King's Castle 7946 Review

[Plastic Nurak]

Why in new sets there're so few horses ? This new set isn't a exception .

[squiz]

Why in new sets there're so few horses ? This new set isn't a exception .

yeah its pretty stingy. I think the days of getting 4 horses with a castle set (eg Kings Castle, Black knights castle, black monarchs castle ) are well and truly over :( There were 5 horses (and 4 minifigs) in this set and it was only a wagon !

Edited May 22, 2010 by squiz

[fenrir]

Huuummm... Although I felt in love with the overall design/look & fell, I don't know whether I'll buy this set. There are a few elements that bother me:

- the drawbridge looks weird due to the lifting arms that are outside the gatehouse, which doesn't make sense;

- the tall tower looks too big and unbalanced compared with the walls; I would see it as tall but "thinner";

- the front of the tall tower is very nice, but there are no side walls; these are totally open!

Maybe this castle is a beauty in reality, but the photos haven't convinced me yet. This is a pity because this castle has been the first realistic piece since the 80's!

I dislike exactly the same elements.

But I'll buy it and modify it a bit.

(and I'll remove those red tiles)

[metalandi]

I don't see any red TILES in there. I wouldn't remove the red elements, these are adding a lot to the look of it, imo.

[Cavannus]

Well, towers in older castles haven't been any less open than in this one.

You're right! However after the Medieval Village Market I'd expected a finer design for these towers (which is not a big issue though).

The lifting arms make sens in the way that..well, they lift the drawbridge up

Look at this typical drawbridge with lifting arms:

http://www.visite-au-chateau.com/langeais/pont-levis.jpg

The arms are protected by the walls and spaced according to the bridge size.

[Plastic Nurak]

yeah its pretty stingy. I think the days of getting 4 horses with a castle set (eg Kings Castle, Black knights castle, black monarchs castle ) are well and truly over :( There were 5 horses (and 4 minifigs) in this set and it was only a wagon !

LEGO desires to optimize costs, I realize it, but us the fans (and our claims) are once again ignored .

[squiz]

LEGO desires to optimize costs, I realize it, but us the fans (and our claims) are once again ignored .

yeah, thats the way of the world these days. Read an article about lego and how it nearly went bust a few years ago! It was during my dark ages so wasnt aware of it. I guess you just assume lego is something that will always be there but it is still a business. i would rather pay a bit more and for there still to be lego rather than them go bust!

[WesternOutlaw]

Beautiful set! Thanks for the review Dale. This style reminds me a lot of Playmobil, especially with the red tower roof. I had this set in my hands Friday evening, but I may wait for it to go on sale. TRU has a habit of marking these large sets 20% off. I love the new knights, and this looks like the flagship of the collection.

[Cavannus]

LEGO desires to optimize costs, I realize it, but us the fans (and our claims) are once again ignored .

As long as you can buy horses or knights separately or in small minifig sets, the limited number of horses is not an issue for me. I can understand that they want to save every dollar to remain competitive and I prefer less horses but more bricks or better quality. (However I understand that may seem to be penny-pinching).

yeah, thats the way of the world these days. Read an article about lego and how it nearly went bust a few years ago! It was during my dark ages so wasnt aware of it.

I was nine in 1984 when the new castle wall metapart was released and I didn't like the use of such big parts (since then I've realized that a castle built using small bricks would have been be so expensive that I would never get it). Then I started disliking Lego around 12 when I saw space sets built using a couple of big trans parts instead of bricks and closed walls (as on the 6985).

But I think this new 7946 is far from being cheaply designed and Lego definitively respects the fans.

Edited May 23, 2010 by Cavannus

[DaleDVM]

Thanks to everyone for their nice comments.

The large metaparts or POOPs or whatever you call them have gotten smaller than they were in the past. I am thankful those parts are more useful than past panels included in these castles. I think the walls on this castle look more decorative than most past lego castles. Even the classics had panel upon panel with no bricks in between.

As for the horses, yes they are lacking. I think the LEGO company was trying to meet the demands for the castle design before adding in a lot of extras. Whether this set is a good value can be debated but its design seems to be a pure win in my opinion.

Comparing this set to the Medieval Market Village is not very fair. That was a set designed for AFOLs with children more as an afterthought. Castle theme sets are geared directly at younger children but still obviously have a lot of appeal to us adults. You could not build a large castle like this at $100 USD using small pieces like those included in the MMV. yOu could probably build one very detailed tower using parts like taht but that may not be as attractive to the target audience.

