Weekly Set Review: King's Siege Tower

[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 8875 King's Siege Tower.

King's Siege Tower was released in 2005 for Knight's Kingdom II. The tower has a drawbridge to enter enemy castles and a battering ram to knock down doors and walls. Two shadow knights attempt to stop King Mathias and Jayko from using this siege weapon. Various accessories such as large lion shields, weapons, and flags are included.

[babyjawa]

This was my second KK2 set that I got. It is also one of my favorites because it comes with two Shadow Knights and King Mathias. I like the King Mathias torso a lot. I just don't really like the big bulky shields. I would prefer printed flags.

6.5/10

[RichardAM]

I must be honest, i'm not really a fan of either of the siege wagons, and the huge shields on the side just look silly. The structure looks pretty unstable too, and really, I cant imagine this knowking many walls or doors down.

Great sourse of pieces however, two chains, more grey bricks, and the figures are nice. Not a fan of that sword of Mathias however.

[Troy T. Moore]

The mechanism for moving the battering ram back and forth is very cool.

The rest of the construction of this set is absolute rubbish. A seige tower would be made of wood (black or brown would do) so a "stone" tower is just wrong.

The MSRP for this set was ridiculous ($30 CDN). I picked up 2 for $7 each for the figs.

The 8x8 brown grated plate is good.

[Kanduu]

I haven't built it, but pictures seem to give the impression that it has pretty good pieces (except the obvious lousy ones...what do you do with those shields?) and a good design.

A seige tower would be made of wood (black or brown would do) so a "stone" tower is just wrong.

Well, you might be able to excuse that by saying wood changes color as it ages--just look at an old privacy fence, it's gray. Then maybe the wheels previously rotted through, so they're brand new. Anyway, I see your point, but I think the colors work well.

[Anubisconq]

Pros:

2 Shadow Knights; 2 Swords; and its a nice siege tower.

Cons:

The only thing wrong is the colors.

Overall, it's a great set. May Lord Vladek rule forever!

[Graynar]

It' a fun set. Really unrealistic however, and those giant shields are completely useless for us minifig builders.

One good thing was four old grey bars. I got two of this set, and got 8 old grey bars. I was very happy.

Oh, and the two shadow knights are always welcome. Along with my favorite torso - King Mathais. Jayko's shield is awesome too.

[MaxiVisVires]

Unrealistic set, but from a playability standpoint, it's great. It would have been nice if they included a castle wall to siege.

6.5/10

[ZIGGY!]

I originally was going to buy this with the battle wagon,but since I still liked the SW sets I got Greivous Chase instead

I like this set better fig wise but the Battle Wagon looked like an overall better set.(If I can still get a good deal for this offline I`ll probably buy it.)

[wunztwice]

I bought this set before I knew about bley--you can only imagine my anguish as I discovered it! I originally bought it because of the two shadow knights, I love those helms. And I like the secondary colors on the new jellybean knights (ie dark green, dark blue, dark red, and dark tan), so that was a bonus.

However based on playability, and pieces IMO this set stinks. I am sure there are other things which could be made out of this, but if it is your first and only set, there is not much else I could find to build out of it. Really this, to me, is only an army builder, and way to expensive for that. I would appretiate it much more if it was made of smaller, more versatile pieces.

So, not a great set, but deffinately not he worst either. I can see how kids might like playing with it, but it's not for me.

[Azaghal]

Except for those shields, most of the pieces in this set are fairly generic and reusable. Chains, wheels, weird rock, and Shadow Knights are all good points. Set design - fine, if a little spindley.

EDIT: Generic, not genetic. Sheesh.

[Formendacil]

Not a set that I'd really buy for the model, this set is quite a decent set pieceage-wise. The good-to-bad guy ratio is excellent at 50:50, a rare ratio these days. Two of them Shadow Knights, and one a King Matthias (excellent torso). Even the Jayko has the advantage of being a Year 2 version.

As to the seige engine, the pieces are mostly generic, with the exception of the two shields, which, if nothing else, still beat the cardboard ones being used in the first year of KK2 (think about the "Grand" Tournament).

Parts: 7/10
Playability: 8/10
Figs/Accessories: 7.5/10
Design (then): 7.5/10
Design (now): 7.5/10
Nostalgia: 6/10

Overall: 7.25/10

[HenrytheV]

My brother got this for Christmas, and the set really stinks. In my eyes the only redeeming factor is the 2 Shadow Knights.

5/10

Jonathan

[eNiGMa]

I got this set for Christmas, and though the model isn't that great, the pieces are. Jayko's 2005 shield is absolutely beautiful, IMO, and the Mathias torso and Shadow Knights just plain rock. The 1x8 old grey bricks are a plus, and I've found even the giant lion shields to be somewhat useful.

6/10

[Jojo]

Hello!


My opinion of this sad excuse for a siege tower can be nothing than biassed because I'm fond of this set http://www.classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=54

8875 looks bulky and uninspired. I admit that the ram is executed quite well, however, to me it seems to be out of place with this siege tower. The big shields at the top section are .. weird..., and the bley colours don't fit well with a wooden structure.


Bye
Jojo