Who supplies castles with their treasure? In Trader’s Wagon Encounter, we might find out!

With eight opening windows, two side-mounted treasure chest containers, working suspension (to simulate rickety travels over cobbles!) two swinging wooden doors, a secret compartment, and lots of treasures from his adventures, the Trader’s Wagon is a delightful adventure in itself! Discover his wares by opening the windows and trading, or settle down for a week or two by reusing the log seats from the campfire as stilts for this mobile trading post! Feed the horses apples and replenish the hay as they drink from the water trough, or climb into the stable attic to discover a lost chest! Once that’s done, look around to see what critters are about, and if there are any ingredients (mushrooms, flowers) for potions! Cook some fish in the trader’s wagon, and try trading it for some information from the wise knights! You can even climb the wagon with the ladder, look into far-away lands with the telescope, or go catching bugs with the net! When you’ve got your own trading wagon, anything is possible!*

*note, trading wagon does not fly, but we are working on a potion for that.

About the artist: I grew up in England, UK, and spent my childhood exploring castles and ruins and imagining what life was once like. My first digital Lego build was a castle in Lego Digital Designer, and it is a theme I have always loved. In college I studied archaeology, with a particular interest in trade between ancient people. When we look back, we see that humans have explored and shared experiences and discoveries with each other forever, and that this is what drives our creativity.

On top of my own experiences exploring Britain’s castles and imagining what life was once like in this strange, storied land, I drew inspiration from previous BDP designs, such as the Pumpkin Patch by SofieBuilds (series 9), the Alchemist’s Shop, from Shram (series 7), Off-Road Adventure, by KingCreations (series 6), and Sleepy Dragon Inn, by Marin BD (series 9). I had many strange and grand ideas for my project, and enjoyed whittling them into something more refined and valuable with the BDP palette, making careful consideration of what parts were available, and only using rare pieces if they had a storytelling justification (such as the shield in the Trader’s Wagon, implying a far-flung adventure to another kingdom). It was very important for me that this design fits with previous BDP sets, continuing an epic tradition of storytelling, and making sense as a build. I envision the characters and the wagon travelling from castle to castle on people’s shelves, and for endless hours of play as they open the wagon, reveal the secret treasures, and rearrange the interior to tell their own stories!

My design process was led by a philosophy to make a beautiful thing which also had play functions for those interested. The secret compartment in the wagon is a nod to that, as is the working suspension, and the ability to swap around parts and rearrange the scenery to tell new stories. Importantly, I wanted the wagon to be somewhere the trader lived, implying long journeys and adventures. The minifigures also represent this, with three kingdoms appearing through them.

It was important to me to tell a story with this set. The stable can only hold two horses, so the trader may need to negotiate with the knights to set his horses here for the evening. The campfire is not an isolated set piece, and is accompanied by mushrooms, a fish, and a leg of meat. Elsewhere you can find apples, hay, and flowers for potion making. There are four logs around the campfire, which accommodate all the figures, and can be taken off to be utilized as stilts for the trader’s shop, if so desired. The carriage itself has a secret compartment, accessible through a hinged floor panel, which is covered by the trader’s wagon, which can be lifted out of its position and placed down as its own building.

There is a butterfly by the signpost, and insects in a glass display inside the trader’s wagon.

I was also inspired by the Lion Knight’s Castle (set 10305) and wanted to imagine the kind of people who might visit such an epic place, bringing wares from far-away towns, kingdoms, and even ancient civilizations. You will see within the design that my trader has clearly had contact with a lot of varied people, trading goods, treasures, and knowledge as he explores the world. He has a map, a pickaxe, lanterns, and an early telescope. He is even wearing an outfit from another kingdom, implying contact with other kingdoms and epic adventures!