Review: 40478 Mini Disney Castle
Posted by CapnRex101,40478 Mini Disney Castle celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of Walt Disney World. This splendid model features tremendous detail and accurate colours, matching 71040 Disney Castle. Various distinctive elements adorn this model, assuring appropriate splendour.
Furthermore, the construction methods appear incredibly intricate, enhancing this creation beyond those of comparable size and integrating unusual parts. An exclusive minifigure accompanies the model too, only increasing its appeal.
Minifigure
Numerous impressive Mickey Mouse minifigures are available, featuring diverse clothing and taking inspiration from various sources. This example somewhat resembles the minifigure from 71040 Disney Castle, featuring a similar jacket and shirt. However, the enormous bow tie is now red, which seems strange because Mickey generally sports a yellow tie at Disney World.
While the torso and decorated legs appear relatively consistent, the head is unique. The mould remains unchanged and looks splendid, although the eyebrows appear distinctive and compare favourably with the original character. Mickey's eyes have also been updated, featuring enlarged pupils when compared with past minifigures.
The Completed Model
Cinderella's magnificent castle has achieved extraordinary renown since 1971 and this design appears immediately recognisable. The dramatic towers and decorative finials look impressive, reaching 21cm in height. However, I think the beautiful colours are more important in achieving fantastic display value, with pearl gold and differing shades of blue complementing these white and light bluish grey walls.
The reverse seems bland by comparison, although this castle is completely enclosed which is excellent. Moreover, the proportions are reasonably accurate when compared with the original castle, while the black display base further improves its appearance. The contrast between the dark base and the vibrant building is exceptionally effective.
While its normal colour scheme has remained fairly consistent since 1971, Cinderella Castle is periodically decorated to celebrate certain occasions. That sometimes involves golden accents, although this concentration of pearl gold appears unusual. Nevertheless, I think the colours are attractive here, beginning across the bridge and continuing under the archway where the raised portcullis is visible.
Removing the upper sections of Cinderella's Castle reveals superb detail concealed inside the central walkway. These colourful areas are inspired by mosaic murals which are situated within the original castle, including a tile that displays Cinderella's elegant glass slippers. This element returns from 43192 Cinderella's Royal Carriage.
The opposite side displays a tile which originally appeared in 71044 Disney Train and Station, portraying 71040 Disney Castle. That is certainly welcome, although including more authentic designs would have been great. However, the difficulty in accessing this limited space is more problematic because the upper section is not designed for easy removal.
Fortunately, the exterior displays even greater detail. Golden crowbars form columns flanking the entrance and binoculars appear on each tower, creating brilliant texture. The printed clock looks wonderful too, matching the depiction from 71040 Disney Castle and including an ornate balcony underneath. The angular roof above the clock also appears accurate.
Technic gears represent superb machicolations beneath the projecting sections of each tower, while the roofs include an interesting trans-opalescent blue shade. I have not encountered the colour before and the three elements present here are new in trans-opalescent blue. Moreover, the arrangement of separate towers corresponds with the source material.
While the reverse lacks the exceptional decoration across the front, the trans-opalescent brown windows appear perfect when compared with the original location. I love the alternating white and pearl gold highlights along the wall as well, especially with a narrow white band making excellent use of rocker bearings underneath. Additional detail above the windows would have been beneficial though.
Trans-clear 1x1 tiles form windows across the front. These are correctly positioned and I am particularly pleased with that situated in front of the angled roof slopes. The primary tower looks fantastic too, consisting almost entirely of pearl gold parts. The adjoining bartizan also appears accurate and I am impressed that the designer has captured such realistic detail at this scale.
Overall
Cinderella's Castle has become an iconic representative of Walt Disney World, so 40478 Mini Disney Castle commemorates this fiftieth anniversary perfectly. Despite the modest scale, this model appears magnificent and features outstanding detail from the original castle, surpassing its larger counterpart in that regard.
