Review of the Xmork Medieval Tavern 033033 Building Block Set

 


Hey brick fans!

Here's a set I've had sitting on the back burner for awhile.   It's the Xmork Medieval Tavern set I bought from Aliexpress last June 2024.  The set number is 033033 and it's one of three in a series of medieval buildings.  Finally got around to building it!

The other two buildings are the 2095 piece Medieval Magician's House set 033032 and the 1991 piece Medieval Blacksmith 033031.  The Magician's house has a blue roof and the Blacksmith has a tan coloured roof.  I might get those in the future to complete this set.

Unboxing



Usually, you don't get the boxes when you buy alt Lego sets from Aliexpress, so I was mildly surprised when the tavern came boxed.  The cardboard is a bit roughed up and on the thin side but it is what it is.  The front of the box depicts the actual built model and has the logos Xmork and Mocsage and shows the model number 033033 and the piece count of 1872 pieces.  Age Rating is 6+, but I think it's a bit too optimistic for a 6 year old to have the patience to properly build the tavern roof (more on that later).

The back of the box shows all three of the aforementioned buildings in the series.  It appears that the buildings can be displayed individually or joined together.

Here's the contents of the box.  First glance reveals the instruction booklet and some baseplates.

Parts are neatly packaged in numbered bags.  A quick check confirms that each of the numbers, 1, 2 and 3 correspond to the steps in the instruction manual.   Let's unpack the box ...

Step 1 has 15 bags.

Step 2 has 10 bags.
Step 3 has 12 bags.
No stickers to be found but there's a light brick included.

Here's a sample picture of the instructions.


Building the Medieval Tavern

Step 1 First Floor


The first floor consists of a small bar with seating for just two.

The round turret area has a writing desk and stool.  The printed tile says Once upon a time.

There's a lot of greenery outside which I feel could have been better utilized as extra seating for tavern patrons.

I'm not sure the squared off display base is appropriate for a medieval display.  It should have been built up on tiered baseplates instead of a gray wall.

This is the wooden door leading into the tavern.

As far as the footprint of the tavern building it's just slightly larger than 16x16 studs.

Step 2:  the Second Floor





On the second floor, there's a sitting area/library with a chair and bookshelf.  We also find a small stone hearth.  On the balcony, there's a large empty crate and two telescopes.  No staircase though, maybe need to add a ladder.

The Medieval Tavern uses some interesting snot techniques to build the walls.

The tavern sign is printed on both sides.

Here's the side view of the tavern.  It has an open back, but it is modular in that the second floor can be separated from the first.  So far the building block quality and clutch is decent. No loose parts falling off or anything.

Step 3: The Roof


Others who have built this set before me have indicated that the roof is really finicky to build and they weren't wrong.  I had it collapse on me a few times before I got the hang of it.   It's not one solid panel on each side, rather it's a series of clipped plates, I guess supposedly it can be shaped, but it's a bit flimsy.

Once built both panels are clipped to the rod at the very top to hold it into place. Here you can see the anatomy of the roof structure.   Not sure if I would have designed it this way.  Could have used cross beams to provide more support.

Here's the roof panels carefully put into place.

The roof panels are not identical, one side is shorter than the other.  I believe this is to facilitate putting the other models next to it.

Fortunately, the roof attaches easily to the second floor and seems to hold ok.


Step 4: The Tree


Ok, I'll be the first to admit that my tree looks like crap, lol.  But hey, the tavern is supposed to be the star of the set.

Is the Xmork Medieval Tavern modular?  Yes it is.   Ok, let's put it all back together.

The Finale






Final Thoughts

Now that I've built the set, the Xmork Medieval Tavern isn't quite as bad as I originally thought.  The first two floors are solid and have a fair amount of detail.  You might try your patience on the roof though.  If you get past the roof challenge, the set looks fairly decent.  Here are some of the things I would change:

Build the set on a more natural looking base instead of the existing raised gray wall.  And if given the chance, I would expand the footprint of the tavern to have a bigger bar and seating area, perhaps utilizing the outside space as well.  I would also add a staircase to get to the second floor.   The roof seems to be holding right now, but if it ever collapses, I'll add some extra structural beams inside for more support.

BTW, this is all the leftover pieces I had.  I probably didn't embellish the landscaping and the roof as much as they suggested.   Recall that the set comes with an LED light string.  I might install it at some later date but I left it out as part of this review.

Also found these tiles in my set. Don't think they are meant to be there, curious if anyone else got these printed tiles?

This set is still worth getting if you your medieval setting needs a watering hole for your villagers.

Here's the Xmork Medieval Tavern placed inside my medieval village setting.   What do you think?  Does it look ok?   Let me know!

Summary


Brand: Xmork
Set Name and Number: Medieval Tavern 033033
Piece Count:  1872 pieces
Age Rating: 6+
Stickers: No
Printed Parts: A few
Minifigures: No
Lighting Feature: Included but not reviewed

Where to get it


I bought mine off Aliexpress last year but the closest set I could find to it was this one: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4kcYsBj

You're in luck though, all three Xmork medieval sets are still available on Afobrick.com: 

Feel free to use my afilliate code itsnotlego to save an extra 5% off your Afobrick purchases!

Thanks for looking! Bye!