Quick look: Insiders reward Grey Castle
Posted by Huw,
This miniature Black Falcons' castle is currently available in the Insiders Rewards Centre in exchange for 2,400 points.
The main attraction is likely to be the finely printed trophy figures, of which there are four.
Summary
6487473 Buildable Grey Castle, 112 pieces.
A mini rendition of a classic castle with excellent trophy figures
- Retains the main features of the original
- None
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The set is a 'yellow box GWP' that are produced in small quantities and not in the normal way. The instruction cover forms the picture at the front of the box and parts are packed in a zip-lock bag rather than a sealed one.
The tiny castle, a miniature version of 6073 Knight's Castle from 1984, is only 8 studs by 6 but is nicely detailed, with masonry bricks, crenellations along the tops of the walls, arrow slits here and there, a red entranceway, printed shields, and drawbridge.
Like the larger version, the sides are hinged to provide access to the interior.
The four trophy figures are finely printed, two broadly replicating Black Falcon soldiers and two sand green ones in civilian garb.
Bear in mind before criticising the printing that they are only 15mm tall and any imperfections magnified by my macro lens are not noticeable to the naked eye at normal viewing distance!
If you have a collection of trophy figures, and I know many of you do, you'll be keen to add these to it, so head on over to the Insiders Rewards Centre to redeem your points while it's still available.
137 likes
52 comments on this article
And those are printed shields too, right? Not stickers?
those little guys are adorable :)
got it, but now i wonder if it was worth my points
Too bad these limited run, made in Billund last minute GWP's don't have any spare parts or we'd get 6 of those nanofigures... P.S. you gotta love those high quality sprue marks.
2400 points calculates to ~$18. Not sure I’d spend that on this set, but it’s still kinda cool.
@Blondie_Wan said:
"And those are printed shields too, right? Not stickers?"
Yes, printed.
I didn't even know this set existed until just now
Very nitpicky question:
In their artwork, it looks like the 2x2 jumper plate/tiles are used underneath the two towers, distinguished by the "lip" at the bottom of the plate. But your image seems NOT to have the small lip.
I think I see both 2x2 jumpers in the baggie of parts photo that you took, but I can't seem to see them in the model you made. It looks like each tower is made of two normal 2x2 plates instead? Is it the photography playing tricks on me? Are the lips of the jumpers modified to be less pronounced or absent? Did you build it with different elements?
DaveE
It literally was never in stock for the US. I queued up before Black Friday along with a bunch of friends, and NONE of us were able to get it.
@Rowia said:
"It literally was never in stock for the US. I queued up before Black Friday along with a bunch of friends, and NONE of us were able to get it."
Have you checked again? I tried early on Friday but it was out of stock, later on Friday it was in stock and I was able to get it.
@davee123
I think I see it at the base of the two towers?
EDIT: Actually, Huw's response below makes sense now that I look at the photos even closer. Disregard what I said then.
@Rowia said:
"It literally was never in stock for the US. I queued up before Black Friday along with a bunch of friends, and NONE of us were able to get it."
It’s there now, I just redeemed it.
Not worth the points IMO.
I don't feel it's worth 2,400 points. You could probably source the pieces for cheaper.
Can we get a side beside comparison with the mini yellow castle.
@davee123 said:
"Very nitpicky question:
In their artwork, it looks like the 2x2 jumper plate/tiles are used underneath the two towers, distinguished by the "lip" at the bottom of the plate. But your image seems NOT to have the small lip.
I think I see both 2x2 jumpers in the baggie of parts photo that you took, but I can't seem to see them in the model you made. It looks like each tower is made of two normal 2x2 plates instead? Is it the photography playing tricks on me? Are the lips of the jumpers modified to be less pronounced or absent? Did you build it with different elements?
DaveE"
I can't believe someone spotted that!
Yes, the set does use two 2x2 tiles with one stud there, but the 3x3 plate above is then held by just one stud, so can rotate. To avoid misalignment while photographing I replaced them with 2x2 plates whose studs fit into the circles on the 3x3 plate's underside.
Is that an illegal connection, which would explain why the other piece was used on the model?
