Disney

Maleficent’s Dragon Form

A wonderfully wicked dragon with a little castle for the story to happen around.

Brick Rated Score

3.7/5

Set 43240 · 2024

Pieces584

Minifigs2

Year2024

Set number43240

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

Maleficent as a dragon is one of the great Disney villain moments, and this set does her more justice than I expected going in.

The molded head with brick-built horns is the star, and the posable body gives you a creature that actually looks like it could rear up and breathe green fire. It leans young, though, so if you came hoping for a display-grade adult build you might feel it wants to be a toy first. For a Sleeping Beauty fan or a kid who loves dragons, it is a lovely thing.

Best for: Sleeping Beauty fans and kids who want a poseable dragon they can actually play with

The full review

What it is

Maleficent turning into a dragon is the scene that scared a generation of us silly, so I came to this one with high hopes and a bit of caution. What LEGO built here is a posable dragon with a specially molded head, folding wings and a tail that swishes, paired with a small bridge-and-tower castle section, a spinning wheel that turns, and space for Aurora's bed. It is not a giant statement piece, it is a play scene, and once I stopped expecting the former and let it be the latter, I found a lot to like. The dragon has real presence, and the green-and-purple color story is exactly right for the character.

The catch

Now for the honest bits, because there are a few. The build was originally planned as an adult display model, then got repurposed into a kids set at the last minute when another model was cancelled, and you can feel that history in it. It sits at 69.99 dollars for 584 pieces, which is fine value once you factor in the big molded head and the two mini-dolls, but it is not generous. The bigger letdown is the neck detailing: the dark purple scale pattern is printed onto black stickers, and against the black plastic you can barely make it out, which is a shame when the rest of her looks so sharp. The grey Mixel ball joints also peek through in a couple of spots and interrupt the otherwise moody palette.

Who it's for

So who is this for? If you love Sleeping Beauty, or you are buying for a kid who wants a dragon they can pose and swoop around the room, this is a warm yes. It plays beautifully and the character is unmistakable. If you are an adult collector chasing a museum-grade centerpiece, temper your expectations, because this one is happiest being handled rather than admired from across the room. I landed on genuinely fond rather than blown away, and I think that is the fair place to be.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building her is more satisfying than the modest part count suggests. The body starts from a dense, sandwiched base of brackets, bricks and plates with ball sockets sticking out of the sides ready to take the legs, and sharp brick-built spines running along the back. Slopes and satin trans-purple 1x1 quarter-round tiles get layered on to fake that scaly, organic curve, and it works better than a set this size has any right to. The castle side is quicker and simpler, a bridge with towers and a little turning spinning wheel, clearly there to give the dragon somewhere to menace.

The standout is that molded dragon head, which lets the designers nail the face instead of approximating it in bricks. Cleverly, the horns are not part of the mold: they are built up using the newer black broom-bristle piece with barbs, which turns out to be weirdly perfect for the spiky silhouette. Those satin trans-purple quarter-round tiles are the other nice touch, catching light like real scales. There are no truly rare treasures for parts collectors here, but the head and the horn trick are the pieces that make the model, and the palette of blacks, greens and trans-purple is a lovely little haul on its own.

Fun facts

01The model was originally designed as an adult display piece, then swapped in as a kids set at the last minute after another children's model was cancelled.
02Maleficent's menacing horns are not part of the molded head at all, they are brick-built from the black broom-bristle element with barbs.
03The full official name is Maleficent's Dragon Form and Aurora's Castle, and it packs Aurora, Prince Philip and Samson the horse alongside the dragon.
04It launched on June 1, 2024 at 69.99 dollars for 584 pieces, aimed at ages 7 and up.