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Title of Set: 6077 Forestmen's River Fortress
Theme: Castle/Forestmen
Year Released: 1989
Pieces Count: 348
Minifigures: 6
Original Price: $37.50 (USD), Unknown (EUR), Unknown (GBP)
Current Prices: BrickLink Price Guide
Further Information: Brickset, Lugnet, Peeron, Photobucket Album
In the dank, dark marshes the Forestmen bunker in their fortress. Using their surroundings as an advantage, the Forestmen quickly silence any lumbering predator or foe that may lurk near. Due to this, it is undetermined where exactly this fabled fortress, that was constructed half by man and half by nature, actually resides and whether it truly exists.
Instructions:
Not a hard build. The instructions are clear and actually make use of different angles, which I found lacking in a decent amount of the vintage Castle sets. Total of 22 steps. The back of the booklet includes two alternative builds.
Minifigures:
Five Forestmen and a lone Lion Knight with the nice Lion printed torso. Plumes displayed are not exactly the same as what is included in the set.
Accessories:
Three ABS swords, two bows, two quivers, two spears, two Forestmen shields, various plumes (as displayed previously), a lance, a green vine whip and a chest. Not really all that much for a fortress. A Lion Knight shield and an extra container or two would've been much preferred.
Vehicles - Barrel Raft:
Front:
The front of the raft holds a spare sword.
Left:
Right:
Back:
A large amount of space for a small raft. Contains a brown chest to store goods and/or treasure. The set includes a few yellow round studded pieces to represent gold.
Completed without Minifigures:
Front with Gate Raised:
Front gate is raised giving a small view of the inside of the fortress. A small green plate provides grass.
Front with Gate Closed:
Front gate closed shutting off outsiders. Uses four black 1x8 tiles to create an impenetrable gate. The black walkway connected to the grassed land lifts up using hinges to create a drawbridge effect.
Left:
A view of the left side of the fortress. Not much to see. The archery tree provides a much needed atmospheric addition.
Right with Back Open:
The back swings open to the right when fully opened.
Right with Back Closed:
Similar to the left side. Make note of the slopes that create the foundation of the fortress to emulate a tree's trunk.
Back Open:
The back uses a three hinged system. Needless to say, it is very stable and works like a charm.
Back Closed:
Closes nicely and stays closed unlike some sets which swing open at the slightest touch.
Inside Lower:
Bare interior. A jail to the left and a weapon storage area to the right.
Inside Upper:
A view of the architecture. Yep, still bare.
Closeups:
Prison:
Small prison using four black antennas. The poor prisoner probably gets eaten by the fish. Definitely not a nice way to go.
Back Underside:
A closeup shot of the waterway under the fortress. To the left is the jail. This is a nice architectural detail, and perhaps the best of the set.
Gate Raised:
Closeup shot of the gate when raised and the entrance.
Closeup of Top with Gate Raised:
Here we can see the top of the gate once fully raised peaking out the top of the fortress.
Top Back View:
Some space for minifigs.
Top Side View:
Foliage provides camouflage.
Top Flag Straight:
The flag is on a small hinged piece that can be raised and lowered.
Top Flag Bent:
Another shot but when fully lowered.
Front Windows:
Two nice windows behind some leaves.
Archery Tree:
A closeup of the archery piece. It is printed and a great piece to have.
A farther shot than before showing more of the tree. A very nice tree it is, though lacking some brown...
Completed with Minifigures:
All six minifigures fit easily onto the set. Still room for more on the raft and inside the fortress.
Front Row Seats of the Action:
The fortress's location stays safe once again as a lone Lion Knight is no match for five Forestmen. Still, for how long until the next adventurer stumbles upon this fortress, and when he does, will he be the lucky one that escapes?
Reviewer's Score:
Playability: 8/10 - Gate works very well. The hinged back provides easy access to the interior, which has a jail to stick prisoners into (one at a time).
Design: 7.4/10 - Nothing impressive due to the lack of a furnished interior. Still has the Forestmen feel to it since it is a giant tree.
Price: 8/10 - Compared to other sets of the era, it is quite pricey when the piece count is factored in. It does have a lot of wall panels but no special pieces.
Total: 23.4/30 - Not the best of the Forestmen sets, but it is still a very nice set to own. Looks good when fully built as well. The 32x32 blue baseplate is very useful, too.
This set has a high degree of playability. I'd simply love to have it in my collection. Needless to say that I've voted for superb.
