Mountain Fortress Review & Comparison

[@EricJohansson]

At high elevations there can be snow even in the summer, so just place it in the mountains. It is, after all, the Mountain Fortress.

[@Nphen]

Came here to say this. Working on my own MF right now. I had an idea for a "Monkie Kid Mountain" with Heavenly Realms at the top and Team Hideout near the base. Mountain Fortress can be perched high above the snowline on the other side of the mountain, facing the rest of my castle area. Probably going to start out with a "short" mountain and build a bigger base over time to make it taller when I have space.

[@oscarcastillo3859]

Totally agree. I did indeed do that with mine, I raised it at least 10 bricks high, and it looks cool.

[@ricardotrejoruiz5776]

Even in spring here in Europe, the mountaintops, where the castle is supposed to be, often still have snow remaining.

[@brickartisan]

Might I suggest adding Queen Elsa as the new queen of the mountain fortress…gives it a reason to have snow…Given that the lion knights castle has a wizard, it makes sense for the falcons to get their own magic caster 😄 🎼 Elsa would be singing: do you want to build a snow army? 🎼

[@alexnunes]

Now this would work very well! haha, thanks!

[@puppetguy8726]

That's why she abdicated in the second film, to become queen of the mountain fortress! 😁

[@brickartisan]

@@puppetguy8726 😆

[@stevebohutch]

I put the cmf ice queen in mine. Good looking build.

[@MrYtp12]

@@stevebohutchwas abt to say the cmf ice queens would be perfect!

[@kleinemonnik]

I just finished building the mountain fortress yesterday evening, so this video is a perfect timing! I also got the Lion Knight's Castle, Löwenstein Castle and the Castle in the Forest, and personally I find the mountain fortress the coolest of them all. The only problem I'm now facing is finding the right spot. And I had the instructions printed before starting building, so no digital shenanigans for me.

[@John.S.Patton]

What about placing them in the order of the seasons?

[@kleinemonnik]

@@John.S.Patton That's a cool idea, but I still haven't got the space. I'm still moving the Mountain Fortress around, and I think I'm going to dismantle it, along with the Lion Knight's Castle, and build one big castle out of them. Perhaps with a few others integrated in it. That will be a nice project for this winter :).

[@markpowell8258]

Very jealous Alex , great video , I’m determined to get the lion knights castle now!

[@MrBattlestorm]

I got mine last Black Friday sale on the Lego website for $100 off. Hopefully Lego does it again this year.

[@michaele.strasser9641]

Hey Alex, There's enough space for lifting the castle a few bricks up and then creating some transition from green to snow and it should fit better.

[@gensao]

Agreed Perhaps place it at the border of the layout giving some space between the costal black falcon castle and the castle in the forest.

[@BrickTrains]

That snow is going to drive you crazy. LOL

[@medievalman3737]

Going to have to build a mountain base for it to sit on

[@joe-bowling]

This was fun. I built the mountain fortress and enjoyed the build more than I thought I would. I also prefer paper instructions, but after building a few rebrickable models I'm getting more used to digital. I have the Lion Knights Castle but haven't built it yet. I also found a rebrickable model of a mini Lion Knights castle specifically for winter and I want to build that and display it with the Mountain Fortress in forced perspective so it looks like it's really far away.

[@alexnunes]

That mini build sounds interesting. It would be a fun perspective for sure. The online instructions are not bad. They have done a good job with them. I also saw a lot of steps with only one brick being added to teh build. I guess if they are going to do this then digital instructions are the way to do it.

[@Nphen]

I love your fabric non-MILS setup. It's tempting for me to want to do something like that. Build a base where you can remove the castle like it's own giant modular. I think if you built up 3 or 4 bricks high around the castle, maybe a rocky path up a gentle slope and then a flat area for the castle, with peaks in the background could add a lot of context. It's already near the edge of your area, so maybe it's the cold northern mountain.

[@cowboydup]

thanks for the review! i own it, but it could be years before i have space to display it, so its staying in the box. but i am excited to design a base for the whole castle that elevates it onto cliffs. watching videos like this helps get the creative juices flowing

[@guleri]

Great video as always. Nice to see the size comparison between the two castles and get a detailed view of the Mountain Fortresss. I didn't feel I could afford it as I don't have any place to display it or a knigts setup. But still a very cool set and it was nice to see how it turned out.