@Huw said:
"Is that an illegal connection, which would explain why the other piece was used on the model?"
100% legal! I would have done the same myself, if I didn't really want the groove of the 2x2 jumper for aesthetic reasons. Probably not for a review though. ;)
Edit: I miss this link 6487473 in the review btw! The jumpers change the look quite a lot actually.
@davee123:
A double jumper would attach to the center of a 3x3 plate, but result in a very fragile connection. A 2x2 plate will plug into the anti-studs, making a stable connection that won’t rotate. In the parts bag, I can clearly make out one double jumper, and the underside of either a second or a 2x2 tile (complete with standard underside groove). In the built model, I see what looks like 4x light-bley 2x2 plates, of which I can only identify one in the bag. So, I’m curious what’s going on there as well, now.
@Rowia:
I’d dozed off by midnight, and it appeared to be sold out when I woke up at 12:30 eastern. I woke up at 8am on Black Friday, and was able to snag a code at that time. It shows “Redeemed” in my account, though, so I can’t tell if they have any codes left.
@daniellesa:
Exclusive printed trophy figs that may never be repeated, and I’d have to actually look up the shields to tell if they’re exclusive or not. If you just want the castle, and don’t mind using different shields, absolutely it could be reproduced, just from the pics posted here.
@Huw said:
"Is that an illegal connection, which would explain why the other piece was used on the model?"
It’s not an illegal technique, at least not that I’m aware of. It’s not exactly intuitive, though, so could be difficult to explain with nothing but top-side, isometric pictogram instructions. I think they’ve done stuff like this in official sets, but only when they can fence in the part so it will only attach in that position. The Speed Champions James Bond car did some fencing techniques to force proper construction around the bumpers.
@tomenadi said:
"got it, but now i wonder if it was worth my points"
FOMO's ugly cousin FOGI (fear of getting it) and dastardly brother FOPFI (fear of paying for it).
Very cute! Though I can't help but think the figures might look better in regular green and blue instead of the existing dark blue and sand green.
@Huw said:
"I can't believe someone spotted that!"
I only noticed because I built one of my own based on the pictures, and thought it was a bit odd that they seemed to include BOTH 2x2 plates AND 2x2 jumpers, rather than just 100% 2x2 plates, which would do the job. Glad to know I wasn't going crazy there!
I also built a version of 6080 King's Castle just for fun, but did exactly what you did, using the 2x2 plates!
DaveE
@Rowia said:
"It literally was never in stock for the US. I queued up before Black Friday along with a bunch of friends, and NONE of us were able to get it."
I was faster/luckier than you. I'm in the USA, and the VIP/Insiders Reward Center was my first stop after waiting in the queue, and I was able to claim my code for the mini castle without any problems.
I then placed an order for the Loop Coaster for 25% off, but just missed the Justifier for 40% off.
Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
@tkatt said:
" @Rowia said:
"It literally was never in stock for the US. I queued up before Black Friday along with a bunch of friends, and NONE of us were able to get it."
Have you checked again? I tried early on Friday but it was out of stock, later on Friday it was in stock and I was able to get it."
I also checked right after midnight, and it was instantly sold out. But I looked a few days later and it was in stock, so I landed one a few days later.
Missed chance to reintroduce the white flag.
6 figs would have been nicer, way to overpriced now
Anyone else still traumatized by those brown flag poles?
I was putting 3816 Glove World together about a month ago and the anti stud section snapped almost in half when I tried to put it on.
Horrific injection point battle pack
I'm very slightly disappointed that it's not designed to be expanded like some of the Castle sets of yore.
I don't know if the original was, and it wouldn't be that hard to modify it, so it's really not an issue, just a thing I noticed.
I am looking forward to making tiny castles in that style.
@MrClassic said:
" @Huw said:
"Is that an illegal connection, which would explain why the other piece was used on the model?"
100% legal! I would have done the same myself, if I didn't really want the groove of the 2x2 jumper for aesthetic reasons."
Yes, I'm sure that's why they were used, to add detail. Looks quite effective along with the brickwork of the rest of the building.
Are the shields a new print or the existing 3846pb055?
