Review: 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress

[dj2005]

Title of Set: 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress

Theme: Castle/Black Falcons

Year Released: 1986

Pieces Count: 435

Minifigures: 6

Original Price: $35 (USD), Unknown (EUR), Unknown (GBP)

Current Prices: BrickLink Price Guide

Further Information: Brickset, Lugnet, Peeron, Photobucket Album

At only six sets, the Black Falcons were never fully fleshed out by TLC. However, within this limited number of sets comes the Black Falcon's Fortress, which is perhaps the best keep within the whole Castle theme. This set was also later released within the Legends sub-theme in the year 2002 under the set number 10039.

Instruction Booklet:

The instruction booklet has a total of 36 steps. With each step, the new bricks that are to be placed are highlighted. This makes the building process very enjoyable and lessens the time spent studying what brick goes where. On the last page of the booklet one can see how the drawbridge works with two 1x2 black plates, string, and two 2x4 technic plates that have a total of six holes to allow the string to pass through.

Minifigs:

Six Black Falcon knights and two horses.

Accessories:

Spears, pikes, bows, quivers, shields, helms... Nothing a Black Falcon wouldn't want.

Unique Pieces:

This set comes with a yellow wall panel and a unique Black Falcon flag that was only available in this set.

Completed without Minifigs:

Overhead View:

Front Open:

Front Closed:

Inside Fortress Front:

Left Side:

Right Side:

Back:

Unhinged:

Front View When Fully Unhinged & Open:

Front View When Fully Unhinged & Closed:

Back View When Fully Unhinged:

Closeups:

Window Architecture (Chapel's Roof):

Inside Chapel:

Under Front Tower (Second Floor):

Under Front Tower (First Floor):

Left Side Back Wall:

Right Side Back Wall:

Completed with Minifigs:

Home, sweet home.

Connected to Guarded Inn:

Front:

Back:

When connected to the Guarded Inn set.

Reviewer's Score:

Playability: 10/10 - Lots of knights and a very well built fortress. Hinged walls provide extra playability, as well as the working drawbridge and alternative model. Can be combined with other sets from the same decade, too.

Design: 10/10 - At less than 450 pieces, this set is not meant to compete with full blown castles. While it is a bit small, it has plenty of room for the included six Black Falcons and more. The back chapel is fantastic thanks to the roof style and small details. The unique Black Falcon flag really wraps this set up nicely.

Price: 10/10 - Many pieces for the original price tag, including six knights and two horses. The wall panels and gray bricks can serve many purposes in the Castle universe.

Total: 30/30 - There's a reason why this is one of the highest rated castles made by LEGO. I really see no faults with this set.

[robbo]

Great review.......I just love this set and thats why i bought 50 sets of the 10039 when they came on sale.

I just love the sight of my 300+ falcon army in formation and the parts that come with this set are great for MOCs. Hopefully one day i will have the time to build my falcon castle using the 50 sets.

I am really enjoying the quality of reviews these days.....again well done.

[Quarryman]

Ah, the Black Falcon's Fortress I have very fond memories of this set, I think it was my first castle set, certainly my first castle. Remember buying it for almost all the money I got for my birthday in 1988, it cost 320 NOK.

Thank you for yet another great review, for me it was a lovely trip down Nostalgia Street. I just wish I wasn't in my Dark Ages when the 10039 was released.

[Minifig Lecturer]

Great review there. This set is one of my faves for sure. I love the "Black Falcons" - here I always grew up knowing them Draco and not BFs, this castle was sold here as "Castle Draco".

I just love the sight of my 300+ falcon army in formation and the parts that come with this set are great for MOCs. Hopefully one day i will have the time to build my falcon castle using the 50 sets.

How on earth did you buy 50 of them? These knights have the best appearance ever IMO, the crest is great and real-life, you are really lucky!

[UsernameMDM]

My favorite fortified piece from the Castle line. I'm inspired to do an updated version...

[robbo]

How on earth did you buy 50 of them? These knights have the best appearance ever IMO, the crest is great and real-life, you are really lucky!