[@pajvader]

I have an addition to it. On pick a brick you could buy some icebears. Maybe adding some extra snow around the castle and some kind of rock work. Getting the castle more or less some isolation feeling. And to go there you have to face the environment with some kind of preditors. Build a snowcave to house the icebears.

[@mgmg3000.]

Wow, the medieval section is looking great! You could have the new castle under a winter spell done by the King's Castle wizard. Then you could have a bit of fun adding a few more snowing details. But it doesn't really matter because it looks fabulous as it is. People can build the castle by ordering parts and using their own collection. I did that for The Castle in the Forest and the Parisian Restaurant. Each of those builds ended up costing me about $100 in parts. It's an option that takes a bit of time, but I enjoyed the process. I ordered almost all the parts from Lego to avoid shipping costs and for the double points as well. Thanks for the review!

[@alexnunes]

I like that spell idea. It would work great. I still feel like some attention will be needed on the grounds surrounding the castle though.

[@ricardotrejoruiz5776]

The little chamber is a chapel ;) The Mountain Fortress aligns very well with regular feudal castle. The wooden stairs are a nice detail after all. I love it how the community succesful create with Lego that magnificent sets. Right now the Mountain Fortress from resellers is in 450€ sealed.

[@InaGalaxyFarFarAway]

Great review and comparison. Since I have both and they are not built yet, this gives me a great idea of what I have to look forward to. Hopefully I’ll get to build them soon.

[@alexnunes]

Glad to hear this. Both are great castles. You have some fun building ahead of you.

[@puppetguy8726]

I was kind of surprised the mountain fortress was so roomy on the inside. Cool design.

[@medievalman3737]

Loved the build I built the wall up by the draw bridge just for added defence!

[@blammers]

I already have it (not built yet) but I'm very happy to hear what you have to say about it so maybe I can feel slightly less bad about that pricetag.

[@MarkBuildsBRIX]

It looks great - I like the snow touch to give the some high lights

[@randomstuff6355]

If you liked Castle Löwenstein, you might be interested in another castle the designer of it made. Though as he created that one for an "alternate producer of interlocking toybricks" that one is not a proper lego castle. Its still a pretty impressive castle though, especially with the additional add-ons that were created aftwerwards. If you want to check it out, its called Burg Blaustein.

[@noniuuk]

3 months after the fact, but it seems that everyone and their mother had the idea to buy two, so now (at least over here in the Netherlands) it's pretty much the same price as the pre-order. Every reseller is panic selling and our biggest marketplace website has what I guess must be around 150 of them for sale. Just bought one for €350 (it was 340 on bricklink), so now is the time to buy if you still want one. At least over here in NL. Once resellers are out prices will probably rise again, because this set looks fantastic. I missed out because they decided to release on my birthday, but I'm happy that didn't matter.

[@VladDubovyi]

I wish there was a lighting kit for a winter castle. I liked that one more over a traditional lego set castle.

[@dd_zzero6827]

Great comparison of both. Love Mountain Fortress! If you had the ability to raise the terrain and put a small mountain on one corner, you could put it there and make it look like that it is the one castle in the mountains that still have some snow.

[@martingeczew5845]

Mountain Fortress probably will fit to someones "Winter Village". I know it's mostly a christmas subject , but still it has got snow all around

[@deanisplemoni]

I feel like the Lion Knight's Castle is just lacking some overall roughed up texture? It looks a bit toooo clean, which also makes it a bit hard to gauge the scale of it.

[@MrBattlestorm]

Great video. I enjoyed and you have a great castle setup. I think it looks good, just add some white base plates and white pieces in that corner to start the snow biome like minecraft lol.

[@medievalman3737]

Can’t wait to build mine!

[@drzanybricks9064]

Alex, great job on the castles! You could consider transitioning to a winter scene at the end of your display. Another idea could be to have a wizard casting a spell to make it turn to snow.