@followsclosely said:
"Are the shields a new print or the existing 3846pb055?"
I don’t have this set but going by the pictures they appear to be the existing one.
Looking forward to when Mine comes. Especially since I didn't realize it opens before reading this review.
I would have picked this up but 2400pts ($24 CAD) is a total rip off. For 112 TINY parts this should have been 1200pts max.
@R0Sch said:
"P.S. you gotta love those high quality sprue marks."
Love that sarcasm, for this is something that really irks me too for a while now, and I don't understand the reason why LEGO chose to go that route.
In the past such shoddy sprue marks were a main and distinguishing "feature" of the cheapest of cheap Chinese knockoff brands while LEGO was indeed famous for high quality in that regard. Sprue marks on LEGO pieces were hardly noticeable and or hidden as best as possible, be it on studs or even the inside of a piece. Nowadays many of the pieces that had hidden sprue marks in the past have them out in the open and in a very shoddy finish, just like in this set.
Particularly bad offenders are all kinds of 1 by x tiles, which in the past had their sprue marks on the underside but now have them on the sides, clearly visible, again just like the really cheap Chinese knockoff brands.
The sad truth is that high quality Chinese brands like GoBricks, CaDa or Qman now have better quality bricks than LEGO, especially as far as those hideous sprue marks are concerned. The only edge that LEGO still has over almost all of the competition is in terms of the finish of the top surfaces of tiles, which are (mostly) scratch-free and shiny. But even that is beginning to decline I have noticed recently on some of their latest sets.
@BJNemeth said:
" @Rowia said:
"It literally was never in stock for the US. I queued up before Black Friday along with a bunch of friends, and NONE of us were able to get it."
I was faster/luckier than you. I'm in the USA, and the VIP/Insiders Reward Center was my first stop after waiting in the queue, and I was able to claim my code for the mini castle without any problems.
I then placed an order for the Loop Coaster for 25% off, but just missed the Justifier for 40% off.
Oh well, you win some, you lose some."
Hey, if you are still looking the Justifier is onlyn $100.00 on Walmart.com right now.
6073 Knight’s Castle was the set that got me started on LEGO as a kid. I would love to be able to get my hands on this homage. I imagine that I am going to have to BrickLink it at a premium, though.
Love microscale. But my heart is set on the wonders of the world VIP set. Maybe eventually.
@Binary_Code said:
"Horrific injection point battle pack"
You haven't seen the Eiffel Tower, right? That one will scar you for life. ;)
Not worth the $20 for me, BUT had they made it YELLOW with a RED door!!!!! I would be making extra insider accounts, lol!!! Still have my 375
I would have preferred the Forestmen to be regular green (28 Dark Green) rather than Sand Green, but it's still a nice idea. I wonder if this is this the beginning of a series (with the nano-figs and such)?
@bbalit said:
"Not worth the $20 for me, BUT had they made it YELLOW with a RED door!!!!! I would be making extra insider accounts, lol!!! Still have my 375"
6426244.
@PurpleDave said:
" @bbalit said:
"Not worth the $20 for me, BUT had they made it YELLOW with a RED door!!!!! I would be making extra insider accounts, lol!!! Still have my 375"
6426244."
Thank you :)
My wallet is now $35 lighter, lol!!!
@bbalit:
That was a weird one. It was a Walmart exclusive GWP item (spend $X from a list of approved sets, scan a receipt, and they send it separately). It doesn’t open like the original version, and it comes with terrain that has never been included in any previous version. I’ve got the S23 Knight standing inside, and the S23 Dragon (with red wings) out in front.
Anyways, $35 isn’t bad, given it’s over a year old, but it’s one of those open-front boxes that use the instructions cover as the box art, so MISB doesn’t really hold the same meaning.
Mine just arrived today. I may sub in 2x2 plates for the double-jumpers, due to the obvious stability issues.
@Celldweller said:
"2400 points calculates to ~$18. Not sure I’d spend that on this set, but it’s still kinda cool."
Agree, I saw this when it was announced, but I didn't think it was worth 2400 points for a "micro" castle set. Glad I spent my points on discounts instead.
