Review: LEGO 43247 Disney Young Simba the Lion King

LEGO Disney Simba The Lion King 43247 New Release Review Brick Banter - 2024 May

LEGO Disney The Lion King Simba is one of two new Simba releases for June 2024!

A double release of new LEGO Disney Lion King sets are fantastic and all, but LEGO really have committed to ensuring everyone gets their taste. LEGO have released two different sets of the same character, but done it in a way that two different age groups/price points are available.

Big price points always mean bigger models, but always catch bigger scrutiny. How does our proud Lion King stand amongst other 18+ sets? Is it worth the pricetag? Read on!

LEGO® Disney Young Simba the Lion King (43247)
RRP AUD $199.99 – CA $169.99 – EUR €129.99 – UK £114.99 – USA $129.99
1,445 pieces
Available from LEGO.com and LEGO Stores from 1st June 2024.

Simba’s build is, from initial inspection, fantastic. It takes up a large amount of space, the colour of flamish-yellow is striking, and the expression is clear. It’s quite easy to tell who the character is from the build, and there isn’t any weird blocky or sharp edges offsetting the design. The designers of the set really spent a lot of effort getting the organic feel of Simba out for the model. I have to commend them for that!

Simba’s Face

Simply put, I cannot fathom the amount of brain power making this headpiece required for the designers took. The face of Simba is a very clear powerful focus for the build, and I honestly can’t fault it. The build uses subtle colour changes for eyelids, which isn’t something I’ve seen in other LEGO sets before. Simba’s facial expression of Joy is a perfect and easy read, and looks phenomenal. I also love the tuft of fur atop his head.

My only concern about this part of the build is Simba’s neck. As part of the set’s design, Simba’s head needs to be able to rotate around on a 6×6 round plate. Unfortunately, this part of the build is quite obvious when it joins to the body.

The fur on the neck rotates with the head, and it’s quite jarring. If this part of the neck was maybe one or two bricks shorter, making his head attach to lower to the body, I don’t think it would be that bad. Unfortunately, I can’t unsee it.

The Body

Simba’s body sits in a naturally sitting down position, with no movement in his paws or limbs outside of this position. The shaping over the body does really well to flesh out this pose, but doesn’t give much options in the way of displaying the model.

The transition from flamish-yellow to the tan underside of Simba is subtle, and not done in a harsh or sudden change. These colours can be tricky to work with to not appear scale-like, an the roughness of his fur across the model accentuates this well.

There is a small gripe I have with this position however. Because Simba doesn’t move outside of his sitting position, Simba’s head when facing forward always looks down. If you were to turn the face to the side, it highlights the very thing I have a gripe about – the neck. Simba’s destined display angle will always be some variation of side on, but its a shame that that articulation is locked in that way.

The Tail

What a sweet and simplistic part of the build this is. I love the use of the Ninjago Dragon Horn and bush piece in reddish brown here. It encapsulates Simba’s tail really well, to the point I made it its own paragraph.

Verdict

Overall, the large buildable Simba is a great set for long time fans of the Lion King who want to get in to the hobby, but it’s not for me.

The set is a big commitment to, more or less, a statue of Simba. It’s not my sort of set, plain and simple. There are tiny gripes I have with it that would make me hesitant to buy it, and those opinions are shared with some others I’ve talked with about the set. The neck is unfortunately really jarring, and I’m sure with a few tweaks it could be fixed. But getting a set that I have to ‘fix it’ isn’t the type of LEGO building I enjoy.

It’s a great source of flamish yellows, and Simba’s face is fantastic. If his neck doesn’t bother you and you are considering the set, then go for it 100%. The designers have done great in multiple places across the build, and it was still fun to make.