Brickset Bouts: Disney Castle vs An Unexpected Gathering
Posted by Huw,
Welcome to the first bout in our knockout competition to find the best set released since Brickset was founded 20 years ago.
After announcing the top 16 sets from our initial poll last week I contacted people who were willing to advocate for a set in the first round to write something to persuade others to vote for it. I've had 11 responses so far, so the first few bouts can go ahead.
I've now had volunteers come forward for the other five, so we can now complete the first round.
Anyway, on with the first bout then, which is actually number 4: we have 71040 Disney Castle vs 79003 An Unexpected Gathering.
Read what MisterBrickster has to say about 71040 Disney Castle and HandPositions about 79003 An Unexpected Gathering after the break, then cast your vote!
71040 Disney Castle
71040 Disney Castle is the kind of set I could never have imagined would exist as a child – a huge, glorious, intricately detailed recreation of possibly the most iconic fantasy castle in the world!
Towering spires, vaulted ceilings and a detailed interior packed with subtle and not-so-subtle references to the Disney movies of yesteryear.
Constructed to minifigure scale but towering over every other set in my collection, the finished model is huge, instantly recognisable and impossible to miss.
But size alone isn’t enough to make a truly excellent set. The Disney Castle is full of detail and the building experience is a delight. The model is packed with variety, with none of the inevitable repetition of a symmetrical UCS Star Wars set, and there is plenty of unusual parts usage - mudguards, a ship’s wheel and the Witch King’s crown all find a home.
Every segment of the build has something new and delightful to enjoy as the castle slowly takes shape. Not a single one of the castle’s 4,000+ pieces is wasted. The minifigure selection is surprisingly small, but the set honestly doesn't need them - its rooms are so full of character that they can stand on their own.
Like many Lego fans, I buy far more Lego than I can display, so sets are rotated around the limited space. There’s only one that’s afforded the honour of being on permanent display. Even four years later, I can’t walk past without stopping to admire it, and it never fails to delight visitors as they explore its towers and halls and bedrooms.
Lego has produced some stellar models in the last 20 years, but in my opinion, this is the most magical of all.
79003 An Unexpected Gathering
LEGO has produced many sets since the year 2000. One of the best sets among these is 79003 An Unexpected Gathering. It was released in 2012 and retailed for $69.99, or £59.99, an excellent price for a set of this quality.
The set has 650 pieces and 6 minifigures, 5 of whom are exclusive to the set, and are packed with details and accessories.
The Bilbo Baggins minifigure has a torso piece exclusive to the set. He has short brown legs, which represent a Hobbit well. The set also includes dwarves Balin, Dwalin, Bofur and Bombur, as well as Gandalf they Grey. The minifigure selection for this set is the best of the Hobbit sets, and arguably one of the best ever in any set.
The house, being the focus of this set, does not disappoint. There is a wood fence along the front of the house. Stickers representing strips of wood are placed on some of the 1x8 tiles. The house is hidden within a well - designed grassy hill. Green slope bricks of all shapes and sizes surround the windows and door of the house. They form a beautiful shape. The colours of the house contrast well with the green of the hill. One window on the front of the house uses 2x2 turntable base elements to form an elegant design.
The house is built on a very stable base, with dark tan and standard green elements. As the house is built up, it is noticeable that LEGO was very generous to this set. The removable roof uses many green pieces that well represent a curved hill. An element variety that is hard to find nowadays is used in the set, with the walls of the house and the hill using pieces whose shapes only slightly vary in the same colour.
LEGO almost never creates sets with the quality that An Unexpected Gathering contains. Inside of the house is a table for the Hobbit, Dwarves, and Gandalf to sit and eat a variety of LEGO foods, from apples and carrots to chicken legs and bread. It also contains pots, pans, and plates, along with bottles and glasses. Maps of Middle - Earth are provided, for the dwarves to discuss the route of their journey. The Bag End build is excellent, with the usage of fantastic techniques and lovely earthy colours.
LEGO did not let us down with this magnificent set. Containing exclusive minifigures, a wide variety of very well - used parts, along with using excellent LEGO techniques and a quality and dedication that you cannot find in lego nowadays, this set has everything you need to have a fantastic LEGO set. There is nothing in this set that can even remotely disappoint.
