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Weekly Set Review: [Dragon Master's Chariot]

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:10 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 1794 [Dragon Master's Chariot].

[Dragon Master's Chariot] was released in 1994 in the United States. It was part of Variety Pack 1723. This chariot comes with one Dragon Master's knight, a whip, and several weapons.

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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:33 pm
by Kanduu
I don't like Dragon Masters as much as some, but I like them.

This isn't the most interesting set. It's a chariot, which is fun, but other than that...

I guess it was a cheap way to get a knight, horse, horse-helmet, and axes. What was the price on this set anyway?

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:39 pm
by ottoatm
I like this set - unique for a cart, it's got a nice array of parts and a decent design. I think it's a bad idea to expect great pieces or amazing design from a small set - this set is a great value for the money.

I know I could probally just make this set if I wanted to, but I want to buy the set, for my own stubborn reasons... anyone interested in selling it to me? :)

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:43 pm
by architect
I guess it was a cheap way to get a knight, horse, horse-helmet, and axes. What was the price on this set anyway?
It was $8 for the pack so $4 for this set and $4 for the pirate set.

My review: I like that this is the first military chariot that LEGO made for Castle. Of course there were many 2 wheeled carts to deliver supplies, weapons, and maidens in our castle worlds but this is the first as a fighting machine. Another good feature is that this is a small set with a brown horse. Usually you have to buy mid to large sets to get one. I do think the chariot is somewhat bulky, the halberds are impractical, and the figure is too generic.

Ben

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:34 pm
by TwoTonic Knight
The Dragon Masters were a fantasy line (wizards, dragons), so I suppose a chariot is reasonable for them. The chariot itself is bulky, and the charioteer would seem to have been better served by spears (and give 'em pennants just to look sharp) than halbards. 6/10.

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:52 pm
by Graynar
Hmm, LEGO sure produced a lot of these small sets back then. Something they wouldn't dare do now. :(

Ugly, but I would buy it for sure today. I always wantd a brown horse. Maybe in KK2:3 they'll return.

Graynar

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:43 pm
by Nick
I don't own this set, and never knew that it existed.
It does look quite neat, not ugly. It's useful for theme collections, and is of great play value. I like the design very much. It would be nice to have several of these as a front line of an army.

Playablity:10/10
design:10/10
minifigs:10/10
collector value:10/10
Well, I guess this set stands up to our catapult of critique! :)

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:44 pm
by wizardnoob28
i like it. a soldier a brown horse, and horse helmet, i would have picked it up in a heartbeat. I give it a 7/10. ( although the halbards are weird)

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:45 pm
by Nick
although the halbards are weird
Why??? these are the most common halbards in the old sets.

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:55 pm
by TheOrk
A nice little set overall. Even if chariots arn't medieval.

Playbility: 10/10
design: 9/10
minifig: 10/10
Accesories: 7/10
Overall 9/10

Hopefully we'll see some more of these in future.
Why??? these are the most common halbards in the old sets.
They are ok, but they look more like oversized axes to the new ones.

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:59 pm
by jamtf
I knew this set existed as part of a value pack but never got it. It is not too special, some cart wheels, a brown horse, only 1 minifig and some weapons and bricks, that is about it.

The halberds are a bit oversized in my opinion, especially when compared to the normal axes that came in the earlier sets. I still think they are a little too big for minifigs since they seem to easily tip over when holding a massive elaborate halberd.

A 6 out of 10 for the parts since the design is not that spectacular.

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 5:05 pm
by Jojo
Hello!


Though I'm not a fan of the Dragon Masters as a faction I like some of their sets quite a lot. This one's amongst those. It's a fun little set.
The reason why it comes with these halberds is as simple as intriguing: They are hinged and can be flipped down.

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Nick wrote:Why??? these are the most common halbards in the old sets.
Depends on how you define "old". This kind of halberds didn't appear before 1993.


Bye
Jojo

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 5:42 pm
by Azaghal
That's interesting. That's very interesting. :wink:

As a set, it looks fairly decent. As a parts pack, it's fairly good too. Finally, although the minifig appears to have those weird unmatched limbs, I really like that head and he has red dragon plumes. Those have to be pretty rare...

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:00 pm
by Robin Hood
Well, seeing as this is a Dragon Master set, I am a bit biased.

Piece wise its a very good set. Three weapons, a horse with a helmentthingy, the rare, patchwork dragon master. Not bad for 4 bucks. And I would quite happily buy it with the other part of the pack.

Design, meh. I'm partly for it and partly against it. I think its really cool that it is a chariot. A one of a kind thing. And the axes are a great touch. But, somehow, the whole thing looks a bit top heavy. It looks like it would easily fall over if it took turns to fast.

Playablity, hard to say. I imagine that, from a kids eye, it would be a fun set to play with. Perhaps nothing spetacular, but ok. For me, I would really enjoy having it slicing people as its charges down the battlefield.

Dan :wink:

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:07 pm
by ezehogan
I'm not a big fan of the Dragon Masters, but I think this is a nice little set; especially as part of a variety pack. I don't know what the Pirate set looks like, but for 8 bucks you got a decent sized little chariot and a Pirate set. Sounds like a great deal to me.

This being what it is, I don't think there is a whole lot that could be done to improve it. I would prefer a different knight figure, but that's only because I am not fond of the DM figures. Besides that, I think Lego did a great job here.