NOTE: I purchased the Viking Village (21343) 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 TO VIKING VILLAGE (21343)

I missed out on the original Vikings theme. Its official run went from August 2005 through December 2007. I was well into my dark ages at that point, and I didn’t emerge until seven years after the theme retired. Coming from northern Europe, Vikings sets strike a chord with me. Though my native Finland was not a Viking nation, there are similarities in mythology. As such, acquiring the Viking Village (21343) set was a must for me. I recently reviewed the Creator Viking Ship and I have big plans for both of these sets. Let’s delve into the Viking Village and see if I liked it as much as the ship.

VIKING VILLAGE (21343) SPECIFICS

QUICK REVIEW OF VIKING VILLAGE (21343)

FULL REVIEW OF VIKING VILLAGE (21343)

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Value Score Breakdown:

The Viking Village costs about $170 in Canada. Since it comes with 2103 bricks, the cost/brick works out to $0.081. That is an excellent value in this day and age. It feels like adult-oriented sets coming in at under $0.10/brick are a rarity. $0.08/brick is lower than both my averages for the Ideas theme and LEGO® sets in general. It is not the best value Ideas set I have ever seen, but it is close. I rate the cost/brick at 98%.

I can’t complain about the value of the Viking Village set.

The Viking Village took me an even five hours to build. At full price, each minute of build time cost me $0.57 CAD. For an Ideas set, that is a pretty good build time value. The set fares even better when compared to LEGO® sets in general. Considering both comparisons, I rate the build time at 94%. I really can’t complain about the value of the Viking Village at all. Overall, this set earns a value of 96%.

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Build Score Breakdown:

One build feature comes to mind first when I reflect on the Viking Village: the base attachments. The set comes together in three separate sections. The blacksmith sits on one, the longhouse on the second, and the lookout tower/bridge on the third. Rather than using Technic bricks and pins, the kit employs “stick with holder” elements that clip onto shafts.

The idea is a clever one. The typical Technic pin system does not work because of the angling of the base structures. With that said, the stability is not as good as with the usual pin system. The execution of the rod structures also lacks the finesse I’m used to seeing with LEGO® instructions. While I am not sure the technique qualifies as “illegal”, the rods jutting out of the angular bricks doesn’t look professional. Of course, you don’t actually see these structures when the model is complete, so it is not a big deal. I will also reuse this technique if the need ever arises in a MOC. But, if I had come up with this method, it would make me feel like I had cheated somehow in the creation of a custom build.

Is it just me, or is this technique a little odd for an official LEGO® set?

I am also not a huge fan of the roofing technique. With the gorgeous thatch roofing we see in sets like Snow White’s Cottage and the Lion Knights’ Castle, the Viking Village falls flat. It is an 18+ set, it deserves better. Even the Disney Princess Asha’s Cottage set has a nicer roof. I will definitely improve upon this design before I display this set anywhere.

Otherwise, my complaints about the set are small… literally. Everything is too small. The long house is nowhere near large enough to accommodate even the small number of Minifigures included in the set. It is more of a storehouse or individual dwelling. The tower’s interior spaces don’t allow Minifigures to live in it either. It is also too small for it to be made modular, so designers made the back wall removable to allow interior access. I do appreciate that effort though, since I dislike open-backed designs.

Small, but not devoid of merit.

So, what did I like about the Viking Village? Despite being too small, I like the overall look of the set and layout. With a few tweaks, the Viking Village could be a beautiful display. I especially love the stairs carved into the rock face leading up to the tower. Additionally, the rope bridge is one of the better designs I’ve seen from the LEGO® Group… but I think I still like the one from Ninjago’s Master Falls more.

Though not unique to this set, I also appreciate the use of upside down fern elements to make a conifer. I like to learn how to build trees, and this is a simple but effective design. The ale barrels with the printed Viking emblems on them are a nice touch too… I just wish they were incorporated into the build a little more nicely. As it is, they feel thrown in as an afterthought.

Ultimately, I like the Viking Village (21343) for what it represents… but the build execution is not what I have come to expect from an 18+ set. Techniques like the thatch roofing and the barrel attachment leave much to be desired. With that said, the set is not without merit. It lays the foundation for an awesome mod project and inspires in places, like the staircase. I was not wowed by the Viking Village, but I appreciate it. I rate the build at 70%.

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Minifigure Score Breakdown:

The Viking Village includes four wonderful Minifigures. Two of them are completely unique to this set. Meanwhile, the other two share torso prints with the Creator 3-in-1 Viking Ship. That is not a complaint because it is wonderful to get more of them. They fit well with the genre. Additionally, all of the characters come with unique leg printing. Then there are the accessories. You get more than enough swords, shields, helmets, tools, and the like to easily push the design score up to 100%.

However, the key word in the above paragraph was FOUR minifigs. For an Ideas set, that is actually good. But Ideas sets are notorious for low Minifigure counts in my books. On average, the theme delivers about 577 bricks for each minifig in a set. Comparatively, LEGO® sets in general average about 201 bricks/minifig in my experience. The lower that number is, the more Minifigures are included in the brick count. Based on both of these comparisons, the set doesn’t even pass the assessment. I would typically grade it at 50%. But I am willing to bump that up to 60% because of the uniqueness of the characters. Averaging this with the design score gives an overall Minifigure grade of 80%.

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Entertainment Score Breakdown:

Let’s get the not-so-great comments out of the way first… I like the Viking Village, but I don’t love the Viking Village. It inspires me to build more and expand the settlement. But it lacks a sense of grandeur. I just don’t get longhouse vibes from the shed in front of the dock… Perhaps it should have been called the Viking Encampment? There are not enough buildings or Minifigures for this to be a village. And the buildings you get are too small to be central to a proper settlement.

With that said, I do like the set. I can use this as a base and inspiration for my own Viking settlement project… and I do intend to build one. As a straight out of the box display piece, it does not work for me. But I can see myself modifying it while leaving it somewhat recognizable. I think it works well for AFOLs with Medieval set-ups as well, and not just those aiming for Viking displays. The Viking Village is a decently entertaining set. I rate it at 80%.

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While I did not hate the Viking Village, it also not my favourite set. It did leave me feeling like it was a bit of a fizzle. Part of that is my fault for perhaps waiting a little too eagerly… But I do believe the LEGO® Group has also set the bar quite high with 18+ sets, and this one does not reach those heights. The idea is great, the inspiration for custom builds and mods is there, and the Minifigures are awesome. Additionally, the price point is a good one for what you get. But the details, minifig count, and scale are just not there for me. I think this set is pretty average overall and not the dream Vikings set I was longing for. What do you think? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.

Until next time,

-Tom

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