LEGO Elves came about in 2015 as an off-shoot of the LEGO Friends theme and I originally thought it would be a marked improvement; not focusing on jobs in the service industry, veterinary practices or pop stardom. Then I saw Nadia’s Spa Secret and Azari and the Magical Bakery and sighed lamentably.

While much of the line focuses on magic and adventure, it can still be stymied by the trappings of being the ‘girl LEGO’ and that strikes me as wrong. This seems like a pretty cool world with magic and dragons and what seems to be a fish-out-of-water human character but is there even a villain for this line? Some kind of antagonist for these mages and their dragons to battle? There’s one, who only just received her first set, a year into the line (Ragana’s Magic Shadow Castle, which looks pretty awesome).

Anyway, today we’ll be looking at the 41173 Elvendale School of Dragons, which contains 230 pieces and sells for an RRP of £17.99. The box is eye-catching and really sells the mystic aesthetic and does a good job of showcasing the features of the set as well as the cross-sell for the LEGO Elves app (which I won’t be looking at like the NEXO Knights one)

The box contains two bags of bricks, a sticker sheet, a sheet with perforated banners and a long stick.

As usual, we’ll take a look at the figures included first and this time it’s of the mini-doll variety. This is Tidus Stormsurfer, a water elf who is a little bit like Hiccup from HTTYD and is in the process of training Miku, the baby dragon included in this set. He comes with an hourglass and can wield what is blatantly a Jammie Dodger crossbow. I… I don’t…

The majority of the build consists of the small hut and tree next to it. Unlike the Lord of The Rings sets, this magical world is alive with colour and the unusual hues and translucent bricks present in this set makes the build rather interesting.

The little nooks, crannies and details added in during the build gives the impression of a lived-in world despite being an isolated little island. There’s a removable desk, mail slot, storage box for Jammie Dodgers that can hold precisely TWO delicious biscuits and still be able to close the lid.

The long pole is rather malleable and acts a rail that bends around the entire set to create a launcher/swing for Miku, presumably to help the little dragon learn to fly if the included blackboard is any indication.

Overall, I think the Elvendale School of Dragons is a cute little set. It’s not as cool looking as the bigger dragon sets or that boat from last year but as an intro to the line, it’s not too shabby. I appreciate the colour scheme, the design aesthetic and the possibility of lore. Thank you to LEGO and Crescendo PR for the opportunity to review this set and I’ll catch you guys next time for another Mint in Box!

The official full length trailer was released on the 20th of December which is really an awkward time if you want it to be seen by the most amount of eyes possible. I think it snook past most people’s attention during the busy holiday period. I hope to rectify that problem today.

All the original cast returns – and what a cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig – as does the director Dean DeBlois who has also written the screenplay this time around (while having a writing credit on the first film he did not write the screenplay itself).

– We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby

I like how they’ve aged our protagonist, Hiccup. He has grown by 5 years, which is the amount of time that has gone by in real-life too (give or take). I’m sure the producers hope that growth will also be seen in the audience.

Often the temptation is to keep everything the same from the original film but this opens up a lot of storytelling oportunities and is a much better decision, if you ask me.

– X Games

They’ve added a totally radical flight costume. It’s gnarly!

To the max!

– Oh Yeah? Well Your Mom Trains Dragons!

The first movie was all about Daddy issues and with no grown-up female present in the film it felt like an overtly masculine movie. I welcome this inclusion of Hiccup’s previously absent Mother for all those reasons and more.

Plus, she’s voiced by Cate Blanchett which, you know, is pretty cool.

– One Louder

The general motive of sequels is to give you the same but more. While the last movie was a big adventure it was relatively self contained on a small island. However, this time the world opens up…

…as some dirty foreigners come calling. Remember kids, stranger danger!

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Overall: this looks good! Lots of story to work with, there is a consistency in the look while everything has progressed at the same time. Exactly what you want from something with a “2” on the end of it.