7037 Tower Raid and 7040 Dwarves' Mine Defender
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:42 pm
I recently bought 7037 Tower Raid and 7040 Dwarves' Mine Defender, but I hadn't built them till this weekend. Once again LEGO has impressed me with their set designs with details not obviously seen by just looking at official pictures, or would be otherwise missed without studying them.
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7037 Tower Raid
What impressed me most was the playability the set offers. Previous "normal" LEGO set designs call for a collapsing wall to be triggered by a simple battering ram or underpowered catapult and a hefty portion of imagination. This set, however, not only offers a rubber band powered battering ram, but a wall that, when collapsed by the battering ram, causes the floor it supports to collapse as well, freeing the prisoner in the second floor chamber. The siege tower also has an ingeniously designed in-and-out rope system that allows a rope in the back of the tower to be pulled that extends the gang plank forward.
The design of the tower itself is pretty standard, but it fits in well with the large castle from the previous year. I was a little frustrated with the collapsing floor, as it has nothing to hold it in the tower aside from gravity, and falls out easily if the tower is tipped in one direction. The Orc siege tower has a great disshevled look to it, as if it was either thrown together or had seen a lot of action. Either way, the construction is sturdy and makes for excellent play.
The set also comes with 5 minifigs, which is pretty good for a $30 set given LEGO's previous recent offerings. The accessories are great, including the new Orc armor and a new (and IMO better) design of shackles.
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7040 Dwarves' Mine Defender
I bought this set for the figs, I'll admit. When I opened the box I had little hope for the little siege engine the set included, given LEGO's previous mini sets. This set, by the looks of it, is remarkably similar to a set offered in the KK2 era, but the similarities stop there.
The siege engine is very cleverly designed, and provides ALOT of play value for only $10. The buzz saws are 'geared' to the right front wheel of the siege engine via a rubber band, so they spin as the wheels do. A quick tweak of the design could also gear up the speed of the buzz saws using a technic pully, making them spin more than twice the speed of the wheels. The buzz saws are also on a hinge, so they can be raised or lowered at will. The catapult is surprisingly not a simple "slammer", but instead is attached to a great chain system. Pulling the chain back on the rear of the siege engine launches the catapult, allowing for some great play.
The set comes with three figs, two standard orcs and more importantly one dwarf. It doesn't come with many accessories, but does come with a great Orc War Banner, which is also found in the Tower Raid set.
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Overall I put both of these sets in the 'must buy' category for any castle fan. Not only do these sets make good part packs, but their designs themselves offer a lot of play value as well as a few ideas that some may never have though of.
Whomever LEGO has designing these sets - I'd like to buy them an adult beverage.
--Tony
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7037 Tower Raid
What impressed me most was the playability the set offers. Previous "normal" LEGO set designs call for a collapsing wall to be triggered by a simple battering ram or underpowered catapult and a hefty portion of imagination. This set, however, not only offers a rubber band powered battering ram, but a wall that, when collapsed by the battering ram, causes the floor it supports to collapse as well, freeing the prisoner in the second floor chamber. The siege tower also has an ingeniously designed in-and-out rope system that allows a rope in the back of the tower to be pulled that extends the gang plank forward.
The design of the tower itself is pretty standard, but it fits in well with the large castle from the previous year. I was a little frustrated with the collapsing floor, as it has nothing to hold it in the tower aside from gravity, and falls out easily if the tower is tipped in one direction. The Orc siege tower has a great disshevled look to it, as if it was either thrown together or had seen a lot of action. Either way, the construction is sturdy and makes for excellent play.
The set also comes with 5 minifigs, which is pretty good for a $30 set given LEGO's previous recent offerings. The accessories are great, including the new Orc armor and a new (and IMO better) design of shackles.
--------------------------
7040 Dwarves' Mine Defender
I bought this set for the figs, I'll admit. When I opened the box I had little hope for the little siege engine the set included, given LEGO's previous mini sets. This set, by the looks of it, is remarkably similar to a set offered in the KK2 era, but the similarities stop there.
The siege engine is very cleverly designed, and provides ALOT of play value for only $10. The buzz saws are 'geared' to the right front wheel of the siege engine via a rubber band, so they spin as the wheels do. A quick tweak of the design could also gear up the speed of the buzz saws using a technic pully, making them spin more than twice the speed of the wheels. The buzz saws are also on a hinge, so they can be raised or lowered at will. The catapult is surprisingly not a simple "slammer", but instead is attached to a great chain system. Pulling the chain back on the rear of the siege engine launches the catapult, allowing for some great play.
The set comes with three figs, two standard orcs and more importantly one dwarf. It doesn't come with many accessories, but does come with a great Orc War Banner, which is also found in the Tower Raid set.
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Overall I put both of these sets in the 'must buy' category for any castle fan. Not only do these sets make good part packs, but their designs themselves offer a lot of play value as well as a few ideas that some may never have though of.
Whomever LEGO has designing these sets - I'd like to buy them an adult beverage.
--Tony