Admittedly, the prevalence of pearl gold differs from the source material, but certainly improves the display value, while accessing the internal decoration should have been easier. Additionally, I think the price of £30.99 or $34.99 feels somewhat expensive, although the remarkable quality of this model cannot be overlooked and I am confident that it will prove successful.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group, but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
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58 comments on this article
Those opalescent blue pieces are absolutely beautiful. I kinda like this one better than the big one TBH
What classic Disney fan wouldn’t want this?
It’s a must fit me.
And Cap’n you’re turning into a proper wordsmith :)
Not in the market for this but I LOVE the Architecture-esque character of this and I hope it proves successful and bleeds into other themes. I've said before, I really want to see something like this in the Star Wars theme: display quality architecture at the microscale. Same goes for large format ships, like the 77904 Nebulon. 100% chance they fly off the shelves.
How well timed! I got the large castle at the Lego store in Disneyland and now that I'm going to the park for a second time I can pick up this little one :)
It might be rather expensive for its size, but I imagine for many people it's a more attractive proposition than the full-size one. I love that new blue colour.
This will be going straight in the cart along with 71395 on October 1st!
Looks kinda weak to be honest. But at this price range, it’s OK.
Beautiful! Now we just need all the castle versions in a whole lineup, Paris, Hongkong..etc
This is a definite day one buy; actually have room to display this. Along with the sleigh and the pre-ordered stuff, it's going to be an expensive 10/1.
An aside: Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle was one of the highlights of our family trip!
Yeah, a tad expensive, but it looks nice and the new golden parts definitely will be useful.
This is a great set to display. I plan to get one if I can.
Hoping to get this on 10/1 but I fully expect stock to be an issue.
Lego: "Theres your castle guys!"
The current 50th Anniversary decorations have the castle absolutely festooned with tacky gold elements, so that’s fairly accurate. It’s strange they replicated that and not the pink and blue colour scheme. Which as much I dislike it IRL, would probably look better here.
Have to get this to add to the collection of the castles at different scales with 71040 and the micro version in the attic of 71044.
This looks great, although looking so much like a small Architecture set it is crying out for a name badge.
Minifigure also good but looks a bit silly in front of the castle!
Hoping that nothing else is announced this month because the 1st October shopping list is getting ridiculous!
@Padraig said:
"The current 50th Anniversary decorations have the castle absolutely festooned with tacky gold elements, so that’s fairly accurate. It’s strange they replicated that and not the pink and blue colour scheme. Which as much I dislike it IRL, would probably look better here. "
They could've made the color scheme based off that one time they re-painted the castle to look like a giant birthday cake.
Taking into account the decent minifigure, I think this actually represents pretty good value for money. I'm not a Disney fan, so am a bit undecided as to whether to pick this up for parts (or even my daughter), but it looks good.
I love this set, can't wait to get it. Since it was released under the 50th Anniversary banner, I wish they had included Mickey and Minnie both, and in their new anniversary costumes.
Unlike the 71040 Disney Castle, I can actually afford this one. The 50's style Mickey is also a nice touch, but what I'd give for a Looney Tunes CMF 2...
Might have to get a couple of those heads for custom Morty and Fertie Fieldmouse figures (Mickey's nephews, I believe they originated in the comics)
Looks pretty nice in my opinion! It does feel a tad too expensive, but not wholly unreasonable. The detailing is fantastic though! But is it too much to ask for a Disneyland castle as well? It's so often overlooked...
They should just dual mold the legs to give Mickey shoes, the printed ones look terrible.
I much prefer the big version. This one looks Meh to me in comparison. And even worse value for money than the large one.
Having visited the park many times, I have to say this is a pretty good replication of the real thing, and the special colors they’ve painted the castle with for the 50th celebration look good here. I’m not a huge fan of the new Mickey face though, it looks a little too cartoony for me. But overall, pretty great.
@monkyby87 said:
" I’m not a huge fan of the new Mickey face though, it looks a little too cartoony for me. But overall, pretty great. "
Well he is a cartoon character after all!
