Re: Weekly Set Review: Yellow Castle
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:43 pm
Lego used to make castles without catapults stuck all over them???
Ahem...well it's difficult to review this set; it's just so ancient. It's contradictory really - if released today, this set would score poorly when it comes to the near total lack of accessories, but because all the accessories that are there are so rare now (helmets in particular), it ends up scoring well. It's similar with the colour scheme - in this grey/black era it would score badly for compatibility, but because it was released long before any grey/black Castle structures it can't fairly be criticised for that. So, despite all the praise it receives, I guess it's the fact that this set could never be released today that makes it so fascinating.
As such I will just leave a few of my random thoughts:
- Nice work on the red 'window' on the tower at the back.
- It's odd - and slightly sad - that despite this set's prominence, none of its minifigs/factions ever appeared in another set ever again.
- After three decades of moulded horses, this is a bit pointless of me - but I still think the brickbuilt horses look pretty absurd.
- The castle's got no royalty to speak of, yet the troops in it all have crowns on them.
- I know this problem is not specific at all to this set, but with no stairs or ladders how on earth do the troops reach the tops of all the steep walls and towers?!
- I've always found the drawbridge a bit strange, as there's no hint anywhere else in the set of a moat or ditch. This is even stranger when you consider that there's a simple doorway just across the courtyard, reinforcing the idea that there's no moat or ditch to cross.
Ahem...well it's difficult to review this set; it's just so ancient. It's contradictory really - if released today, this set would score poorly when it comes to the near total lack of accessories, but because all the accessories that are there are so rare now (helmets in particular), it ends up scoring well. It's similar with the colour scheme - in this grey/black era it would score badly for compatibility, but because it was released long before any grey/black Castle structures it can't fairly be criticised for that. So, despite all the praise it receives, I guess it's the fact that this set could never be released today that makes it so fascinating.
As such I will just leave a few of my random thoughts:
- Nice work on the red 'window' on the tower at the back.
- It's odd - and slightly sad - that despite this set's prominence, none of its minifigs/factions ever appeared in another set ever again.
- After three decades of moulded horses, this is a bit pointless of me - but I still think the brickbuilt horses look pretty absurd.
- The castle's got no royalty to speak of, yet the troops in it all have crowns on them.
- I know this problem is not specific at all to this set, but with no stairs or ladders how on earth do the troops reach the tops of all the steep walls and towers?!
- I've always found the drawbridge a bit strange, as there's no hint anywhere else in the set of a moat or ditch. This is even stranger when you consider that there's a simple doorway just across the courtyard, reinforcing the idea that there's no moat or ditch to cross.