NOTE: I purchased the Medieval Dragon (31161) 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

I like dragons. In fact, I have purchased a number of LEGO® sets in the past from themes I would not normally collect just because they were dragons. I am also a huge fan of the LEGO® Group’s medieval themed offerings. I grew up playing with Castles, so those sorts of sets always intrigue me. The Medieval Dragon struck a chord as a result. Today, we delve deeper into the set.

SET SPECIFICS

QUICK REVIEW

FULL REVIEW

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Value Score Breakdown:

At full price, the Medieval Dragon costs $79.99 in Canada. However, it is often on sale at one retailer or another. As such, I recommend waiting for a discount. The kit includes 715 bricks, resulting in a cost-per-brick of $0.112. That is average for the Creator 3-in-1 theme, and very good compared to LEGO® sets in general based on my years of reviewing. I rate the cost-per-brick at 85% in this case.

The Medieval Dragon gave me one hour and 29 minutes of build time. At full price, that is $0.90 per minute of build time. For a Creator 3-in-1 set, that is very expensive build time. It fares a little better compared to LEGO® in general, but still falls short of average. Based on my experience with build time value, I rate the Medieval Dragon at 69%.

The Majestic Tiger gave you more…

Averaging the cost/minute score with the cost/brick score gives an overall value rating of 77%. The set has a satisfactory value, but I am not impressed. Comparatively, the Majestic Tiger (also Creator 3-in-1 with no Minifigures) came with a few more bricks and cost $15 less. It provided more build time and presented a better value overall. I don’t really see the justification for the price increase with the Medieval Dragon.

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Build Score Breakdown:

The body of the dragon looks great. The build employs clever SNOT (studs not on top) techniques that achieve a scaly appearance. I also appreciate that the tail and neck joints support the weight of each appendage well. The result is that both are posable and maintain their position.

Perhaps the most impressive build techniques appear in the wings. While I might still have preferred cloth wings, these brick built versions did not disappoint. The techniques used are not overly complicated, but are clever all the same. They use 1×2 plates with rounded edges to attach the wing spines. This allows the spines to move, permitting the wings to extend and fold.

I might still prefer cloth wings… but these brick built ones are nice.

With that said, there are a couple of aspects I don’t like as much. Firstly, the neck attachment to the body. The ball and socket joint is vertical. Consequently, the neck can never go fully horizontal when the dragon is in flight. I would not say the neck looks flat out bad, but I still would like a little more mobility. The set doesn’t lose a full point for this, but it still loses a little all the same.

I can’t say that I am a fan of the jaw structure either. It is too narrow and looks odd when viewed head on. I do not like the use of modified 1×1 tiles with clips as teeth, nor that the bottom teeth are in one row. The jaw clearly has more horizontal space to accommodate a more impressive build. The top of the mouth has no teeth at all. While the rest of the head looks good and features nice techniques, the mouth needs more work… especially considering the price hike over the Majestic Tiger that was so well designed.

I am not a fan of the dragon’s jaws.

The Medieval Dragon does include some interesting pieces though. Over 20 appear in fewer than 10 sets, and five are completely unique to this set. One element appeared for the first time in the kit, the rest are colour variants. With that said, it was the first time I had seen several of the parts as previous releases came in sets I would not collect. Some of the pieces I found more interesting are pictured below.

Overall, I liked the Medieval Dragon from a build perspective. The finished set looks great but for a couple of areas… namely the neck attachment to the body and the jaws. The parts selection has a lot to offer, and the wing design is inspired. I rate this build at 85%.

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Entertainment Score Breakdown:

Given that the Medieval Dragon does not come with Minifigures, I did not assign it a Minifigure grade. However, I will take off points for the lack of minifigs in this section. No Minifigures is a missed opportunity to provide Castles fans with an army building kit. The LEGO® Group has released both Black Falcons and Lion Knight in recent years. A few of either faction could have been thrown into this kit. Perhaps a wizard too. The Creator 3-in-1 theme tends to skimp on Minifigures, but a little something would have been appreciated. Especially since the dragon has a 2×2 studded area on its back to accommodate a minifig.

Otherwise, I am hard pressed to find things I did not like in this experience. I was entertained during the build, and I had a blast with the photography session after. With that said, I will not keep this set built as is. If I keep it around, it will go into the mod project pile. The jaw annoys me enough that I would have to change it at the very least. I will also test out other wings… perhaps the cloth ones from the Fire Dragon Attack set or the molded wings from Lloyd’s Green Forest Dragon, just to see what they look like. I rate the Medieval Dragon entertainment score at 85%.

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I wish the neck was designed for completely horizontal positioning. It would make the build look better when posing the dragon for flight. However, the bigger issue is the jaw design. It doesn’t look good. There is space for a more substantial design. Additionally, you don’t acquire any Minifigures. That is a wasted opportunity to give army builders what they want. Ultimately, I recommend waiting for a sale. The Medieval Dragon (31161) comes with fewer pieces than the Majestic Tiger, yet it costs $15 CAD more and it did not blow me away to the same extent. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great set, just not a great set for $80 CAD. What do you think? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.

Until next time,

-Tom

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