Well after visiting the technologically advanced, futuristically styled world of Ninjago City, it’s time to venture in the complete opposite direction! All the way back to medieval times. Where instead of laser beams and neon signs, we’ve got good old fashioned swords, axes and bows and arrows - all lit by the warm glow of fiery coals.
We’re of course referring to LEGO’s latest IDEAS release, the Medieval Blacksmith 21325! The fan voted series always produces great sets, but this one in particular has really taken our fancy!
We first noticed a much more intensely detailed version of the set, posted by fan designer Clemens Fiedler online a while ago. We’re so thrilled at the collaborative result between Clemens and the LEGO designers, because the finished set is perhaps somewhere between an advanced MOC creators build and a Classic Castle LEGO set that older LMB fans will no doubt pick up on. The perfect mix!
A great all round size of 27cm high and wide and 21cm deep makes it perfect for display, while the piece count clocking in at 2164 means that this is an enjoyable but not overly time consuming build.
Don’t let its size fool you however! This set is absolutely packed with detail and will keep any experience level builder engaged for hours. We particularly love the throwback details of the original Castle LEGO shields and crests! A genius way to pay respect to the classics in a modern set!
When it came to lighting the Medieval Blacksmith it was very important to take into account the economy of component. To really achieve the warm, authentic feeling of a middle-aged building our designers really had to stop themselves from over lighting the set. This meant holding back from lighting every single detail included in the buildings interior (and there is a lot!) as well as utilising more ‘spot light’ techniques on the exterior. This was all especially evident after just having completed work on the Ninjago City Gardens! A light kit that just screamed rainbow neon lights in every corner!
Once more in contrast to the recent Ninjago City Gardens, was the question of multi-tiered builds and the use of our Wireless Connectors. Those of you familiar with our previous release will know that while the City Gardens certainly qualified as multi-tiered (and then some!) we ultimately opted not to incorporate wireless connectors as it would have sent both the price and complexity of the kit through the roof.
The Medieval Blacksmith on the other hand is the perfect set to utilise these innovative components! It’s detailed, yet straight forward, square design meant that only a handful are needed and that they could be easily connected and disconnected in a straight forward manner. This makes for a great combination of creased display options while still retaining playability.
Of course a major highlight of the set are those coals glowing away in the blacksmith's forge! We removed the light brick provided by LEGO, which is fun in its own way in terms of interactivity, but we of course had to take lighting to the next level!
One final detail to point out is the lighting of the anvil. Our designers always love to come across an opportunity to experiment with a new or interesting lighting technique and here, placing a bit light underneath the solid/opaque LEGO piece resulted in the happy accident of creating a totally authentic glowing metal ‘hot spot’! We couldn’t believe our luck.
There you have it, one more amazing fan designed LEGO IDEAS set that we had a total blast lighting up! We wonder what set the fans will vote for next?