7048 - Troll Warship review

[MicroM]

I bought a few of the current Castle line kits and put together the Warship today, really good kit, here’s my review;

Kit # - 7048 Troll Warship

Price - $70 AUD (got this in a pre Christmas sale at K-Mart, down from $90)

Pieces - 493 pieces

Minifigs - 8 + Giant Troll and Dragon

Box

Decent sized box, nice art, no embossing. The rear of the box shows some of the features of the kit, and gives the dimensions of the kit also. With a shot of the minifigs on the top edge of the box.

Box was opened by cutting two clear sticker tabs on the side of the box and the parts then slide out.

Contents;

- 4 bags with pieces (which are numbered 1 - 4 and the kit is built in 4 stages);

- 1 bag with Troll;

- 1 bag with Dragon;

- Loose boat hull pieces;

- 2 row boats;

- 2 sails (they actually remind me of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer logo, perhaps it was the colour scheme);

- 2 masts;

- 2 dragon wings; and

- Instruction manual (in 2 books - the second one was tucked inside the first, not sure if this was by design).

Minifigs

Bag # 1 contains the minifigs. Maybe because I’ve just finished reading the LoTR trilogy I am calling the small green minfigs Orcs and the larger sand green fig a Troll.

Contents;

6 Orcs - with 4 swords (2 in brown and 2 in silver). One troll comes with a bronze helmet and shoulder armour and a whip (hence he’s the ship’s Captain). 2 of the Orcs come with a bronzed torso.

1 Troll in sand green and he comes with 2 drumsticks (motivational tool) and also a club (motivational tool also).

This photo includes an extra Troll and Orc (they came along for the build).

Also contains a Knight, on Dragon and a Dwarf. Here’s the Knight and Dragon

And a close up of the whole gang (minus the dragon).

Build

I’ll start out by saying that the numbered bags are a great idea. I mainly buy from the Star Wars range and LEGO seemed to give up numbering those kits some time ago. It makes the build really easy, although the odd search for pieces can be rewarding when you find one, it does eat time. I would say I built this kit much quicker than I otherwise would have.

Here’s the beginning of Stage 2, with the Orcs and Trolls at the ready to build.

Was a good mix of large pieces and small ones and was quickly completed. The ship hull is quite sturdy, I’m not sure yet if it floats, but there was no label saying it does, and given its in parts I’m assuming that it doesn’t.

Here’s the Orcs working on Stage 2, and of course under the watchful eye of the ships captain (nothing like a whip and a 600 pound troll to motivate one).

I like how they did the sides of the ship (1 x 6 flat tiles) and the pieces they used for the oar locks work perfectly. The shields on the side are also another nice detail (these get put in place in the next stage).

Onto Stage 3

There was something I wasn’t used to in these pieces, with the couple of 4 x 4 and 2 x 2 turntables having to be clicked together. I don’t have a lot of kits from recent times and was always used to these being clicked together at the factory.

This stage of the build includes the construction of the cage and the ships flick missile gun (these have both been done very well). I really like the flick missile and you can get a decent “flick” on them.

Here’s the Trolls helping with the build, and an Orc “testing” out the cage (he got forgotten about for a little while and was left in the cage…. oops).

You can also notice the drum, I wasn’t sure what this was until I put the Troll in place and realised he was holding the drumsticks. This was a simple design but fits well in the ship.

The third stage included the adding of the details to the ships bow (front) and stern (rear) which were simple but effective. The white horns added to the stern give the ship a nice Troll touch.

Here we go with the fourth and final stage

Raise the sail...

The mast assemble was again well done as was the detail on the top with the little basket. Though I moved the short flagpole of centre so that an Orc can stand in the basket.

I really like the netting for the cage that is moved with the crane piece attached to the rear mast.

And here’s the finished product (I have added one extra Orc to this shot).

Conclusion

This was a really good kit. Was a quick, but not too quick build and has a number of cool playability functions;

- the flick missile weapon;

- the cage;

- the crane with net cage piece;

- the rear platform and mast piece detaches easily to expose the area underneath, which has four hooks for sword storage (the area is a little plain, but not big enough to fit much in so I think it was best left as they did - perhaps a small table with a map piece could have been added);

- the click turntables that the masts connect are another neat function as you can move both sails to the same angle and they’ll stay in place; and

- the detachable single boats are also done well and they do have a connection point to the main ship (another nice detail).

Overall this was very well done, I like the adding of the Dwarf and Knight (plus dragon).

Score

Design - 10/10 - I really didn’t have any faults with this kit.

