Elves

Noctura's Tower & the Earth Fox Rescue

The giant lifting bat on this tower is one of the cleverest things Elves ever did.

Brick Rated Score

4.2/5

Set 41194 · 2018

Pieces648

Minifigs2

Year2018

Set number41194

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

This is widely called the best set the Elves line ever put out, and after living with it I understand why.

The tower's giant bat, with wings and head that rise on a hidden knob to reveal the stolen elemental diamonds, is a genuinely clever bit of engineering that still makes me grin. Liska the earth fox is the weaker half, a little underwhelming next to that tower, but the parts selection and play value carry the whole thing. If you love Elves or you want one really characterful fantasy build, this is the one to chase.

Best for: Elves fans who want the line's single best build before it disappeared

The full review

What it is

Noctura's Tower and the Earth Fox Rescue was the 2018 finale of the Elves line, and it goes out swinging. You get two very different builds in one box: Liska, a posable brick-built fox with a translucent tail, and a two-level shadow tower crowned by an enormous bat. The tower is the star. There is a knob hidden on the back, and when you turn it the bat's translucent wings and head lift together to expose the stolen elemental diamonds tucked inside. The first time I worked that mechanism I actually sat back and grinned, because it is such a satisfying reveal for a set aimed at kids. That single function does more for the play value than half a dozen sticker details ever could.

The catch

I will be honest about where it falls short. Liska is the weaker of the two builds. The snout is longer and narrower than the earlier Elves lion, which is nice, but the feet are tiny and look a bit lost under the rest of the animal, and after the tower the fox just feels a little flat. The tower itself has three levels of building, yet only two of them are genuinely usable for the mini-dolls, so a chunk of the height is more decorative than functional. And then there is the price. It launched around fifty-nine dollars, which was fair for 648 pieces and this much personality, but the set is retired now and the secondary market has pushed it well above that, so patience and a good deal matter more than they used to.

Who it's for

So who should hunt this one down? If you collect Elves, this is the crown of the line, and you already know you want it. If you just want one fantasy build with real character, a proper villain, and a mechanism your kids will trigger a hundred times, this earns its place. The people I would steer away are collectors chasing tight engineering value or a display centrepiece, because the fox drags the average down and the retired pricing stings. But as a play set with a genuinely clever heart, it holds up beautifully.

The parts story

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

Building this is a story of two moods. Liska goes together like the other Elves creatures, a familiar brick-built animal frame with a longer fox snout and little feathered tufts by the face, pleasant but not surprising. Then you start the tower and it wakes up. Layering the shadow architecture, threading the potion bottles and cauldron, and rigging the hidden knob that drives the bat is where the set earns its reputation. Watching those translucent wings sweep up the first time you test the function is the moment the whole build clicks into place.

The parts here are the quiet reason to buy. Noctura is a brand new character with a gorgeously printed dark torso and a two-tone hairpiece that instantly reads as the villain, and this Farran uses new leg and torso parts not seen before. The two Shadow Bats are the collector bait: the orange Hippo is exclusive to this set, while the violet-tinged Molo also turns up in 41192. Add the translucent bat wings, the fox's clear tail, and a spider, and you have a box that is genuinely rare-and-useful rather than just recoloured filler. For 648 pieces the printed and specialty count is strong.

Fun facts

01This was one of the very last Elves sets released before LEGO retired the entire theme at the end of 2018.
02The orange Shadow Bat named Hippo is exclusive to this set, while its violet counterpart Molo also appears in set 41192.
03The whole tower is driven by a single hidden knob: turning it raises the bat's wings and head together to reveal the stolen elemental diamonds inside.
04Noctura debuted as a brand new character here, and the Farran figure uses leg and torso parts that had not appeared in earlier Elves sets.