The Cobra Posted December 30, 2008 Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) "...and then the sky turned red... Hey! They're throwing trans orange propellors!" Set data: 8873: Fireball catapult Year: 2005 Theme: Castle Subtheme: Knight's Kingdom Pieces: 47 (including extras and "Rubber band holder" ) Price: 8 USD / 9 EUR / ?? UKP (sources: Peeron, German S@H Catalogue) Building time: less than 15 minutes MISB on review: Yes More info: Brickset - Peeron Box front: European version, no set name and no details. Box back: Showing how the catapult works, and a mediocre alternate model Box content: Two bags and a one instructions sheet. Pieces inventory: Main colours are Red Brown and Dark red. We'll find a few differences in extra pieces compared to Peeron listing. Random instructions page: How to set up your horse; by the way, this set has no extra 1x2 plate and 1x2 brick as an alternative to horse saddle. Random instructions page: Building the catapult. Shadow knight: The villain has no armor but a printed torso with the Scorpion emblem. Sir Santis: The good minifig has a name (he's not a mass product like his foe), and the bear pattern on armor and shield. When color choice becomes a problem : I can hardly understand how Peeron can claim the bar being white; But my main question is: do we need all these kinds of grays (and bleys)? Ready to face the fire: The "knight" has no horse. The "Sir" has. Oh, well, whatever... The catapult: Front has two wheels and two teeth (for short-range killing). The catapult: Shooting is based on a rubber band; shooting range = approx. 1 yard / 90 cm. The "bullet": I like the idea of using a transparent piece (as much as I like TrOrange round 2x2 bricks). Armed and ready: The catapult is ready to shoot Leftovers: How many of you wondered "where do I have to use the rubber band holder in this set?" the first time you found one? Complete set: let the battle begin. Review: For a small battle set / army builder, this one is O.K. On one side we have one of the usual KKII colorful knights with his own attire and emblem, a "triangular" sword, his "custom" shield and a horse with head armor. On the others side, one Shadow knight wearing red and black like his master (Lord Vladek) and most everyone in their army, plus a small (but effective) battle machine. Kids should have enjoied themselves withe the shooting; I practiced a little and found out I shouldn't have pulled too much, otherwise the "fireball" would have fallen backwards! So much for target practicing. Rating: Color scheme: 4,5/5: nothing bad to say about the SK and the catapult; Santis looks better than some of his colorful buddies. Minifigs and accessories: 4/5: both guys have their hands full; having another SK included would have been great, but 1 vs. 1 is Ok. Pieces: 3/5: You surely won't buy this set for the pieces it's made of. There's nothing rare or special in here, and we're far under the 10/1 ratio. Playability: 4/5. As I said, it takes a while to find how to use your hands on the catapult. But I strongly hope that's not something that can discourage kids from playing with Lego! Design: 4/5. See above. Overall rating: 4/5. The final words: To the few people that don't dislike KKII: If you can grab it for 8 Euros or less (like I did), you should consider buying this set; I own two of them, and they look great in the sort of "siege" of the Mistlands tower I have made. Please keep in mind that 8 bucks was the standard price for the Final joust, which -as good as it is- looks now a bit overpriced. Edited December 31, 2008 by WhiteFang Review added to index. Quote
Motti Posted December 30, 2008 Posted December 30, 2008 I remember this line. I hated this version. The Castle ones overshadow the Knights Kingdom sets by infinity. As for the catapult, it's quite fun flinging it and knocking the horse down. Quote
Zorro Posted December 30, 2008 Posted December 30, 2008 Nice review, The Cobra , it is very useful for those that are interested to the theme, sadly I am one of the many that dislike it... Quote
WhiteFang Posted December 31, 2008 Posted December 31, 2008 I remembered I have bought quite a few sets of this, just to build an army of Scorpion Knight and that white horse. I remember horses are not a common sight at that point in time, and this was one of the most affordable methods which could allow collectors to buy. Even though, the red knight looks colorful, but the scropion foot soldier makes up for its flaw. Guess, I have nowhere to spend my castle collection on, and some of my money went into these eventually. By the way, I have added your review into the index. Thanks for sharing another KKII review. Quote
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