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#2336 SET REVIEW: 21348: IDEAS Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale

ALT TEXT FOR SCREEN READERS IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS POST You stumble down a forest path, turn a corner, and- Roll for perception- and you see a… LEGO set? The long-awaited LEGO D&D collaboration is finally here, and we can’t wait to show it to you! WARNING: this set is also a playable D&D adventure, and to break it down for review, this post does feature spoilers for the adventure.


Tips and Bricks logo. #2336 SET REVIEW: 21348: IDEAS Dungeons and Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale. Celebrating 50 years of D&D! Image shows a tall grey tower on a dark tan hill, with a stone bridge to one side, and a medieval building in front of it. There is a large red dragon above the bridge, and various magical creatures and minifigures around. Our score: 23 out of 25 314.99 pounds, 359.99 dollars, 359.99 euros, for 3745 parts. How does this set compare to the original fan design? SPOILER WARNING! This set is also a D&D adventure! To break it down for review, this post features spoilers!

How do you think the set compares to @bolt.builds’ original design? Will you be picking this up on 1 April? Comment below!


[Review products provided by the LEGO group, but all opinions are our own and honest - we don't have to praise sets to keep receiving them.] 


Part selection: NEW PARTS: 2 large reddish orange cloth dragon wings NEW RECOLOURS: Minifigure, wing, bat, red, x2. Bracket 5 x 2 x 2 1/3 with 2 Holes and Bottom Stud Holder, red, x2. Pneumatic T bar, reddish orange, x19. Technic Rotation Joint Disk with Large Pin Hole and 2 Pins, dark red, x2. Cone, 1 x 1, medium lavender, x4. Technic macaroni piece, medium lavender, x10. NEW PRINTS: 1 x 1 tile, tan, with owl eye print, x2. 1 x 1 tile, round, nougat, with round eye print, x10. 1 x 1 tile, round, black, with cat eye print, x2. Wedge plate 2 x 2, red, with dragon eye print, left and right, 1 of each. 1 x 2 tiles, tan, with 4 different magic spell designs on them, 2 of each. 1 x 1 plate, reddish brown, with 2 yellow eyes printed on the side, x4. 1 x 1 sphere, lime, with green dragon design printed, x1. 2 x 2 tile, round, orange, with large eye print, x1. 2 x 2 curved slope, black, with leafy bearded face print, x1. RARE PARTS: (Appearing in 1 other set) Door 1 x 4 x 6 with Window and Stud Handle, reddish brown, x7. 2 x 3 brick, olive green, x2. 2 x 2 corner plate, olive green, x1. 1 x 1 brick with stud on side, olive green, x1. Spiral staircase step segment, light bluish grey, x8. 2 x 2 round tile, sand green, x5. Slope, double, inverted, 2 x 2. dark purple, x3. Plate, rounded, 3 x 3, orange, x4. INTERESTING PARTS: 1 x 2 plate, reddish orange, x31. Trans-clear cup with handle with trans-orange drink inside, x2. 1 x 1 round tile, pearl gold, with crown coin print, x8. Minifigure accessory, The One Ring, x1. Bar 1L with 45 angled stud, medium nougat, x11. Weapon, hilt, dragon, pearl gold, x6. Flame, plume, trans-bright green, x8. Mop head, tan, x2. Plant, fern leaf, satin dark pink, x3. STICKERS: A relatively small sticker sheet with some detail. SCORE: 5 out of 5 part selection. With a brilliant selection of new prints and desirable parts. this set is a MOC maker's dream, particularly for those who like to make animals and medieval-themed builds.

Minfiigures: Heroes Each main figure has options for gender presentation and accessories! GNOME FIGHTER: Figure has short legs, silver armour, a longsword, medium nougat skin, and blonde slicked back hair with pointy ears. Face has lipstick and a slight smile. Alternate face is winking with a larger smile. New face print! New hair/ears recolour! Alternate parts: Head piece without makeup, double sided, both smiling, one with mouth open the other showing teeth. Shield with black cat creature. Flat silver shortsword/gladius. New shield print! ELF WIZARD: Figure has blue robes and shoulder pads, and is holding a book and small stave with a jewel. Skin tone is medium brown and hair is dark brown, with coiled texture, tied back. New hair/ears piece! The face has makeup, with a smile. alternate face is frowning. The book has an ornate gold design on its front. Inside is a shiny printed tile for a spell. Alternate parts: Head piece without makeup, one side smiling, the other screaming. 2 other spell option tiles for the book. New book page prints! ORC ROGUE: Figure is wearing dull, sleek, attire, with a dark blue hooded cloak. Weapons held are a small grey knife and a crossbow. Rare cape colour! Skin is light bluish grey, face has makeup and is smiling. New face print! Alternate parts: Head piece without makeup, smiling. New face print! Grey knife. DWARF CLERIC: Figure has medium legs and is wearing teal robes with golden layered shoulder pads, is wielding a gold artefact and holding a grey hammer. New shoulder armour recolour! Skin tone is medium tan, with makeup, one side is smiling, the other looking determined. New face print! Hair is white and braided. Alternate parts: Head piece without makeup and with long white beard. Alternate face is bruised. New face print! White receding hair piece. And this isn't all! Inside the set itself are more accessories to find on the adventure!

