If you can remember back a few years, 2020 was the pandemic and people were at home with a bunch of US government stimulus checks and nothing else to do. Many of them resorted to ordering LEGO sets to build in order to pass the time. As a LEGO fan, this is an awesome thing to happen. It’s great to see more people join the hobby and get into building. The downside was the pricing on LEGO sets. With high demand, sets flew off the shelves and the LEGO company could barely keep up. There was no need to have a sale or offer discounts. Then in August 2022, prices on a number of sets went up by around 25%.

It was a depressing and expensive time to be a LEGO fan, but great if you were the LEGO company raking in the profits.

I’m writing this post in November 2023. The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates in an effort to fight inflation and the rampant spending on LEGO sets has dampened. A few years ago, new release sets were on backorder within a few hours of their release on LEGO Shop @ Home. That’s not happening as much anymore.

The big retailers in the US (Walmart, Target, Amazon) have been running sales for a few months now. Sales have been on everything from small CITY sets to larger Ideas and even UCS Star Wars sets. Definitely shop around before you pay full price on a set. Even some of the sets released in 2023 are being discounted already.

LEGO has been increasing sales as well. We’ve seen more discounts on and a lot of GWP offers with sometimes more than one GWP at a time if you spend a specific amount. This weekend is the LEGO® Insiders Weekend 2023 sales event. You can redeem codes to snag discounts on some bigger sets, grab 2X point on all sets and 3X or 4X points on a select few. This is along with GWPs at specific price points and I saw something about maybe being able to redeem fewer points for discounts. I suspect we’ll see a bunch of items go on sale as well.

However, I am calling foul on a few of the sales at LEGO this weekend.

#10255-1: Assembly Square is set to retire this year. It originally retailed for $279.99 in the US. In August 2022, the price increased to $299.99. This weekend there is an offer to redeem a $60 off the set. So LEGO raised the price and now they’re offering a sale on it.

#21325-1: Medieval Blacksmith is also set to retire this year. It originally retailed for $149.99 and then the price increased to $179.99. Now it’s $35 off. I guess it’s a deal now, but that’s just bringing it back to the price it was before the price went up. How come there isn’t a bigger discount on this one?

In the end, I guess we should be glad for any discount at this point. Oh well. Happy shopping so you can have some happy building!

I was not a big Castle theme fan as a kid, although I did have a few small sets. I recall having a few knights, a glow in the dark ghost, and some horses. I was definitely impressed when I saw #21325-1: Medieval Blacksmith be released as Ideas set #33. I was not a day one buyer when it was released on 2 February 2021, but I grabbed one when it was available with a good gift with purchase. This set retails for $149.99 in the US. With 2,164 pieces it works out to $0.069 per piece which isn’t bad.

My set box got a bit beat up in shipping, but I can’t complain. The front shows the full set with all of the minifigures. The back shows off some of the details of the set. The box is branded as 18+ as well. The back, upper left shows how the set is built like a modular in that you can remove the different levels and the roof to have access to the internal details. The back also points out that a light brick is included.

Before moving on, I’ll just say I’m not sure the light brick really adds anything to this build. I think we could have done without it and saved a few dollars on the set or added another minifigure or two in. As an 18+ set, I don’t think most adults like the play feature of being able to turn the light on and off. My preference would be to rig the set up with LED lights instead. That’s just my opinion though. Thoughts?

The set contains 14 numbered parts bags, a 15th bag without a number that contains some of the larger parts, and the instruction book is wrapped up. This set contains zero stickers. WHOOHOO!!!

Like most of the Ideas sets, this one contains information about the fan designer and LEGO designers in the beginning before you move onto the build.

I lumped bags one and two together as they both start on the base of the build. Bag one builds the base plate area. I like how LEGO has gotten away from just using a base plate and had switched to using plates of different shapes and sizes to achieve the desired design. It adds in some curves as well which is nice. Bag one comes with the blacksmith minifigure and a husky dog figure.

Bag two adds to the base. The blacksmith’s shop starts to form, the stairs to the second level are started, you get more foliage around the outside, and the area where the water well will be is built up slightly.

The third bag builds up the blacksmith’s shop. Besides the walls getting higher, the kiln is built with the light brick. A brick built blower is used to trigger the light which was a clever idea.

