71040 Disney Castle: Investment Fairy Tale or Horror Show?
Disney World…"The Happiest Place on Earth." I can attest to that nickname. I have been very fortunate in my life to have visited Disney World in Orlando, Florida numerous times over the course of my forty-eight years of life on this planet. The centerpiece of the Disney World resort and their marketing logo is Cinderella's Castle...or in LEGO form, the 71040 Disney Castle. Cinderella's Castle is situated in the heart of the Magic Kingdom, Disney World's original theme park, and is visible from most points in the park. One of the neat things I learned on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Magic Kingdom was that Disney engineers and designers used the technique of "forced perspective" to make structures within the Magic Kingdom look larger than they actually are. With Cinderella's Castle, the bricks that made up the building were larger at the bottom and smaller at the top, giving the illusion of a taller building. Unfortunately, this is one technique that was not utilized on the 71040 Disney Castle. Regardless, the real life Cinderella's Castle is a special place...a real life Fairy Tale. My wife and I were lucky enough to have lunch with Cinderella herself...That was pretty awesome.
Enough of the real life Cinderella's Castle. So what's the deal with the recently released 71040 Disney Castle? Well...it's spectacular. The 71040 Disney Castle is one of my all- time favorite LEGO sets. It is just a stunning set. The fine details of the set are quite amazing. From the hidden compartments, to the tiny books and frogs, to the stratospheric spiral, the 71040 Disney Castle is one LEGO set that LEGO designers should be proud of. The 71040 Disney Castle sells for £289.99 / $349.99 / 349.99€ and contains 4080 pieces, which makes it the sixth largest LEGO set released to date. The set is really a work of LEGO art and could be one of the most beautiful display models ever created for mass sale by LEGO. Not only does the 71040 Disney Castle display well, it also "plays" well. The entire back of the 71040 Disney Castle is open like a Disney doll house and the main tan section lifts off. There are various rooms that pay homage to classic Disney movies such as Alladin, Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia, Snow White and of course...Cinderella. There is fine details throughout the 71040 Disney Castle, making it a joy to build and gaze at. Not only that, but there are five wonderfully detailed minifgures in the 71040 Disney Castle, four of which are exclusive to the set.
So all of this sounds great and will make the 71040 Disney Castle a sure-fire investment winner...right? Maybe not...Let's review. The 71040 Disney Castle is an iconic LEGO set in my opinion...a spectacular display set...a set that has a huge built-in fan base...a set that has a doll house playability aspect to it...a set with over 4000 pieces and a reasonable Price Per Piece (7.1p / 8.6c / 8.6c)...a set that has a beautiful and impressive box...a set with exclusive minifigures. The 71040 Disney Castle checks ALL the boxes that I usually judge LEGO sets with. So what's the problem? Well, this set might just be too big of a seller to ever retire. The 71040 Disney Castle appeals to all types of LEGO fans, both young and old, dabblers to diehards. If the recent history and reincarnation of the 10188 Death Star into the 75159 Death Star is any indication of the future for the 71040 Disney Castle, then it could be around a "long" time. It would appear LEGO keeps top-selling sets available at retail longer these days. They used to retire almost all sets on a regular basis (Many sets would retire in the 1-3 year range), but now, many sets are being produced for years...and years...and years. A popular set like the 10214 Tower Bridge has been selling for seven years. Another popular set, the 10218 Pet Shop has been selling for almost six years.
Could this be the future of the 71040 Disney Castle? There is a very good chance in my opinion. Unless I am completely wrong and people hate this set and it's a poor seller, I'm afraid it's going to be around a long time. Add in the fact that Disney World will probably want to stock this set in many of their gift shops and the LEGO store in Downtown Disney, I can't see this set being a short production run unless LEGO wants to make LEGO collectors and investors very happy. Regardless of the future investment angle of the 71040 Disney Castle, every LEGO and Disney fan should treat themselves to this truly special set and hope that LEGO decides to surprise us with a limited production run. That would definitely make many LEGO investment and collectible forums the "Happiest Place on Earth."
