43263 Beauty and the Beast Castle officially announced!

I’ll definitely be picking this up on a double points promo or of there’s a good GWP.

Not sure whether I'm going to get this one or not. My first thought is Lumière needs about 1x1 round under his face as is looks too short.

43196 has more rooms and is only $90.

I will have to pick this up sometime after I clean through the list of retiring soon sets. The price is better than I would have expected for a Disney castle build.

hate the lilac walls— doesn’t fit the enchanted era of the Beast— but otherwise sort of charming.

It seems to be inspired by the Disney Parks one, but it has some issues with the proportions. It looks nothing like the one from the animated movie. I will get it sometime along with 43222 and place them together. It looks pretty great, with amazing details and a nice line of figures. At this time, I don’t see any things to complain about - even the price is great.

Considering the price, they should've made it at least 10cm taller to capture the svelte silhouette of the Castle much better.
As it is out of the box, it feels like those YouTube guys put it on an hydraulic press.
It's worth getting but DEFINITELY needs to be modded...an increasingly common issue with LEGO's sets, it seems...

yes, @MugenLazlo , bigfigs for Gaston and Beast would have been better!! I do like that Gaston fig though. Simple, yet spot-on.
@Worrissey , I agree even a new print of the head to make the eyes more menacing would have gone a long way.
I do like that this is minifig vs minidoll, and yet... they left technic pins on the side to connect with the Disney friends versions. Executed quite nicely, overall.

This looks beautiful and I look forward to seeing how they created the bottom floor features!

The shield over the entrance is stickered :/

Second best Disney set ever. The original Disneyland castle is the best.

Beauty and the Beast is also my favourite Disney Princess movie.

@blogzilly said:
"Gonna wait for the remake this time."

This is the thrid remake of the castle.

On one hand- it looks really nice and has great selection of figures!
On other hand- You have 2,916 pieces set with barrely any place to put figures...

Does Gaston's minion go to the castle in the movie? I only know him from the song and its edits.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
"I do like this set, though most of the towers seem non-functional."

“Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational castle station.”"

Gaston is in trouble, when he arrives.

"Sacre bleu! C'est un piège!"

This has never been the most beautiful of Disney castles nor did Lego a good job of capturing it. And they definitely could have given LeFou medium legs.
Very easy pass.

I was wondering if this is the first time a minifig with dress also gets a mod to allow it to sit?

The interior looks kind of cramped. That limits the playability.

I love how the render makes it look like Gaston & Belle are just waving at each other, like some bizarro alternate universe where they’re friends and that Gaston respects Belle’s autonomy.

@RogueWhistler said:
"Does Gaston's minion go to the castle in the movie? I only know him from the song and its edits."

He's there. Pretty sure he's dealt with by Cogsworth gliding down a banister with a set of shears and stabbing him in the backside

@RogueWhistler said:
"Does Gaston's minion go to the castle in the movie? I only know him from the song and its edits."

Yes.

Not their greatest. Figures are nice, castle looks like a beta for a final product.

Still want backs buildings like this one...
guess a siege of the castle back is out of the question... boo.

Love the set!!! Will buy, and possibly get more than one. My wife's favorite Disney movie and maybe favorite movie of all time. Finally some minifigures we have been wanting! Thanks Lego, and thanks for not pricing this thing $350 or something too high. I'm in!!

@MugenLazlo said:"I’m surprised they didn’t make Beast and Gaston big figs."

That would be overkill. Now, if the torso that Mr' Incredible had in the Lego Incredibles video game was an actual piece, *that* would be perfect.

@CC said:
" @Worrissey said:
"I will say, quite impressive!

the only gripe I would have is that, the graphic design of beast's head looks like its from the Princess theme
looks a bit out of place compared to other minifigures, which might I say, look very good!"

That's because it looks to be the same piece previously used in mini-doll Disney sets."

Minidoll heads attach to a bar connection not a stud like minifig heads. This is a new piece.

This looks absolutely incredible. I’ll definitely be getting this at some point, either at a discount or with 2x VIP points and a GWP. Very impressed with how this turned out.

I’d love to see the Agrabah palace from Aladdin at some point too!

I can finally put all my lavender masonry bricks to use from the Pick and Build wall!

And thnk you for no mini dolls!!!

@TheOtherMike said:
" @MugenLazlo said:"I’m surprised they didn’t make Beast and Gaston big figs."

That would be overkill. Now, if the torso that Mr' Incredible had in the Lego Incredibles video game was an actual piece, *that* would be perfect.

@CC said:
" @Worrissey said:
"I will say, quite impressive!

the only gripe I would have is that, the graphic design of beast's head looks like its from the Princess theme
looks a bit out of place compared to other minifigures, which might I say, look very good!"

That's because it looks to be the same piece previously used in mini-doll Disney sets."

Minidoll heads attach to a bar connection not a stud like minifig heads. This is a new piece."

