Weekly Set Review: Twin Arm Launcher

[Formendacil]

Barding. Round shileds. Reasonable assortment of weapons. Crusader figs. ANOTHER catapult *groans*, but at least it actually looks half-decent.

Not much to say about this set. It lacks anything really out of the ordinary, but it has nothing really going against it.

Parts: 7/10
Playability: 7.5/10
Figs/Accessories: 8/10
Design (then): 7/10
Design (now): 8.5/10 (remember, catapults have been really poorly done in a lot of sets, starting as early as the Dark Forest.)

Overall score: 7.6/10

[Blueandwhite]

My first Barding!

This set is certainly not the best set ever created, but it was fun to play with as a child, and it came with a great selection of pieces. I really don't care for the garbage-can lid shields, but this set came with a decent number of pieces, 2 soldiers, and 2 throwing arms for the catapult (which I still use to make seige engines). At the time, I didn't have alot of wagon-wheels, so that was also a plus.

Allthough the catapult itself is pretty far-fetched, it was fun to use. It certainly worked better than the recent catapults lego has produced. For nostalgia alone, I've got to give this one at least a 9!

9/10

[architect]

ANOTHER catapult *groans*,

This set was only the second castle catapult set made, and the first crusader one, so I do not think this is a problem. The fact that every new line of castle is loaded with catapults is the problem (and that catapults are on horses these days ).

Twin Arm Launcher is my favorite catapult after set 6030 Catapult. I like the piece selection, siege figures, and of course the accessories. By far this is the most affordable source to get round shields and a barding if you are buying older castle sets. The firing action is a bit unreliable because of the hinge plate design, but it is far superior to the molded one piece arms of today.

Ben E.

[De_EmU]

Catapult? Crap, but who cares, it's not like I build the sets anyways. ^_^

Weapons + Round Shields + Barding + Crusaders = 9/10 because I don't have any Crusaders, round shields or the koo barding.

Laterz
EmU

[ottoatm]

Great timing... I just bought this set about 3 weeks ago... I love it!

Granted, I'm not sure how realistic the catapult is, but it's a neat idea and it still beats saddle catapults (kk2) .

Also, I love the Kings barding and this is one of the sets that offers it, as well as the figs...

I don't think I could ever regret buying it!

Oh.. i always forget to give them a score... this is a 9/10

[Dragon Master]

Yeah well maybe cause they were invented only 2 years later

Still, A grill helm would have been nice.

[Silent Arrow]

I bought this set during 1989.... Very beautiful set with nice figures, colors and design. The most interesting thing of course is the two round shields which are very rare. I have only two round shields and these shields are from this set although I have bought many Lego castles sets........

[Jojo]

Hello!


The good things about this set are, of course, the round shields and the barding. The catapult itself I never liked that much. The twinarm idea is somewhat peculiar, and because of the twinarms the whole thing is narrower at its base than at its top which makes it look unbalanced in my opinion.

I also disliked the fact that a simple soldier was riding a horse with a barding. That's nothing a common man was able to afford. It seems as if they tried to put this barding in *some* set that was available in Europe, too. Otherwise the Lions Barding was only available in the US-set 6060 Knight's Challenge (in which this barding fits way better than in the catapult set). So actually I must be thankfull that they put the barding in the Twin Arm Launcher set, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get one :-)
Still the barding would have suited the horse of a real knight better.


Bye
Jojo

[ottoatm]

wasnt the barding also in kings mountain fortress? I'm not sure... but guessing...

>>edit >>

good point about the common soldier on the horse w/ barding (though)... never considered that~

[JoshWedin]

wasnt the barding also in kings mountain fortress? I'm not sure... but guessing...

Hey ya, Ottoatm, you are correct. That barding also came in 6081 King's Mountain Fortress. I forgot about that.

As far as this set is concerned, I always liked it until I got one, two years ago. The catapult is somewhat lacking. The arms seem really flimsy to me. I like the barding and the round shields, as others have said. Overall, I would give it a 7/10.

Josh

[architect]

wasnt the barding also in kings mountain fortress? I'm not sure... but guessing...

It was in this set which came out in 1990. But back in 1988 you could only get the lion barding in Twin Arm Launcher or as Jojo said 6060/1584 Knight's Challenge. 6060 also had the Blue Monarch barding. 6085 Black Monarch's Castle had both the blue and red monarch bardings (6086 also had both).

Ben E.

[ezehogan]

As an actual set, I think this is lacking. That being said, it could have been much worse. The main problem with this set is the design of the catapult, which looks far too small. The catapult should look much bigger, and not have the appearance that it could tip over when being fired.

From a pieces standpoint, this set is a gold mine. Wheels, weapons, two soldiers, a horse, and the horse barding. As stated above, the only complaint about the mini-figs is that a common soldier is atop the horse. This seems out of place, but can be overlooked.

Even with the problems listed, I'd still rate this one at least an 8 of 10. It looks like it would be really fun to play with for a child, and provides great pieces for the older Lego Maniac.

[Norro]

Not a bad set, and my only copy of this barding...

God Bless,

Nathan

[rogue27]

Not a very realistic catapult, but I didn't realize that in 1988. I thought it was really fun flinging the 1x1 rounds with the two arms, and I loved the part selection.

It was my first barding, first barrel, first small wagon wheels, first round shields, and first catapult. In 1988, this thing was great. Today, I would still like it as a parts pack, especially since bardings and crusaders have become rare over the years. (I never thought this possible!)

Max points for playability and parts, but design will keep this from a perfect score. 8/10

[Robin Hood]

I would give this about 7/10. Not the best set ever. Great pieces I admit, but not too good of design. The soilder on the horse doesn't seem right, though it brings to mind the unused concept of calvary. The catapult like all is bad design, the double aspect worsens it but still, I've seen worse.

Dan