I Scream Clone Posted September 23, 2008 (edited) Sir, We have captured an Orcish spy! Good work, throw him in the Tower! We will deal with him shortly! …and so begins the classic tale of Escape from Castle Tower, a Review of 7037 Set Name Tower Raid Year of release: 2008 Set Number: #7037 Pieces: 364 Minifigures: 5, 2 Knights and 3 Trolls/Orcs Price: 49.99 Aus/29.99 US/19.99 GBP/ 29.99 EUR S@H Bricklink Off we go! The Tower Raid is part of the second year of the New Classic Castle line. I consider it a mid priced set. For the purpose of this review, I consider the term Orc and Troll interchangeable. Here is a picture of the box and of the instructions. This set was packaged into 4 plastic bags (numbered 1-4) Bags 1 and 2 contained the tower parts, whilst 3 and 4 the siege tower. Instruction book 1 is for the tower and book 2 is for the siege tower. As per usual the minifigures were located in the first bag. Parts I was excited to open these pieces will go great on some of my future creations, dark brown bricks are always welcome! Minifigures One of the big draw cards of this set was the minifigure variety and count. I love to get as many trolls/orcs as they are my favourite faction, and with this set you receive 3. You receive 2 grunt orcs with the new silver helmet, and a general who has the orange metallic helemt as well as shoulder pads! You also get 2 Crown Knights, 1 generic knight with 'determined face' and 1 archer with a happy/scared face. Weapons consist of 2 orcish swords (1 brown and 1 silver/grey), handcuffs ( I got 2 lots), crossbow, sword, 1 shield for the knight and orc and a quiver. There is also a Standard, which the Orcs would use to rally there troops and instill fear in to the Crown knights. The build: Tower Early tower pic showing the placement of the falling floorboards Once the tower wall falls inwards on the hinges, the tiled floor above falls down freeing the Orc Almost done just need the top now Complete Tower The build: Siege Tower Early stage showing the battering ram. The second level contains the boarding ramp which extends forward when the string is pulled backwards at the rear of the tower. This easily resets. Complete Siege Tower: To operate the battering ram feature you pull back on the ram and the rubber band ensures that it will shoot forward, battering into the tower wall Complete Pictures The two parts of this set are well balanced. Summary In summary, some of my thoughts on this set Design: 9/10 Really well designed set with 4 levels of tower and three levels of siege tower. Playability: 9/10 Great playability with the battering ram and boarding ramp both functioning really well. The tower wall is also great and easily reset! Pricing: 9/10 For what the set contains I think the pricing is spot on. Overall: 9/10 This I feel is the benchmark by which all other 2008 sets should be measured against, it has loads of playability, a great minifig assortment, and is just plain fun to build as well as admire! So who's going to tell the king the prisoner escaped? Thank you all for looking, I welcome your opinions on this set. My Photobucket Edited September 23, 2008 by KimT indexed and poll added Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KimT Posted September 23, 2008 Another great Castle set. This is one of my favourites. Loads of playability and great figs. Thanks for the review, I've added it to the index Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dj2005 Posted September 23, 2008 Also one of my favorite sets of the new Castle line. The minifig selection is great, an abundance of useful pieces for structural building and the set has plenty of playability. Very nice job with the review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DarthPineapple Posted September 23, 2008 Thanks for the great review, I can't wait to get my hands on this set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cakeman Posted September 23, 2008 I like this set a lot. Now, the tower in itself is a little flimsy etc (as all tlc castles, including the old ones) so it's not worse then other at all. Now the true star here is the siegetower wich I think is great, with extra bling like the chain and (loose fitting) boards on the side. Stunning. I haven't even modded mine :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zorro Posted September 23, 2008 I like this set a lot. Now, the tower in itself is a little flimsy etc (as all tlc castles, including the old ones) so it's not worse then other at all. Now the true star here is the siegetower wich I think is great, with extra bling like the chain and (loose fitting) boards on the side. Stunning. I haven't even modded mine :) I rated above average, not perfect because I only give that to the best. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt. Bluebeard Posted September 23, 2008 Best Castle set of 2008, IMO! I voted "Outstanding" 'cause everything about this set is perfect (although, if I was in a nit-picky mood, I'd probably give it "Above Average", but because I'm a nice guy and I don't usually buy Castle, I'll let it fly). The battering ram works excellently and the tower's design is very impressive. Bluebeard, out- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NewRight Posted September 25, 2008 Great set! (Though I don't own it ) Great review as well. The photography is nice. Sir, We have captured an Orcish spy! Good work, throw him in the Tower! We will deal with him shortly! Though I don't agree with cruelty to Orcs. They are simply misunderstood. