Peppermint_M Posted March 17, 2010 Toyriffic Castle. As I was a-browsing eBay one day, with my favourite search terms “Like Lego”, “Fit Lego” and “Brick Toy” I happened upon this set. It was so wonderfully random, I just had to have it! Is it Aztecs vs. Barbarians? Aztecs vs. Very rough Conquistadors? I didn’t really care, it was so funky looking and at £7.97 a bargain. Today it arrived. The box reveals very little, just age advice and another picture. The parts came in a cardboard sleeve, the instructions tucked away at the bottom, a layer of large plates and two baseplates and the polybags. A page of the A4 instruction book. The instructions are linear and do their best to point out where parts go and how many are needed. The muted colour palette made it hard to discern which brick was used where in some instances, and I made a few mistakes evidenced in a wrong colour brick in one place and some “missing” 1x1 bricks when I came to the last few steps. The parts were nothing new or exciting, a fair few odd choices, like a 1x3 and a 1x1 in a row instead of a 1x4 but nothing to write home about. Until the last step... A 1x2 plate. With studs on both sides. A part a fair few have been requesting. On to the completed set. Printed Flags, palm leaf bedecked towers, two draw bridges and a bridge that tips. All nice little action features which turn up in Lego Castle. The accessories and animals came on sprues, all silver in colour. The bats a profoundly odd but I like the giant snake. One sword is a definite Lego copy but all the other weapons are not. Two bows and two crossbows, a staff, a spear, a sword and an axe. The figures were... Interesting. Their arms had an interesting tendency to fall off, the hands slid out and other irritating things. They look to be copies of Oxford figures. The printing is nice and in theme and the headgear a mix of Lego copies and other random bits. The shields were nice additions and were moulded not printed. Horsies! These are unprinted and a bit flimsy feeling and certainly copies from Lego but as part of a set for £7.97 I am unconcerned. All accessories are fully minifig compatible. Quarryman will be our model for today: Quarry The Barbarian. God Emperor Quarryman, bow before him! The skull helmet is quite a cool one and the headdress is good for Aztec themed MOCs. Apart from eBay, nothing much comes up under Toyriffic, I shall continue investigation to try and find some more information. Overall this set is ok, variable grip from the bricks and low quality figures but a nice range of accessories and animals for a cheap set. The low price was certainly attractive and it is so damn funky looking! The silver is consistent and the colours, though a bit dull, suit the set. The plastic quality was fine, accessories a little flexible and the bricks more matt than gloss but still good. I do believe this was “harvested” from a variety of manufacturers, but the set design is seemingly unique so it sits in a grey area on my clone-bootleg scale. I liked this set, it was fun to build and I have a pile of great parts for custom minifigs. It is significantly cheaper and not too slim on quality to be unbearable so I would recommend it to anyone who wants a brick toy on a budget. Hope you enjoyed this review! Two in one day has to be a record for me, but this arrived today and I was eager to build it and the Best Lock set photos have been on my hard disk since late November... Coming soon: A Sluban Historic Themed set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VBBN Posted March 17, 2010 Thanks for the nifty review,Queen of Clone Peppermint Brands...or something like that... Funny, though the shade of gray is terrible on that bridge,it kinda makes it look, "mossy." More lifelike methinks. -VBBN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lordofdragonss Posted March 17, 2010 I saw this sets in Poland! They have city ones as well! I might get one because they are cheap and have nice minifig pieces... Thanks for review! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skalldyr Posted March 17, 2010 Thanks for the review! But the horses are really ugly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZO6 Posted March 17, 2010 Thank you for the review! For some reason seeing 6078 Royal Drawbridge with a different coat of paint, being defended by Islanders, and being attacked by some sort of barbarians puts a smile on my face. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted March 17, 2010 Yup, the horses are icky and are very flimsy looking. I neary split one down the middle. They are the major failing really. The helmets feel near the same to aftermarket customs, so they are certainly good for castle figures, the black ones are the best but the pirate hat was a random addition. The weapons feel the same as the recent output from Lego and are similar in colour to the pearl silver short swords, as are the shields. I hope to soon have a big comparison of weapons across the brands, so watch this space! Edit: ZO6, I thought I knew the design, I was just a little unsure, what with the small variations. I guess this pushes it more into bootleg, but the randomness of the theme and presentation that isn't trying for brand confusion makes it a little better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Svelte Posted March 17, 2010 Nice review and an interesting mix of pieces. It is reminiscent of all those drawbridge/ tower sets LEGO releases and it is quite bricky. I quite like the raggedy flag piece and even the more detailed palm leaves. It doesn't sell me on the idea of clone brands as a viable alternative to LEGO, however. Does Quarryman do life modellling classes too? