I do agree that the dragon knight is a bit heavy on the chainage... I would like that scale mail very much if the chains weren't included.
The front and back printing is fantastic. I am glad for this change with minifigs. I like the face printing and the new great helm is very nice. The weapons in the dark metallic are a welcome sight. A shield for the dragon knight would have been a nice addition.
I find the tiny catapult and weapons stand decent designs. I certainly like the wheels on the catapult. The part selection is great and I find all of those small pieces very useful. I love all of the plates that we get and some choco brown slopes as well.
The new bucket for the catapult may not have been totally necessary, but considering the old one...
well... maybe it was necessary. The old version was way too big for most applications. The smaller one will look much better especially when TLG puts catapults right on the castle walls. And we all know how TLG likes catapults on those castles. I noticed that the fulcrum is very close to the bucket on this new part. We will only be able to make small catapults with the new piece. I am not quite sure if another use for this part has been found but it should be easier than MOCing with the old one.
I would give this set a 4 out of 5 mostly for the figs and good part selection.