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gladiator Posted October 6, 2008 definetely an outstanding set Lot of useful bricks even to build the stronger and bigger castle Great minifigs, I really love the knights and deeply in love with the troll-boss Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zarkan Posted October 6, 2008 Thanks for the great review. I honestly love all the castle sets, but this one in particular stood out to me. Until now, we haven't gotten a decent siege tower since the golden days of Castle - the KK ones were terrible! The one in this set is awesome, however - it looks well designed and has a good level of detail. Add that to the great figure count, acessories, and the included tower, and you have a recipe for a rating of 5/5 from me! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
united brick Posted October 7, 2008 99% I gave it that cause it was so fun resorceful I got it instantly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darth_Legois Posted October 7, 2008 Hey ISC did you get this for $50 AUSD? Because I just bought this at Kmart for $30! [30% Off selected LEGO] I like this set [My first "large" castle set and my only 3rd Castle set ever] Accept I think I didnt get a wheel that goes on the troll thingy [mind blank] Or then it got lost I might have to buy another piece I will probable change the lame gimicks in the tower [Flick-fire missles, push-over door & falling floor] And maybe make walls all around it and a Ladder from the top floors [When I have the time ] I think this is a great set for $30 AUSD but I probable wouldnt buy it for $50 AUSD. So for me it would be Playability: Price: [On sale ] Design: Mini-Figs: Overall: .5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwarvenlord Posted October 7, 2008 This set is indeed one of the best of the castle line (after the Dwarvenmine!) because its a neat design, and good value for money! The siege tower is the best TLC ever made, and you get plenty of acessories. I bought two of them already, partly because the shop where i bought it had a huge sale (€20,- instead of €30,-!). If there was a dwarf (no winged helmet) included, this set was the best! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snake...SNAKE...SNAAAAKE?! Posted October 7, 2008 Favorite new castle set by far! Nice review ISC! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faramir Posted October 9, 2008 Had to go above average, if only for the boarding ramp-- if they were going to make one without a hinge, they should have at least made it the same height as the King's Castle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kliq Posted October 9, 2008 Very nice review! I especially liked how you showed how the ram works. As for the set itself, the tower looks good next to the harbor or castle, as the styles blend well. I, however, was really excited to get the set for the siege tower! It is so detailed with the wooden planks covering the holes. It's a testiment for how well Lego is doing these days in their attention to detail. The seige tower has everything you could want, without the needless flickfire missles. I could imagine the designers being happy as the theme progresses, getting to develope new and cool ideas that would work well with the faction they're working on. I was particularly pleased with seeing the Orc Shaman lady, showing they are going to stick with trolls for at least a little while longer. I can't wait to see what fun details Lego puts into those possible future sets! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hive Posted April 9, 2017 After having had this set sit unopened on my shelf for about 5 years, having saved it for dark times without any viable new Castle sets, I finally built it today. It was a set I really wanted when I came out of my dark ages and it subsequently took me 2-3 years to hunt it down and aquire it. Did it quite live up to my expectations? Well, no... but no set could have lived up to such long-built up expectations. I was not dissapointed however, it is a good set with great figures and two aesthetically pleasing colour schemes. It's one of the best Castle tower builds ever and most certainly a striking and impressive siege tower with amazing play value due to the two well-crafted gimmicks. My only gripe with the set is that the siege tower is way too big compared to the tower, not the least bit proportional. And I would have prefered old school wheels for it. But all in all, it sure takes me back to when the Castle theme saw much brighter and better times... and it makes me yearn for more of the same. This set was released in what I consider to be the modern golden age of LEGO, and it shows. I wonder if we'll ever get another Castle theme quite like this... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites