LEGO® Ideas review: 21343 Viking Village

Skål! Today’s set takes us back in time, in terms of both world history and LEGO® history. So raise your horn of mead and toast to the return of the Vikings.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® Ideas 21343 Viking Village
US$129.99/ £124.99/ 139.99€/ AU$209.99
2103 parts
October 2023
Please consider using our affiliate links, we may get a small commission if you purchase: Set 21343 on LEGO.com

When The LEGO Group was developing their first themes back in the 1970s, Vikings were pitched to be the subject of the historical theme, but were denied their glory by LEGO Castle, which launched in 1978. It took until 2005 for LEGO® Vikings to finally land, bringing us 7 playsets and a chess board. Over the following years, Vikings were kept in our consciousness by 3 Collectible Minifigures, and LEGO® Creator 3-in-1 set 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent in 2022. 

Now, in 2023, we land on home soil through LEGO® Ideas set 21343 Viking Village. 

The elements

Recolors

As is usual with (most) LEGO Ideas sets, there are no new molds to be found, but we do get 5 recolors.

• 54x Tile Special 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove in Medium Nougat (6452541 | 35248)
• 8 x Wedge Sloped 45° 2 x 2 Corner in Medium Nougat (6452538 | 13548)
• 4 x Animal / Creature Body Part, Claw with Clip in Reddish Brown (6441774 | 3171)
• 3 x Slope 45° 2 x 1 Triple with Inside Stud Holder is new in Reddish Brown (6452539 | 15571), but has appeared in the 3048c version between 2006 and 2012.
• 3 x Plant, Fern 2 x 3 x 2 in White (6439714 | 2682) is the 6th recolor for this 2023 mold already. It can also be found in 10325 Alpine Lodge, released on the same day as Viking Village.

New prints

The original LEGO Viking sets contained printed dishes as shields, but in this set the warriors carry around the proper shields introduced in 2012 for Captain America and the LEGO® Lord of the Rings sets. There are 2 new prints, and we get 2 of both here; Minifig Shield Round Bowed with Yellow/Dark Green Panels, Gold Dragon (Viking) print in Dark Bluish Gray (6449632 | 104738) and Minifig Shield Round Bowed with Dark Red/Blue Panels, Silver Bird (Viking) print in Dark Bluish Gray (6446939 | 104511). 

The mead or beer is packed in 2 barrels sealed with a newly printed Tile Round 2 x 2 with Dark Red Coiled Serpent print in Medium Nougat (6451322 | 104789). 

The blacksmith wields a hammer showing a copper print of runes (6446943 | 104513). As far as I can find, these are not genuine runes but rather styled versions of the letters b and h; a nod to the fan designer BrickHammer. 

In the village’s entrance we find a rock with a carving of a Dark Red coiled serpents and boat, printed on a Tile Special 2 x 3 Pentagonal in Light Bluish Gray (6449634 | 104740). The buildings in the village are decorated with a Reddish Brown Tile 1 x 4 spotting a Gold version of the serpent, of which we get 6 in this set.

There are no stickers in this set.

Minifigures

The village is inhabited by 4 figures, all bringing newly printed elements. Don’t complain about the horned helmets are not historically accurate: both the fan designer and the set designers acknowledge this in the instruction manual:

“Even though this set does not aspire to depict a realistic Viking Village (for one, I included the 100% fictive horns on the helmets), the inspiration for the project was a combination of my interest in Viking history and nostalgia for a classic 1990s LEGO Vikings set (7018 Viking Ship Challenges the Midgard Serpent).”

- Florian (aka BrickHammer in the LEGO® Ideas community)

(Florian was misquoted here. They meant to say he was inspired by the Viking sets and sets from his youth, the 1990s.)

“Both of Florian's models really express how I imagined Vikings when I was a child. Strong, adventurous and a bit magical!... Although not all the graphics in the final model are historically faithful, they are all heavily inspired by the Viking culture. We wanted the model to inspire storytelling and find a nice balance between history and fiction.”

- Johanna Wurm Jensen, LEGO® Ideas Graphic Designer

On the left:

• Helmet Viking with Side Horn Holes in Titanium Metallic / Pearl Titanium (6391821 | 53450). This helmet was introduced in the original Vikings theme in 2005, but comes here as a recolor.
• New printed head in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6446937 | 104509)
• New printed torso in Olive Green (6460998 | 76382)
• New printed legs in Dark Orange (6451320 | 104787)

Center left:

• New printed head in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6446935 | 104507)
• New printed torso in Black (6460919 | 76382)
• New printed legs in Dark Red (6449631 | 104737)

Center right:

• Recolor for Hair Tail High, Curly in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6454364 | 69857)
• Torso in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6399355 | 76382) has appeared once before in 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent from 2022.
• New printed legs in Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6451321 | 104788)

On the right:

• The same helmet as the figure on the left. The horns on the helmet are not new, but were first found in 2005 in the Vikings theme, as well as some Dino 2010 and Bionicle Playsets sets.
• This is the only fig without a new torso, but instead takes one from 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent from 2022.
• New printed legs in Sand Yellow/ Dark Tan (6449633 | 104739)

