Posted June 17, 201113 yr Castle fans are always craving more civilian based sets (and rightly so!), and the summer wave of the Kingdoms line satisfies. More than a quarter of a century after TLC released the well loved 6040 Blacksmith Shop and 6041 Armor Shop, we finally receive the Blacksmith Attack! Info Set # - 6918 Name - Blacksmith Attack Theme/Subtheme - Castle/Kingdoms Year - 2011 Piece Count - 104 Minifigures - 2 Price - MSRP $10US, $13CAD Links Brickset, Peeron, Bricklink, Brickshelf Box On the front of the box is a colourful picture displaying the set, all of its contents, and the battle-to-be... once the Dragon knight makes his way across the tiny river. The back of the box has a different angle of the set, and it also demonstrates the play feature - by turning the water wheel the hammer works its magic! As is becoming a popular trend, instead of having one of the minifigures to scale, an accessory - in this case the hunk of gold - is shown to scale. Instructions The front of the instruction manual has the same picture as on the front of the box. I've saved you all the agony of not showing the picture on the back of the manual. Here's a look inside the instruction manual. There are no piece call-outs, but don't worry, it's still easy to follow. Colour separation is not an issue. Near the back of the manual is a lovely two page spread displaying all of the newest Kingdoms sets along with some of the older ones. For all the parts lovers out there, here is a high-ish res. scan of the parts inventory: Parts Inventory Pieces Instructions aside, the box contains two bags of parts, a bag of weapons, and a 4x12 plate. Here are all of the parts on display (please forgive the harsh shadows). The set consists of a range of pieces in nice earthy tones. Originally developed for the Heroica line of Lego board games, these same weapons have made their way into this set. These new weapons are significantly smaller than standard ones, and are a very soft and rubbery. Minifigures The set contains two minifigures - a Dragon Knight and a blacksmith. The Dragon Knight has appeared in a few other sets, but the blacksmith is unique to this one. He has a wonderful double sided print torso, and his apron extends down onto his legs. Here we have a better look at the figs with their headgear off. The Dragon Knight has a single sided head, while the blacksmith gets the double. This double sided head is new too and seems useful for lots of applications. Out with brickbuilt fowl and in with pre-molded ones. This rooster came in his own separate little bag but he feels like pretty good quality. It includes printed eyes, comb (fleshy hairdo), and wattle (fleshy part under neck). Here we've got a size comparison of the new kid in town on the right with his brickbuilt predecessor beside him. To help understand the size of the new animal, I've thrown in our blacksmith friend and everyone's favorite accessory - the bucket. As you can see, the rooster is pretty small. The Build Time to start construction. First up is the little weapon stand. Its got two clips at the front, and it can also hold the armor and a third weapon on the top. This seems like something we'd get in an impulse set, or in an advent calendar, but it's a nice addition never-the-less. Now onto the main build, the forge comes first. The little chimney looks a bit silly and seems kind of useless as most of the flame is exposed anyways. In any case, it's essential that the blacksmith has fire! Next up we have a nice little brickbuilt anvil. A clip on the top allows you to secure whatever weapon you want to work on, in this case a dagger. The walls for the shop go up, and the mechanism for the hammer go into place. At the right of the shop we can see that a small blue plate has been attached, this of course indicates that it's situated on some sort of stream or river. The water wheel is built and attached. This is similar to the one from the Medieval Market Village, but it is a bit smaller and simpler. Hinges are also added to the top of the shop. With the roof attached to the hinges, the shop is now complete. From the front we can see that the interior is used up by the hammer and mechanism. There is however still enough room for two minifigs to squeeze in. Here's the view from the back - nothing new really to see, but at least we have pretty good access to the interior. Onto everyone's favorite section - play features! Oddly enough, this set doesn't contain a single catapult or flick-fire missile! Instead we have something infinitely more complex - a water wheel that when spun makes the hammer get to work by going up and down. The mechanism to do so is simple but effective. Left over pieces. Collectors of bucket handles are the real winners here. Complete set Here are all of the contents of the set together. There is no