@Padraig:
Some color schemes are easier to reproduce than others. How many of those white parts are currently being used in other sets. How many are currently available in a suitable shade of pink? Do they even have one on the current color palette?
I really want the big one, but this looks great as well. As a bonus, with the money I’d save I’d be able to buy tickets to see the real castle, although not enough savings for the entire family. Maybe I’ll buy it, there’s still a handful of Star Wars sets I need to get first.
Meh, I expected most complaints that will be inevitably voiced about it, but I absolutely LOVE this set. Easy to set up on a nook in the 'grown up' part of the house, and a great gift even for non Lego(but Disney) fans. May trigger a new hatched AFOL or two along the way. I spend a ton on the big sets, but love well priced small sets with higher-fidelity(it's been a bit dry at Lego lately). This and Santa's Sleigh have me just as stoked as HP Icons and the Tumbler. Kind of makes up for the rather bleak current Architecture line(not a fan of grinder stadium builds at any price).
I have the large set, and doesn't bother me a bit it's not a color for color match. Now I need a baby Howarts as well to match the big mamma set.
How's it a tad expensive? Almost 600 pieces for $34.99 is a steal, and it's Disney licensed too!
A great model, definitely buying to go with my larger set.
@Yorick said:
"How's it a tad expensive? Almost 600 pieces for $34.99 is a steal, and it's Disney licensed too!"
I think the price feels slightly too expensive in relation to the size of the model, although opinions will vary on that subject. The piece count alone does not always reflect value.
Dang they need to make the Epcot ball next...
@florian00777 said:
"Beautiful! Now we just need all the castle versions in a whole lineup, Paris, Hongkong..etc"
Or we could just appreciate it for what it is and not want it to spin off into a decade-spanning theme to obsess over.
I believe this Mickey is meant to represent the one from the opening day of the Magic Kingdom in 1971.
Same look - eyebrows, red pants and bow tie.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @Yorick said:
"How's it a tad expensive? Almost 600 pieces for $34.99 is a steal, and it's Disney licensed too!"
I think the price feels slightly too expensive in relation to the size of the model, although opinions will vary on that subject. The piece count alone does not always reflect value."
Especially as most of the pieces in this set are very small. The large version has tons of large and very useful pieces, plus loads of interior detail. Sure, not everyone can afford it, but if you can there simply is no comparison. And if you get the large one at a discount, like I did, it really becomes a steal.
@Snazzy101 said:
" @florian00777 said:
"Beautiful! Now we just need all the castle versions in a whole lineup, Paris, Hongkong..etc"
Or we could just appreciate it for what it is and not want it to spin off into a decade-spanning theme to obsess over."
Well, maybe at this scale, Sleeping Beauty's castle could have a go too.
@kevinb120 said:
" @Snazzy101 said:
" @florian00777 said:
"Beautiful! Now we just need all the castle versions in a whole lineup, Paris, Hongkong..etc"
Or we could just appreciate it for what it is and not want it to spin off into a decade-spanning theme to obsess over."
Well, maybe at this scale, Sleeping Beauty's castle could have a go too. "
And then the ice castle from Frozen, and then the castle from Beauty and the Beast, and then the undersea one from The Little Mermaid, and then Rapunzel's tower from Tangled, and then the palace from Mulan, and then Hell Hall from 101 Dalmations, and then Castle DunBroch from Brave, and then Pride Rock from The Lion King because at this point why the hell not.
@Snazzy101:
I just randomly stumbled across a pair of woodgrain-painted Hot Wheels Pizza Planet trucks from the Witch’s hut in Brave this afternoon. By which I guess I mean to say I wish they’d skip the castles and do a Pizza Planet truck series instead.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Snazzy101:
I just randomly stumbled across a pair of woodgrain-painted Hot Wheels Pizza Planet trucks from the Witch’s hut in Brave this afternoon. By which I guess I mean to say I wish they’d skip the castles and do a Pizza Planet truck series instead."
