Review: LEGO 40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah

October 20, 2023 |

It’s been a huge year for Disney fans, with LEGO pulling out all the stops to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary, and die-hard Disney devotees have been spoilt for choice.

To pay homage to the classic animated film Aladdin, LEGO have decided to go small with 40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah, a pint-sized but utterly delightful scaled down version of Agrabah.

It follows the Mini Disney Castle (2021) and Mini Haunted Mansion (2022) as this 2023’s miniaturised Disney setting and is a great set save for one fatal flaw with the set’s design.

40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah was released on 1 October 2023, and is a LEGO.com and LEGO Store exclusive, and if you’re eyeing the set, a good time to pick it up will be from 23 October onwards to trigger the upcoming 40659 Mini Steamboat Willie gift with purchase (GWP).

Let’s jump into a quick review of the LEGO Mini Palace of Agrabah!

Who is this set for? LEGO Disney fans who want a gorgeous Aladdin display piece that won’t break the bank or take up too much space. Also for those who have the Mini Haunted Mansion and Mini Disney Castle.

If you’re thinking of ordering the Mini Palace of Agrabah, please consider using these affiliate links as I may receive a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do here on the blog.

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set for this review!

40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah Set Details

Name: Mini Disney Palace of Agrabah
Set Number: 40613
Pieces: 506 pieces
Price: US$39.99 / AU$69.99 / £39.99 / €39.99 / CAD$49.99
Exclusive to: LEGO.com / LEGO Stores
Theme: LEGO Disney Princess
Release Date: 1 October 2023
LEGO Designers: TBD

Build Experience

For a 506-piece set, the build was fairly extensive and if you enjoy building sets in microscale, or LEGO Architecture, this will feel very familiar. Above are what the builds look like after completing Bag 1 and 2.

There are some clever techniques employed (which we’ll explore later), and no stickers to bog you down as well, and it’s an elevated and enjoyable build experience.

On the surface, studs are exposed very sparingly so it has a very clean look to it, which is another indication that the designer probably laboured hard to get the aesthetic this way.

Here’s the completed set which is just brilliant to look at. Two things immediately stand out, the golden domes atop the white towers and minarets, and the busy yet attractive silhouette of the model.

The colours used are a treat for your eyes, with the stark white walls and minarets punctuated by dark reds, pops of teal and brown as well as the aforementioned drum-lacquered gold domes.

I’d say the designers really did a great job adapting the Agrabah we know from Aladdin to a tidy LEGO display model.

There’s just something about drum-lacquered gold elements, and there’s a generous amount here, allocated to the curvy domed shapes, and these elements really tie the entire aesthetic together.

A really under-rated feature of the Mini Palace of Agrabah set is that it’s a true 360° model, with plenty of details to catch your attention from every angle. I really like small details such as the smaller minarets, courtyard and pillars at the back, blade trees as well as the zebra-crossing window details on the ground floor.

It’s always a nice surprise to get a set like this without stickers, and I was especially surprised that this panel featuring a balustrade and curtains was a printed decoration.

In a nod to the movies, Aladdin’s Magic Carpet and the Genie Lamp is also included, and it’s placed so that it looks like it’s darting through the air, heading towards the tallest tower.

Unfortunately, no minifigure (or minidoll) is included in the set, which breaks with tradition set by Mini Disney Castle and Mini Haunted Mansion, which both had exclusive minifigures.

While the Mini Palace of Agrabah is housed within the Disney Princess theme, which is a little odd to begin with, LEGO really missed an opportunity to include a Sultan minifigure, or even Aladdin dressed as Prince Ali.

To better fit the Disney Princess theme, I also would’ve liked a Jasmine, Aladdin or Sultan minidoll, but nope. It just seems like LEGO forgot to put one in.

Here’s a look at the Agrabah Palace from the front, where there are more interesting details such as this fountain.

An incredibly cool technique is used for the massive flight of stairs leading to Agrabah Palace’s main entrance, layers of white 1 x 2 x 1 Panel stacked on each other to create this effect at microscale.

It’s absolutely brilliant and just one of those neat little flourishes that makes this model extra special.

And yes, if you’re wondering, here’s the Mini Palace of Agrabah alongside the Mini Disney Castle and Mini Haunted Mansion. This is the third year running where we’ve gotten a Mini Disney structure, and this is the first one that’s not based on a Disney Parks attraction, and gives me hope that we could potentially see more fictional settings in this series.

I’d really love an Elsa Ice Palace, mini King Triton’s Palace or even Rapunzel’s Tower added to this series, as LEGO have now opened up the doors to fictional buildings and settings being included in this series.

What I liked:

Fantastic use of colours with drum-lacquered gold domes
Looks great alongside the mini Disney Castle and Haunted Mansion
Enjoyable build with plenty of refined techniques
Looks great on display

What I didn’t like:

No minifigure or minidoll is a huge miss
A little pricey

FINAL THOUGHTS:

40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah is a wonderful addition to the series of mini Disney landmarks, and I think is a worthy rival to the incredible Mini Disney Castle.

The design team really knocked it out of the park, shrinking the Palace of Agrabah into this delightful scale, yet retaining all of its charm, silhouette and colours.

At this size and pricepoint, it makes for a very attractive display model and such an easy slice of Aladdin that you can display, either alongside the mini Disney Castle, or Haunted Mansion.

Aesthetically, this thing is near-perfect and a treat to display.

Unfortunately, the lack of a minifigure or minidoll is just such a puzzling omission, that drags down the entire package, which is a shame as it distracts from an otherwise excellent model.

With no exclusive minifigure, the value equation also takes a bit of a knock as other than the structure itself, there’s a distinct lack of Disney magic that would’ve otherwise been enabled by the inclusion of a key character from Aladdin. The Sultan as a minifigure should’ve been a no-brainer here.

Despite the lack of a minifigure, 40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah is still an excellent model that goes great alongside the other mini Disney landmarks, however it’d be best to wait for a GWP or discount to make the most of the set.

Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★☆☆

Build [4] – Really fun and enjoyable microscale build with plenty of surprising twists and turns
Real Value [2] – Quite expensive on its own, especially as it’s a LEGO Store exclusive, and the lack of minifigure doesn’t help
Innovation [3] – Great to see LEGO explore fictional landmarks instead of just sticking to vthe parks
Coolness [3] – A great slice of Aladdin in microscale, however a minifigure would’ve made this way cooler
Keepability [4] – Goes great with the Mini Disney Castle, and Haunted Mansion or on its own.

Thanks so much for reading my review of 40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah

40613 Mini Palace of Agrabah is available exclusively from LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store. It’s a great set to trigger the upcoming 40659 Mini Steamboat Willie GWP which will be available from 23 October onwards.

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for an early review!

What do you think of the Mini Palace of Agrabah? Which minifigure would you have liked to be included in this set?

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