official place for three of the new weapons to go, so they can float around and placed as desired. Just don't lose them! Despite the presence of the Dragon Knight, the blacksmith looks pretty happy. Is it because he's holding a huge hunk of gold in his palm, or does he know something we don't? Final Thoughts Design/Build: This is a really nice little set. The weapon rack could use a couple more clips as trying to lean stuff against it is a bit of a pain, otherwise the leftover weapons just kind of lay around. The shop looks like a shack that's missing a couple walls, but this allows for easier access to the interior. The overall set is satisfying as you get a lot of content for your money. The build is fun and fast, but more rewarding than many sets of similar piece counts as there are a number of details and even a play function. Pieces: This is a fantastic parts pack. There are a number of rare pieces such as the bucket and the water wheels. You get a set of the new weapons from the Heroica line, one of the new roosters, and a unique minifigure with fantastic prints. The rest of the parts are useful enough, and you even get a handful of the wonderful palisade bricks. Playability: Top marks for the amount of play potential here. As is the trend with many modern Lego sets, you've got a 'conflict in a box' by having both a good guy and a bad guy to duke it out. You've also got a fiery forge and a working water wheel powered hammer to craft weapons. As far as 100 piece sets go, you can't do much better than this. Verdict: This doesn't look like a $10 set, but it is and I love it. It's nice to see cheap sets give you so much! The set contains some great pieces, provides loads of play potential, and it looks great on display either by itself or with other castle set-ups. As always, comments and questions are more than welcome. Cheers!
June 17, 201113 yr Fantastic review of a great small set for the castle fans. I think for the price they could have given one more minifig, but overall I like the set. I'm a fan of the small sets with some sort of structure that can easily be added to a bigger build.
June 17, 201113 yr Great review, a good amount of well done pictures too. I personally think this is the run-away set from the Kingdoms line. I love all of the unique pieces from the set and yet it is just ten dollars. I am definately going to own more than one of these sets.
June 17, 201113 yr Thank you for this very fine review. For ages, we have always asked for more civilian sets and this is one of the ideal set to integrate into your medieval market village settings. Furthermore, the parts assortments for this small set is incredible and with many of the new castle elements such as the new Heroica weapons, chicken, etc, which actually made it worthwhile to stock up more than one. I will be looking forward to pick up mine once it's here locally.
June 17, 201113 yr Great review and great set. It is great that lego has started to show us life of ordinary people. We got windmill and blacksmith. I think this is the way Kingdoms should be. Unfortunately it is still unknown if the new kingdoms sets will sale here. This set imho the most interesting in the new Kingdoms line.
June 17, 201113 yr Ok I also forgot to mention that the armor is a dark grey variant. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the dark grey armor is the first of its kind in dark grey (dragon knight).
June 17, 201113 yr Enough is enough already... gotta get me one of these! If TLG really wants to increase sales, they should just throw an extra dragon knight in every single set they sell, regardless of theme. Because certainly it's always an extra incentive to grab a set, especially if you're on the fence. Creator Lighthouse? BAM, Dragon Knight. Cars 2 brick-built vehicle? BAM, Dragon Knight. Hero Factory? BAM, Dragon Knight. Something to think about... Edited June 17, 201113 yr by Mr. Elijah Timms
June 17, 201113 yr Nice review! This is a great set - one of the best this year (and it is a good LEGO year...)
June 17, 201113 yr Thank you for the wonderful review. I'm more excited about this set now. I'm really looking forward to the blacksmith figure and that plain pearl armor is going to be great for generic knight mocs. Ooh, I don't know if you should let the kids around this set, seeing what that blacksmith hammer did to your thumb! If TLG really wants to increase sales, they should just throw an extra dragon knight in every single set they sell, regardless of theme. Because certainly it's always an extra incentive to grab a set, especially if you're on the fence. Creator Lighthouse? BAM, Dragon Knight. Cars 2 brick-built vehicle? BAM, Dragon Knight. Hero Factory? BAM, Dragon Knight. Something to think about... Haha, awesome. I totally agree. They should put dragon knights in the Creator house sets.