It's a cool idea to make a set like this, but I'm not THAT into castle that I have to have one. Understand the microfigures are small, but that printing does look pretty "grainy."
I was curious, so I did the math (from the US.) All of the parts except for the micro knights are available through pick-a-brick. The total cost of the 108 parts is $14.76. Then you have to meet the threshold for both bestseller and standard bricks in order to avoid the $10.50 service fee. THEN you might as well add $5 more worth of parts to hit $35 and get free shipping. Might as well just use your points. But here is the parts list as near as I can tell:
Number ---Qt ---Price ---Total
6308012 ---34 ---0.12 ---4.08
6000066 ---12 ---0.14 ---1.68
6206249 ---8 ---0.10 ---0.80
6336539 ---2 ---0.16 ---0.32
6015347 ---2 ---0.12 ---0.24
4211387 ---2 ---0.13 ---0.26
4211389 ---6 ---0.07 ---0.42
4211397 ---2 ---0.09 ---0.18
4211399 ---4 ---0.05 ---0.20
6126082 ---2 ---0.07 ---0.14
6416524 ---4 ---0.27 ---1.08
4211398 ---8 ---0.07 ---0.56
4211568 ---2 ---0.05 ---0.10
4539429 ---2 ---0.27 ---0.54
4211094 ---2 ---0.09 ---0.18
365921 ---1 ---0.12 ---0.12
300521 ---4 ---0.07 ---0.28
4542391 ---1 ---0.08 ---0.08
6363034 ---1 ---0.23 ---0.23
4538252 ---2 ---0.06 ---0.12
6268947 ---2 ---0.21 ---0.42
4243821 ---2 ---0.20 ---0.40
303428 ---1 ---0.25 ---0.25
6335631 ---2 ---1.04 ---2.08
108 14.76
Wow the comments section really does not play well with copy/paste from Excel
" @KeithB said:
Agree, I saw this when it was announced, but I didn't think it was worth 2400 points for a "micro" castle set. Glad I spent my points on discounts instead."
I went with $100 off for the Avengers Tower. Much better lol
@Armstrs:
Aside from justification being wonky, it seems to have done a fair job. The only real problem is the grand totals line, where there’s no placeholder text to keep the costs lined up. Putting piece price, then subtotal price, then quantity, then element ID number would neatly solve that issue. And throw in extra zeros before the smaller prices so they use the same amount of characters.
Pricey, but cute! Grabbed it!
@AustinPowers said:
" @R0Sch said:
"P.S. you gotta love those high quality sprue marks."
Love that sarcasm, for this is something that really irks me too for a while now, and I don't understand the reason why LEGO chose to go that route.
In the past such shoddy sprue marks were a main and distinguishing "feature" of the cheapest of cheap Chinese knockoff brands while LEGO was indeed famous for high quality in that regard. Sprue marks on LEGO pieces were hardly noticeable and or hidden as best as possible, be it on studs or even the inside of a piece. Nowadays many of the pieces that had hidden sprue marks in the past have them out in the open and in a very shoddy finish, just like in this set.
Particularly bad offenders are all kinds of 1 by x tiles, which in the past had their sprue marks on the underside but now have them on the sides, clearly visible, again just like the really cheap Chinese knockoff brands.
The sad truth is that high quality Chinese brands like GoBricks, CaDa or Qman now have better quality bricks than LEGO, especially as far as those hideous sprue marks are concerned. The only edge that LEGO still has over almost all of the competition is in terms of the finish of the top surfaces of tiles, which are (mostly) scratch-free and shiny. But even that is beginning to decline I have noticed recently on some of their latest sets. "
I'm happy to see I'm not the only one out here that has issues with the sprue marks. It's gotten so bad that I go out of my way to try and orient the pieces to expose as few sprue marks as possible in my builds. Unfortunately doesn't always work but it definitely cuts down on a bit of the nightmare that is exposed sprue marks. It would be interesting to learn why it is they've changed the location of sprue placement on such parts.
@CollectorZ:
One issue with the old locations is it often rendered the LEGO logo illegible. It's a minor issue on larger parts, but 1x1 bricks and plates only have one stud to display the logo.