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Remember when I said in my review of 7090 to expect a review after I went to ToysRus? Well, somehow things didn’t work out, but fortunately I’m finally reviewing my latest purchases, starting with 7091 Catapault Defense, which happens to be one of the best sets in the Castle line.
The Box and Instructions:
Lego box art is at it’s highest point ever these days, with lots of special effects and great action poses. The castle theme is no exception, and 7091 isn’t either. I’ll let the box speak for itself:
I love the back of the castle boxes as well, since they give another action scene and other neat info like a layout of all the accessories.
The Contents:
Only the bare essentials as usual: piece bags and instructions. I seriously wish they still put mini catalogs inside sets like they did when I was young, but I guess they are too expensive to make or something. Ah well, can’t have everything.
No picture of the instructions this time, but since that isn’t necessary I’ll just say that they are fine, and do not have a problem with distinguishing dark gray from black.
The Pieces:
Here’s your basic shot of every piece included, minus a few extra pieces like an extra Viking horn and black skeleton leg. Not too shabby for a 10 USD set.
There’s a lot of nice pieces in 7091, as you can see (and this doesn’t include the accessories or minifig parts!). The brown plates, wheels, and spoked things are always useful, and the dark blue and gold slopes are really cool. However, there’s also a fair amount of technic in here, so be warry.
As usual for the castle line, 7091 has a heaping helping of accessories. Most of them are old pieces recolored, but the ball on chain (what’s the actual name, could someone tell me?) and the shields are brand new. I actually like the new skeleton weapon, since it’s fairly detailed and was really the only way TLC could make a part like that. And yes, the shields ARE printed (quite nicely too, if I do say so myself). Plus, you get Viking horns (always useful to have), a grey boulder, a basket, and 3 helmets. Not a half bad deal, eh? Oh, who am I kidding – it’s awesome!
Minifigures:
Ah yes, one of the highlights of any castle set. You get 2 soldiers and 2 skellies this time, all with different weapons. The two soldiers are just regular Crown troops with different faces – nothing special, except that they are awesome anyway. The skeletons on the other hand are much more interesting: an archer and a black skellie! Archers cool, of course, but I know many don’t like the printing on the black skeletons. Well, let me say that I don’t mind it so much. The only real problem is that the eyes are dark red instead of just red, which makes the printing a bit less noticeable. And I’ve been through it before that the new skeleton molds in general don’t bother me at all – go skeletons!
The Finished Set:
Alright, there’s two builds in this set, and I’ll start with the smaller: the skeleton barricade.
Okay, so it’s nothing special, but it’s cool all the less. The shield on the front and the slanted spears are nice touches.
Here’s just how the skeletons can tower over their own barricade: with a little step.
Ah, the catapault. The lovely catapault. Seriously, I love TLC’s design. Very effective, and also very realistic, especially compared to KK. Love the side details and the swiveling base, and you gotta love the clever use of that basket.
Playability:
Yes, I’ve made it a tradition now to write stories for any castle set I buy (and this isn’t the last one, you can be sure of that!). Here’s one featuring everything in 7901:
Oh, and here’s a small ship I made out of all the pieces in this set plus a couple extra figures and weapons from my copy of 7901. Not half bad, IMO, considering what I had to work with.
Overall Rating:
Presentation: 9/10
Pieces: 8/10
Minifigures: 9/10
Finished model: 9/10
Playability: 8/10
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Final Score: 8.6/10
Once again, I highly recommend the reviewed set. Castle is possibly the best theme this year, and this set is one of many that prove it. As with all castle sets, it’s best if you buy several if you want to truly enjoy it, but this set alone is also impressive in both design and pieces and minifigures. Get at least one if you have even a slight liking for Castle.
Edited by KimT, 10 August 2008 - 01:31 PM.