79003 An Unexpected Gathering is undoubtedly one of the best sets ever produced by LEGO.
Cast your vote!
Having read the above, which of these two sets do you think should go through to the quarter-final for a chance to be crowned "best set of the millennium" ?
The second bout will be held in a few hours. Voting for this one will remain open until 8am BST Tuesday morning and I will announce the result shortly after.
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71 comments on this article
The only one I own is Unexpected Gathering so it gets my vote! It will be interesting to see if the price of the set plays a role in each voting round. You’d imagine more people have the cheaper set and maybe garner more votes?
Unexpected Gathering.
79003 An Unexpected Gathering for sure , even while it's price apparently was €89,99 here which could be seen as overpriced(but still got discounts), I still prefer the set over the Castle.
I also never understood why some retailers are listing the Castle at €499,99 here, when it's still sold by LEGO themselves for €349,99.
Curse the randomiser who pits my Nr1 and Nr2 picks against each other in the very first duel :p This would have been my ideal finale, but here we are. An Unexpected Gathering it is
I'm gonna have to go with the Disney castle here, for my vote. I don't own either, so that doesn't weigh into my choice; but the castle is high on my wanted list for its incredible detail and spectacular representation of such an iconic location.
Nothing against Unexpected Gathering, which also looks like a really nice set, but... it's just not such a huge stand-out to me, I guess.
An Unexpected Gathering makes my Top 3 favorite sets, if not my Top Favorite set. Definitely deserves that recognition.
I don't own either, I was always tempted to get Unexpected Gathering for the figs, but decided it against it because of the price, I think if someone told me I could only ever buy one of these sets, I would choose the castle, and so that's why it gets my vote as "the best"
It's crazy, when the Disney Castle was announced I was so excited, but never quite pulled the trigger on such a big purchase. Now a few short years later, Disney has severely damaged some of its franchises and tied itself to identity politics and the castle hardly appeals anymore.
Unexpected Gathering just missed out on my top 5, but is also my undisputed piece-for-piece favorite set. It's not far behind other sets that I slightly prefer, but it is substantially smaller and has fewer pieces.
An Unexpected Gathering was priced around 119 here in Aust but then it went on half price sale, likely because the hobbit movies were not as popular as the LOTR. I loved them both. This is one of the best sets they built in the Hobbit line, only Tower of Orthanc was its equal in the LOTR/Hobbit sets. Unfortunately we didnt see alot of stock of the Tower in Aus and I bought it from UK well under the Aussie price. Bring back the LOTR theme please Lego, make it an AFOL oriented theme with large sets every couple of years to finish off the sets we missed, plus a few good battle packs to army build.
Disney Castle for me. Have it but haven't built it yet though, only got it this year and haven't figured out the space to build it yet lol.
Nothing against the other set, just not a fan of all that bright green, or Hobbits! No offense intended to either the colour bright green or any Hobbits that may read this comment after the fact! :P
IMO, I can only see this round going one way. An Unexpected Gathering is amazingly detailed with such a tight amount of pieces. One of LEGO’s best feats ever.
Plus, a lot more AFOLs are into LOTR and The Hobbit than Disney, I would say. Being a TFOL and only reading Tolkien’s books when I was 10 (a few years back), I missed the whole of LEGO’s LOTR/Hobbit waves, which I am gutted about looking back.
I voted for an Unexpected Journey. It’s the smallest set of the 16 semifinalists, but it makes a great display piece nonetheless. Unfortunately I did not get it when it was on store shelves, so I’m currently waiting for a good deal on bricklink or eBay.
I don't own either, and while the Castle is more grand with details and uses lots of small parts to its advantage, Unexpected Gathering is one of the few lego sets that manages to strike a very cozy feeling, as well as being a crucial component of the Hobbit story. Kinda wish they had released modular expansion sets to have the whole house.
79003 An Unexpected Gathering is one of my absolute favorites in my collection. I love the building techniques, from the wall with the big window to the hilltop. The details and minifigs put this set above the rest in the Hobbit theme.
An Unexpected Gathering was the set that ended my dark ages. It's a beautiful set that will always have a place in my heart, so this is an easy vote for me!
