Review: 6017 King's Oarsmen

[dj2005]

Title of Set: 6017 King's Oarsmen

Theme: Castle/Lion Knights

Year Released: 1987

Pieces Count: 42

Minifigures: 2

Original Price: $3.75(USD)

Further Information: Brickset, Lugnet, Peeron, Photobucket Album

Being the smallest and cheapest of the Castle ship sets, King's Oarsmen only consists of a small rowboat and two Lion Knight Oarsmen. Whilst small in stature and in length, this is a superb impulse set of the late 1980s. Will these two brave Lion Knights keep their kingdom's waters safe from the dreadful Black Falcons? Read on to find out...

Instruction Pamphlet:

The instruction pamphlet of this set. Not much to mention other than it being easy to follow and that there are eleven steps in total.

Parts:

Not overwhelming in the parts department.

Minifigs:

For a mere $3.75, this set comes with two very nice minifigs. Both are Lion Knights but they each have a different torso print. One comes with the Crusaders gold lion shield pattern and the other with the metallic breastplate pattern that was used in a few vintage Castle sets.

Accessories:

A wide variety of accessories are included. There is a blue cape, one yellow background Lion shield, one blue background Lion shield, a single red flag, four plain white flags (which have discoloration in my pictures), a brown lance, a brown halberd, and finally, a brown spear.

Unique Pieces:

There are no set exclusive pieces, but there are a few rare ones as displayed in the above picture.

Partially Built:

+About halfway through the build. The boat takes form quickly.

Set without minifigs:

Front:

Side:

Back:

Again, this is a small set so not a whole lot is going on. As pictured, this set contains a simple yet effective rowboat and nothing more.

Completed set with minifigs:

Both minifigs fit adequately onto the boat. One or both of the included Lion Knights can row or keep watch. The four white flags that work as a sail can be manually shifted to simulate direction changes in the wind.

Victory:

A prime example of why you don't want to mess with Lion Knights.

Joke:

While the Lion Knights excel in battle, they certainly aren't the brightest of the bunch.

Reviewer's Score:

Playability: 8.5/10 - In my experience, most impulse sets don't offer a whole lot of playability. This is still somewhat true for this set, but having two minifigs and a cute boat spices things up a great deal.

Design: 9/10 - Once again, being an impulse set there aren't many pieces to use. The pieces that are included with this set create a wonderful boat. A thing to note: this set was released before the Pirates theme came into fruition, so the absence of actual oars and a cloth flag are not to be taken negatively into this score.

Price: 9.5/10 - Most impulse sets of the modern day include only one minifig, but this has two that have great torsos! There are also a good selection of accessories and rare boat parts.

Total: 27/30 - This set is a must buy for those who hold the desire to create a Castle themed fleet. Pair this set with 6049 and 6057 to build an admirable bunch of ships to transport one's troops from shore to shore.

[KimT]

A funny little set.

Some ok parts, but not much more than that.

Which you've shown so fine in your review

[dj2005]

A funny little set.

Some ok parts, but not much more than that.

Which you've shown so fine in your review

I got it for the two Lion Knights. The accessories aren't shabby either.