By Rakesh Gosai (SAFOLs Brick Deputy, ECLUG Founder)
As an avid fan of the haunted series of Lego sets and minifigures, this set is just up my dark alley. From the moment the set images were released, I knew I had to get at least 3 of these sets, but I only could get 1!
The Haunted Mansion set contains 736 pieces at an average price of R1299.00. Too scary in terms of pricing point, but it would be best to get it on when there is a promotion running. The set also comes with 5 minifigures: a werewolf, a vampire, a ghost, Frankenstein’s monster and a skeleton, with the ghost being glow in the dark.
Three creepy options in one box:
The first build is a 2-storey haunted house which includes a gate, a graveyard, scary tree, an organ and a glow in the dark ghost. This build feels like a tribute to the original 2012 Monster Fighters Haunted House #10228. The build is a scaled down version with all the same colours of the original haunted house and similar building style. The sand green is one of my favourite Lego brick colours and the haunted mansion looks at home next to the Monster Fighters Haunted Mansion. Inside the house is an organ that is 4 studs wide with a seat for a minifigure and a nicely built grandfather clock. There is a small graveyard at the front with a hand rising from the ground. The windows are all boarded up and includes a nice, haunted tree with an interesting build for the branches. On the right-hand side of the house is a technic gear which turns the ghost to face the window on the first floor. I felt the piece count could have been better as the house is eerily tiny!
The second build is a haunted steam train with a train platform. Something to note is that this train would not work on train tracks as it is haunted and therefore floats. No wheels are on this build.
The third build is a haunted ship with a removable cabin roof. The sail is a skeleton version of a sail.
The minifigures look good to me. The ghost has a matte finish and glows really well in the dark. The vampire design details are exceptional with the details on the night gown. The Frankenstein’s Monster minifigure has been slightly updated. The werewolf minifigure has been updated with sharp designs. And finally, the basic skeleton minifigure with a lamp.
The main build is worth buying this set, but I think the price could have been better. As a fan of this series, it’s a no brainer, excuse the pun.
