Introduction:

The Viking Village was released back in October 2023. 80s/90s LEGO fans have been lucky in recent years with Castle, Pirates and Space sets all having classic sets released and it’s great that we see Vikings getting in on the act too. Interesting Florian (the fan designer) was not inspired by the classic Viking sets but by University reading. The set has an interesting journey to becoming a set as it reached 10,000 votes back in 2020 but wasn’t picked, not to be deterred Florian resubmitted it and in 2022 it again reached support but wasn’t picked. Luckily for us though it was one of three Ideas picked for the Target Fan Vote and was the winning entry.

This set probably wins best value 2023 set as it costs £124.99 for 2,103 pieces and no that is not a typo. Which is an amazing deal when you consider what you would normally pay for a set over 2,000 pieces. Also, the news that many fans like to hear that there is not a single sticker in this set!

Build:

The build is actually split into three sections but there is only one instruction book, considering other 2023 Ideas sets have included multiple instructions when they’re split into sections like the A-Frame Cabin and Insects, it’s a shame that three instruction books weren’t included. This would have allowed a group to build their sections separately and join them together at the end.

The builds are three very different sections and each show different aspects of Viking culture. Each section is unique and uses different building techniques, I especially liked the roofs to the two builds which come off so you can look at them more closely. The steps leading up to the tower make great use of SNOT (studs not on top) building techniques. I liked how simple and effective the rope bridge is.

There are a couple of trees for the set and I especially liked the one next to the Blacksmith which uses techniques that I haven’t seen before. The doors to the watchtower make great use of wands to create the hinges on the outside.

As I have said before there are no stickers but several pieces are printed like Thor’s Hammer and the 1×4 tiles that have been decorated with serpents.

Minifigures:

The set includes 4 Minifigures, which all have printed torsos and legs, which is always a bonus and great considering the value of the set. A couple of the torso’s are reused from the Creator Viking Ship that recently retired.

We get two male and female Vikings and one of the females has a reversible head.

One criticism I would have of the set is that considering it is meant to be a village it does look a little empty with just 4 Minifigures and think we could do with a couple more to bring it to life. I guess you can always grab a couple off extra minifigures off eBay or Bricklink.

Cost:

As I said at the start for me this set wins best value 2023 set and you won’t find many other sets with over 2,000 pieces at £124.99.

Display:

Once completed the set looks fantastic on display with all the different colours used to bring it to life. The designers have done a great job of packing lots in but not making the set too big so it’s difficult to have space to display it.

There’s also a neat little play feature in the Blacksmith area to give the illusion of the flames in the forge moving up and down.

People might want to combine with the Creator Viking Ship and Midgard Serpent which recently retired. Both to get some extra Minifigures and a ship to go with the set. Although one issue with adding the ship is that the colours on the ship won’t match the village so will need to be modified to blend in properly.

Overall:

This is a fantastic set that everyone will love and at that price you won’t find a better value set. The set is also being sold at John Lewis and just before Christmas I saw it being sold for under £100 so you might want to grab yourself an even better bargain. Please head down the page to see my ratings, this set scores highly in most areas and rightly so!

Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the LEGO Ideas Viking Village (21343). Please use the comments section below to ask any questions you have about it, I’ll try my best to answer them.

After a very unconventional reveal via a French retailer, the next LEGO Ideas set is centred on Vikings and their rather cool looking village. The 2103 piece set features some great architecture and building techniques, it also comes packed with a merry bunch of Viking Minifigures.

The set is now available to pre-order in all regions, apart from the APAC region. It drops in-stores and online 1st October. 

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/viking-village-21343

Containing 2103pcs the set will sell for €139.99 with prices for other regions yet to be confirmed. The set will be released on October 1st. The price per piece seems rather good, although I wouldn’t be surprised if this is caused by having a lot of small pieces.

If I’m honest it looks a lot smaller than other 2000+ part sets. I do like there’s quite a bit of brick built landscaping with slopes for rocks etc. It should provide a nice building experience and teach a few tricks on how to create some rough terrain without using ugly rock pieces.

The final design of the set is rather faithful to the original fan design by Brickhammer on LEGO Ideas.  It would also be a great addition to the current Creator 3-in-1  31132 viking ship set.

So what do you think of this set? Does it appeal to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Official details:

Step back in time as you build and explore this richly detailed LEGO Ideas The Viking Village (21343) adult building kit to discover and explore.

An ideal gift for history buffs, the LEGO Medieval Village comes in 3 buildable sections with a forge, longhouse and watchtower, plus LEGO Viking minifigures of blacksmith, chieftain, warrior and warrior. archer to bring the scene to life. Check out features of this great LEGO set, like the blacksmith’s forge with flame function, shields adorned with 2 ravens and 2 wolves of Odin, chief’s throne, a bridge to the watchtower and a cave to the extraction of minerals. And don’t forget the brick-built references to classic LEGO Vikings sets. Instructions are in the box and on the LEGO Builder app to guide you through every step of the witty creative experience.

LEGO construction kits for adults are a carefully selected collection with top quality models. Whatever your passion, there is a construction project waiting for you. This adult model building kit makes a great gift for men and women, history buffs and LEGO collectors.

Buildable Viking Village model features 3 connectable sections and measures over 9” (24cm) high, 18” (46cm) wide and 10” (26cm) deep.

• Contains 2,103 pieces.
• This 2,103-piece LEGO Ideas Viking Village building kit for adults includes connectable farmhouse, forge and watchtower models.
• The forge and longhouse have removable roofs and the watchtower has a removable wall and the interiors contain references to classic LEGO Viking sets.
• Features a flame-spitting forge, carved stone, shields with Odin’s two ravens and two wolves, chief’s throne, bridge and cave.
• Features a blacksmith, leader, warrior and archer, plus weapons including multiple shields, brush, hammer, sword, spear, goblet, bow and arrow.
• Comes with an illustrated booklet featuring discussions with the set’s designer and LEGO designers, plus detailed building instructions.
• This big LEGO set for adults comes with 3 sections to combine and measures 24cm high, 46cm wide and 26cm deep, making it a great centerpiece for your home.
• Treat yourself or give this great medieval village building set as a birthday present, Christmas present for men, women or medieval history lovers.