Lego story #050: Vikings! (Part 1 of 6)

Meet the cast of 21343 Viking Village.

Before we get into a bag-by-bag journey of building the Lego Ideas Viking Village, let's meet the local population. 

The set has a grand total of 4 minifigures--the bare minimum, I guess, for a 2,000+ piece display.

And the village does look a bit bare with only these four, as wonderful as they are. Which is why Part 6 of this series will show how much better the Viking Village looks with more minifigs!

The Blacksmith. Her head, torso, and legs are brand new pieces. She looks like she's wearing decorative beads and has an apron pocket of tools. This dark red is very chic.

The torso back depicts a viking helmet and what looks like two crossed mallets or hammers. She holds a paintbrush for painting shields.

The hammer is not a new piece, but the print is unique. The runes are said to be stylized letters of "b" and "h," a tribute to the set's fan designer, codenamed Brickhammer. (Lego Ideas sets originate from designs submitted by fans.)

The Chieftain. Only the legs and the shield print are new. The shield seems to depict Odin's two wolves.

The set's instruction manual acknowledges that these horned helmets are fictional rather than historically accurate.

The Archer. I love this torso print, which is new and so detailed. The legs and face are new as well.

The back depicts a deer with antlers. I'm not sure how the tailor got that deer onto fur-looking fabric.

The Shieldmaiden. The legs and shield print are new. The shield seems to depict Odin's ravens.

Just love her hair!

The Shieldmaiden is the only one with a dual-molded head (two faces on one head).

Arrr!! Or what is it Vikings say?

Sadly, just as you're saying hello to this cast, I've just said goodbye. Incidentally I sold the set last night, for a good return of 70% the cost.

Something notable about the retail price of the Viking Village is that, by Lego standards, it was considered affordable and excellent value for money at $130. (The expected price for a 2,000-piece Ideas set was more like $180.)

Though my time with the Viking Village was brief, I was thoroughly satisfied and able to let it go so I can enjoy something new and just as epic next year.

Next post: Kicking off the build with a forge for the blacksmith.