Every time it's an Easter Egg it does look different so why not.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Padraig:
Some color schemes are easier to reproduce than others. How many of those white parts are currently being used in other sets. How many are currently available in a suitable shade of pink? Do they even have one on the current color palette?"
looked like the perfect timing to bring back Paradisa-pink :D
@Snazzy101 said:
" @kevinb120 said:
" @Snazzy101 said:
" @florian00777 said:
"Beautiful! Now we just need all the castle versions in a whole lineup, Paris, Hongkong..etc"
Or we could just appreciate it for what it is and not want it to spin off into a decade-spanning theme to obsess over."
Well, maybe at this scale, Sleeping Beauty's castle could have a go too. "
And then the ice castle from Frozen, and then the castle from Beauty and the Beast, and then the undersea one from The Little Mermaid, and then Rapunzel's tower from Tangled, and then the palace from Mulan, and then Hell Hall from 101 Dalmations, and then Castle DunBroch from Brave, and then Pride Rock from The Lion King because at this point why the hell not. "
We got 3 TV apartment sets this year, so why not.
I'm not a Disney fan so this has minimal appeal from that aspect.
As a build, & a display piece however, this is fantastic & I want it for that alone
@Snazzy101 :
It’s not quite that crazy. The majority of Pixar films use the standard model, including the first three Toy Story films, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Coco, and Soul. In Wall-E, it’s the basic truck with the hood missing, and in Finding Dory it’s sunk in the bay, but in both cases still appears to be the standard model. In Onward it appears to be the standard model with a genre-appropriate name (Pizza Realm). In Toy Story 4, it’s a tattoo, in Brave it’s a small wood carving, in Monsters University it has two rear axles, in Up it’s short and blocky (like Carl), and in The Incredibles it’s Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film. In The Incredibles 2, it’s a more vintage design, with contoured body panels over the headlights. In Luca, it’s a tiny 3-wheeled vehicle. In the Cars trilogy, it’s Todd. And I’m unclear about The Good Dinosaur. I’ve heard it’s a cloud formation, an asteroid, and hidden in the rock formation where they “make their mark”. I’ve never seen a screenshot of the cloud, I can’t make out the asteroid even with it highlighted, and of the two options for the rock formation only one of them looks remotely convincing.
There are other instances of the same model of truck floating around, too. In Toy Story 3, there’s a plain white version in pristine condition, without the camper shell over the bed or the Pizza Planet rocket. I’ve also seen a picture of three alternate deco patterns from pre-production on the first Toy Story film, before they settled on the familiar yellow truck/white camper design.
For my collection, I’ve actually built four versions. The first is now ten years old, which is a 6-wide from Toy Story (Best Earth. Craft, Brickworld Chicago 2011), with Buzz riding shotgun with the pizzas, and Woody taking his chances with the toolbox in back. A couple years later I used much of the same design to make Todd (figuring out how to make eyes on a slopes windshield without stickers was an interesting challenge). Around the same time, I made a little 4-wide that looks like a somewhat chunky Tiny Turbos design. And last year I finally figured out how to make all five of the toys that go joy-riding in Toy Story 2 (plus making some updates to the original design).
Sadly, Todd is the only one that I’ve been able to build with the correct color scheme, as black fenders on a yellow truck bed will leave visible black surfaces in the truck bed (not a problem with the opaque windows on Todd’s camper shell). If I figure out a way to do the toys on the bumper, I plan to make the Toy Story 3 version in the future. I would love to do some of the more unusual designs, but the Brave carving is currently my White Whale. Making a truck with a rocket on top on any solid shade of brown or tan is going to be exceedingly difficult in a small scale, just due to the lack of appropriate parts (brown or tan tires?), and I don’t want to make a giant sculpted version of what is supposed to be a tiny wood carving.
