LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster review

71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster may be a LEGO DREAMZzz set, but it’s really more of a nightmare – for better and worse.

It’s not often that a brick-built figure can deliver some genuine fear into those building it, but if any model has a chance to do so, it’s 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster. This build is a hidden gem within LEGO DREAMZzz, representing the Nightmare King’s army in an unsettling but firmly enjoyable way.

There is one major sticking point here, though – and it’s one that may give you nightmares for an entirely different reason.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster set details —

Theme: LEGO DREAMZzz Set name: 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster Release date: August 1, 2023

Price: £31.99 / $37.99 / €37.99 Pieces: 274 Minifigures: 2

LEGO: Available to pre-order now

— Where to buy LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster —

71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster is launching on August 1 on the online LEGO store, in physical LEGO stores and through other retailers. Pre-orders are open for all LEGO DREAMZzz sets at LEGO.com now.

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— LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster build —

71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster is terrifying, from its posture to its silhouette, and makes for a suitably nightmarish – although slightly basic – build. While it’s easy to put together, the lanky limbs and long, clawed fingers, mixed with a hint of white among the dark colours, make it one of the best and most useful members of the Nightmare King’s army.

In the animated series, the purpose of these cage monsters is to capture dreamers and take them back to the Nightmare King’s castle, where their creativity can be harvested. As a result, the body of this creature is a cage big enough for just one minifigure, despite multiple minifigures fitting inside in the show.

While it could have been bigger for the sake of accuracy, there’s no doubt that this would have driven up the price even further, out of the relatively budget-friendly range. As it stands, 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster is more than enough for the cast of LEGO DREAMZzz to handle, and outside of the minifigures, multiple copies of the model can be purchased to expand the army further.

The posing of the large figure is surprisingly good, but don’t expect it to balance well. The lantern is a useful implement to keep it standing when bending down, like some kind of nightmarish cane. With a bit of imagination, the contents of 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster can make for some interesting scenes, but it’s by no means a fair fight for Mateo. Thankfully, that’s not what he’s trying to do.

Mateo and Z-Blob are included in this set, with the latter crafted into one of two vehicles to strike the lock on the cage monster, free Cooper and escape with him. The hoverbike option is arguably the more interesting of the two, for how the panels can simulate hovering while still touching the ground.

By comparison, the mini-plane is much more static and not quite as diverse. However, both are good options and it’s easy to rebuild Z-Blob into either without having too many pieces spare to worry about.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster minifigures —

There are only two minifigures in 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster as Z-Blob, while included, is a build instead of the smaller figure that appears in other LEGO DREAMZzz sets. Considering the price of the model, this should have been included, or at least a Dreamling to bolster the cast. We wouldn’t necessarily expect another whole minifigure, but one of the smaller characters dotted throughout the first wave would have been a welcome inclusion.

The minifigures that are included in 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster are excellent, with the casual version of Cooper being exclusive to this set so far. Mateo in his Dream Chaser garb is more common, but still a fantastic minifigure nonetheless.

Overall, while the minifigures don’t need to excel considering the quality of the main figure model, the cast of 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster have more than earned their place in the set.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster price —

Here’s the rub: £31.99 / $37.99 / €37.99 is just too expensive for 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster, even discounting the low piece count and considering the quality of the contents. Had another figure been included it might be a different story, but as it stands, you should wait for a sale before picking up 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster.

The Nightmare King’s army is easy to expand in other better-value sets, including a much smaller cage monster in 71461 Fantastical Tree House. We’d advise looking elsewhere in the theme unless there’s a sale on 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster, as the price is simply asking too much for the model.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster pictures —

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster pros and cons —

It’s not just the figure in 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster that’s terrifying: the price is unsettling too. We joke, but the price is simply too high for what’s included and it undermines what is otherwise a surprisingly stellar experience.

Provided you can get past the price, 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster is one of the better figures the LEGO designers have come up with as of late, and the scary silhouette of the monster really sells the nightmare aesthetic.

With dozens of these monsters in the Nightmare King’s army, the Dream Chasers have their work cut out for them. However, with no need to worry about being trapped in its chest, you can pick up 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster (on sale) with complete peace of mind.

71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster pros	71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster cons
A solid introduction to the new theme	It’s unclear why this is more expensive than 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot
Genuinely unsettling build	Could use another minifigure, or at least the Z-Blob figure for the price
Surprisingly good posing options with built-in support

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster —

Keeping to LEGO DREAMZzz, the best alternatives to 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster are 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot.

Both look to be just as posable and of a similar size to 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster, and they’re both much cheaper to boot, although you do get one less minifigure in either set. For those who want more members of the Nightmare King’s army instead, we’ll direct you towards 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse, noting that it is considerably bigger and more expensive.

— LEGO DREAMZzz 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster FAQs —