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted March 17, 2010 You know, I should get more sigfigs so everyone gets a chance to model accessories for me As for the other question? I think you'll need to ask him yourself I did like the brickbuilt mountain over BURPS, those things can get tiresome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prateek Posted March 17, 2010 I thank thee for tis knowledge of clone sets thee hast bestowed upon us your majesty This is a particularly good clone set! I like that the weapons and head gear fit on minifigs, but it's sad that the horses are so bad. For some reason seeing 6078 Royal Drawbridge with a different coat of paint, being defended by Islanders, and being attacked by some sort of barbarians puts a smile on my face. I was going to say that! BTW, what's with the white baseplate? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted March 18, 2010 Snow maybe? I was thinking it had something to do with the Aztec headgear and the mountains, Andes maybe? I hope to build an arctic MOC using them now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YG-49 Posted March 18, 2010 OMG! Brown King Kahuka mask! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted March 18, 2010 I see my suggestion for a title in the best lock thread stuck. Another great review of a set that in my eyes is so so. Much better than the best lock car but sub par to LEGO in my eyes. At least this has structure and appears to hold itself together. Plus the minifig gear looks interesting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted March 18, 2010 I do really like the gear, it is the major reason I bought the set which always is the case with many sets I own. The rocking bridge is a little unsteady at times as the pins are not very well frictioned and the flags are only printed on one side. Brick Quality is a match to most clones, not too bad but not excellent. I hope to create a mixed media MOC to showcase the effect less glossy bricks can have on a model, in contrast to Lego figures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eilif Posted March 19, 2010 Great Review. How much was shipping on this? I see alot of clone brick deals on ebay, but many times, the shipping to the USA is more than the set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted March 19, 2010 Great Review. How much was shipping on this? I see alot of clone brick deals on ebay, but many times, the shipping to the USA is more than the set. Shipping was free! This is why I was able to get such a large set through eBay. The seller I used had free shipping on all their items, so I am going to have to take a longer look later . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matn Posted March 20, 2010 Blergh! But that snake! That would be an awesome snake to use as Nagini, Voldemort's big guard/pet snake if it would be in green. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emperor Claudius Rome Posted March 20, 2010 Another example of the giant middle-finger that is clones/bootlegs. You know that you are never going to show that clones are a good alternative to LEGO. Cause they're not. Your like "Oh, look at this piece. It's one that AFOL's have wanted for years.." Even though that piece will crack easily and become a useless piece of garbage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hive Posted April 5, 2010 Has anyone tried some of their other sets? I must admit that the cheap price has made me consider buying their Blackbeard ship, as I think the design looks great for a Castle ship: ...but of course, if the bricks are too shoddy quality, even a cheap price won't make it a good deal. And the only two reviews of the ship I could fine were less than impressive... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
larry marak Posted April 9, 2010 Toyriffic Castle.As I was a-browsing eBay one day, with my favourite search terms “Like Lego”, “Fit Lego” and “Brick Toy” I happened upon this set. It was so wonderfully random, I just had to have it! Is it Aztecs vs. Barbarians? Aztecs vs. Very rough Conquistadors? I didn’t really care, it was so funky looking and at £7.97 a bargain. Today it arrived. The box reveals very little, just age advice and another picture. The parts came in a cardboard sleeve, the instructions tucked away at the bottom, a layer of large plates and two baseplates and the polybags. A page of the A4 instruction book. The instructions are linear and do their best to point out where parts go and how many are needed. The muted colour palette made it hard to discern which brick was used where in some instances, and I made a few mistakes evidenced in a wrong colour brick in one place and some “missing” 1x1 bricks when I came to the last few steps. The parts were nothing new or exciting, a fair few odd choices, like a 1x3 and a 1x1 in a row instead of a 1x4 but nothing to write home about. Until the last step... A 1x2 plate. With studs on