Unfortunately, I got back into lego after An Unexpected Gathering was released. I would love to have it but I can't quite justify the exorbitant prices of the secondary market. I may have to try to build one myself.
It's great to have at least one rather small set in the last 16, wish Lego produced more sets of this size and detail, that both play and display well. As for my vote though well I'm not sure yet...
Both sets are wonderful examples of LEGO designing great things that can also go in Cities but, let's be honest as who wouldn't want to have a home similar to Bilbo Baggings own home?
Not an easy choice but also went with Disney Castle. These are just gonna get tougher to choose I have a feeling. But a fun contest, looking forward to see the results!
Its so difficult....... curse the match-ups. Again it goes down to personal connection. I have the Unexpected Gathering, I've watched the films more than once and now my daughter has made me watch them more than once. Its been on display since I built it many years ago. I love the story the minifigs and the set. But IF someone asked m to choose which once I wanted I'd choose the Disney one... which I want but cant justify.
Disney castle is grander and has that wow factor that you don't get often even with very large sets. Hands down disney castle over unexpected gathering.
The Disney Castle obviously
An Unexpected Gathering is one of the top sets on my wish list. Hopefully, LEGO returns to the LOTR and Hobbit series again one day.
850 votes cast so far. It's a close contest at the moment so every vote counts!
4000 pieces and 7 minifigs was disappointing and Made the set soun like a cash grab to me.
650 pieces and 6 minifigs? Yes please.
Both of these sets are sitting right next to each other in our layout. This is so hard! Both are great display pieces, use revolutionary building techniques and have hidden surprises. Total coin flip...
Voted for the Castle, but I really hope MMV clobbers them both.
Of course, 79003! The one thing I would disagree with: "built on a very stable base." Several times the baseplates came apart while building; I wish there was a subfloor that supported the baseplates. But this was my first nominee, and one that I've rebuilt to have a "permanent" display.
Thanks to both MisterBrickster and HandPositions, well done!
Yes, curse the match-up for this one! I have both on display. I absolutely love lord of the rings, but I also love some Disney stuff. It’s such a hard decision for me.
I went for the Disney castle in the end. Surprised myself really. However, I asked myself if I could only keep one of them and sell the other, I would keep the castle. When the Disney castle was announced I was amazed that lego would even do this set. It’s fantastic value for money (many large pieces in the set!), it has a lot of interior space for minifigures and play, it’s really fun with many Easter eggs, the exterior is great, and I loved the building experience.
I know many people are criticising that there are so many large sets in the knockout stages but so what?! They are all fantastic and deserve their places so I’m not sad about the lack of smaller sets.
I vote for An Unexpected Gathering. Such a beautifully done set, with intricate details and lacking nothing you need in an amazing set. However, the vote may be harder for people who enjoy both sets.
I wonder if maybe Unexpected Gathering is one of those sets you have to own to appreciate, because to me it's honestly always looked like a big green loaf of bread! But I know it's a very highly regarded set so maybe I should give it a chance.
Possibly this is going to come down to whether people are more interested in minifigures or the build. I know where I stand!
I remember how amazing An Unexpected Gathering looked the first time I saw it. It's the only time the 2x3 curved brick (6215) has ever genuinely looked good in a set, if you ask me. Man, I wish I had the money at the time...
@MisterBrickster said:
"I wonder if maybe Unexpected Gathering is one of those sets you have to own to appreciate, because to me it's honestly always looked like a big green loaf of bread! But I know it's a very highly regarded set so maybe I should give it a chance.
Possibly this is going to come down to whether people are more interested in minifigures or the build. I know where I stand!"
Both of the sets are beautifully done, I cannot say anything negative about either! They are both so filled with detail and personality, it will be hard for people to decide.
An Unexpected Gathering for me. I own neither, but the Disney Castle is not all that appealing to me as someone who has never cared for Disney beyond SW and Marvel. AUG is a fantastic looking set that I hate I missed out on.
Own and nominated them Disney Castle, it’s absolutely magnificent and love the way it includes many of the well known stories, as a personal plus great memories of building this together with my family.
An Unexpected Gathering remains one of my favourite sets ever...so...that's the vote!
Both model are indeed great, but honestly:
We compare a 350$ set with a 70$ one?
So Disney castle needs to be 5 times as good to compete. :-)
Easy choice: An unexpected gathering!
