Blocks enters the LEGO Castle world of swords and bravery in search of the top five LEGO knight minifigures.
The LEGO minifigure’s arrival in 1978 saw it thrust into three distinct worlds — modern town, futuristic space and medieval times. All three of these themes became core parts of the LEGO Group’s identity in the following decades and remain some of the most popular themes amongst fans. Castle in particular is still a wildly popular theme, especially with adult fans who grew up building amazing fortresses.
LEGO Castle has seemingly done it all since its launch 40-some years ago, going from humble beginnings with a castle constructed from yellow bricks in 1978 to beautifully realistic medieval architecture in the 2020s. The wide variety of subthemes and styles has led Castle and its spinoffs to offer some incredible knight minifigures. And Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, is braving the dragon’s lair in search of the five best LEGO knight minifigures.
71027 Tournament Knight
71027 Series 20’s Tournament Knight walks the line between simplicity and elegance beautifully, perhaps representing how he handles himself in a tournament duel. The yellow and black tunic is a perfect balance between flashy and practical, ensuring that he can win his fights in style. His shield features the same colours as his torso and legs with a bird printed on the front that’s more goofy than it is intimidating. The minifigure also makes use of dual-moulded legs to give the knight some armoured boots that match his helmet’s metallic grey colour.
Black Falcon Knight
Modern LEGO Castle saw the return of the Black Falcons, a faction from the theme’s original run in the 1980s. Three of these knights appeared in 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle as emissaries hoping to make peace between the two factions. The modern Black Falcons make use of beautiful deep blue and striking gunmetal grey on their torsos and legs. Their helmets then come in black to add some contrast. Much like the Tournament Knight, the design for the Black Falcons is simple yet effective, with the only decoration on the torso coming in the form of the faction’s emblem. The pictured knight comes with a backpack to help him on the road — as well as an alternate face for when he realises being a knight isn’t at all that his parents promised it would be.
71045 Vampire Knight
Much like the modern Black Falcons, 71045 Series 25’s Vampire Knight is a modern upgrade of a classic LEGO Castle minifigure, taking the nostalgia of classic LEGO and combining it with the excellent printing of today. The Vampire Knight is similar in design to the classic Fright Knights Bat Lord, using a special helmet piece and a bat on the knight’s shield. He comes wielding a double-sided axe with frightening red blades and wearing a cape that only adds to this figure’s ominous presence. The beady red eyes are the only part of the Vampire Knight’s face visible under the helmet, which is probably for the best, since a terrifying face print is lurking underneath.
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Knight
From one of the spookiest knights to one of the most wholesome — 375 Castle’s Knight minifigure goes about his days at the castle with a smile on his face, happy to do his best to keep the kingdom safe. There really isn’t a whole lot to look at with this minifigure — the only printing to be found is the simple smiley face, as the crown on the armour is actually a sticker. But even so, this charming knight is well-deserving of a spot on this list, being one of the first brave knights to be featured in the brick. Most knights in the set used the standard helmet piece, but the one pictured here dons a helm with a visor and feather, thanks to the use of a special element attached to the Classic Space helmet.
Heroic Knight
Sometimes all you need is a dashing knight in a fairy tale set of armour, and that’s exactly what 71000 Series 9 Heroic Knight is. The Heroic Knight arrives with a smile in his grey and silver suit of armour, carrying a sword and fantastically detailed shield with him. The knight has an extra piece over his torso to add some heft to his armour; the piece features some excellent detailing, including some slight white highlights to break up the grey of the armour. The figure uses an updated version of the helmet seen on the knight from 375 Castle — even using a similar space helmet as the base for this medieval icon.
Did your favourite knight minifigure make the list? Or does another earn your top spot? Let Blocks know on any of our social media channels.
Select images courtesy of Brickset.com