[@BuilderJacob]

good clear video, thank you for the clear explanation! perhaps you can create a more wintery corner in your landscape with this castle and the Viking village (possibly with extensions)

[@legoraphraph2426]

Great video ! Love from France Maybe for your display you clould build some grounds underneath the castle, to create some sort of moutain area where the snow would be natural, and as the terrain goes down progressively to come back to a leveled ground, the snow could fade out little by litlle...

[@alexnunes]

I like it. I am getting some great ideas from the community and I love it.

[@Thindale]

Thanks for the great review, the castle is indeed very nice. I would build a mountain and place the castle on top of it, that would also explain the snow. In the moutains high up, there is always snow, and its a good place to hide. A castle in the mountains is also very good to defend. Its the perfect hidout for the black knights. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Vienna Austria. PS: Your medivale landscape is very nice.

[@amypatt4]

Maybe there is a sorcerer’s spell on the castle and it is perpetually in winters grip!

[@alexnunes]

Yes, I like this idea a lot!

[@mkdb6868]

I miss the building timelapses of these bigger buildings, love how the fortress looks.

[@owenking6038]

I think you could have a wizard that cast the castle into eternal winter, expand the snow a little into a circlish shape, and have some magic/ icy effects around the border

[@chriswhite5665]

Bricklink part-out value is currently about US$600, but if you have many of the standard parts in your stock then it may cost a lot less than that.

[@neilrusling-je6zo]

Here we go! Another edition of, "AHHHHHGHHH!!!...Why did I not know about bricklink in February????...NOOOO!!!....(sad noises/wimpering)" When you do that GORGEOUS Trainshed I will have a breakdown.

[@alexnunes]

I am really looking forward to the train shed build. I will say this, you didn't have to endure that massive charge to the credit card when they shipped. yeouch!

[@caronmills8983]

Looks great. I like physical instructions as well. The Ice Queen Series 16 #1 is the great Minifigure to counter the Wizard.

[@zachattackproductions7400]

Very green is exactly what winter is in Southern Canada.

[@BDD_Builds]

Maybe you could have that side of the layout be the northern side of the layout, and add more white parts to the other Black Falcon castle and add some white pieces/felt around them both. Just a thought!

[@magnuslauglo5356]

My sense is that the Mountain Fortress looks better when closed up whereas the Queen's Castle shines more when opened up. The latter has nicer more furnished interior and looks strange from behind when closed up. I appreciate the winter setting for the Mountain Fortress for novelty alone, but I actually think it might look better in a regular green. Both castles are missing nice spacious courtyards and I'd really like to see a future Lego castle that sprawls outward more, but I suppose that does name them easier to display.

[@Raventommm]

I think its made with snow for the reason of the lore... The black falcons came from up the mountains... Down to the lionhearts... So yeah... Snow.

[@northvicbricks]

I think the medieval area looks beautiful. Well done. I wish I had bought the Mountain Fortress, but I had to take a pass this time.

[@MichaeldeSousaCruz]

Good video! For me, Castles in the castle theme have always been the most difficult to find satisfaction with. In themselves, they are great, but once paired with a village they fall short… literally.

[@pastajensen]

I'm still on the ramparts regarding the Lion Knights Castle, find the price a bit too high but I do like the look and it seems fun to build. Almost ordered the Mountain Fortress back in February but I managed to reign my self in (the Shed and the snack was enough) 😅

[@jasonsbricksin5]

Good review. I think you are right about resellers. Right now you can buy the mountain fortress for $425-$500 on the local classified ads.

[@alexnunes]

I guess it is possible to see the price go up as some are sold over time, but I don't think it will ever reach those crazy high levels scalpers are looking to grab.

[@studebricker2845]

​@@alexnunes The 30,000 set limit doesn't mean the prices won't go up like crazy. It's entirely possible that some people ordered a dozen or more copies. Also, maybe I missed it... did you mention purchasing this set or did you get it for free? Sort of makes a difference how biased your review could be.

[@alexnunes]

@@studebricker2845 I purchased it, though I guess I wasn't super clear on that. For now, prices are not out of control yet, but you're right, we might see 4 digit prices actually selling, but not anytime soon.

