retail for US$34.99 / AU$59.99, and will be available from LEGO.com or your local LEGO store.

I was lucky enough to be offered one for early review by LEGO, and am honoured to bring you this early look at the LEGO Mini Disney Castle, which I think is a smidge better than its full-sized cousin.

Read on to see more of 40478 Mini Disney Castle or you can watch a speed build video of the LEGO Mini Disney Castle on my Youtube channel

See below for regional pricing and links:

• LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle [US] – US$34.99
• LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle [AUS] – AU$59.99
• LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle [UK] – £30.99
• LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle [EU] – €36.99
• LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle [CAN] – CA$49.99

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this review set!

Name: Mini Disney Castle
Set Number: 40478
Pieces: 567
Price: $34.99 [US] | £ 30.99 GBP [UK] | AU$ 59.99 [AUS]
Exclusive to: LEGO.com
Theme: Disney
Release Date: 1 October 2021
Buy from LEGO.com [USA] [AUS] [UK]

It’s been a massive year for LEGO Disney fans, with a new Mickey & Friends sub-theme, and now this delightful mini version of the Disney Castle.

This set commemorates 50 years of Disney World, and is a micro-scale recreation of the Walt Disney World Resort Cinderella Castle, in Florida.

Here’s a look at the instruction manual, which has a new (and a little odd) booklet shape which is new to me.

On the inside is a small two-page spread of the Disney / Cinderella Castle with some cool bits of trivia about Disney World and the actual castle in Florida.

I didn’t really like the instructions because the size makes the booklet quite awkward, and the pages can’t rest open without placing a weight on them, which was a bother during the build, as you’re flipping through nearly 50 pages.

Oh, and you’re going to love this about the set – no stickers!

The set comes with just one minifigure – the big mouse himself, Mickey Mouse who is exclusive to the set.

Here’s a look at the Mickey Mouse minifigure, who is exclusive to the set, and features a formal, vintage-style outfit with a black coat, and red bowtie.

Unfortunately he lacks the iconic yellow buttons on his trousers, but he does have shoes printed on him.

Unfortunately, there’s no back printing, which is a bit of a bummer – I think a special 50 Disney World logo on the back would’ve been a great way to make this minifigure a bit more special.

For a small set, it’s packed with a large assortment of new or rare elements. New to this set, is the clock piece, printed on a drum-lacquered gold Nexo shield, and you also get plenty of new opalescent pieces, such as the blue dish and cone, as well as a satin window pane.

Most interesting of all are the Cinderella glass slipper tile and a 2×3 tile of 71040 Disney Castle which is just a brilliant nod to the original castle.

The Disney Castle tile was previously only available in the pricey Disney Train and Station set, so it’s great to see it being available in a much more accessible set!

The build was fairly enjoyable for me – I really like building at micro scale, and at 567 pieces, was a medium-length and rather satisfying experience.

There are some fiddly bits as you’re building mostly with small elements, but I did enjoy the techniques that made this unique shape possible.

You can watch a speed build video of the LEGO Mini Disney Castle on my Youtube channel

Lots of fun techniques that place panels at angles like this.

Fair warning – both the Glass Slipper Tile and Disney Castle LEGO set tile are housed on the inside of the castle, along with 2 black microfigures – but once you build over it, there’s no really easy way to get them out, or even see/interact with them which is a little silly.

I’d just remove both tiles during the build, or else you’ll have a hard time accessing them after – you literally have to break the castle to retrieve them.

Here’s a look at the completed Castle, and it is a beauty – perfectly capturing the iconic silhouette of Cinderella’s Castle.

The colours are also excellent, and the blend of blue, opalescent blues, against the greys, and pearl golds are absolutely stunning.

Here’s a look at the entrance and the doors – you can see golden spikes inside the arch which is a nice touch.

The printed clock is just stunning, and the decision to print on a drum-lacquered element is inspiring. The clock reads 9pm, which I believe is when fireworks go off at Disney World?

From the side, the blue rooftop cones with pearl gold ski poles contrast brilliantly against the white main structure.

And these upside down binoculars, and gears effectively create some really nice textural details.

And lastly, the tallest spire looks great, toped with a golden cone-shaped roof.

And here’s how it looks from the back.

The satin windows are great, and I love how the light makes them shimmer at different angles.

What I liked:

• Great new elements – so many opalescent elements
• Printed tiles like the clock, LEGO Disney Castle and Glass Slipper
• Fantastic and accessible price
• Doesn’t require heaps of space

What I didn’t like: 

• Mickey minifigure is a little plain
• Placement of the tiles INSIDE the castle is silly

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The mini LEGO Disney Castle is hands down going to be one of the most popular LEGO sets of 2021, striking the right balance between a price and display presence.

For those on a budget or those short on space, this set is just perfect, and I think in many ways, is superior to the big Disney Castle. For context, I own the large Disney Castle but it’s still in the box because I don’t have the space.

The build was surprisingly long, and kept me engaged throughout, and I had fun seeing the Castle come together.

The only real downside is Mickey Mouse, which is a little plain, and I wish they had made it a lot more interesting, and weaved in the 50th Anniversary in a bit more.

That said, there’s so much to love, and I especially like the new printed tiles with my favourite being the LEGO Disney Castle tile – I just love it when LEGO gets meta, and produces tiles of actual LEGO sets.

This set looks awesome on display on your desk, or next to your other LEGO sets with its beautiful colour scheme.

Highly recommend this set, and this is pretty much a flawless set, and contender for one of the best and most satisfying sets of 2021. An obvious 5/5 score for this miniature magical wonder.

Rating and score: 5/5 ★★★★★

Build [4] – Lots of fun building at microscale, and kept me engaged
Real Value [5] – So many new elements, a great display piece for under US$50? Yes please
Innovation [4] – Lots of cool techniques and element innovation in the set
Coolness [5] – It’s a mini LEGO Disney Castle, nuff said
Keepability [5] – An instant classic, and works solo or as a companion set to the large Disney Castle

Thanks to much for reading my early review of 40478 Min Disney Castle!

40478 Mini Disney Castle has a release date of 1 October 2021, and will retail for US$34.99 / AU$59.99, and will be available from LEGO.com or your local LEGO store.

What do you think of the mini Disney Castle, is this a must-buy?

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this review copy!

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