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Weekly Set Review: Magic Castle Box

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 2:52 pm
by architect
Join the weekly Classic Castle set review discussion. Please post your opinions on the set play ability, piece selection, design, etc. Which sets stand up to our catapult of critique and which ones crumble in shame!

This week’s set is 1906 Magic Castle Box.

The Magic Castle Box had a limited release in the United States and Canada in 1994. Also known as Majisto's Tower, this rocky magician's fortress has a guard tower, a wizard's tower, and two doors. A Dragon Master's knight, a soldier, and various accessories are included along with Majisto and his personal chariot.

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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 3:00 pm
by forester3291
Though the set design is pretty bad. It looks like it has some very useful things. I don't have any Wizard hats so that would be nice. And again I ust love those dragon emblems. I also like the dragon arches. And I have always wanted a Faction Flag. So I wil be genorous and say...

an 8/10

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 3:02 pm
by TheOrk
I've defentily seen better set designs but if you don't have aby LEGO to begin with it's sorta ok.
You get some good soldiers and those dragon arches :D

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 3:06 pm
by Commander Redbeard
This not is one of the better Dragon Master's sets. The decorated arch and wall panel are pretty cool to have, and the brown horse is a nice addition, but the pre-fabricated walltops and LURPs remind me horribly of KK1. It could have had more soldiers, but I believe TLC was beginning to hold back on set pieces when this was created. Whilst it can boast a few fairly rare pieces, I believe this set is a shadow of it's descendant, KK1.

Parts: 7/10
Set design then:5/10
Set design now:6/10

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 3:40 pm
by Webrain
In 1994 when this set was released (of course I haven't heard of it), but it included a lot of the parts that were 6082 exclusive like the red roof, the dragon wall, the dragon arch, and the brown doors. So if you were a kid back then and had no money to buy 6082, 1906 could have been a great cheaper alternative. Nowadays 6082 cost in Ebay the same or sometimes even less then 1906 so really 1906 don't worth it. I got it 2 weeks ago though for my collection. Few remarks on this set however, it got 190 bricks which makes it the only "over 50 bricks'" that for some reason is not starts with 60xx (6050-6053 would have fit perfectly for that one). Which makes it the only decent set from the none 60xx series.

The box back side got real unique drawings that can consider part of the set - so really if you're buying this set, a box is a must part of the deal. One of the downside of those drawings is that the only alternative model TLC suggested was:

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Beside that you get 3 minifigs, 1 brown horse, the unique bricks I mantioned before, 2 Burps if you like them, some extra corner black walls, so brick wise this set can be very usefull. As I said before for the current prices on this set on Ebay 6082 is mych better.

Final score: 8.5/10. (the extra 0.5 is for the box)

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 4:10 pm
by lil Jon
I remember always wanting to get this set. I thought it looked cool. You get all the pros of the DM's castle without the price (well, theres no dragon).

I never understood about the box it came in, it was decorated like a castle/tower structure. What was that about?!!

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 4:43 pm
by Jojo
Hello!


Considering the time periode it came in this is a good set. The best parts of it, however, are the brown doors that otherwise only come in 6082, and that's a shame because they are a very useful size. The shamest shame about that fact is that this set was not available in Europe. The box... well, it's fancy to make the box somewhat part of the model itself.


Bye
Jojo

Image

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 7:36 pm
by quiksand
This set was mostly a army builder for me, even when I first got it. It has some useful peices mentioned above, but also came with a black spiral staricase that for some reason I always liked. The box was mostly just an after thought, and went in the trash a few days after I got this set. The cariot I think was of the poorest design. It seemed styled more like an alternate model than an actual part of the set. Like the designer just needed to hit a certain part count. I think I have only actually built this set twice, so I don't think it ever apealed to me, then or now.

I'll give it a 5/10.

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:55 pm
by jwcbigdog
The design of it was not impressive, but the piece selection is. I never really went for the decorated arches they put in these DM sets, but they are not terrible. I have always liked brown horses more than white and black for some reason, so that is also a plus. Overall, 7/10.

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:46 pm
by Formendacil
I remember seeing this set in stores. We thought it was so awesome.... Mainly because the catalogues we had didn't include it.

The design is less than stellar, but not bad. For the purposes of play, it does fairly well. It's a good source of those Dragon Master building-pieces.

Parts: 8/10
Playability: 7/10
Figs/Accessories: 7.5/10
Design (then): 5.5/10
Design (now): 7/10
Nostalgia: 7/10

Overall Score: 7/10

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 1:02 am
by Robin Hood
This set was a bit of a legend here. I saw it in stores a couple times, but when I got a catalogue with DM in it, I couldn't find it. Over the years I always remarked on how I never saw that set in the catalogues. I wanted to get it, partly because it was a Dragon Master set, and partly because I wanted to know more about it (my few memories of it were fading).

I think this is an ok set. It may not be a good design, but then think of the KK2. Of course it has the dragon archs and wall piece, as well a horse, and three guys, and doors. Over all not a bad set.

Dan :wink:

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:10 pm
by kajo163
I'm usualy fond of DM sets, but I really do not know about this one. It seems nice from a part perspective, with the dragons on the arches and windows. But only three minifigs is way too little, and that wagon just look stupid.

Also from what I've seen in pictures, the whole box as a part of the model idea does not work in this set, the box-castle does'nt look anything like the model it self, or any other DM set, making it hard to belive in.

joel

Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:09 am
by LusiferSam
I guess I'm one the lucky few to have gotten this set the store when it came out. Its one of the few times I asked my mom to buy me a toy when we stopped in the toy store just for a look and she did.

Personally I always liked the chariot. It was first Lego chariot I had, so there are fond memories. I use to image Majisto whipping around his forest realm on it. The roof piece and the doors are the only other notable thing about this set. I never cared much about the dragon arch or wall.

Last thing is the box. The was meant as an add on. The one wall of the set was designed to swing open and the box with its pre-cut doors could extend the play area. An interesting idea, but not well executed because the castle printed on the box doesn't fit well with the set.

Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:17 pm
by kor
I bought this one my senior year in high school. I remember cuzz I skipped school that day with a friend and we went to Toys R Us. Got it on clearance too! The set,as a set, sucks in my opinion but theres alot of good parts.

Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:28 pm
by LewsTherin
Even though i dont have this set it looks like a great parts set +minifigs are alright.