LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village review

21343 Viking Village aims for mass appeal by bringing together two different LEGO Ideas projects in one box, striking a balance between historical accuracy and fantastical fiction.

If your initial reaction to 2022’s 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent was that you wished it was that little bit more realistic, you might have had high hopes for BrickHammer’s Viking Village, which was given the green light as part of a poll hosted in conjunction with Target last summer. The builder’s original pitch – the one selected for the public vote – is a muted mix of dull browns and greys, capturing a bleak winter scene in medieval history.

You might also have been slightly disappointed, then, when the first images of 21343 Viking Village landed online. The finished product is not quite as grounded as BrickHammer’s initial vision, and sails much closer to the aesthetic the LEGO Group reached for with last summer’s Creator 3-in-1 set. But there’s a good reason for that – and with that context in mind, it’s much easier to appreciate the 51st LEGO Ideas set’s grand ambitions.

— LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village set details —

Theme: LEGO Ideas Set name: 21343 Viking Village Release date: October 1, 2023

Price: £124.99 / $129.99 / €139.99 Pieces: 2,103 Minifigures: 4

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village —

LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village arrives at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores on October 1, 2023, and is available to pre-order now. It’s likely to show up at a third-party retailer eventually.

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— LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village build —

The first thing you need to know about 21343 Viking Village is that it’s actually based on two LEGO Ideas projects, not one. While BrickHammer’s first Viking Village took pole position in Target’s poll to give a rejected 10K submission a second chance, he actually submitted an alternative, more colourful version to the crowdsourcing platform in the months running up to that poll – which also reached 10,000 supporters roughly a month before the results were announced.

The LEGO Ideas team has subsequently combined elements of both those designs for 21343 Viking Village, which is good news for anyone who voted for the second version, but maybe not so good news for anyone invested in the concept that won the poll. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll see there’s actually not that much separating the two designs: they’re both detailed collections of buildings atop rocky landscapes, surrounded by water as if on islands, and are packed with Viking iconography like flags and shields.

Where they differ is in their palettes – the second version dials up the saturation to ooze colour, while the first is daubed in dark browns and greys for a more brutal aesthetic – and the totality of their vision. The later village expands its scope to encompass a small ship (its red and white sails recalling 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent), two extra buildings and towering bushy trees. It’s not difficult to spot where the LEGO Group has cherry-picked elements from each of these designs for 21343 Viking Village.

The broad strokes come from both at once: the brighter revision has clearly inspired the reddish-brown and nougat colour scheme, while the footprint of the village (with its longhouse, watchtower and rope bridge) is pulled from BrickHammer’s initial design. Some details are original, or changed to a degree, while others are mirrored to a stud or tile, and again drawn from both designs – the wispy smoke spewing from the chimney in the blacksmith’s forge from here; the smattering of white pieces simulating snow from there.

What’s most impressive in 21343 Viking Village is how the LEGO Group has managed to so successfully straddle the two distinct aesthetics of these designs, because while the finished model is undoubtedly more vibrant than the project that racked up all those votes in the LEGO Ideas x Target poll, it still feels grounded. The hint at winter weather helps there, but so too does the remaining rockwork around the base. It’s not as prevalent as it was in the original project, but that’s all the better to keep the build engaging – and the design team has paid attention where it counts, such as the cave beneath the watchtower, which adds interest around the back of the model.

The build never really gets dull across the 15 bags, and that’s mainly thanks to that very attractive price-per-piece ratio. The LEGO Group has managed to cram 2,103 pieces in the box for just £124.99 / $129.99 / €139.99 because so many of them are relatively small, and that makes for a build experience as involved as it is detailed. Putting together each of these structures feels novel, from the blacksmith’s flame-spitting forge to the fresh approach to the rope bridge, which makes good use of the relatively recent rigid webbing elements.

There’s strong access to each one, too – the blacksmith and longhouse roofs simply lift away, while the back wall slips off the watchtower – which opens things up for play (for smaller hands), and the price point and aesthetic of 21343 Viking Village both suggest the LEGO Group has younger builders in mind here despite the requisite 18+ label adorned on all LEGO Ideas boxes. That’s probably also why 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent feels like such a good fit for this set, even while the Creator 3-in-1 model leans entirely into fantasy.

In fact, veterans of the original LEGO Vikings theme in the mid-‘00s (of which BrickHammer is one) may find themselves aching for a little more fantasy here, if the LEGO Group was always going to lean away from the desaturated palette of the fan designer’s first Viking Village submission anyway. Why not go one step further, taking cues from 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay’s pivot into nostalgia territory, and include a mythological beast of some kind for the Vikings to battle?

