A few weeks ago I bought my first-ever Bela-branded clone sets: the Sydney architecture skyline (which I reviewed here) and this, Belle’s Enchanted Castle, a clone of the Danish brand’s 41067, featuring the much-loved Beauty and the Beast characters. I have a young daughter who loves Disney princesses (whose young daughter doesn’t, right?) and I knew this would be an instant hit for her. With 376 pieces, the target age for this set is 6-12 years.

To begin, the instruction booklet included within it two sheets of stickers: one with 16 printed on regular white sticker paper, and another with a translucent “stained glass” pattern, intended for the window above the castle gates (I forgot to photo the sticker sheets; apologies!). The sticker sheets were high quality, completely flat, and easy to place on the various parts. Some were quite small (such as the interior of a storybook, which consists of a 1×2 white tile) and others were quite large, such as the windows underneath the balcony on the castle’s left side.

Despite the presence of stickers, there were quite a number of printed parts. Mrs Potts, Chip, the Featherduster, and Lumiere were all printed, and very nicely. Cogsworth and the Wardrobe each use two stickers: one for the face, and one for the torso (clockworks for Cogsworth, and drawers for the Wardrobe.

Building the set starts with the aforementioned characters and the mini-dolls for Belle and the Beast/Prince. The Beast includes both a chimeric head as well as a human head and wig (with a convenient storage location you’ll soon see, inside the castle, for whichever headgear he is not wearing at the moment). The beast head slips over the human head, rather than replace it. One small hitch is that the human head often comes up with the beast head when attempting to remove it. A needle poked through the hole in the top of the animal head suffices to keep the human head from removing with it.

After having created the characters, we begin the castle itself. It features “grass” base plates and is studded with round grey tiles for the pavement leading to the castle gates (the doorknobs of which are pink jewels; nice touch!).

The biggest stickers are the windows. They went on smoothly for me. Care should be taken to align them as these pieces will be adjacent in the castle, forming one large wall of windows.

The Kitchen is quite adorable, and features a pot on the cooker, perhaps for the preparation of the soup du jour, or maybe the famous “grey stuff” which Chip assures us is so delicious.

The build includes a number of very well-designed features, such as the table some lovely cakes, a photo of Belle’s father, a bookshelf with one book which pulls out and opens (and which can be held in the mini-dolls’ hands), and of course the Beast’s covered rose. In a nice touch, both of the domes (over the cake and over the rose) are speckled with glitter. Both are perfectly clear otherwise.

The pink transparent bricks and molded lion head above the stained glass window add an element of elegance, as do the pink “crystals” placed atop the castle, and the semi-clear “crystals” of the chandelier.

As my first (non-adult) Bela set, I was pleased with the quality, fit, and finish of this set. Clutch power is good. Printing of elements and stickers is top-notch, and the mini-dolls for Belle and the Beast are high quality as well. Belle’s hair is possibly made of a softer plastic than Lego-brand hairpieces, but this doesn’t change play at all. The play potential for this set is what you’d expect for a set aimed at young girls. I know my daughter was happy to get started playing with it right away, and will surely get many, many hours of enjoyment from it over the coming years.

My only complaint about this Bela set is that the included brick separator is a bit rubbish. It’s made of too soft of a plastic for prying apart stuck bricks and plates. I used it to pry off a tile I misplaced on the castle’s floor, and it actually came away with two dents and a small bit of plastic missing. I reached for my trusty Lepin Giraffe for the heavy-duty brick separating.

I can recommend this set without hesitation. It’s a fun build for younger kids, with great play value. I am sure it will be just the first of many more Bela play sets my daughter and I acquire.

The Happy Couple: Belle and the Prince

Enchanted Castle with the full cast and crew

Lepin Giraffe beats Bela Black for any heavy-duty brick separating

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