LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle Review

The £309.99 LEGO Disney Castle isn’t going to suit everyone’s budgets. And for that reason, LEGO has released a miniature version. The iconic Disney Castle now comes in a smaller, 567-piece version. And it has a much more palatable price tag of £30.99. But is it worth adding to your collection? We think so. Read our review for more information.

What’s in the box?

Inside the box of LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle you’ll find a nicely-bound A5 instruction booklet, along with four sets of numbered bags.

The instruction booklet fits neatly inside the box – unlike other sets of a similar size, it’s unlikely to get bend and folded amongst the bags, which is nice. It opens up with a lovely introduction to the LEGO model, and the actual Disney Cinderella castle it’s based on.

The build

It’s somewhat unusual for a smallish build to be split between so many bags, but in the case of LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle, it works. This is on a similar scale to a LEGO Architecture set. And so despite being a fairly small build – the finish model measures 21cm x 14cm x 13cm – it’s made up of lots of small pieces.

The build itself is methodical. Unsurprisingly, you’ll start with the foundations of the castle before making your way upwards. The last set of bags, numbered four, is mostly concerns with adding the finishing details: the golden trim, the blue turrets. It’s not until this stage that the grandeur of the set really comes into focus.

You’ll spend around an hour to 90 minutes building the Mini Disney Castle, depending how competent you are. It may be small, but there are lots of fiddly pieces and a surprising amount of detail to put in. There are some fun touches, including a brick printed to look like the box of the larger Disney Castle. There’s also Cinderella’s shoe.

What’s especially neat is that this really does look like a shrunken-down version of the larger set. Despite its small size it really looks the part, and it’s unmistakable as the iconic Disney castle. Sure, it’s somewhat dwarfed in scale by the included Mickey Mouse minifigure, but his inclusion is a nice touch.

Play or display?

Despite being marketed for those aged 12 and over, there isn’t much playability in LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle. As we’ve mentioned, it’s similar in size and scope to a LEGO Architecture set. It’s solely a display set. It’s not minifigure scale, and the different levels aren’t designed to come apart to look inside. You can peer through the tiny doorway, but it’s hard to see much once it’s put together.

Value for money?

At a tenth of the price of LEGO’s huge Disney Castle, it’s hard to question the value of LEGO 40478 Mini Disney Castle. This is, after all, a truly stunning building. And one that’s recognised by almost everyone: what Disney fan wouldn’t want the Disney Castle in their homes? Of course, the larger one may be a more attractive prospect, but we don’t all have £309.99 to spare – or enough room in our houses to display an almost-metre tall set. For those people, the Mini Disney Castle is perfect. It’s just as eye-catching, just on a smaller scale. And its piece count vs price feels just right for us, particularly considering the Disney license.

If you like Disney, you really can’t go wrong adding this to your collection. It’s a wonderful little set that’s fun to build and a pleasure to display once it’s finished.