Well, maybe for a couple of reasons: the price tag, for one, which would have spiked beyond the reach of younger builders (if it hasn’t already); and possibly also to keep the focus here on the otherwise peaceful village, in line with BrickHammer’s original vision. In context, those were smart decisions, because for as much as diving deep into the fictional storytelling the designers champion in the instructions would likely have worked, blending both aesthetics here has succeeded all the same.

And that was never guaranteed, because few LEGO Ideas sets have been bold enough to (or more accurately, had the opportunity to) combine two aesthetically-different submissions in a singular concept. The design team has tried to satisfy everyone here, and it ironically won’t be for everyone – those without rose-tinted glasses for the original Vikings sets might have preferred a more mature aesthetic and approach for an 18+ set – but it’s difficult not to enjoy the details, from the snow-covered tree built with up-ended white fern pieces to the fact that every single decorated piece here is printed. (Look ma, no stickers!)

One minor niggle before we move on: the three modules here are not really modular, because the robot claw clips that connect them extend from either side of the central longhouse. That’s fine, but the connection method makes this a slightly difficult set to move around, as each side sags when you pick it up. Best to build and leave in one place if you’re displaying it.

— LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village characters —

This is where things start to seriously clash, and where 21343 Viking Village’s ambition might have reached its limits. Both BrickHammer and the LEGO Group have taken inspiration from classic LEGO Vikings sets as well as real-world culture in efforts to balance historical accuracy with storytelling potential, and that’s basically how we’re once again back at Vikings with horns on their helmets. That myth has long been busted among wider audiences, not just history buffs, so the LEGO Group’s continued infatuation with this clichéd headgear – first in 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent, and then here – is starting to grate.

The company is as much a victim of its own undoing, though, as it’s only because we know that a better LEGO Viking minifigure is possible that we’re yearning for more in 21343 Viking Village. 71027 Series 20 debuted what’s still the best (and most historically-accurate) Viking to date, the helmet from which is even squirrelled away in the blacksmith here, teasing us with a vision of what might have been.

That’s not to say the four minifigures included here are poor (even if they are really too few). The choice of heads, hairpieces and torso and leg prints are all strong. They just feel all-round less grounded than the build, even as it adopts elements from BrickHammer’s springtime project, and while it again means a better match with last summer’s Creator 3-in-1 set, that probably shouldn’t have been the priority (if it ever was).

— LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village price —

If four minifigures feels too few for the price here, it’s basically the only thing to complain about in what the LEGO Group is asking for 21343 Viking Village. £124.99 / $129.99 / €139.99 isn’t quite the bargain it looks on paper once all’s said and done – all those small pieces don’t add up to the largest model – but it feels very fair for both the length of the build and the size and scope of the finished village.

— LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village pictures —

— LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village pros and cons —

LEGO sets are products, and products that are mass produced invariably need to appeal to broad audiences to succeed. As a result, casting a wide net by combining two projects in one box was probably the smartest path to follow with 21343 Viking Village: you’ll inevitably lose people at the fringes, but most of us should find enough in the box to satisfy, whether in follow-up to the original LEGO Vikings line or as an entirely new concept.

The affordable price tag certainly doesn’t hurt, the build is entertaining and varied enough to keep things fresh throughout, and the finished model is detailed and accomplished in a way that’s reflective of a 2,000-piece 18+ set. It might not be the runaway smash hit of 2023, but it’s a perfectly fine ode to LEGO Vikings through a new and modern lens.

21343 Viking Village pros	21343 Viking Village cons
Engaging and detailed build	Blend between realism and fantasy doesn’t always land
Mostly succeeds in adapting two different aesthetics	Better Viking minifigures exist than what we have here
Fair price for what’s in the box	A little tricky to transport

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village —

If you do have a mythological beast itch to scratch, 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent should be top of your list – and even if you’re planning to pick up 21343 Viking Village, you should be buying the boat anyway (they sit very well together). Make haste, though, as the Creator 3-in-1 set is retiring in 2023.

Otherwise, you can lean in two different directions for alternatives to 21343 Viking Village: go big and with more grounded history in 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle, or go big and with a complete pivot into fantasy with 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell. If the budget won’t stretch to those (and, you know, fair), there’s always 21325 Medieval Blacksmith, but fair warning – it’s also due to retire by the end of this year.

— LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village FAQs —