Build - 10/10 - the numbered bags should be mandatory, they make life very easy.

Minifigs - 8/10 - Would have liked 1 more Orc, though I’m sure if they had 7 of them I would have been asking for another one to put on the mast, and so on. But I do think they needed enough to man the oars, the missile launcher, the ship’s captain and at least one of the smaller boats. But well done on including the Dwarf and Knight.

Playability 9/10 - I haven’t given this a good test just yet, but with the amount of little functions this is a really well done kit.

Value - 10/10 - I picked this up for 20% off (and given the sales retailers have had this year why anyone pays full retail is beyond me, see if this continues into next year), so was happy at $70 AUD. I’m probably also a little out of touch of what these kits should go for as the Star Wars line is much dearer. But it does seem like good value for a $70 toy.

Overall - 9/10 - Great kit, makes me regret not getting the Castle when it was out, this is a really good line, and a good introduction for me into something outside of the Star Wars line (though when I say introduction I don’t expect to buying anything further, this was a one off Christmas purchase).

Edited December 25, 2008 by WhiteFang
Review added to index and Poll added.

[Sandy]

I'm loving these pictures! A very funny way to do a review.

Now, as an owner of this set, I have to disagree with you on a few things. First of all, I think it was a tad overpriced for what was the actual content, although the dragon was very nice. The ship itself feels very bare, especially the rear portion. The cage on the mast is very flimsy and doesn't work all that well.

And there was one piece in particular that I missed greatly: a steering wheel. As this is the only large ship I own, I didn't even have an extra one to put there.

[Pate-keetongu]

Thanks for the review MicróM! I got this set yesterday, great set I think. There really are too less minifigs, one more dwarf or king would be good.

[MicroM]

[quote name='Sandy' date='Dec 25 2008, 07:29 PM' post='413602'

And there was one piece in particular that I missed greatly: a steering wheel. As this is the only large ship I own, I didn't even have an extra one to put there.

Sandy, thanks.

You make a good point on the steering wheel, hadn't occurred to me, but having a look at that top stern platform they could have put a wheel there.

Cheers

[KimT]

Awesome review.

This is one of my favourite new castle sets and your review makes it perfect.

I like the idea of the orcs and trolls building this

[Pate-keetongu]

Hello there!

I watched you review again, and spotted that the barrels on the masts are these:

http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/4424

In my Troll warship, those barrels had axle holes on bottom. I did'n find those pieces on Peeron, and Bricklink says that axle hole on came only in new pirate sets. Do you know the answer to this?

[ReZourceman]

Just finished building this a second ago, got it for Christmas. :)

Awesome set. I do feel its low on build/pieces and slightly over priced, but its still really nice. :)

[WhiteFang]

Well done, and thanks for sharing this awesome review. I have bought a couple of these Troll Warships and I think they make a fine fleet, even though they lack of interior details. Nevertheless, a great set with good amount of minifigs and boats. By the way, your review has been indexed and I took my initative to add a poll for you since no one has done a review yet, for this lovely warship.

[LEGOMAN132]

I just got this set and I love it

Thanks for the nice review

[dj2005]

Very interesting review (in a good way). I'm not a fan of this set but I do appreciate the fact that TLC released another Castle themed ship. Another thing I like is that this set has a good minifigure selection, especially for people in the market for trolls.

Edited December 26, 2008 by dj2005

[Francis Marion]

Nice way to do the review, I liked the concept of the figures building parts of it.

I've really debated about whether or not I should buy this model, as it seems to have several flaws, which include (but are not limited to):

1. A very limited playability factor (Sandy has mentioned its "bareness")

2. A rather high price for what you get

3. Lack of an adequate stern (same for Skeleton Ship Attack)

So far, I've decided against buying it and focused towards the '09 Pirates lineup.

[alex12]

Got this ages ago and was a bit disappointed really. Loads of minifigs which is cool. Loved the dragon and the new dark brown.

Just thought it was a bit dull really.

[Dennimator]

As Sandy said, that is a great way to take the pics!

i think you should join the Reviewers Academy!

And there was one piece in particular that I missed greatly: a steering wheel. As this is the only large ship I own, I didn't even have an extra one to put there.

When I was at Legoland they had the Durmstrang ship in the big ´fill a big blue box with misc. parts for DKK 250´thingy, so I grabbed around 10 steering wheels. If you want one, I can send you one for free. Just PM me with your address, and I´ll send it to you.

[SWMAN]

I got this set for X-Mas, and it is one of the best sets overall out of the Castle Line. Nice large ship and a great design plus plenty of figures make it great all around.

