Review: 40562 Mystic Witch
Posted by Huw,
In a few days' time another enticing gift with purchase will be available at LEGO.com. 40562 Mystic Witch will be free with purchases over £100 / $100 / €100 from the 14th to the 31st of October.
Unusually for a GWP, it's a 3-in-1 Creator set, and the three models are all loosely Halloween-themed.
Summary
40562 Mystic Witch, 257 pieces.
A fun GWP for the run-up to Halloween
- Colourful and creative
- Great purple parts pack
- The witch's hands are a bit strange
- No details on the backs of the models
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Witch
The sorceress stands about 20cm tall and is attired in a purple dress, which contrasts well with her lime green skin. Black would probably be more typical but would have made for a boring model.
Her waist incorporates a turntable, her elbows and wrists ball joints, and her neck a click hinge, so she can be posed in a number of ways. A technique involving clip hinges mounted at 45 degrees inside the dress has been used to give it a rounded appearance.
Her hands are slightly awkward-looking, though, and the way she's holding her broom, which makes wonderful use of an upside-down bush, looks most unnatural.
There is no detail whatsoever on the back of her torso or head which is understandable, but disappointing.
The click hinge on her neck allows for some interesting poses.
Cat
I've not seen a purple cat in a hat before but nevertheless this alternate model looks delightful!
Once again, it looks better from the front than the back.
With a bit of patience it can be balanced on its hind legs.
Dragon
I wonder if the witch is a shape-shifter, and the cat and this winged-creature are her alternate forms? That would explain why they are both wearing her hat!
Verdict
This year's gifts with purchase have generally been exceptional and, while this one may not be the best, it is still very good. The witch is well-designed and quite unique among LEGO figures. The alternate models are OK too, although they are likely to appeal more to youngsters than to AFOLs.
Nevertheless, it's the perfect GWP for the run-up to Halloween and if you're doing any shopping at LEGO.com in the next two weeks it will be a welcome addition to your basket.
If you're quick, and purchase something between the 14th and 16th of October, you'll receive this and double VIP points.
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36 comments on this article
Wish they’d just sell this as a regular set.
"and the three models are all loosely Halloween-themed."
Loosely?
Inspired by Banjo Kazooie's Gruntilda?
A couple of purple tiles on the back, and maybe a round piece on the back of the head, and the Witch would be perfect.
@Tuzi said:
"Inspired by Banjo Kazooie's Gruntilda?"
Not super likely. Gruntilda is a fairly generic green spooky witch herself, so I think this falls into a similar category of "green and purple go well together for spooky characters".
Very cute little GWP, and a few sale sets cheaper than Amazon at the moment. Tempted, and can keep my 3 31125-1 Fantasy Forest Creatures company!
I like it! Very cute. Not sure if I have $100 worth of sets to get it, though...
@Spike730 said:
""and the three models are all loosely Halloween-themed."
Loosely?"
I don't associate dragons with Halloween. Do you?
@Huw said:
" @Spike730 said:
""and the three models are all loosely Halloween-themed."
Loosely?"
I don't associate dragons with Halloween. Do you?"
Witches and dragons have always gone hand-in-hand over at LEGO for some reason: 6037
This reminds me of Mixels. I miss Mixels
@Slobrojoe said:
"This reminds me of Mixels. I miss Mixels"
Fun fact: Every Mixel is non-binary but presents as male (aside from the show exclusives) which not only makes them LEGO’s first non-binary representation but also means they should’ve been called “Mxels.”
I’m not spending $100 on LEGO for this but I find it kind of funny how there’s a set called “Mystic Witch,” because I know a witch on Discord who is friends with someone named Mystic. Said witch was also meowing on one of her streams, so the cat also makes sense.
Those sure are some high elbows!
What a cute little GWP! The witch on its own would be a fantastic little model, but the fact that it has two alternate models elevates it so much!