The Beast head is a mask.

https://brickset.com/parts/6147248/mini-doll-wig-no-2-no-1

@Worrissey said:
"I will say, quite impressive!

the only gripe I would have is that, the graphic design of beast's head looks like its from the Princess theme
looks a bit out of place compared to other minifigures, which might I say, look very good!"

Yes, the design is SO lazy and insulting to Minifigure fans.

For ALL of the previous non-human Disney characters in Minifigure form, Lego has created molded heads/pieces that painstakingly match the original animation design. There are at least 15 examples: Stitch, Robin Hood, Prince John, Cheshire Cat, Pizza Planet Alien, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Dumbo, and Bambi. Even Edna Mode got an animation-accurate, custom-molded head…

…and here, for one of Disney's most iconic characters, they can’t be bothered to do the same?? They simply took the weird, dollified Beast Mini-doll head design, turned it into a mask and stuck it in this $300 set?? So lame

@supervir2 said:
"Really let down by the Beast figure. You look at a Robin Hood, King John, Stitch, Bambi, etc and you see the character - this really misses the mark and after such a long wait. I absolutely expected a different sculpt or painting given how long they’ve waited to release a minifig version and its connection to this bigger set. "

I am so with you! In addition to the ones you mentioned, they've also created animation-accurate molds for Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Dumbo, the Cheshire Cat, the Toy Story Pizza Planet Alien...even Edna Mode got an animation-accurate custom-molded head. So lazy and disappointing that they cut corners on the Beast, and copy-pasted from the Mini-dolls. The brand manager at Disney who oversees the Lego partnership really dropped the ball here.

@Modeltrainman said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @MugenLazlo said:"I’m surprised they didn’t make Beast and Gaston big figs."

That would be overkill. Now, if the torso that Mr' Incredible had in the Lego Incredibles video game was an actual piece, *that* would be perfect.

@CC said:
" @Worrissey said:
"I will say, quite impressive!

the only gripe I would have is that, the graphic design of beast's head looks like its from the Princess theme
looks a bit out of place compared to other minifigures, which might I say, look very good!"

That's because it looks to be the same piece previously used in mini-doll Disney sets."

Minidoll heads attach to a bar connection not a stud like minifig heads. This is a new piece."

The Beast head is a mask."

Ah, I did not realize that.

I see 11 caracters, not 10. The footstool-turned dog included.

@Yooha said:
"I see 11 caracters, not 10. The footstool-turned dog included."

I see 2 =teapot ,cup that seems like 11 to me
is the footstool a character minifig though?

@Maxbricks14 said:
" @blogzilly said:
"Gonna wait for the remake this time."

This is the thrid remake of the castle."

The previous models were quite small though. They did a better job with 43917, so I will also wait for the remake of this set, or save up to buy multiples and moc it.

Does Gaston have triple moulded legs??

@Yooha said:
"I see 11 characters, not 10. The footstool-turned dog included."

Like I said in the image reveal, you also have Wardrobe and Chef Bouche (the stove), though those two might be built into the wall. And then the champagne bottles, plates, and forks that all sing and dance during "Be Our Guest."

@missedoutagain said:
" @Yooha said:
"I see 11 caracters, not 10. The footstool-turned dog included."

I see 2 =teapot ,cup that seems like 11 to me
is the footstool a character minifig though?"

If we're going by Brickset/Bricklink's definition of "minifig," probably not, if https://brickset.com/parts/6422775/dog-no-51doesn't count as one. And, of course, it's nowhere near the official Lego definition. For what I understand are legal reasons, to be a minifig per Lego's definition, it must contain at least two of the following three items: standard head, standard torso assembly, standard legs assembly.

@Solostar said:"Does Gaston have triple moulded legs??"

No, if you look at this image https://images.brickset.com/news/119503_BB5.jpg you can see that he has what look to be dual-molded legs with printing.

I think the Beast head is fine.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @missedoutagain said:
" @Yooha said:
"I see 11 characters, not 10. The footstool-turned dog included."

I see 2 =teapot ,cup that seems like 11 to me
is the footstool a character minifig though?"

If we're going by Brickset/Bricklink's definition of "minifig," probably not, if https://brickset.com/parts/6422775/dog-no-51doesn 't count as one. And, of course, it's nowhere near the official Lego definition. For what I understand are legal reasons, to be a minifig per Lego's definition, it must contain at least two of the following three items: standard head, standard torso assembly, standard legs assembly."

It must be a fuzzy line, because this DOES count as a Bricklink minifig:

https://brickset.com/minifigs/30598pb03/scratch- (4144036)

The statement, "The set also includes 10 beloved characters from the classic film: Belle, the Beast, Gaston, LeFou, and Maurice LEGO Minifigures, along with Lumière, Fifi, Cogsworth, Chip, and Mrs. Potts characters." suggests a difference between minifigs and characters (that can be made from nonstandard parts).

More discussion from 2021 here: https://brickset.com/article/59333/what-is-a-minifigure

Eventually, they will make the sultans palace from Aladdin, and I will be content

@Modeltrainman:
Makes sense, since that allows you to remove the mask and “undo” the curse.