both sides. A part a fair few have been requesting. On to the completed set. Printed Flags, palm leaf bedecked towers, two draw bridges and a bridge that tips. All nice little action features which turn up in Lego Castle. The accessories and animals came on sprues, all silver in colour. The bats a profoundly odd but I like the giant snake. One sword is a definite Lego copy but all the other weapons are not. Two bows and two crossbows, a staff, a spear, a sword and an axe. The figures were... Interesting. Their arms had an interesting tendency to fall off, the hands slid out and other irritating things. They look to be copies of Oxford figures. The printing is nice and in theme and the headgear a mix of Lego copies and other random bits. The shields were nice additions and were moulded not printed. Horsies! These are unprinted and a bit flimsy feeling and certainly copies from Lego but as part of a set for £7.97 I am unconcerned. All accessories are fully minifig compatible. Quarryman will be our model for today: Quarry The Barbarian. God Emperor Quarryman, bow before him! The skull helmet is quite a cool one and the headdress is good for Aztec themed MOCs. Apart from eBay, nothing much comes up under Toyriffic, I shall continue investigation to try and find some more information. Overall this set is ok, variable grip from the bricks and low quality figures but a nice range of accessories and animals for a cheap set. The low price was certainly attractive and it is so damn funky looking! The silver is consistent and the colours, though a bit dull, suit the set. The plastic quality was fine, accessories a little flexible and the bricks more matt than gloss but still good. I do believe this was “harvested” from a variety of manufacturers, but the set design is seemingly unique so it sits in a grey area on my clone-bootleg scale. I liked this set, it was fun to build and I have a pile of great parts for custom minifigs. It is significantly cheaper and not too slim on quality to be unbearable so I would recommend it to anyone who wants a brick toy on a budget. Hope you enjoyed this review! Two in one day has to be a record for me, but this arrived today and I was eager to build it and the Best Lock set photos have been on my hard disk since late November... Coming soon: A Sluban Historic Themed set. Peppermint, from the photos you've included I'd say Toyriffic is an export name used by Little White Dragon of Chengdu in China. They also sell sets under the export name of Cogo. Larry Marak, known over at Bricklink as, among other things, the Clone Ranger, and the unofficial curator of clones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted April 10, 2010 Another example of the giant middle-finger that is clones/bootlegs. You know that you are never going to show that clones are a good alternative to LEGO. Cause they're not. Your like "Oh, look at this piece. It's one that AFOL's have wanted for years.." Even though that piece will crack easily and become a useless piece of garbage. Well, apart from the horses, the bricks are fine. It's no more likely to crack than anything TLG produces... Also: Thanks Larry, I was wondering what had happened to Little White Dragon, not seen much by them around anymore. Found a shop full of Toyriffic sets on holiday this past week, so I bought a Pirates set Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
larry marak Posted April 12, 2010 [ Also: Thanks Larry, I was wondering what had happened to Little White Dragon, not seen much by them around anymore. Their factory in in Chengdu, ground zero for the great quake of 2008. They just resumed production a few months ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thrund Posted July 29, 2010 Just in case you still cared, I found the webpage for the owner of the Toyrific brand: http://www.wiltonbradley.com/section.php?xSec=184 Looking at the large photos of the new Space sets, the components and manufacturing quality look like they're from the same factory as current Best-Lock, but as the Castle and Pirate sets use rendered box images, I can't tell if they're the same or not. I've found the Green Dragon set for £9 including postage, and like you I'm very tempted to pick it up for the minifig accessories (it also looks like it has some unusual coloured bricks). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted July 29, 2010 Thanks Thrund I will keep a lookout for those (I bought my brother some Best Lock space fighters, so it will be easy to check). I do know that the Red Dragon and Boat is a copy of the 4 Juniors pirate boat. Also the dragons are Beyblade Bit-Beast models... Review will come soon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thrund Posted July 29, 2010 Also the dragons are Beyblade Bit-Beast models... I'd guessed they were probably excess production from some other toy line. I suppose that means they don't have any compatibility with Lego. The yellow Gryphon in the Prison Island set looks really good, but that set seems to be the hardest one to find. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted July 29, 2010 Interest site that 'Thrund' found.....I really like the space fighters the most, though the racers and construction gear are a little backward. I'm a conformist! ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