[metalandi]

I'd have a little request if you don't mind...could you take a picture of the king without his armour on? Maybe it has been posted before somewhere, but i don't remember seeing a picture of his torso. I assume it actually is printed, isn't it?

[Alex the Great]

I'd have a little request if you don't mind...could you take a picture of the king without his armour on? Maybe it has been posted before somewhere, but i don't remember seeing a picture of his torso. I assume it actually is printed, isn't it?

I believe Dale said it was the same torso as the prince in the advent calendar.

[Shroffy123]

This castle is absolutely amazing!

[DaleDVM]

Yes, Alex is correct. The torso and legs are the same as the prince in the advent calendar.

[metalandi]

Thanks for the information.

Btw., who rated this set "poor"?

[Jack Bricker]

LEGO desires to optimize costs, I realize it, but us the fans (and our claims) are once again ignored .

Not listening to our claims? Really. Before we did not have a gate tower, now we have a gate tower. Before we had a Very Airy throne room, now they have closed it up much better. Before we had a castle that was not completely modular, now we have a castle that can be modified in many different ways. The corner towers can be easily doubled in size, all of the walls can be configured in any way you see fit, and it wouldn't be that hard to close off the tall tower even more.

Edited May 27, 2010 by Jack Bricker

[metalandi]

And after all that we should rememebr that lego still is a toy, and not a collectors item designed for adults.

[The Penguin]

And after all that we should rememebr that lego still is a toy, and not a collectors item designed for adults.

Actually it's not just a toy. Megablx is, LEGO is not. It's a way of life. Sorry for being a bit pompous but it's even a way of thinking.....

I don't share the common idea that LEGO is neglecting our needs. It gives us new parts, molds and figs relatively often. It's all the matter of your imagination: look at our honored customizers and MOCers. How they manage to create practically everything out of simple basic parts.

Sorry for offtopic.

Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

[HumanPackMule]

where would you guys say this set is in relation to the Alamut? Better or worse?

[metalandi]

I don't really think you can compare these 2, the PoP castle is froma totally different time and part of the world. But i'd say they are pretty much equal. I still prefer the castle-castle ( ) personally..but that's just ebcause i'm more into castle than other themes.

[funkybrick]

I really, really like this set! Great review, by the way! :)

BUT I really dislike the unicornish head 'armor' piece, it just does not fit into the set! I mean this is actually a rather historical castle... but the unicorn ruins it all! Why does Lego make a historical castle and then puts a unicorn in it?

I mean, a unicorn really doesn't belong there! I mean, there were castle themes with a major fantasy aspect (e.g. Fantasy Era), there should Lego put a unicorn! But you know, why create an all-historic feel without any magicians or something and then make the king's horse a unicorn as the ONLY truly fantasy-like piece in the set? Probably it's just me, but I really find that head barding to be disturbing...

[metalandi]

It isn't a unicorn. It is a horse with unicorn headgear. It's only "decoration" for the horse in my opinion. Btw. if you don't like it you always can take that horn off..that's not too hard

[BrickMan7]

This is a great castle, very classic. I built this on Monday and have to say love the Lion Knight King. He's got a great golden sword and matching crown. Love how you can keep the drawbridge and gate up. I also put it together in the wider format and prefer that if going into battle.

We did our full video review here:

http://www.brickshow.com/episode44-7946

[funkybrick]

It isn't a unicorn. It is a horse with unicorn headgear. It's only "decoration" for the horse in my opinion. Btw. if you don't like it you always can take that horn off..that's not too hard

That thought already came to my mind but... why decorate a horse with a unicorn headgear? I have never seen such critters in real life

But thanks for your advice, Landsmann!

I really think this is a wonderful set! Maybe I'm being a bit picky about the unicorn thing but I really think a plain normal horse headgear would be better... mmh, as I'm writing this, I already like it much better than before! It'll probably grow on me

You know what, if I get this set, I'll most likely put the unicorn-thingie on! :D

funkybrick

[Sirens-of-Titan]

That thought already came to my mind but... why decorate a horse with a unicorn headgear? I have never seen such critters in real life

But thanks for your advice, Landsmann!

I really think this is a wonderful set! Maybe I'm being a bit picky about the unicorn thing but I really think a plain normal horse headgear would be better... mmh, as I'm writing this, I already like it much better than before! It'll probably grow on me

You know what, if I get this set, I'll most likely put the unicorn-thingie on! :D

funkybrick

Hey no worries, I have the prison carriage which also comes with a horse head armor and its totally up to you how you modify it; you can take off the horn and put in a plume, or one of those ork teeth, or even a single stud brick can go over it. it's really a universally applicable piece with a slot that they have chosen to place a unicorn horn in so far.