MERRY RUMWELL/ERVAN SOULFALLEN: Figure is wearing grey and red robes and has large black spiky hair. Light nougat skin. Face has a tentative smile. Rare hair colour! New face print! Arrows show the figure can be switched to be given a tattered cape and hood, alternate face has eyes glowing with green lightning. Figure can be given a magic staff and green lightning effect piece. Rare lightning colour! New cape recolour! Alternate head: Head without makeup and with short black beard, one side with a wide smile, the other angry with eyes glowing with green lightning. ALAX JADESCALES: Figure is in brown medieval clothes with a green dragon's head. New head print and recolour! Accessory is a lute. Rare accessory! MYCONIDS: 2 identical figures. They use the small dreamling body piece, recoloured in tan, with a monstrous face and a magenta 3x3 dish for a mushroom cap hat. SKELETONS: One skeleton has a shiny reflective cape. New cape! Another skeleton has a ring and a green curved weapon. The final skeleton is wearing a silver helmet and chestplate, with an ornate dual moulded pearl dark grey and flat silver sword. New helmet recolour! New sword recolour! All torso and leg prints in this set are new! The figures in this set are diverse, interesting, and, in the spirit of D&D, packed with options! The sheer quantity (11) also populates the set nicely. SCORE: 5 out of 5 Minifigures.

Features: Interiors Close up of the back of the medieval building, its floors separated. Inside is a bar with food and drink. On the upper floor is a totally normal and safe bed and treasure chest... There is a rack with weapon choices of a spear, a rapier, and an axe. The side walls have stickered detail of paintings and a quest board. Rear view of the large stone fortress. The tower is on the right and there are rooms inside the hill. To the left, a wooden door opens to a dungeon with a chain in it. There is a shield on the ground with a monster design on it, a new print. In the caverns below are weapon upgrades, a shield, a shiny flail, a crystal staff, and a bow. Gold coins are scattered throughout. Above the cavern level is a shrine with dragon heads and candles. Above that is a floor with desks with magical tools and scrolls on it. Above that is an egg surrounded by candles burning green. A ladder goes up to the topmost floor, a small platform next to a flagpole.

Techniques: Fortress and inn. A 1 x 1 technic axle brick is sandwiched between 2 3 x 3 cut corner wedge plates to allow the front window to insert at 45 degrees. Image of the back side of the front window, with an axle sticking out to go into the technic brick. Close-up of the inn's wedge-shaped chimney. Tiled slopes alternate on headlight bricks to give texture to the inn's chimney. The headlight bricks face outwards, perpendicular to each other, and the tile cutout slopes are placed sideways with the slope inwards, to complete the wedge shape. Arrow points to steps on the dark tan hill below the fortress bridge. SNOT builds are used for rugged stone steps throughout the model. Close-up of a build using 1 x 2 x 1 and 2/3 SNOT bricks to put the build sideways, and 1 x 2 curved slopes as the jaunty steps. Dark green fern pieces are used upside down for trees. Arch 1 x 3 x 2 Curved Top in light bluish grey is placed sideways as a banister on the tower. On the bridge are 2 stickered shield tiles with dragon designs on them. Tiles on double sided SNOT bricks adorn the turret. Exploded view of 1 x 1 brick with studs on opposite sides with 1 x 2 tiles on its top and both sides to make crenelations for the end of the bridge. A large horn in black is pointed out as branches on a tree.