[Martijn]

I just got this ship for my birthday (I'm taking this as a hint from my wife that I should start collecting lego, which I haven't done in 20 years).

It looks spectacular, but at the same time, it's all frills. Few bricks, big molded pieces, it doesn't give me much opportunity to build anything other than a troll warship out of this. In a way, that's unavoidable of course. Masts, sails, boats, bow of the ship, they have to be molded or they look like crap, and the masts in particular look like they can be used in many different ways.

The set's strength is in lots of minifigs, and it does give me a bit of everything. I haven't bought any lego in 20 years (and my parents have all our old stuff), and now with one box I've got orcs, a big troll, a dragon, a knight and a dwarf. The many frills and extras are just asking to be looted and combined with simpler sets. I have no idea why this (low, viking-style) ship needs to rowboats with crossbows on the bow, and the way those boats are attached to the ship is silly, but they're generic boats that can be used in any lego scene that has water. I suppose a castle, village or hideout could easily be near a lake and make use of a small boat. In fact, if the orcs are attacking from a boat, then their target has to be near water, and should have a boat of their own. Right?

[domboy]

Awesome review!! I love how you have the Trolls/Orcs building the ship in the pictures.

I wasn't originally going to get this set, but ended up wanting it for the green dragon (love the new dragons, and the idea of dragon riders). I think it is a bit over-priced, so I'm happy I got it cheaper. It really looks impressive when built. I don't think it needs a steering wheel as it has oars instead... it looks like an old Roman galley ship (or something similar from that era), and the ramming spike on the front is a really cool touch. I also like the fact that it has three different factions in one set... Trolls, Human, and Dwarf.

[Jebediahs]

My girlfriend bought this set for me recently and I like it as it gives me a good number of grunts for my Orcish army along with some other interesting pieces. The dragon is really neat and I gave it to one of my half-elven characters (she enjoys her new steed).

I gave this set an "Above Average" rating. It lost a point with me as it is a water set and I despise sets with boats, pirates or anything to do with water (sorry piratey fans :-P)

Kudos for getting those worthless grunts to help with the construction of the warship. Mine often lay on their backs until the work is done.

ORC!

[Forresto]

Great review for a great set. You were very thourough and pretty funny at parts so I would say succseful review.

[gormadoc]

This set is pretty good, I especialy like the space tgat the ship offers and it comes with two little boats. I would like to see a crownie boat but If you put the sail on from th sea serpent set you can make it into a crownie boat, or if you use the sail from the longboat or something like a caribbean clipper.

[Big Cam]

I like your build pictures, and this set looks really cool. I thnik that's plenty of fig's, I actually had to scroll back up to count. I can't believe it doesn't have a steering wheel

[chongcheng]

The review is cool - the way the Trolls building the ship was nice.

This set was often on my thoughts - since the castle sets I can get in Singapore is quite limited at the moment. And a jacked up price puts me further off.

The ship looks bare - compared to something like the pirates ship, it is quite lacking in details - though no one expect the trolls to pay much attention to the details anyway. It reminded me of the Viking ship a little. The dragon though is a big plus

[Abaddon127]

Great, informative, funny review. Keep up the good work.

[Grimmy]

I just found an ad with someone selling this set for $50 new unopened! It's a steal of a deal and I'm surprised it's so cheap. I'm going to meet the guy Dec 9th Wed after he gets of work. It's not even on th official Lego store. On ebay it sells for $90+shipping. I'm a little worried lol. Seems like too good a deal, I'm going to open the box to make sure everything is in there and not resealed. In the area I live you have to be careful.

I really love the figures and it will be my first Lego dragon fig. I really want one and it will also be my first Lego boat ever! I love how the reviewer made the figs help build, that was my fave part heeeeheee!

I also have the sold ou Castle Dwarf Mines which I got because I love the all the figures. I noticed people sometimes call the green Trolls, Orcs. I would guess it is because they look more like Orcs then Trolls. The big Trolls look more like Ogres. Trolls usually look like ugly tall Elves in this kind of fantasy genre. Something like a green version of the Dobby minifig from Harry Potter theme. I have Dobby which I got off eBay. He has the rubber head.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Grimmy

[PittSOB]

You should be good, Target in the US was selling them for 40$ on black friday. Sad I got there late and they had aleady sold out.

[CommanderFox]

Really nice Review MicroM, I enjoyed reading it and looking at the pics.

I loved the ones where the trolls are building it!

This was a really nice set, wish I had had the money to buy it and all the castle range.

Nice job on the review!

CommanderFox