43111 Candy Castle Stage LEGO Review - VIDIYO, 2021

A pretty sweet little set.

TL;DR:

• Original Price:  $29.99
• Pieces: 344
• Minifigure(s): Candy Ballerina, Blue-Beary Guitarist
• Sticker Sheet: No
  
• Pros: Great minifigs, colorful pieces
• Cons: App no longer functions, limited play

Assembly: 

Bag #1 - Candy Ballerina, stage base

Bag #2 - Stage speakers & second level

Bag #3 - Blue-Beary Guitarist, stage final details

 Leftover Pieces

• Interesting Steps:
• Tan and light aqua macaroni pieces on 2x6 plate with round corners are an easy and effective way to make crenelations on a round tower. It would be worth remembering this (in other colors) for castle builds.

• The vanity is a simple but effective sub-build.

• Like other VIDIYO stage sets, this one uses elements on turntables to (I assume, since the app no longer functions) modify the video playback in some way: that is, when one side of the speakers the camera, the effects are different than if the other side does. While the digital tie-in isn't valid any more, it's still a neat technique for building sets that can be easily modified, like quick-change stage design for theatre backdrops. Three different methods are used here to stop a an element from rotating 360°: 1) the corners on the square brick half of the ice cream cone decorations hitting against the crenelations, 2) the SNOT bracket and pearl gold 1x2 grille on the bear/gingerbread head hitting against the bright pink 45° slope, and 3) the medium azure 2x3-with-hole's modified end against the light aqua 1x1 tiles. These stops are all pretty subtle, taking advantage of the precise measurements of LEGO bricks to ensure clearance/stoppage as needed, and incorporated into the build's design language of colors and shapes.

• Overall:  Like Chima before it, the VIDIYO line was a high water mark in terms of colorful creativity and visual interest. The minifigures are some of the best, and the builds were unusual and striking. It's a shame that neither line was allowed to live as long as Ninjago, and VIDIYO was further hamstrung by its reliance on an app (which only lasted for 1 year or 3, depending on what sources you read) for its main functionality. This feels much the same as the problems with Chima and Monkie Kid, whose shows are no longer available to watch anywhere (unless you're lucky enough to find DVDs), which mean that potential fans aren't able to learn about the stories behind the characters and builds they're playing with.

Lost media lamentations aside, this is indeed a fun looking set, though being designed to be recognized by the app for augmented reality purposes does mean that it's a bit more structurally bare-bones than might otherwise have been the case: the only transformations are the rotating parts mentioned above. Its relatively small footprint also somewhat limits play options, making it more of a display piece.

The minifgs are the stars, particularly the Blue-Beary Guitarist. It's also a good source of some colorful basic elements once you've built the set.

Score (out of 5 🧱):

• Price: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
• Process: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
• Presentation: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
• Play: 🧱🧱
• Pieces: 🧱🧱🧱

• Total: 🧱🧱🧱

Lego Instructions: here