@JasperFitzgerald said:
"For ALL of the previous non-human Disney characters in Minifigure form, Lego has created molded heads/pieces that painstakingly match the original animation design."

That’s a rather complicated statement to make, when you really consider the full range of Disney characters that have minifigs. While the TS3 sets did exactly this, and the Lightyear minifigs were exclusively humans, TS4 had Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bo Peep, and two original characters (all representing toys designed to look like humans, but that aren’t actually humans), plus the CMF Buzz, all of which use standard heads. Maleficent (fairie), Ariel (mermaid), Ursula (octo…thing…monster), Hades (god), Jack Skellington (holiday spirit), Sally (rag doll), and Lock/Shock/Barrel (um…) also used minifig heads. And technically Beast is a human, albeit one who is under a curse. Also, Edna Mode never got a custom-molded head. She got a custom molded hair/glasses combo like TLBM Robin, both of which fit over standard minifig heads.

@BabuBrick:
I knew there was at least one instance of swappable bases for robed characters, but couldn’t think of a specific instance. I do know, however, that there’s a MacGonagal minifig that comes with a skirt base in one set, and legs in another, but is otherwise identical.

@Solostar said:
"Does Gaston have triple moulded legs??"

No, dual-molded in two shades of brown, and painted red for the shirt’s hem. If you zoom in, it’s not even straight across the bottom, and you can see a bit of brown peeking through on the side.

@tne328:
There’s absolutely a difference. TLG had to set a strict definition for what qualifies as a “minifigure” for the purpose of legally defending their trademark. They realized this wouldn’t cover many equivalent characters (C-3PO is legally a minifig with standard legs/torso, while R2-D2 is 0.0% a minifig by the same definition), so they started referring to them as “characters” several years ago, around the time they added the character inset to the box front.

@tne328: How does https://brickset.com/minifigs/30598pb03/scratch- make the line fuzzy? Sure, it obviously doesn't represent a human, but it does represent a creature with enough intelligence to drive a car.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Solostar said:
"Does Gaston have triple moulded legs??"

No, dual-molded in two shades of brown, and painted red for the shirt’s hem. If you zoom in, it’s not even straight across the bottom, and you can see a bit of brown peeking through on the side."

Are you sure that the upper part isn't molded in red? Seems like printed red would be liable to wear off.

@TheOtherMike said:
"Are you sure that the upper part isn't molded in red? Seems like printed red would be liable to wear off."

They’ve printed in all those places before. Upper leg on the hinge bulge, across the belt-line of the hips, and down onto the “codpiece”. Will the paint wear off? Yeah, with enough play, at some point, but even when they print an uneven edge against dual-molding, you can _tell_ that they printed over the weld line between two colors (see any Minion who isn’t wearing blue overalls).

@TheOtherMike said:
" @tne328: How does https://brickset.com/minifigs/30598pb03/scratch- make the line fuzzy? Sure, it obviously doesn't represent a human, but it does represent a creature with enough intelligence to drive a car."
Three non-human characters, each represented by a single piece (so none of them are BL minifigs):
-Dug is NOT a minifig by BL standards
-Scratch IS a minifig by BL standards
-So is Chip a minifig, or not?

The detail on this set is utterly spectacular! It's a pity that it has to be so expensive. I would spring for a smaller model with a similar level of detail but a lower piece count and price point.

I notice that both this and another new Disney set, 60462 use minifigure sets rather than minidolls. Is Lego or Disney trying to move away from minidolls in their IP partnership? Or am I seeing a pattern where none exists? (i.e. 43258 still uses minidolls.)

@BrickAnomie said:
"I notice that both this and another new Disney set, 60462 use minifigure sets rather than minidolls. Is Lego or Disney trying to move away from minidolls in their IP partnership? Or am I seeing a pattern where none exists? (i.e. 43258 still uses minidolls.)"

60462 is a City set, so obviously not the set you meant to reference. That aside, I think you’re missing a more obvious pattern. Disney Princess sets absolutely favor minidolls. But they did large (and small) models of Sleeping Beauty Castle from the original Disneyland CA, Cinderella’s Castle from Walt Disney World FL, and that giant clam set from the live action Little Mermaid that all came with minifigs, which goes back a few years now. Someone mentioned that this is based on the centerpiece castle from Disneyland Tokyo, which puts it right in line with the other two theme park castles. Additionally, the two CMF releases are exclusively minifigs, as they’ve never done a single Collectible Minidoll wave.

They have two different crowds that they’re trying to cater to. One is young girls who got on the princess bandwagon, and the other is adult Disney-philes who may not be as drawn to minidolls. Further complicating things, all the core Disney characters (like Mickey) may not be approved to produce as minidolls, plus they’d have had to make several new head molds if they ever wanted to go that route. I think the days of sets like 43197 coming with minidolls might be over, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to switch over to minifigs for the main Disney Princess theme.