NOTE: I purchased the Sandman’s Tower (71477) myself, and this review is not sponsored in any way. I strive to always provide my honest opinion on LEGO® products. If you are curious about how I generate scores in this review, I invite you to read about the True North Bricks rating system.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my first look at a LEGO® Dreamzzz set. I’ve actually owned the Nightmare Shark Ship for quite some time, but it languishes in my pile of unbuilt LEGO® kits. The topic of today’s review is the Sandman’s Tower (71477). I recently picked this set up during a sale at Toys R Us. It was 50% off from their usual marked up price. That made it 45% off from the LEGO® Store price, which is still a great deal.

I’ve been on the fence about buying the Sandman’s Tower. It includes two Minifigures that I am interested in for some of my LEGO®-related side projects. Additionally, the parts selection suits my current MOC projects. However, I didn’t want to spend $120 CAD on it. Especially since one of the characters I’m interested in, the Never Witch, will come in a future set I’m also eyeing. The Toys R Us sale was enough to tip the scales though.

SET SPECIFICS

*Values based on the recommended LEGO® Store price, not the sale price I paid. Read value section for more details.

QUICK REVIEW

FULL REVIEW

---

Value Score Breakdown:

The LEGO® Store sells the Sandman’s Tower for $119.99 CAD. Considering that the set includes 723 pieces, you are looking at $0.17/brick. Since this is my first Dreamzzz set review, I don’t have any theme specific stats to compare that value to. However, compared to LEGO® sets in general, it is on the expensive side. While still acceptable in my mind, I still only give it a score of 71% at full price.

The Sandman’s Tower set does not provide a lot of build time for experienced AFOLs.

Similarly, the build time is not great for a set at this price point. I built the Sandman’s Tower in one hour and 26 minutes. As such, each minute of build time cost me $1.40 CAD. In my opinion, that is pretty bad, earning 54% at full price. You don’t get a lot of build time for $120 here. Averaging this with the cost/brick score gives an overall value grade of 63%.

Of course, I did not pay full price for the Sandman’s Tower. Toys R Us offered it 45% lower than the LEGO® Store price in late June 2024. I paid $64.97 CAD for it. Consequently, I paid $0.09/brick and $0.76/minute of build time. Those earn scores of 98% and 86% respectively. They bring the value score up to 92%. The discount I received on this set is rare. But if you want this set, you should definitely wait for a sale.

---

---

Build Score Breakdown:

The Sandman’s Tower is not a very complicated build. That explains why you don’t get much build time for the price with this set. Advanced builders and AFOLs are unlikely to learn any new techniques here. The most interesting builds for me were the gears sticking out of the sides of the tower, and the little book on the third floor. However, the book needs those studded tiles as covers in my opinion. I also appreciate the simple gear system used to activate the clock hands and spin the hourglass on the roof.

With that said, the Sandman’s Tower does include some interesting pieces. I am particularly fond of the blue foliage elements. I wish the set included more of those. The large, printed clock is also really nice. On top of that, you acquire quite a few gold and white elements if you need those. I am building a MOC with a lot of white right now, so those are most welcome. I don’t know what I’ll use them for, but the decorative gold shell elements on the roof are interesting too.

The only aspect of the build that I didn’t really like was the bird. I’ve never watched the Dreamzzz show, so I don’t know if this creature has any significance to the story. But, I rarely like small, brick-built animals because they lack detail and often come off looking derpy. This bird fits that bill. The bird’s brick count would better serve as additional detail on the tower… like stairs or ladders from one level to the next.

Ultimately, the Sandman’s Tower is not a very sophisticated or complex build. None-the-less, it is enjoyable with some neat and useful parts. Overall, I’d say the experience was fairly average. I rate the build at 80%.

---

---

Minifigure Score Breakdown:

When the LEGO® Group first announced Dreamzzz, I knew the theme itself was not really of interest to me. However, the Minifigure parts and accessories intrigued me. These sets include some interesting characters and accessories. In that regard, the Sandman’s Tower did not disappoint me. I wanted this set for the Sandman and the Never Witch. I can adapt both of those designs for my own projects. However, the accessories in this kit are all wonderful. You get:

Despite representing a story about kids, none of the Minifigures come with stumpy, unmoving legs. I really appreciate that, though I would have been happy with the shorter, moveable legs as well. On top of that, every character comes with a double-sided face, front and back torso printing, and leg printing. These are very detailed characters with very unique parts. I know nothing about the theme, but I still appreciate these characters a lot. In terms of design and accessories, I rate them at 100%.

You also get five Minifigures in this kit, which is actually very good for a set this size. It is about 145 bricks/minifig. On average, a LEGO® set provides me with 200 bricks/minifig. I rate the character count at 91%. Averaging this with the design score gives an overall Minifigure rating of 96%.

---

---

Entertainment Score Breakdown:

I like the Sandman’s Tower. It is a child’s play set and not targeted at adults or even advanced builders. But I like it. I did not put any of the stickers on the set though. Despite enjoying the overall aesthetic, I don’t have use for the set or room to display it. In fact, by the time you are reading this, I have already disassembled the set and sorted the parts out. It was an amusing build though.

There is something dreamlike about the tower with its flowing sand and giant gears. Aspects of it might influence future MOCs I build… if I remember them at the appropriate time. However, I will probably forget about this set. Then someday I’ll stumble across the instruction manual and have an “oh yeah!” moment. I can’t tell you how many sets I have that fall in that category… Since this set was fun but not a keeper, I’ll rate the entertainment value at 85%. I do think it is a little better than average. Additionally, I would have loved this set as a kid.

---

With that said, this set is far too expensive for what you get at the recommended retail price. I got a rare deal on it, and I felt like that was about the right price point for this set. Definitely wait for a sale if you want it. What do you think of the Sandman’s Tower? Or even the Dreamzzz theme for that matter? Should I review more of these sets? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.

Until next time,

-Tom

Want to support True North Bricks?

If you like the content at True North Bricks, please follow on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or TikTok for regular content. Additionally, you can support True North Bricks by making your LEGO® (and other) purchases using the links in the margin to your right. As an affiliate of those retailers, we earn from qualifying purchases. These earnings come at no extra cost to you but help to keep the content at True North Bricks free.