I don't own either and, at a glance, expected to vote for the Disney Castle. Upon further introspection, it had to be Unexpected Gathering - the minifigs, the level of detail for a "standard production" set, the price point, and the overall care and consideration that set got earned it the vote from me. I certainly wouldn't be upset with either one winning, though.
I not a fan of either and didn't care for either, so neither was a buy for me. I ultimately landed on the castle, as from the front, it was the most appealing.
I really wish they had done Sleeping Beauty's castle from Disneyland (that I grew up going to), that would have EASILY been my vote, but as I don't relate to the Disney World one as much, I didn't get that one. Still an AMAZING set, though.
It’s An Unexpected Gathering for me. They are both amazing, but if I could choose one to buy it would be this one.
Even though I am not a LOTR or Hobbit fan, I do own the Tower of Orthanc (great set). The Unexpected Gathering did not appeal to me, though it is a nice set. My vote goes to the Disney Castle, as it is one of my favorites. Which I splurged on and bought 2 of, just in case I wanted to add on to it. Not looking forwarding to choosing between my next two favorites Parisian Restuarant and Assembly Square, that will be a tough one for me.
Do us a favor, precious, and throw a vote Baggins' way.
Voted for 79003. It’s such a beautiful set in such an affordable package, with a great minifigure selection and intricate build. I always wanted it when it was out and it’s still on my wanted list today.
Looks like this round may be a surprise and one of the biggest set may be eliminated immediately. Voted for Disney Castle, I have not built it yet, but it's the set I'm most excited about.
disney vs non-disney ...
it's easy: always non-disney.
and the lotr set is great!
Disney minifig choice feels... lazy? It's closest to Cinderella castle at disney world, right? No Cinderella, ok... but why Donald and Daisy? Cinderella and the prince or fairy god mother would have made a difference for me.
Also, honestly, huge LOTR fan, not so much all things Disney, even as they buy up every fandom and IP possible... they're like a mouse eared Borg.
Unexpected Gathering is an easy vote for me.
Unexpected Gathering by a landslide! It achieves all the things people praise the Cinderella Castle for (substituting IP-specific characters and features, of course) and does it in a set a fraction of the size. Besides, even if you knew nothing about "Lord of the Rings" or "The Hobbit", you'd still have a fun, unique home for some interesting LEGO inhabitants that would fit in any fantasy-like setting. With the Castle, you're stuck with some weird-looking minifigures and an empty opulence that is little better than a decently-furnished dollhouse. The castle doesn't serve its play purpose as home or defense fortress for royalty or soldiers, respectively. The Hobbit hole, however, certainly does contain all you need for sensible, hours-on-end play.
When I saw the lineup a couple days ago, I immediately started going through my parts collection and started rebuilding An Unexpected Gathering. Im about halfway through now and I remember why I loved this set.
Imo the Disney Castle has no place here in the first place
Huw, if I open this page once on my iPhone and then again on my computer, I am able to vote twice -- even though I am logged in on both with the same account.
Bug or feature? ;-)
Simple no brainer. Disney's castle is a marvellous construction. Gathering is in my opinion just a tick the boxes LOTR-fan-pleasing.
Definitely the hobbit hole!
I really don't see the appeal of 79003 An Unexpected Gathering. It isn't even the best Middle-Earth set IMO. It would be better if it were less squished-looking and included the entire company. The overwhelming number of smooth green pieces do not look accurate to me.
@greenhorn said:
"Huw, if I open this page once on my iPhone and then again on my computer, I am able to vote twice -- even though I am logged in on both with the same account.
Bug or feature? ;-)"
It means you don't need to make the hard decision and make a choice, just vote for both sets! Lol
I own neither, but I have to say Disney Castle wins this. The size difference is huge and the castle is a better set overall. It is easily recognizable. The time taken for designing and techniques involved are in two totally complete level.
I’ve always wanted an unexpected gathering! I went with that, based on its remarkable quality.
Unexpected gathering is one of the great sets that the more you look into, the more you realize how clever it is. Has my vote. I see the Disney castle as a big set with lots of big parts - I don't see a lot of cleverness there, just a big budget.