Monsters University has also been a thorn in my side for a while. I remembered seeing some sort of “monster truck” version in MU (MI is just a night scene of the PPT parked next to the trailer from A Bug’s Life). However, I was misremembering that it was a more traditional monster truck, with giant car-crushing tires, when at a quick glance it could almost pass for the standard version (plus I was also thinking maybe it had been Cars-ified, like when they’re watching old Pixar films at the end of the first Cars movie). But I just ran across a page that explained some of the differences that were very obvious on the movie screen, but easy to miss on a TV screen.
I haven’t watched Soul or Luca yet, so I wasn’t aware of the tiny cart version until seeing it on the same page. I could probably also make the Bug’s Life trailer and park a generic version next to it, plus I’m thinking of making the three pre-production color schemes just for kicks.
@PurpleDave said:
" ...about The Good Dinosaur. I’ve heard it’s a cloud formation, an asteroid, and hidden in the rock formation where they “make their mark”. I’ve never seen a screenshot of the cloud, I can’t make out the asteroid even with it highlighted, and of the two options for the rock formation only one of them looks remotely convincing."
https://pixar.fandom.com/wiki/The_Good_Dinosaur_Trivia?file=TheGoodDinosaur-PPT-redcirclepaint.jpg
@DualBoot:
Yeah, that’s the site I found, but I only read the page on the Pizza Planet truck. You really have to zoom way in on that asteroid field to see the PPT-shaped pebble, but that was apparently confirmed by the director. I hadn’t heard that there was a second instance before. Obviously you can see them in multiple shots in the first three Toy Story films because they play important roles in the plots, but the only other film I’d heard had more than one appearance was Inside Out. There’s a vehicle on one of the islands that has been mistakenly identified as the PPT, but official word came out very early on that it appears three times...in memory marbles. That might be the only film where it was never located during the theatrical release. Todd also appears in multiple shots, and Up apparently has three appearances. Mostly they just skip it in to one shot, and it’s not always one where you get a clear view. For Finding Nemo/Dory, you’re looking at it through water so it’s pretty distorted.
@PurpleDave That's a lot of words you used to disagree with me but to ultimately prove my point.
There are more than enough fundamental differences between things like an undersea wreck, a wood carving, and a truck with a face to justify a rather diverse collection of sets.
@Snazzy101:
You said it was different in every movie. I listed seven films that use the same truck with no discernible differences. If they can’t represent the various toys that catch rides in the three Toy Story films, that number jumps to ten. Two more movies have nothing to reproduce, and Todd doesn’t really change for the two Cars sequels. So, besides a basic version, they’ve got nine movie-specific versions to work with (for TGD, I’d skip the rock formation and use the asteroid). If they actually print the logo on the rocket parts, they’ve also got Onward. That’s eleven versions for a total of 24 films. I suppose they could slip a sticker of the tattoo in to chest that number up to twelve.
I did say I’d like to see them do a series, but I’m not holding my breath. In 6-wide scale, I really don’t think they could manage the toys, especially not for the first and third films. Brave and The Good Dinosaur are long shots at best, due to the single-color designs. Wall-E and Finding Dory would each require a small scenic base to look right, which does open up the possibility of doing the Bug’s Life/Monsters Inc trailer scene, but I’d skip trying to make a ton of scenic bases just to work more of the standard designs in. If they did this, I’d expect a basic model tied to the Toy Story films, the distinct redesigns for Cars/Up/Incredibles 2/Luca, maybe the trailer scene as a prestige model, and _maybe_ the Wall-E/Finding Dory wrecks. That’s eight designs, and totally doable.
Since I don’t expect this to happen, I’ll just keep making MOCs. I’ve got three versions covered already. All I need is the toys for TS3 and I can go ahead with that one. I’d really like to make the trailer scene, now that it’s on my mind. Up should be fairly easy. Where things get challenging again is the double-axle design for MU, and getting reference material for Incredibles 2 and Luca. Parts availability probably rules out Brave and TGD. MU really comes down to whether or not I can come up with a solution for the double fender that doesn’t require cutting parts.
@PurpleDave
You're not Tolkien, no one cares about your use of extended verbiage. It impresses no one. It interests no one. I made a broad generalisation - all it required was a single example to prove my assertion wrong. Two, three sentences at most.
