LEGO® Disney™ set review: 43222 Disney Castle

The Walt Disney World® Resort Cinderella Castle received a paint job for the 50th anniversary of the park, changing the color scheme. This means the 2016 LEGO set 71040 Disney Castle is in need of an update. We've already taken a look at the new elements found in that update: 43222 Disney Castle, and today, my SO will be building the set to find all the hidden details.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® Disney™ 43222 Disney Castle
£344.99/ €399.99/ US$399.99/ CN￥3299.0/ CA$519.99/ AU$599.99
4837 parts
July 2023
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The Inhabitants

No Mickey, Donald or other animals to be found in the castle: this castle is inhabited by Disney Princesses and their partner, some of which are all new in minifig form.

Let it go: Tangled is the better movie, so I’m happy to find Rapunzel and Flynn Rider making their first appearances as minifigs after a couple of Minidoll versions. Both show a new printed head, torso and legs. Rapunzel’s Hair Long, Thick Braid in Cool Yellow/ Bright Light Yellow (6416303 | 3201) was introduced in the January 2023 wave of sets, and appeared in 2 sets so far. Flynn’s Hair Short Wavy with Center Part in Dark Brown (6331108 | 26139) has been spotted in 3 previous sets.

Tiana did not receive a new figure, but identical to the version in 71038 Disney 100 CMF. Prince Naveen has not been seen in LEGO form before and comes with recolors for the Cape in Bright Light Yellow (6440196 | 50231) and Epaulette in Bright Light Yellow (6446193 | 2526), as well as a new printed head and torso.

Snow White has been seen as Minidoll, and appears for the first time as Minifigure here. Her hair is the same as the Minidoll versions, but her head, torso and legs feature new prints, and as far as I can find her collar in White (644853) is a new shaped cloth. Prince Florian is all new to LEGO, with a recolor for his Cape in Dark Red (6440195 | 50231) and a new printed torso and legs. His Reddish Brown hair and Light Nougat head are pretty common though.

According to Rebrickable, there have been 14 different versions of Cinderella (including 2 Duplo figures), found in 21 different sets. This is however her first introduction as a Minifigure. She wears a new hair piece with Bright Light Blue Band in Bright Light Yellow (6416359), and her head, torso and legs have a new print. Prince Charming (real name Henri according to a French TV commercial for the Blu-ray release of Cinderella) is also new in Minifigure form after appearing as a Minidoll multiple times. His torso and legs show a new print, but his head has appeared previously in HP sets and his hair has shown up on his Minidoll alter-ego last year.

Let the Magic Happen

For the build, I have (been made to) hand over the set to my Significant Other who’s been dreaming of building the original castle for years. Seeing as she has built far fewer sets than me, especially such large ones, her conclusions on the build experience might be more relevant to casual LEGO builders. 

The build is spread out over 25 stages, with some stages getting multiple bags with the same number – an approach I thought had been phased out for a while now.

The base is made up out of LEGO Technic frames, covered with a layer of plates. The 2 black squares in the front of the building are turntables, on which the first towers will be placed.

The ground floor consists of 2 walls, and we start off with the Light Nougat inner walls. Most of the walls are made up out of frames with stickered windows, showing off the princesses. You can see a splash gear sticking out of the backside. If you turn it, the White/LBG/Pearl Gold circle in the floor rotates, simulating a dancing couple.

The floor is covered up with a ceiling, and we move to the Sand Blue outer wall. starting with the center gate which features a lot of Pearl Gold details. For some reason, the Tile Round Macaroni 4 x 4 here are Metallic Gold, which sticks out very ugly between all the Pearl Gold. I’m not sure if this is intentional or if something went wrong at the filling station, as the parts seem to be Pearl Gold in the instructions, and are listed amidst the other Pearl Gold elements in the inventory found in the back of the manual. Whatever the reason, these will be replaced soon.

On either side of the gate comes a wall with towers. The walls are mostly made out of the large panels, but with the amount of detailing it doesn’t feel ‘blocky’. The walls are attached to the main build by a single turntable.

The towers are littered with clever SNOT techniques to create a lot of detail in the round structure.

And with most of the Sand Blue parts used up, the ground floor is ready. And already, we have a beast of a model.

A lot of Disney movie references can be found. Can you spot them all?

The top of the castle is mostly made of Light Nougat, with Pearl Gold details. This section is built separately from the ground floor, and placed once it’s entirely finished.

The lower half shows many movie references as well. Some of them take more effort to spot, like an apple hidden behind a window and a classic camera and sketch of Mickey Mouse hidden under a tower. I do wonder what the Flat Silver magic wand refers too?

The sleek, highest tower is the last part of the build. Those claws are a pain to place and line up, but the end result is stunning.

Inside we find a spinning wheel that can rotate to show the curse taking effect, the mirror on the wall and a glass shoe.

The finished top section doesn’t fit in the photo booth anymore, and it still needs to be placed on top of the ground floor. Time to move outside for more space.

Conclusion

First, I’ll let my SO describe her feelings about the build experience:

“This is an incredible build! Despite the layout being similar to the original set, the updated color scheme and new parts create a whole new look and feel. As a Disney fan I’m very happy (and emotional) to build this set. As a little girl I’ve been dreaming away watching the VHS tapes, escaping from the world. As a grown-up I can see parallels to real life and can still enjoy the movies and songs, so this set fits me perfectly.

I’m not used to building large sets but the steps are easy to follow, so as an ‘amateur’ it’s a great experience to see the castle grow. I’ve enjoyed winding down in the evenings after busy days and retreating into the Disney world. The build alternated between raising the castle and adding details, creating enough variation to stay engaged. The many references to the movies were a trip through memory lane, and I’ve searched for the songs to listen to while building.

There are some minor issues to mention as well: Mrs. Potts can be found in the set, but unfortunately they didn’t included the Equipment Cup / Teacup with Face and Crack Print (6288534 | 66853) for Chip, but instead used a plain version. Behind the tower on the right in the photo below, I would expect the wall to continue. Instead, it is all open for some reason. I’ll probably end up ordering some additional parts to fill it up. Moving the beast around can be tricky as well. The instruction manual suggests placing your hand underneath while lifting, which seems to be the best way. I would advise to take the Light Nougat top section off first. It's easy to remove, and also easy to fall off.”

On to the New Elementary aspect of the set, I'll repeat what I said in the Part Review: What a parts pack! Not counting the minifigs, we get 20 recolors, 5 new prints (of which one on a recolor) and the return of some long-gone elements in Blue. The overload of Light Nougat and Sand Blue provide a lot of new options for buildings, and there is more Pearl Gold than Scrooge McDuck can handle. Of course, it does come in a box priced at $399.99 / €399.99 / £344.99, so it will require an investment to obtain them if you can’t wait until B&P finally adds the new elements. Which new elements are you most excited for?

READ MORE:  LEGO® Disney™ parts review: 43222 Disney Castle

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