Review: LEGO Disney Snow White's Cottage 43242

LEGO Disney Snow Whites Cottage 43242 Brick Banter Review

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to build we go!

The LEGO Disney Snow White’s Cottage is a set that all Disney fans are keen to see in it’s LEGO form. Every fan except my wife Dannii, who has made it very clear that she is the worst Disney Princess, despite being first. Regardless, Snow White is iconic bit of Disney history and it’s appearance as a LEGO set was inevitable. So how does a set of this size hold up? Is it every bit faithful as it could be? Read on!

Also, why is it called Snow White’s cottage? It isn’t her house…

LEGO Disney Snow White’s Cottage (43242)
RRP AUD $399.99 – CA $289.99 – EUR €219.99 – UK £189.99 – USA $219.99
2228 pieces
Available from LEGO.com and LEGO Stores from 1st March 2023.

Snow White’s Tomb & Well

What a way to open up a review, let’s talk about Snow White’s tomb! For a small part of the build, I really do like the way that this came together. The trees in the background give a real sense of life to this part of the model, and the clearing for all the dwarves to come and mourn is great.

A small detail not immediately apparent is the coffin has a recession inside for Snow White’s dress to slot into, which makes her lying down look seamless. For anyone using this as a playset, it means no extra set of legs to swap out with!

The well is also another little side build to the model, and an addition I wasn’t expecting. The scene with the well is short, but I’m glad that they made this also very lively with flora. Snow White is also able to come and sing to the birds to recreate that iconic singing scene.

The Cottage Exterior

Snow White’s Cottage is quite a sight to behold, with a very clear colour palette and strong visual aesthetic. All around the cottage are signs of animal and plant life, as well as smaller stories that can be read from the environment. We can see birdhouses, nests, tall trees and even a gemstone inspection table. The cottage window shutters and exposed beams also give a clear sense of the degradation of the house, showing how it is unkept but with charm.

I also really love the used of the flamish-yellow for the rooftop, as this combined with the rugged look really brings the cottage feel together.

Cottage Interior – Dwarf’s Bedroom

The bedroom for the Dwarfs is probably one of the most disappointing parts about this set. LEGO have had to cram the seven beds all together into a small space, and really wasted a number of stickers. Yes, the beds are all marked for each individual dwarf, and they have some of the most charismatic stickers I’ve seen.

Each sticker represents the dwarf perfectly, but the central bed shoots that all in the foot. If the middle bed was moved, or even rotated around and facing outward, these details wouldn’t be hidden away. It’s a bit disappointing, and I feel there could have been a better solution.

Cottage Interior – Dining Room, Fire Place And More

The cottage interior isn’t devoid of detail either. We are introduced to the organ played by Grumpy, pots, pans, kitchenware galore. We also get a large table fit for all seven dwarfs (including soup bowls from the deleted scene), and even a fireplace with cookpot. There is a sock hanging on the mantlepiece on the lower floor, which oddly correlates to one up in the bannister with a spider.

We also get an upper floor for storage, with a chest of gemstones and a few boxes to play around with. It’s also worth noting that the fireplace can be lit up by the light brick outside the cottage.

Minifigures – Snow White, the Prince and the Evil Queen’s disguise

The set comes with a whopping 10 Minfigures, of course, 70% of them are the Dwarfs.

For those who have already forked out big money, these guys may be familiar to you. Snow White and the Prince are the exact same Minifigures that appear in the new Disney Castle set for 2023. I like both of these figures, and the simplistic printing of the Prince is surprisingly accurate.

The Evil Queen is also the same as the Disney 100 Icons set, and is a nice bonus too.

Minifigures – The Seven Dwarfs

The Seven Dwarfs of the set are the real highlights, as each of them come with unique printing for their torsos and faces. They also come with two new variants of beards, all spanning from the chin down, and new hats too.

LEGO really did spend a lot of effort to ensure that these dwarfs were different from each other, and provided us an array of hats and faces to use. If the torso weren’t so cartoony (accurate to the media), I would even opt for them in a custom fantasy setting MOC.

Verdict

This is a set that is filled with details that many people will love. Other than the bedroom for the dwarfs, I honestly can’t fault this.

The price point is definitely high, especially behind a set with over 2000 parts, but it’s a big display piece. Everything feels like it belongs, and even the side scenes really bring the forest atmosphere around the model together.

When discussing this set with Dannii, I honestly had to say that there wasn’t much to talk about on the bad side of things. I’m not a Disney die-hard fanatic like others, but this is something that would make a Disney fan very happy.

It’s all high praise from here.