Other notable elements 

These elements are not new, but have appeared in just a few sets:

• Wedge Plate 8 x 8 Cut Corner in Dark Azure (6227714 | 30504) has appeared in 1 set in 2018
• Wedge Plate 6 x 6 Cut Corner in Dark Azure (6355722 | 6106) has been seen in 2 sets since 2022
• Plant, Fern 2 x 3 x 2 in Earth Green/ Dark Green (6447541 | 2682) was introduced in August 2023, and marks its 3rd appearance here
• Brick Special 1 x 2 with Groove in Medium Nougat (6325913 | 4216) has appeared in 1 set in 2023
• Cylinder 1 x 5 1/2 with Handle (Friction Cylinder) in Reddish Brown (6446092 | 31509) was introduced last August as well, and makes its 2nd appearance here
• Cylinder 1 x 5 1/2 with Handle (Friction Cylinder) in Reddish Brown (6446092 | 31509) has been seen in 2 other sets.
• Minifig Shield Round Bowed [Plain] in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6139813 | 75902) has only been seen in 2 sets from 2017
• Brick Special 1 x 1 with Scroll with Open Stud in Dark Orange (6429032 | 20310) was introduced in March 2023 in 2 HP sets
• Plant, Pumpkin in Dark Orange (6426472 | 51270) has only been seen in 10314 Dried Flower Centerpiece
• Helmet, Viking was introduced in 2020 for the Viking from 71027 Collectable Minifigures Series 20 in printed form. The plain version in Titanium Metallic / Pearl Titanium (6317230 | 67037) has been spotted in 2 other sets.

Building the village 

The village is made of 3 sections.

The first section is a small building. 

Inside we find a blacksmith constructing weapons and tools. In front of the building stands a nice pine tree and a rune rock.

The blacksmith’s fireplace is connected to bellows. If you pump the bellows, the fire will grow.

The next section contains the Great Hall.

Inside we find a fireplace that is built into the ground, cleverly using sloped bricks to close the sides. Some nice parts usage can be found in the construction of the roof, where a Ninjago neck bracket and sausages are used as roof ornaments. I also like the usage of grille bricks to simulate straw roofing. The Medium Nougat and Tan roof match great with the Reddish Brown and Dark Brown wood, with the Pearl Gold adding extra flavor and a sense of royalty while staying within the Viking vibe.

The final section has the largest footprint and features a walkway, a watchtower and high building.

I love the use of magic wands for hinges on the door, showcasing the versatility of the part. The rock the building stands on hides a cave. I expected a treasure to be found here, but that is probably more fitting in a LEGO® Pirates set. 

Naturally there are barrels of mead to be found, showing the new printed round tiles. Aside from Tile Round 2 x 2 with Bottom Stud Holder with Three Dark Brown Lines Print in Tan (6310499 | 69084) found in a 2020 Super Mario set, I was unable to find any round tiles that can be used as a barrel lid, so I hope we’ll get a version of this tile without the serpent at some point. At the base of the rock fish is dried.

The watchtower is connected to the building behind it by a rope bridge, using the Cable, Flexible 21L with 2 Connectors and Bars (2630) introduced at the start of 2023. It looks great, but I always have trouble fitting the clips straight, so it took some jiggling to get the bridge straight. On the positive side, the remaining crookedness does give it a more life-like look.

The 3 sections of the village are connected, but the presence of angled plates requires a technique using a bar-with-clip inserted in the hollow stud of a SNOT brick (light grey, center left) clipping onto a bar held by headlight bricks. I hadn’t encountered this technique before, but as far as I can find the technique first appeared in 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens from 2021. 

Standard clip and bar connections (such as the ones shown above left in yellow and white, and center right in light gray) don’t line up properly. Alternatively, Technic bricks and an axle can be used (seen on the right in white and yellow), but have some drawbacks depending upon the type of bricks used; round holes mean the sections can slide, while axle holes can hold on too tight. 

With the bar-and-clip connection, the sections are held securely, but can also easily be separated.

Conclusion 

The finished model looks amazing and instantly recognizable as a Viking set. Aside from looking nice, the set is also suitable for play. The roof of the blacksmith and great hall can be taken off, and the backside of the tower can be opened up as well to provide room for scenes to be played out.

As mentioned, the color scheme is fitting; it gives the right vibe. The added specks of snow set the scene in a cold climate without covering up the rest of the colors. The set is a mixture of the 2 versions by the fan designer that made it to 10,000 votes, with the first version being darker with dark tan roofs and the second version popping much more, with yellow grille tiles for the roof and green for the ground. I think the final product is a good mix between the two, although I would add a bit more green myself to give it a sense of spring approaching. But that’s probably because I’m not fond of the dark days of winter.

If you enjoyed this review and are buying 21343 Viking Village from LEGO.com, please consider using our affiliate link, we may get a small commission if you purchase: Set 21343 on LEGO.com
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