[@alphonsesuitperson]

The instructions on the Lego Builder App are in 3D, which I like as if I have questions about a step, you can pinch, zoom, spin it around, and I regularly use digital instructions, so i can see the complaint, but I'd rather have more minifigs rather than printed instructions. That being said, it could have had 3 more minifigures, at the sacrifice of 7 parts elsewhere, As they limit the designers on part count and minifigure count. under Guidelines even LKC could have only had 13.5 minifigures at its part count. I really liked all the details on the walls that aren't always present on the regular castles, and some of the design and modularity of Everything. I think Lego can learn from this set, I know I did. I did like your review comparing the two and think that it was a great idea!

[@OaktownBricks]

Great Video! Both the Lion Knight’s Castle and the Mountain Fortress are amazing Sets, but I definitely agree that the Lion Knight’s Castle is the better Set and feels cozier!

[@bignorthmxo3350]

Mountain Top castle, Sun only warms its during peek summer for around a month and a half, reset of time it's frozen and cold.

[@Mardigrasman23]

I like it. But I still think you should build the other one mirrored and put them back to back

[@alexnunes]

Yeah, I am pretty sure that ain't gonna happen.

[@Mardigrasman23]

@@alexnunes lol

[@TheTranq]

I like it a lot. I got 2 of them

[@grantm6133]

Alright crazy suggestion time: I think the 3 in 1 castle could be moved a little more left and almost be on like an island, the castle in the forest should be where the mountain fortress is, and then you could create a sort of snowy hill base in that left corner for mountain fortress. I feel like there is enough space under the table to raise it by enough to make that idea somewhat work. It could be similar to the campground mountain builds you have done.

[@grantm6133]

Also the castle display looks incredible, come a long way.

[@alexnunes]

Not crazy at all, this is very doable. Next time I am looking at that area I will try to visualize this. Thanks!

[@zarda1484]

Maybe set up a scene where some cmf ice sorcerer has taken over the castle.

[@victorguardia8272]

I bought one and two pieces were missing, one I have it and the other is on his way. I think you should build a snow part with white plates. By the way i like a lot your Castle display!

[@jay.t495]

make part of lay out a snowy section

[@medievalman3737]

Viking village should go where the 3-1 castle is sittint

[@SkyKid002]

Commenting so i can come back to watch when i go on break later

[@MartyBricks]

Well Alex, I'll tell you why I'm here. It's because I love these castles but could not afford either of them and I will probably never see them irl. I like the look of MF a little better, but only with the back to the front, compared to the front of the LKC. If you turn the back back to the back and compare the fronts, the LKC looks better. 🤔 Almost confused myself! 😁 Thanks for another great video!

[@CoarStolos]

do an elevation and some geographic climatic transition

[@rebekahmcleod8169]

It’s enchanted with a spell that it’s always winter

[@alexnunes]

Yes, I like that!

[@no_drama_wanted_here]

This castle is just cursed with bad weather. Better up the amount of knights and soldiers to protect the rest of the kingdom. Also beware of strange unknown mages.

[@stasisbricks]

The answer is "Magic" whenever anything cannot be explained. It snows there in the summer because an evil wizard cursed the grounds of the fortress to always be in winter.

[@Jongen80]

I got one from a seller for 380!!! How lucky

[@skithunter8990]

I'm watching it because I have too much other stuff to take care of before I build it, and am still peeved there are no paper instructions. I also wanted to summarize mine, interesting.

[@farseer747]

This is icecrown , perfect place for the lich king !!

[@MrPolleyr]

As Lego prices keep climbing into the stratosphere, it will only be a matter of time before the only Lego I will see is on KZbin. I never would have believed that Lego would become the “rich persons“ toy. I worked in a factory for 30 years. The products we made cost about 25 cents to produce (total cost) and sold in retail stores for $4-5.00 per unit. Lego is doing the same thing, $5-10.00 worth of plastic sells for hundreds of dollars. I’ve seen the videos of the Lego house and the extravagant offices and “playgrounds” for the employees. I also know that Lego has second party facilities producing bricks in China and many other countries where wages and conditions certainly are not like Norway. The greed of companies has gotten out of control. It’s just sad. Enjoy this while you can, I guess. There will certainly be an end at some point.