@Spike730:
While Halloween is the only time I’d expect to see someone wearing a dragon suit (Piff the Magic Dragon doesn’t count because he’s a real dragon who just looks like a human in a dragon suit), I’ve never seen anyone decorate for Halloween with dragons. An owl would have made more sense, or some sort of undead creature.
I wonder if my LEGO store will have 10497 in stock on Friday? Double VIP points plus this GWP is a better deal than $75 at Walmart, IMO. And maybe the Spooky VIP parts pack will be back in stock- I've been assured thay will get more.
I like this set, though the black 4x6 plate on the witch's back, cat's belly, and dragon's base should have been purple.
@Huw said:
" @Spike730 said:
""and the three models are all loosely Halloween-themed."
Loosely?"
I don't associate dragons with Halloween. Do you?"
In that case it seems to me that the witch transformed into a dragon, so yes. :-)
The best part of this set is the same hat is used in every build.
I've been planning to get 10308 for the family to display this Christmas (yes, I know that's a different holiday, but it worked for Tim Burton) so, I guess the 14th is when I'll be pulling that particular trigger.
@Tuzi said:
"Inspired by Banjo Kazooie's Gruntilda?"
Maybe...
@Tuzi said:
"Inspired by Banjo Kazooie's Gruntilda?"
See I get more of a Maleficent vibe but that might just be because she’s apparently turned into a purplish dragon
"I've not seen a purple cat in a hat before"
Someone get this man some RuneScape.
The dragon is my favorite of the three, and the cat standing up looks like it is dancing. Thanks for this review, it brightened my day and made me laugh.
Julia Donaldson did a pretty good job of combining dragons and witches in Room On The Broom. That may or may not be relevant here...
Hard pass for me on this one, but I hope it brings joy to others.
On the 'loosely Halloween-themed' point.......Surely a cat is for life, not just for Halloween?
@Zackula:
I can do it with some Dr. Seuss and my sunglasses. Custom-tinted lenses, FTW!
@Steve_L18:
Cats, sure. Black cats have long been associated with witchcraft, for reasons that elude me.
I actually like cat best, looks better than rest.
still no edit/// do like design for broom though
@Huw
Piece count? I don't see it here or set detail page. Thanks!
The Mystic Witchc is a 3-in-1 set that has 257 pieces 40562
@StyleCounselor said:
" @Huw
Piece count? I don't see it here or set detail page. Thanks!"
https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/mystic-witch-40562?CMP=AFC-AffiliateUS-LNtsWdwRzsQ-2513819-115554-1
The idea's nice, but the model's meh.
Great to have a 3-in-1 freebie w/purchase.
Free lego always good but the models all are kinda' goofy looking.
Great to get free parts, but to build it, even for kids, I don't know.
@night13flyer said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Huw
Piece count? I don't see it here or set detail page. Thanks!"
https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/mystic-witch-40562?CMP=AFC-AffiliateUS-LNtsWdwRzsQ-2513819-115554-1 "
Thanks! But.that link is outside BS. Can it be trustworthy?
Seriously, no thanks to SnarkyPuppy/ @night13flyer
whom likes to post links rather than answers, the piece count is 257.
JK ;)
I LOVE snarky puppies. It's what the world (and definitely the web) is made of.
I swear, nearly all Lego sets that I want because they're fun and creative turn out to be bloody damn GWPs. I don't know how many I let zoom by because I didn't find enough interesting non-GWP stuff that isn't costing a month's rent.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Spike730:
While Halloween is the only time I’d expect to see someone wearing a dragon suit (Piff the Magic Dragon doesn’t count because he’s a real dragon who just looks like a human in a dragon suit), I’ve never seen anyone decorate for Halloween with dragons. An owl would have made more sense, or some sort of undead creature."
We decorate for Halloween and have two dragons this year. Some of our neighbors have dragons and I have a co-worker that goes all out for Halloween with four dragons. Dragons may not be as popular as witches or skeletons but they are definitely used for Halloween.