The LEGO designer behind LEGO Disney 43263 Beauty and the Beast Castle reveals how his upcoming model puts the fun into functional.
Some of the most impressive LEGO sets are the ones that not only look the part but are engaging after the build is done. With larger builds, like 43263 Beauty and the Beast Castle as an example, that can be a challenge. A lot of LEGO elements go into capturing the details but how can you make sure that there's enough to keep people's attention after the instruction booklet has been closed?
"We always try to strike that balance between the exterior facade looking very detailed and the interior including play features, both so that it's fun for an adult to build but also so that their kids can get a hand on it and have a chance to play with it," explained LEGO designer Ryan Van Woerkom in a recent LEGO Fan Media roundtable.
That focus from Ryan is clear throughout the build of 43263 Beauty and the Beast Castle through a number of clever features.
Ryan's signature move
"There's something about spinning that I just like," said Ryan, referring to the floor space where Beauty and Beast can dance together and actually spin. "It's my go to."
Indeed, spinning functions are featured in 43222 Disney Castle and LEGO Wicked 75683 Glinda & Elphaba's Dormitory. While it makes for a fun play feature, it's also an efficient building technique using a splat gear.
"What I like about it the most is that it's an easy thing to add without compromising a lot of space in your structure," noted Ryan. "You can do it within one brick layer, so it can be sandwiched within the structure of the castle. You don't have to add any Technic elements that would add more height and empty space to the structure."
This savvy employment of splat gear means that there is very little empty space in the brick-built castle. The open-back design means that you'd be able to see any unused areas that are reserved for inner workings and hidden from the eye, making features like the turning floor not just fun but functional.
A display stand worth throwing a party in
Another clever feature in 43263 Beauty and the Beast Castle is the removable ballroom, which can either be displayed as part of the main build or slid out to stand separately.
"It came about because, as we were designing the castle, we realised that within the layout of the castle on the ground floor, the first thing that Maurice or Belle encounters when they walk into the castle is the grand staircase," explained Ryan, "It goes up to the east and west wing, so if we were following the reference exactly, it was important to us that the stairs be centered and right in the middle when you enter the castle."
However, to keep with the open-back design the LEGO Group had planned, placing the ballroom in that way would mean you can't access it or even really see it clearly. Thankfully, a fellow LEGO designer, Marcos, had the idea to remove it.
"It's brilliant because that allows us to be accurate," enthused Ryan."When you look in the front door, you can pose figures going into the staircase, or you can even pull it back a little so you get more perspective and depth. I wouldn't be surprised to see fans modifying it to give you more space there.
"But then for those who are more display oriented, you can have it situated the opposite way from reality, so you can see the staircase and have it look like the scene in the film, which I imagine is what the majority of the people will be doing."
As with a lot of features in this LEGO set, the removable ballroom is once again multi-faceted. Not only does it enhance the display possibilities of the main build, but it also brings new possibilities all of its own.
"The side benefit is that it serves as a display stand for the minifigures," added Ryan. "You can pull it out and put it to the side of the build and show off the characters there."
Plus, as an 18+ set that will surely still get some attention from younger builders, it offers a smaller diorama build that might be more accessible for smaller hands.
Down to the finer details
While so far the multi-functional aspects have been on a larger scale, it even trickles down to the finer details. The minifigures are a particularly impressive selection, including virtually every major character from the animated movie.
There's been a clear effort to make the characters as versatile as possible, with an extra face included to transform the Beast from creature to human, and the same skirt element for Belle as was used for Gandalf to allow her to sit down.
These design choices throughout help to elevate 43263 Beauty and the Beast Castle from simply a large display set to a build that you can carry on engaging with. You'll be able to see the effect of them yourself by buying the set from April 1 for LEGO Insiders and from April 4 for everyone else, retailing at £239.99 in the UK, $279.99 in the US, and €279.99 in Europe.
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