On the outside, there is a small garden with a few pumpkin like vegetables growing. Nearby is a bone for the dog.

The inside has a shield and some armor hanging on the wall that you can assume the blacksmith created.

The fourth bag mostly finishes up the blacksmith shop. On the inside, you get a bunch of tools, some extra “material” to use for tools, a completed helmet, an anvil to work on, and a brick built door with some printed wood patterned tiles. The outside has another anvil and then a barrel of swords that either need work or were finished.

I like what is done on the outside with the mixture of bricks, tiles, and textured bricks to create the medieval style of architecture. The use of brown to show wooden supports is also cool. This is especially apparent on the side with the veggie garden.

The fifth bag adds a female archer with bow, arrow, and quiver of arrows.

For this build, the biggest part is the apple tree. It’s a different type of tree than we have seen before and I like how they did it. At first I was confused as to where it was going, but it all came together, and I think it looks good with the lime green and green leaf pieces along with the red apples.

You also top off the water well with a small roof over the well and a bucket nearby.

The sixth bag starts the second floor. This starts work on the kitchen and includes a beverage barrel with tap, a table, a butter churn, and a stove. The stove is in line with the rest of the chimney area on the building and it fits together well.

The seventh bag continues floor two. You get some brick built chairs which are larger than most we are used to seeing, but actually fit minifigures. You also get some food on the table and there are candles on the wall. On the other side of the kitchen, you finish off the stove area and add in a pot holder attached to the wall. You also get a food preparation area where you get a few tools and a carrot with a section cut off.

On the outer section, you get a small awning with roof pieces and a sign for the blacksmith shop. The sign is printed on a tile. No stickers. YAY!

Bag eight wraps up the second floor. Besides finishing off the walls and adding windows, you get the brown tiles on the outside which make it look like wood boards. Having been around Europe, I have seen houses with this look and I think the designers did a great job capturing that style of build.

Bag nine starts the third floor which is the bedroom area. It is mostly the floor with the start of supports for the roof. There is a brick build animal rug on the floor which is a cool design. There is also an area for writing to include a quill and a tile with printing. There is also a chest with a compass and backpack. This is a reference to fan designer Clemens Fiedler and his passion for hiking and being outdoors.

Bags 10 and 11 add in some more supports, a small window outcrop, a bed with a fun patterned blanket, and more roof support pieces.

The 12th bag adds one side of the roof and another window outcropping. The roof pieces are blue, dark blue, and black. There is also some sand green as moss. I have seen a few complaints about the roof and how it was built in other reviews, but I am a fan. I like the coloring and use of tiles and bricks. As I’ve heard from other reviews, feel free to use your own brick stash to adjust the roof if you aren’t a fan of how it was designed.

The 13th bag completes the roof. On the previous side, you add in the chimney which is in line with the stove on the second floor and blacksmith area on the first floor. The other side of the roof is built in a similar way, but with a few different details. There are some missing tiles where you can see exposed “wood” and then more “moss” on the bottom edge of the roof.

At the top of the peak, there is more sand green and then some brown pieces to complete the top.

Bag 14 provides two knights. One is an older male with armor, a sword, and a shield. The other is a female with a battle ax and armor. They both come with hair pieces and then helmets.

Additionally you build a horse and carriage. The horse can either be attached to the carriage or you can add in a brick and tile to fill up the space so the horse doesn’t look too weird with the carriage attached.

The carriage comes with an additional shield, a plastic molded bag, and a lantern attached to the carriage. The horse can turn so the carriage turns too. The wheels remain in the same position, but the horse can pivot.

Here is the final build with the full assembled building. While I have to admit I like the fan design better, I can’t complain about this design. It definitely has the medieval style of architecture and would look great in a castle styled scene. It makes me want to expand to set into a scene… how many times have I said that before? I need more time for building… what is this stupid work thing I have to go to?

Overall, I highly recommend this set. It’s a great build of a great theme of LEGO past. Not sure it will ever go for a discount, but look for opportunities to get a cool gift with purchase, double VIP points, or other bonuses if you want to pick this set up.

Happy building!

Finally! Real Deals on LEGO Sets... or are they? (Nov 2023)

Set Review - #21325-1: Medieval Blacksmith - LEGO® Ideas