LEGO review #3 - Castle series

One of the things I enjoy about LEGOs is consistency. Sure, all the cool new bricks and pieces make for fine creations not technologically possible back in my youth, but I think the good folks at LEGO HQ seem content not to mess with certain elements. If you place one of my vintage knight minifigs next to a current issue knight minifig, very little has changed except for perhaps the heraldry and colors. And in my opinion, that's a good thing.

5615 - The Knight: As you might guess, you get one knight minifig. He comes with an assortment of armor and weapons, and a rack to store them on. There's a sword, spear, shield, breastplate, and two helmets. My sole complaint is I don't care for the design of the full-face helmet - it looks too much like a gladiator's helm. Let's give it 6 out of 10 for being solid.

5618 - Troll Warrior: You get one (small) troll warrior - my son calls them orcs - equipped with a sword and helmet. There's also a cart with two spears and a flick-fire missile the troll can wheel around. Finally, there's a rat. Yes, a rat! My son really thinks the rat is cool (he has two, uh, Mega Blok rats that are favorites of his). This one also rates a 6 out of 10.

7090 - Crossbow Attack: This set is what a lot of reviewers on the LEGO.com site rave about. You not only get a knight (two in this case), but you also get an enemy for the knight to fight! There are two knights, two different helmets, and a pole-axe. There are also two crossbows that attach to the front of the large wheeled crossbow (which is kind of a cannon-ballista hybrid in my opinion). The antagonist is a white skeleton warrior mounted on a skeletal horse. He is armed with a wicked-looking sword and small round shield. When you think about it from a bottom-line point of view, the basic small box with one minifig and a couple extras goes for $3.50, and for $6.00, you get three minifigs, a skeletal horse, and the crossbow cannon thingy. That's a good deal for those of you set builders who try to make every purchase count. I'm not crazy about the giant crossbow on wheels for some reason, or the wide-brimmed knight helmet, but those are pretty minor issues overall. This rates a 9 out of 10, and might have achieved a perfect 10 if it had not been for my dislike of the giant crossbow.

7091 - Knights' Catapult Defense: Now we're talking! You get a nicely designed, working catapult and a boulder to fling. There are two knights and two skeletons (one black, one white) and their weapons. The knights have a spear, a sword, two helmets, and two shields. The skeletons have a flail, a crossbow, a helmet, a small round shield, a kite shield, and two spears that are part of their little outpost/wall structure. That's four minifigs, a catapult, and extras for $10. What's not to like about that? I'm going to award this set a perfect 10 out of 10!

7040 - Dwarves' Mine Defender: Another $10 set with a war machine and minifigs. I like the trio of blades on the front of the Defender, although they don't spin too well when rolled across a flat, smooth surface. And the chain-operated catapult looks cool, but the chain falls off when pulled too sharply by young hands. I would have liked two dwarves instead of one, but at least you get two orc (I mean troll) warriors. The trolls have their own helmets, but they have to share one sword - the other one carries a troll battle standard. 7 out of 10 is what I'll rate this fine set.

7038 - Troll Assault Wagon: How do you get a giant troll to pull his wagon? You dangle a leg of mutton in front of him, of course! Well, it looks like a chicken/turkey drumstick, but you know what I mean. The Wagon looks mean, thanks to the flexible spines on the front, the leering skull banner up top, and the off-kilter boards and green horns on the shield. And yes, it launches missiles with the same part that the LEGO soccer players use to "kick" the ball. I really like the giant green troll - it would be nice to package one in a smaller set (got that, LEGO suits?) - as well as his smaller cousin, who holds the meat on a stick, sword, and wears a helmet. The bad guys are chasing two knights pulling a cart. Why a cart, I don't know...but at least the knights have a place to stash their crossbow and sword as they flee the onrushing trolls. They also have a spear and two helmets. Call it 7 out of 10, mostly because I like the giant green troll.

7036 - Dwarves' Mine: Finally, a LEGO Lord of the Rings set! My son calls this one The Mines of Moria ("They have a cave troll!") and sometimes re-enacts movie scenes with this set. For starters, there's a brown giant troll armed with a spiked club, and two small troll warriors wearing helmets and armed with swords and one tower shield. They are opposed by four dwarves, outfitted with a variety of weapons (including double-bladed axes!), helmets, and shields.

The mine complex sports a catapult, working doors, a winch and bucket system to move goods up and down, a sliding bucket that dumps ore and gems down a chute, which is used to load said goods into two mine carts that are on a short stretch of tracks. The lord of the mine has a throne to sit upon, and there's also a kitchen with a fireplace, and an anvil for the master blacksmith to hammer away on. There's so many little features packed into this modestly-sized set, one is hard-pressed to come up with any faults. The catapult look doesn't do it for me, and the bucket that is on the winch doesn't stay up, even with nothing in it. A small fireplace for the blacksmith's station out front would have been a nice touch, but there's not a whole lot of room for one.

Overall, a very nice set. Not the "best set evar!" or anything like that, but still a nice, quality set. 8 out of 10 for all the nifty features and inclusion of a giant troll figure.

I have a feeling that the Troll Warship (7048) is going to end up under our tree this year (thanks, Grampa Mark!), so I'll be sure to review that in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading, and have a Merry Christmas!