[@alexnunes]

Makes me wonder if they are creating a bubble that will eventually burst and no one is left to buy them.

[@MrPolleyr]

@@alexnunes ….unfortunately, some of us are already in that position. Now even the small sets have more than doubled in price. I’m a senior on fixed income…..three or four years ago that income wasn’t problem, now it barely pays the bills, let alone expensive toys.🙃

[@OutpostMJ]

Alex, "place" the Mountain Fortress (using imagination) at high elevation (mountain, duh 😁) such that even in summer at that elevation perhaps there cold and snow throughout the year (much more in winter). Idk -- that's how I see it. I have the Lion Knight's Castle but not the fortress. 😢 Thanks for the comparison video.

[@vietrounder]

Always appreciate the upload. Here are my thoughts Pricing: Original pricing is roughly $430 usd / $610 cad (tax and shipping included). I purchase this just the other day brand new in the second market for $650 cad all-in (apx $470 usd) so the upcharge wasn't that much. I'm sure time could change that. Build: Lion Knights build was more fun because, like yourself, I enjoy having a physical manual. The LK looks more play friendly but the MF appears to have a more realistic touch and, for that reason, looks better on display. The MF kinda reminds me of Helms Deep. It's intended to be more of a defence stronghold rather than a place of residence so I felt they achieved that image. Regarding the snow, you can build a seperate base in green to elevate the castle to make it look like it has snow as a result of high altitude (giving that feel that it's a last defense stronghold). Do I recommend it: If you're a Lego Castle fan it's a must.

[@alexnunes]

Great comment! Thank you

[@FiguringOutJapan]

where did you buy? Most places selling are double the retail price

[@vietrounder]

@@FiguringOutJapan I bought it on bricklink. There’s lots of people selling it. I chose a seller from Canada because that’s where I live. This way I can avoid expensive shipping cost and duty taxes. You shouldn’t be paying twice. Unlike castle in the forest, the market is more saturated

[@DavidManning-o4h]

Use a wizard to be casting a curse on the castle forcing it into winter

[@kapiteinlulhaas7612]

Excellent review thanks! In my country i can get it for about 400 euro's.

[@oldman-zr2ru]

If this set were bought for 380.00 and you sold it for 500.00 on Ebay, which I have seen. After Ebay takes their 75.00 you end up with a whopping 45.00 profit. I can't imagine going through all of that for 45.00 but some people are petty like that.

[@Patrick_Forest]

The castle is a great set and fits very well into your medieval world, but I think much less of Lego's sales and pricing policy.

[@TheCobraReport]

its a mountain fortress, just put in on top of a mountain. thee are plenty of mountain ranges, including the Rockies, that have snow on top all year long even in the summer.

[@Groszek115]

Why they made so mall amount of this fortress :( so beautifull

[@chefeddie6164]

The mountain castle looks awesome, but I think I'll wait until they have a sale or something to pick it up. It's a little pricey. I'll keep my eyes open for a 40% off sale. 😂🤣

[@jacobe1942]

you must mean the lionsknight castle? I once saw it go for 300$ on B friday last year I think but it sold fast. The mountain castle is in all collectors hands now.

[@chefeddie6164]

@@jacobe1942Honestly, I think the Lego bubble will burst soon, and you will be seeing some great deals on sets as people liquidate their collections. Bricks and minifig stores never seem to be short on inventory.

[@robertbarnes4245]

Bought one of her preventers spent about 500 it was worth it

[@jamiesedgwick5713]

Create video great comparison.. we missed you at prick world Chicago

[@alexnunes]

Thanks, I would have loved to be there. It looks like I missed a great show and lots of great people.

[@rodisamet9174]

I think the name says it all… mountain fortress… where’s your elevation? A beautiful mountain overlooking the Viking village, you know cold weather and all, might be a good way to go to add some cold weather to your display. Otherwise, pretty cool stuff.

[@alexnunes]

Yeah, I think something needs to be done there for sure. I'll figure something out.

