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Weekly Set Review: [MOC] Blacksmith Shop

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 2:09 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 3739 Blacksmith Shop.

Blacksmith Shop was released in 2002 by LEGO. It was originally a custom set designed by Daniel Siskind in 2000. LEGO purchased the rights and made the Blacksmith Shop the first set in their "My Own Creation" line of fan designed sets. The lower floor of the shop contains an anvil, tool rack, fireplace, and stairs while the upper living space has a bed, table and chair, and a keg. A Blacksmith and his wife are included along with various accessories.

Image

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 3:28 pm
by The Green Meanie
Did they ever release any other sets in the "My Own Creation" line?

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 5:04 pm
by medib
Awesome set to be reviewing on this holiday season.

The amount of pieces in this relatively inexpensive set is really mind-blowing.

Also mind-blowing is how Lego produced this set, which was designed
by Daniel Siskind, soo much cheaper than what Daniel could have bought
originally.

Remember: this was before Bricklink had a big role in the piece acquisition
game.

The only real negative aspect about the set, is that Lego did not include
some of the great minifigs that "came" with Siskind's kit.


As far as the My Own Creation, the 2 Sante Fe Train Cars, 10022 and 10025, which were designed by James Mathis for Lego.

see this: http://www.lugnet.com/~817/legomoc

Thanks, Ben

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 5:37 pm
by ezehogan
This set has 622 pieces and was only about $40.00. This makes me wonder why sets designed by Lego themselves with the same general amount of pieces would cost much more?

On topic however, this is a FANTASTIC set that I missed out on. I remember checking the Shop @ Home site every few days and considering buying it only to talk myself out of it. Today I'd have snatched it up in a heart beat.

I guess we all do things we regret later on...

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 6:09 pm
by Duke_Dave
A great set.......Is the red dress/slope rare? couldn't remember. :D I thought about buying this but never did. :mrgreen:

Dave

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 6:55 pm
by plums_deify
I bought one in Chicago, then was lucky enough to snag one from eBay for $36.

I love this set. It's detailed, and was a challenging build. I enjoy all aspects of this set.

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2004 7:24 pm
by Formendacil
Beautiful set! Great pieces, great design, even the KK1 figs are great. TLC should really do this with ALL their sets. Surely it would cost about the same to buy rights from fans as to pay designers. Definitely there would be less new parts (and thus the molds for them) to be made. Obviously, the designs would be stunning.

That little bit of My Own Creation support done, on to review this as a set...

I love the selection of pieces that comes with the set. The house is well-equipped with tools and furniture, but is perhaps a little too large to properly fit in with most of the castle sets out there. The figs are gerat figs to have, but look (to my eyes) too rich to be a blacksmith and his wife. Maybe a goldsmith... Playability by itself is kind of low, due to a lack of anything to give the smith and his wife a hard time. No enemies, soldiers, or booby-traps...

Parts: 9/10
Playability: 5/10
Figs/Accessories: 8/10
Design (then): 9/10
Design (now): 10/10

Overall score: 8.2/10

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 2:11 am
by Troy T. Moore
Sweeeeet set! I got one for myself and one for my 9 year old daughter last year. It is attractive and challenging to build. A nice model when done. Would have bought more if had been available longer. 10/10 for sure.

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 3:11 am
by Blueandwhite
Merry Christmas all.

Well, this is one of the finest examples of a company paying more than just lip service to its fans. This set is easily one of the best that lego has produced in recent years. Easily the best castle product released since the Dragon Masters first arrived on the scene. None of the elements in this set are particularly rare, so it shouldn't be difficult to replicate if you didn't take the opportunity to purchase it when it was available.

This set is truly something special.

8.5/10

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 3:42 pm
by Sir_Marcellus
One of the best sets I've ever had. Unfortunately, my friend sat on it by mistake, demolishing it, and I've never put it back together since, because all the tiny pieces are mixed in with my collection. Some day, though, I'll put it back together.

The only problem with this set is that it's huge in proportion to the castles that LEGO has put out! It puts most of them to shame!

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 4:36 pm
by Umgarla
Perhaps I'm missing out on something here, but isn't blacksmith shop still available at SHA:

http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=3739&cn=21&d=7&t=3

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 5:18 pm
by Rs_Conqueror
I'm lucky, I got the last set in new england (the lego store had one left, and they were nice enough to hold it for me). This is one of the only castle sets of mine not to be scrapped for parts, I just like the design so much I can't bring myself to take it apart.
9.9/10

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 6:01 pm
by ezehogan
Well, I just rectified one of my big mistakes and bought myself one on BL last night! I can't wait until it gets here! :D

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 6:03 pm
by ezehogan
Umgarla wrote:Perhaps I'm missing out on something here, but isn't blacksmith shop still available at SHA:

http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=3739&cn=21&d=7&t=3
It may still be, but it isn't in my country (the US). I wouldn't be surprised if it were still offered in other parts of the world however.

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2004 8:40 pm
by architect
Umgarla wrote:Perhaps I'm missing out on something here, but isn't blacksmith shop still available at SHA:

http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=3739&cn=21&d=7&t=3
ezehogan wrote:It may still be, but it isn't in my country (the US). I wouldn't be surprised if it were still offered in other parts of the world however.
ezehogan is correct about this set being unavailable from the USA Shop at Home. We have not had it for over 6 months and sets such as 10000 and 10039 have been sold out just as long. Denmark tends to have a larger and longer lasting selection of LEGO products for obvious reasons ;) Still, it would be a good business practice for LEGO to make more of these popular sets for Shop at Home. The competition against KK2 could hurt some but not too much.

This set and it's pieces are great. Dan's scale is larger but allows many more details. The interior modifications by the product designers were good for the most part but it would have been nice to leave certain items like the spinning wheel in the new model. Check out the CC archive page for Dan's original Brickmania 001 set:

http://www.classic-castle.com/sets/arch ... nd001.html

Ben E.