I was very fortunate to have a tattslotto win just as this Legend set was released, one day online i noticed that Lego.com had them discounted and i just took the plunge...lol

Just wondering if you have seen my crown army?Visit My Crown Army

I have always loved this set and it was a perfect way to build up a decent army and get a great parts pack...who can forget those yellow tudor walls.

My only limiting factor is my work is crazy and i have two beautiful girls to look after.....Maybe one day i will get to my MOCs

[Cardinal Brick]

A very good reivew, you've got alot of detail in there I must say. This is a great set though part of me is slightly more impressed with the other Falcon castle with its brick built jail. Though that hasn't stopped me from picking up two more of these I got the latest one for £13.50.

[Wout]

Great review.......I just love this set and thats why i bought 50 sets of the 10039 when they came on sale.

And I thought I was strange buying 2 of them.

This set is a very nice castle and a great addition to the first Black falcon castle from 1984 I got for my 6th? birthday

[KimT]

One of my favourite castles, only beaten by the 6086 Black Monarch's Castle.

Thanks for the review.

I've added this to the index.

[Lorentzen]

Oh how I wanted this when I was a child - the yellow wall made the difference - for me, that piece is almost mythical

Thanks for doing the review - great pictures

[General Armendariz]

Good review. WOW In the 80's and 90's they came with a lot of minifigs.

Wish they still did

Good review. WOW In the 80's and 90's they came with a lot of minifigs.

Wish they still did

[tindwcel]

Good Review. Nice Pictures.

As for the actual fortress... I'd have dinged it a couple of points for

1) The clumsy drawbridge string.

2) The downside of the hinged walls is that the whole model becomes a bit fragile.

[Mörs]

The only real flaw I can see in this castle is its small size... and maybe the lack of studs in the courtyard.

[Jack Bricker]

Thank you for a such a good review of this castle.

Now I know what I am about to say is heresy :skull: but I am really not very impressed with this set. It is so small. Yes, it is more accurate structurally but the small size compared to the minifigures just ruins it for me. I mean all an enemy knight has to do is ride his horse and he would be able to climb over the wall by just using his horse as a boost.

However I do think that the set is more accurate in terms of architecture so I will give it an average.

Edited January 6, 2010 by bengun

[Big Cam]

Well as long as it's already been bumped.

This set reminds me of my childhood and seems like it would have been a great deal back in the day, 6 soldiers!! I loved the old playset style LEGO sets. I know it's past it's prime but this is a great review, and if DJ2005 happens to see this, KUDO's.

I have alot of these solders in my old collections but I don't think I ever had this set. This is one I'm sure I drooled over this set as a kid.

[Rick]

Really nice set. I was lucky enough to get the Legend version for €39 some years back.

[Habakure]

Nice review, I did notice something about the two knight figures torso's:- one has blue and one has black in the instructions, box art. Yet the review shows both knight torso's as blue, was this a variation of the set as the one I had, one was blue and the other black?

Still a fine lego set, one I may try to pick up on ebay.

[the Inventor]

Nice review of a great set.

I'm the lucky owner of two copies of the legend set.

the Inventor

[dwarf-brik]

Wow, it is amazing how many figures TLC could fit into a $35 USD set back then. This is one of my favorite castle sets just because it is so simple and compact.

[metalandi]

I'm recently geting back into the classic castle sets and put some of my own back on display. Therefor i was wondering, if anybody ever has tried to attach all the "wall segment" sets to this castle, for example the battering ram set. It would really interest me if that works well and how it would look if all sets that fit to it are beeing atatched to one big castle. Are there any pictures of something like that?

Edited January 26, 2010 by metalandi

[Legorski]

Awesome set, make me want more Black Falcons! XD

[Cwetqo]

I have Black Falcons Castle, Blacksmith and Guarded Inn, so I combined those. Here are some pictures (please have in mind that this was during first assembly after nearly 15 years and and bricks are very dirty:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=3435859

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=3435862

I have since then built back wall with parts from BL, but unfortunately I can not find that pictures.

[Little Brick Man]

The first and only BF castle/fortress i ever had.

`Little Brick Man

littlebrickman.blogspot.com

[Barteck]

Wonderful set. I want to buy it on BL, but prices are very high.

[minion]

This set was awesome,The most best Lego Castle from my childhood.