Techniques: Red Dragon. Image of a large red dragon with its head partially deconstructed and its front leg removed, revealing a small ball joint socket. T-bars hold the cloth wings to the technic frames. Arrows point out how the reddish orange T-bar pieces go through holes in the wing pieces and into technic half-pins in the wing frames. A mop piece is used for its cone-like shape in each horn. Candles are used for the thinner sections of the fingers of the wings. The head uses a clever SNOT brick core with a T-bar holding the jaw. Brick, Modified 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Studs on Sides and Extended Stud Receptacle has 1 x 1 plates with vertical clips on sides that go side bars of T-bar. Another Brick, Modified 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Studs on Sides and Extended Stud Receptacle goes on to the third bar of the T-bar. The shoulders rotate using embedded ball joints. Close-up of the inside of a leg with a 1 x 2 plate with ball joint on side. Arrow points to the socket at the Dragon's shoulder. SNOT bricks and brackets form the centre of the body. Image of core construction of plates, bricks, and SNOT construction. Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2, orange, is marked out. Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2, dark red, is marked out. Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2, inverted, tan, is marked out. Doubled up ball joints give the tail strength and alternating brackets allow detail on both sides. Close-up of a segment of the tail showing modified 1 x 2 plates with ball joints that are stacked with bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2, red, and bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2, inverted, dark red, alternating on around the ball joint plates so both sides have studs.

Techniques: Monsters Image of brick-built owl bear hybrid creature. D-SNOT bricks are used sideways in the paws to attach claw pieces. Close-up of the head, partially deconstructed, with Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with Tooth Vertical, reddish brown, as a tuft on the side. Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with Tooth Vertical, black, is the beak. Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2 inverted, reddish brown, provides studs on the front to attach the tiles of the face. A variety of brackets create the Beholder's unusual shape. Image of partially deconstructed Beholder showing how its jaw hinges using sideways swivel plates attached with brackets. Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2, red, is marked in the jaw. Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1, tan, is marked behind the face. Image of the completed Beholder, a spooky purple creature with one large eye over a sharp-toothed mouth, with many small tentacles with smaller eyes on the ends of them. Technic macaroni piece, medium lavender, is pointed out as the tentacles. Image of partially deconstructed Displacer Beast body, with bar 3L, black, and bar 1L with stud providing bars sticking out to the side for the legs to attach to. The legs are made with plate 1 x 2 round, at the hip, so the hollow stud of that plate can go on the bars. The core of the Displacer Beast's head is a blaster. Image of the blaster core piece with angled handle at the bottom and studs on all sides above that. Exploded view of the Displacer Beast's head showing how the angled handle is used to attach the angled jaw, and the rest of the head goes on the studs. Image of partially deconstructed Gelatinous Cube, a pale blue translucent cube with skeleton parts and trinkets inside. Panels allow space for debris in the Gelatinous Cube. The lid of the chest fits over the stud on the jumper plate of the Mimic's mouth insert, holding it inside. Image shows a small construction with a jumper plate facing backwards that fits into a treasure chest piece, with the lid fitting over the stud. A bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 inverted allows for detail on top of the sideways construction. Image of completed Mimic, a treasure chest with 4 eyes, teeth, and a large tongue. Much of this set uses techniques we've seen plenty of times before, but some parts of it, particularly with the creatures, are impressively done. SCORE: 4 out of 5 Techniques.

Accuracy: The Owlbear is probably the least accurate, but it's still pretty good! Image shows official D&D art of Owlbear next to the LEGO version. The LEGO version is much blockier and with a larger, squarer head. The Beholder is instantly recognisable. Image of official art of Beholder, the purple eye monster, next to LEGO version. The LEGO version is slightly simpler less spherical but still clearly a Beholder. Official art of a Displacer Beast, a black six-legged cat with 2 spiked tentacles on its back, next to the LEGO version. The LEGO version is slightly robotic looking and its head is more chunky but it is still clearly what it is supposed to be. This set contains 2 mimics! Image of Official Mimic art of a chest with eyes many teeth, and a big tongue, next to the LEGO version. Also, there is the LEGO bed from inside the inn, with its top hinged open to reveal teeth. Image of official D&D Red Dragon next to LEGO version. Features like the horns, the claws on the wings, the leg shapes, the head shape, and the belly are clearly very similar. Reference images are from D&D Beyond.

SCORE: 5 out of 5 Accuracy. Clear design elements come directly from BoltBuilds’ winning submission and official D&D artwork. Also, the figure options and included story exemplify the spirit of D&D fantastically. Image of the original IDEAS submission, a very close likeness to the final set. Circles and lines show that they share a flagpole on the tower, the same stone designs on the tower corners, a bridge to the side with shield tile details, and an inn at the front with an angled door and window. This set’s price/part (9.6¢) is in the middle ground for other sets of similar size and piece count like the Loop Coaster and Home Alone house. Considering this, as well as the great display value (look at the dragon!), and playable adventure, we think it’s a good deal for fans of LEGO and D&D! Top-down view of the dragon, with measurements of 16.5in or 42cm long, and 17.5in or 44cm wide. SCORE: 4 out of 5 Value for Money. Share what you think! Is this set a critical success, or did LEGO fumble their rolls? Comment below!

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