Right from the get-go I knew this would be popular and a GWP I’d need to grab, especially after missing out on all the classic LEGO Castle, Pirates and Space sets due to restarting my interest in LEGO again after leaving it behind in my childhood – a mistake I’ll regret forever.

Not having any of the original classic stuff I have nothing to compare with, I guess you could argue that it’s a standalone set and simply pays homage to its 90s predecessor, or perhaps I am hoping for more and a full theme revival, what do you think LEGO should do with classic Castle, Space, and Pirates?

Once again I built this live over on our Instagram channel, @thebrickpost, if you’d like to watch the whole thing being built please click here. Alternatively read all about it below, in our review!

The Box & Contents:

The set starts off strong with an incredible design on the box, harking back once again to yesteryear. If this set was on store shelves you’ll instantly see it with its bright colourful background, fans of the originals will recognise the band in the top left corner which states the name, number (40567), and theme it’s from. I love that LEGO have kept the exact same style for this GWP, it makes it even more collectable.

Flip the box around and you’ll see some playability shots of the set and Minifigures, including details of its size, it stands 21cm tall by 19cm wide, making it quite impressive once fully built.

Crack it open and slide out the two numbered bags and small instruction booklet. For a set that has 258 pieces it certainly looks and feels less, I think that has something to do with the slightly bigger curved wall sections and the plates, there just doesn’t seem like many parts in each bag.

That being said it is a GWP after all and we can’t expect too much from a free set, although the spend limit was £150, which does seem quite steep to me compared to previous freebies.

The Build:

Cracking open and spilling bag 1 onto the table is all part of the fun and signifies the start of the build experience. Grabbing the instruction manual, turning to page one, and picking up that first LEGO piece, let’s do this!

Bag 1 is the base and lower portion of the Forest Hideout, oh and the two Minifigures, which we’ll look closer at later in the review.

There aren’t to many pieces in the first bag, a couple of green 6×12 rounded plates, black bricks & pieces, a ladder, and some foliage. Below is what the lower portion looks like both open & closed. As you can see there is a weapon clipped to the outside, a spear, which may come in handy if ambushed.

The second and final bag contains considerably more bricks than the first and constructs the first floor of the Hideout and obviously finishes the set.

Popping the pieces into my small building tray I spot some very cool elements, 1×4 light grey masonry bricks and more importantly two Forestmen insignia printed shields. Some thought these might have been stickers but thankfully not, they’re fully printed and truly glorious to behold!

As you build-up the first floor, adding walls, floors and accessories the whole build starts to come together nicely. The ladder we added in bag 1 leads to a small platform inside the tree trunk where presumably the archers can shoot from, although saying this there is quite a substantial hindrance, a whopping great pillar is in the way, positioning a Minifigure is easy but totally obstructed, a slight design flaw in an otherwise sound set.

The addition of the greenery is very welcome and almost a necessity, being a tree and all. I particularly like the way each leaf and branch can be twisted and moved in different directions, allowing for a more overall natural look. There’s nothing I hate more than LEGO trees, especially when I need to MOC one, I am hntter useless, but I do really like this one!

Taking a step back you really appreciate just how well it’s designed, from the small hidden opening at the tree’s base, the ground foliage, the greenery, and of course the tree itself, it all comes together very nicely. It doesn’t take up too much space on the shelf either which is a blessing these days as space it usually a premium.

Even the simple roof looks great, only consisting of a handful of blue pieces that attach to a clip and swings down to cover the gap.

As you can see from the above photo there is a lot to look at, especially on the ground. It wouldn’t be a Forest themed set with a Mushroom, some wild flowers, and a small LEGO tree. The small tree is so cool, I haven’t personally seen one in a set for a long time and started to miss them, it seemed to be a long forgotten piece, which I’m glad is back.

The Minifigures:

The Minifigures are more often than not the center of most AFOLs decision making when debating to get a set or not, here I personally think they take a backseat. Don’t get me wrong they’re cool and look very much the part but it’s the set that makes it worthwhile picking up.

Both Minifigure torsos are identical and sport an updated Forestmen design. The prints are crisp and feature scuff marks, a belt & pouch, fasteners, and a red collar. Sadly the arms and legs are printless but it’s ok, it’s ultimately a free set so we can’t expect the full shabang.

The heads are different, one male and one female, neither have an alternative face. The male has a green Forestmen cap on and comes complete with a quiver, his weapon of choice is the trusty bow & arrow. The female has a dark brown hair piece and is equipped with a sword.

Not being to clued up on the back story of the Forestmen I can’t really comment, I do have a classic Minifigure in my collection that I can compare it too but I don’t quite think he’s the same faction, he also sports a classic LEGO head.

These Minifigures will be added intoy collection and take pride of place as being a hark back to yesteryear and the awesomeness that was LEGO Forestmen!

The Conclusion:

Overall the set has a decent amount of bricks for a GWP (minimum spend of £150), it’s enjoyable to put together and setup the Forestmen Minifigures in various positions.

The real beauty of this set is the retro-ness of it, especially if you had any of the original theme from yesteryear.

Its playability feature is basic but works well, the hinges aow you to open it up and gain access to the inside, where there’s not really a lot of space but, it is for Minifigures after all.

Both Minifigures are cool and share the same torso design. Each having different head gear, a cap & feather and a hair piece.

If you’re a fan of classic LEGO then we highly recommend picking this up, granted the spend limit is high but we’d say it was worth it. The promotion was live at the time of writing this review.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review, I truly appreciate it. Please bookmark the website and check back regularly for the latest LEGO news and reviews!

It is rumored that the GWP set will be returning between 2nd and 14th August, with the same £150 ($150/€150) purchase requirement. This is also great news as the LEGO 90th Anniversary Lion King’s Castle set is due to release around the same time, the perfect combination.

As mentioned earlier this is a rumour and may of course be false, so the decision is yours whether to act on it or not.

The 258 piece Forestmen style set is available from today, 15th June, until 22nd June, while supplies last of course.

This is set to be a very popular set and if its not sold out already I’d be surprised. If you’re heading to your local store please phone ahead first to check stock before making your way there.

As usual there are many other promotions to grab although not quite as good as the Forest Hideout, first up there is the LEGO DUPLO My First Duck with LEGO DUPLO purchases of £40 ($40/€40) again ending 22nd June. Next is a LEGO Animal Free Builds – Make It Yours (30503) polybag with purchases of £40 ($40/€40) until 30th June. Unfortunately both of these polybags are in-store only.

Last but not least there is a LEGO Ninjago 2-in-1 Mini Thunder Raider polybag available with LEGO Ninjago purchases of £40 ($40/€40) until 30th June, this one is both online and in-stores though. 

Official details:

The set is inspired by the classic Forestmen sets of the late 80’s and will feature a brick-built hideout built into a tree, they’ll also be two Minifigures included.

As you can see from the image below the box art is based on LEGOLAND sets around the same era, consisting on a warm yellow sunset background and the title running across the top left corner.

The GWP is speculated to be available next month with a spend limit of around £150 or so, obviously more details are due soon, but until then please enjoy our first look at Forest Hideout (40567) below.