I could then apologize, possibly add a few words clarifying my position. Instead I find myself seething in frustration, remembering why I don't interact with anyone on here.
@Snazzy101 said:
"Instead I find myself seething in frustration, remembering why I don't interact with anyone on here."
Just scroll on by.... I'm sure that's what most do. If only it could be automated with some sort of block function!
“However, the enormous bow tie is now red, which seems strange because Mickey generally sports a yellow tie at Disney World.”
This Mickey minifigure is based on the costume that was in use in 1971, which featured an orange bow tie and those distinctive eyebrows. That character costume was in use from 1963 (at Disneyland) until 1978, when Mickey received the facelift that looks much more like today’s version.
See this useful guide:
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey_and_Minnie_Costumes_Through_the_Years
@Snazzy101 said:
" @kevinb120 said:
" @Snazzy101 said:
" @florian00777 said:
"Beautiful! Now we just need all the castle versions in a whole lineup, Paris, Hongkong..etc"
Or we could just appreciate it for what it is and not want it to spin off into a decade-spanning theme to obsess over."
Well, maybe at this scale, Sleeping Beauty's castle could have a go too. "
And then the ice castle from Frozen, and then the castle from Beauty and the Beast, and then the undersea one from The Little Mermaid, and then Rapunzel's tower from Tangled, and then the palace from Mulan, and then Hell Hall from 101 Dalmations, and then Castle DunBroch from Brave, and then Pride Rock from The Lion King because at this point why the hell not. "
You say that as if that's a bad thing, but a lineup of those builds at this scale would be excellent. Lego isn't forcing you to buy it so I don't see why you would have any issue with it.
https://www.insider.com/video-man-walks-in-disney-world-castle-restricted-area-2021-9
Is this in scale with the trophy figs, and is there room to add one on the balcony?
@Snazzy101:
Yeah, that’s probably on you, then. I interact with lots of people here. Some may be like @sjr60, just shaking their fists at the screen and trying to ignore me (as I’m sure many do to him as well). Some thank me for providing information that interests them. Sometimes a debate starts up, runs it’s course, and life carries on without bloodshed. And on rare occasion, I run into someone who feels they have the right to control the way the conversation plays out, and gets torqued out of shape when they discover that’s not true. In fact, I kinda suspect you’ve done this here before, and probably not just with me.
If you post something, people are free to respond to it. You don’t have to respond back. The fact that you choose to do so multiple times, ending with you lashing out at someone else for “doing it wrong” sets you apart from the vast majority of other commenters. Nobody’s forcing you to do it.
Eyebrow Mickey isn't real, he can't hurt you
Eyebrow Mickey:
@PurpleDave said:
"https://www.insider.com/video-man-walks-in-disney-world-castle-restricted-area-2021-9
Is this in scale with the trophy figs, and is there room to add one on the balcony?"
There are two trophy figures inside, but they are too large in relation to the castle.
Hello! It’s curios how I put my Mini Disney Castle on ideas in 2016… and it just got 1600 votes ... Check it out here : https://ideas.lego.com/projects/1467e390-2844-428b-b1f0-d11101a98b8a
And this is the actual build : https://flic.kr/p/2jqRaWK
I hope you guys enjoy!
@CapnRex101:
Well, that’s disappointing...
@DDF72:
If I’ve got the dates right, you posted your project over a month after the release of 71040, which put all Disney park projects on the banned IP list. This is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida and represents the original structure in its current celebration color scheme. Your project is based on the Paris location, which, even if your project had hit 10k and cleared review, they probably would have switched to the Florida version instead.
@PurpleDave said:
You are right Dave! The idea was accepted back then but the following year it did not make it through the cut because of the IP. Paris is the park I visited the most and therefore the one I rendered but I agree Lego would have to go for the original Location. Well, I have my mini castle sitting nicely in my living room!!! And hey, mine is far nicer ; P