This is a tough choice--both models are loaded with great little details, several of which only a true fan might notice. In the end, I went with the castle argument, only applied to Bag End: as the writer mentioned, most of us only have so much display space and are forced to rotate models in and out. Bag End has remained on display in my home for as long as I've had it, only being rotated out one month of the year, when my Winter Village sets go up for Christmas season.
@Slithus_Venom said:
"I really don't see the appeal of 79003 An Unexpected Gathering. It isn't even the best Middle-Earth set IMO. It would be better if it were less squished-looking and included the entire company. The overwhelming number of smooth green pieces do not look accurate to me."
Same here. From exterior appearance all those smooth green areas look jarringly unnatural to me. The interior is like most Mos Eisley Cantina sets - too small to do the subject matter justice.
And while the minifigures that come with the set are brilliant, it just seems odd that you don't get the entire company.
So all in all, I just don't get the huge appeal this set seems to have with so many people.
It's OK, but nothing more imho.
I voted on my laptop, then now on my mobile I may vote again? Surely you should only be allowed to vote once? Or wasn't my laptop vote counted?
Unexpected Gathering all the way. Beautiful colours, exquisitely detailed minifigures and a great display piece that just makes you happy.
@Lordmoral:
I'd much prefer having the Hobbit-scaled version over the Human-scaled one. At 6'0", I don't want to be Gandalfing my head on every light fixture and lintel in the place.
@MisterBrickster:
It might be. I thought it looked nice when I bought it, but that and Weathertop were by far the two standout sets in terms of really bringing the movie settings to life.
@tyresoflaherty:
But Cinderella's Castle claims to be the most photographed castle in the world (dissention mostly revolves around whether or not it's a legitimate castle).
@Slithus_Venom:
@AustinPowers:
Like most themes, the goal, ever since they realized how popular minifigs are, is to get you to buy the entire line. And you did have to buy five non-polybag sets from the initial wave to get the full company. Thorin appeared three times, while Kili, Fili, Dwalin, and Balin each appeared twice, but no Dwarf minifig was ever repeated. And there was no way to cheat the system and get them all by buying only four sets once the entire line was released.
For me, it's definitely An Unexpected Gathering. Getting a Hobbit hole (Bag End, no less!) in LEGO form was a dream come true, and LEGO got it absolutely right.
Honestly I think Unexpected Gathering is probably the best set Lego has ever made.
It’s a tough draw for the hobbit hole, I hope it can still pull it out
This has definitely forced me to look at these sets with fresh eyes! Even though I've always loved it, I could see how someone could describe An Unexpected Gathering as a green loaf of bread! Whoever said you might have to have the set to appreciate it may be right; it looks so small and unassuming next to the Treehouse or Hogwarts, but it is truly just a little slice of a fantasy brought to life!
I own both sets, and while An Unexpected Gathering is a fantastic set in its own right, The Disney Castle is just a bit better IMO. I am a fan of larger sets in general, but aside from that, there is just so much detail packed into the Castle. Plus it was a very enjoyable build and its large size meant that that build took quite some time, which is always a plus for me personally.
I only have Unexpected Gathering, however I would love to have the Disney Castle. I’d like to say it’s a money issue, but it really isn’t as I didn’t get back into Lego until long after the LOTR and Hobbit sets were retired. But after getting some LOTR minifigures I was very intrigued. So today I own the entire LOTR and Hobbit line. Certainly buying all these sets cost a lot more than the Disney Castle.
As for Unexpected Gathering, it was a set I nominated. It is the only set that applies to both trilogies, and while it contains only Hobbit minifigures, it also has the fireplace and the book Bilbo and Frodo would write in, along with maps that wouldn’t have been there at the time of the gathering. Besides that, it is a really beautiful set, with some very cool techniques and incredible detail. Furthermore I feel like this set sort of paved the way for the Flintstones set. Is it my favorite from my favorite line? I don’t know, it’s competition includes Tower of Orthanc, Helms Deep, Weathertop, and The Lonely Mountain, but this set competes well with all of those.
Absolutely no offense to those that support Unexpected Gathering, which I think is a fantastic set, but this is the easiest of these early matchups for me to pick with the Disney Castle. The first time I saw this set it really did feel like it possessed the Disney magic. It really is an impressive, beautiful set, and one day I plan to be able to display it myself!