[@mrstrange5128]

I like to think the prisoner is the lion knight king and that why no king in lion knight castle king is captured and queen is in charge

[@alexnunes]

That makes perfect sense. I like it.

[@modelrushfan]

Was not aware that bricklink sets did not have instruction books. That stinks. I hate doing instructions online.

[@BeansBricks]

If I could get the instructions, I would build this castle and get rid of the snow and put my own spin on it.

[@kentslocum]

Pretty sure there is a digital PDF of the instructions.

[@BeansBricks]

@kentslocum Got it thanks, Silent night posted it on Facebook the other day 😀

[@jacobe1942]

I really wanted this... but I have to keep dreaming... the Lions knight castle got me into Lego after 25 years since childhood. Really it is Legos best set they have ever made, almost perfect except that it lacked more to go with it. Then they make the perfect companion castle.... and make it so exclusive its only valued for its cost. So now I am losing interest again seeing how how I have been patient for sets, had to buy after market pieces mostly, or been burned by the GWP process. This really should have been a mass produced set, and refined and expounded upon with details. Platforms like bricklink should be for more off the wall designs not fulfilling basic theme elements... (it would be like them allowing star wars brick link, that's all it would ever be..) Or Lego needs to rework the initial buy time to as many sets that sell it will make within the window of time. But I do agree, the LKC looks warmer~ both have a wonderful aesthetic appeal that not only highlights the variety with bricks but factions as well. Its a really great build by sleepless knight Lego just needs to outsource some builds from him... thanks for sharing.

[@АндрейСапонов-р1л]

I agree this video has little practical purpose other than sheer entertainment value. It's a shame those sets turned into collector's items for people starved for the castle theme. For this kind of money you might as well wait a few years for Lego to release a Creator 3-in-1 Ninja Castle, or Fort Legoredo or something, get 3-4 of those sets and build yourself a massive MOC throwing in some pick-a-brick pieces. I mean, if you're spending big dollar anyway, might as well go all the way with it.

[@frogman305t4]

My nearest Bricks and Minnie figs are selling the fortress for 750 bucks.

[@alexnunes]

It's Brick & Minifigs, so not surprised.

[@jaketeske6665]

The snow is a result of a wizard’s spell! Problem solved!

[@alexnunes]

Yes, I like this

[@Uberdude6666]

Yea agreed, Mountain Fortress' "front side" looks underwhelming... That front gate looks like a back door, while the actual back door looks more like a front gate...

[@NietzscheanMan]

The winter theme is what keeps me away from it...

[@林太陽-g6j]

[@dd_zzero6827]

Mountain fortress is beyond amazing. To me it looks a little better then Lions knight. And I think you might be off on the after market. It is already at a little over $500 minimum. This thing will easily reach close to 4 figures in a couple of years.

[@tiredvtaco]

Give mountain fortress

[@flotick6441]

Hello. I made a lego kirby. it will be for a polybag. support it on lego ideas if you like it. but support the kirby that is for a polybag.

[@guidovangelder2208]

Nice review but…. If you just took the time to read about the story of the fortress you knew who the lion guy is (the lions King). This annoyed me a lot.

[@subraxas]

They've got Ukrainian flags. 🙂

[@samaron8970]

I'm so upset about the mountain fortress, the coolest castle in years and the only non-themed set I've ever thought was cool enough to get, and it's only avaleable through dodgy sources, I kinda hate LEGO for doing that

[@zibberebbiz]

I hate how exclusive and inaccessible these sets are, it makes me not even want to watch reviews of it :(

[@michaelminton1224]

That Mountain Fortress set never existed. Look on the Lego Shop at Home and Mountain Fortress was NOT there.

[@iceman1333]

Bricklink which is associated with lego does limited releases and you have to pre order just to even got one. Then people mark it up 150% on ebay. Pretty unfortunate for the average person. But it is i think an "official lego"

[@sobik2433]

have two not opened yet ;) thx for review

[@Swimlikeafishdrinklikeafish]

Are the instructions available?

[@alexnunes]

Yes, you can find them on Bricklink. Just click the current programs icon and they are all there to download.