Over the past few years we’ve been getting quite a delightful series of sets from LEGO as they revisit old Castle themes, and the latest GWP continues that trend in spades with a lovely modern makeover of the 6057 Sea Serpent.

The revamped set was developed from last year’s LEGO Ideas Twist of Nostalgia contest winner, HallowedBrick02’s. The final rendition makes for an enjoyable build with almost twice as many parts as the original from the ‘90s. It is quite a colorful vessel with it s bright blue, red, and gold color scheme, although even then, it hasn’t quite as many colors as in the original and the fan submission!

But what if the new Sea Serpent didn’t sail under the same banner? Let’s take a closer look at LEGO Ideas 40912 Sea Serpent and have some fun, shall we?

Setting Sail Once Again

Despite its compact footprint, the ship feels surprisingly substantial in hand, with a silhouette that captures the charm of the original while looking much more refined. This is not the first time LEGO’s used the long compound curves (wedge 10 x 2 x 2 on BrickLink) to great effect on sea vessels (even on some of the massive ones!), but they sure do look pretty here.

Then we’ve also got some epic bracket work along the stern and fore-castles, and a couple of really fun play features that surprised me in such a small little craft, including a stack of gold in the cabin and some cookies (or hardtack) stowed away below deck.

The shiny blue really pops, and while I’m slightly conflicted about the red striped keel aesthetically, I do appreciate the nod to the original set—and from some angles it certainly does work.

We get a beautiful new shield print on those fancy triangular shields as well, and while I would have liked a new torso for sure, I do like how versatile these chainmail ones are, rendering them useful across any kind of medieval display.

Looking at all these details got me thinking: what if the Sea Serpent belonged to another Castle faction?

Flying New Colors

One of the joys of LEGO Castle is that so many factions share the same medieval vocabulary. Swap a few shields, a banner, and a handful of colors, and suddenly the same model tells a completely different story.

First things first, we’re going to need some custom sails. I’m going to go with paper right now for these but, ooh, wouldn’t these be lovely on cloth! I’ll pass around a petition for you all to sign later on… We start with the Lion Knights because, well, who wouldn’t?

The remade Lion Knight torsos fit in great with the color scheme we already have going here, so all I had to do was grab a couple red and blue flags and put in my nice new sail. I have to say, this might just outdo the sea serpents right out of the gate for me! I might be in love.

Next up we have the Black Falcons—we’ve swapped out the red stripe for black and it definitely gives the vessel a slightly more mercenary aspect, which I like. These folk seem to mean business, so I hope you’re on their good side!

And, I couldn’t resist. Do LEGO Forestmen ever venture this far from their native woods? I don’t know, but if they did, I’m sure it’d be in a nimble craft rigged something like this! Forestmen may not be known as seafarers, but this little ship feels right at home slipping through rivers and hidden waterways.

Somehow this one feels like a great Christmas gift, am I right?

And then I’d be remiss not to try out one of the newer LEGO factions too, so I gave the craft one more makeover for the Griffin Knights (whose color scheme and helmets, I’m just noticing, are suspiciously reminiscent of one of the older factions as well—can you place it?)

Your Turn at the Helm

Overall I’d say the LEGO Ideas 40912 Sea Serpent is a very fun and versatile Gift With Purchase (GWP) set that I venture to predict will be quite popular. It captures the spirit of the original while taking advantage of modern building techniques, making it just as enjoyable to display as it is to play with.

But what surprised me most is how easily the design lends itself to customization. A simple change of sails, flags, shields, and minifigures is enough to completely transform the personality of the ship.

We’d love to see your take on rebranding it for another castle faction, so let us know how it goes in the comments below!

LEGO Ideas 40912 Sea Serpent is now available as a GWP with orders around US $180 | EU €180 | CA $235 | UK £160 | AU $295 through July 12th, while supplies last.

DISCLAIMER: This set was provided to BrickNerd by LEGO. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

Which faction would you like to see LEGO remake next? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Lukas Kurth from StoneWars, Wayne Tyler, Dan Church, and Roxanne Baxter to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.