June 18, 201113 yr Thanks for sharing this review ZO6! The various elements of this very nice little set - the cleverly-designed water wheel-hammer functionality, the new weapons, even the new chicken piece - really make this one standout despite its relative small size. Looks to be a good buy even for non-Castle fans like me.
June 18, 201113 yr Nice review. Personally, I think the overall set is 'meh'. Nothing fantastic, though it has some great ELEMENTS to it. Most notable: blacksmith figure, chicken & bucket. Now, even though it's not FANTASTIC, it IS still good enough that I broke down and bought two.
June 18, 201113 yr Thanks 'ZO6' for this review of a fun and entertaining set, new weapons - new torso's, the more I look at it the more I like it !
June 19, 201113 yr I only got one of the set. But I guess its worth getting a few more to get some blacksmiths to use as peasant militia. And more elite dragon knights couldn't hurt although im sure the bulk of my dragon knight army are elite dragon knights.
June 19, 201113 yr Fantastic. I think this is the best set in this price range for this year. Can't wait to get a copy.
June 19, 201113 yr Thanks for a great review! A definite must buy from this year Castle pack... Edited June 19, 201113 yr by -obelix-
June 19, 201113 yr I love this one, it's great value for money. I bought it the instant I saw it! :D I always took the Dragon Knight for a customer who just wanted to have his sword fixed... I spent too much time working in retail, I think :D Oh, and I just love the rooster! I want more chickens, the new ones are absolutely adorable!!!
June 19, 201113 yr a few people built this one in Windsor. I think it's a small treasure, get multiples, if you're into "castle"
June 22, 201113 yr Great review! I love this set. I bought one to keep as is and two extras. It inspired me to make my own blacksmith (with a back wall) using two extras. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up buying more as I see them on sale. I don't know what other people think, but I'm in favor of the new small weapons. I like the detail and variety of them. I'm a little hesitant about the rubberiness, but I like that they're smaller and more to scale to the minifigures.
June 30, 201113 yr Author Thanks for the feedback everyone! Fantastic review of a great small set for the castle fans. I think for the price they could have given one more minifig, but overall I like the set. I'm a fan of the small sets with some sort of structure that can easily be added to a bigger build. Yeah, back in the day this would've had another fig or two, but by today's standards I think it offers very good value nevertheless. Here in Canada the set costs a few bucks less than any BPs, and while it has less minifigures, the structure is much more substantial and it includes a nice helping of neat accessories. Had another fig been present, a wife or kid to go with the blacksmith would've been my first picks. Ooh, I don't know if you should let the kids around this set, seeing what that blacksmith hammer did to your thumb! Haha, my thumb received a good ol' bashing while working on a set (err, a film set, not a Lego one ). It took me so long to do this review that my nail has almost grown back to normal. Um...moving along... I don't know what other people think, but I'm in favor of the new small weapons. I like the detail and variety of them. I'm a little hesitant about the rubberiness, but I like that they're smaller and more to scale to the minifigures. I certainly don't mind the size of the new weapons. All minifig accessories are comparatively HUGE, though it does make them easier to handle. I'm not a fan of the new weapons being rubber, and if it's for safety issues, it seems to me that a child would more likely put a nice soft rubbery weapon in his mouth than a harder plastic one. I guess it would go down easier if swallowed though. Oh, and I'm sure it significantly reduces the stabby-ness of them too.
July 1, 201113 yr Thank you for this detailed review, ZO6. I think this is one of the best ten dollar sets we have seen in a long time. Lots of great pieces and two minifigs for the value, and on top of that, we are relieved of those awful flick-fire missiles and instead given a much better play function. I liked the waterwheel a lot in the Medieval Market Village, and it's wonderful to see it return in a cheaper set.
July 1, 201113 yr Oh, and I'm sure it significantly reduces the stabby-ness of them too. *snork* Love it!
July 1, 201113 yr I certainly don't mind the size of the new weapons. All minifig accessories are comparatively HUGE, though it does make them easier to handle. I'm not a fan of the new weapons being rubber, and if it's for safety issues, it seems to me that a child would more likely put a nice soft rubbery weapon in his mouth than a harder plastic one. I guess it would go down easier if swallowed though. Oh, and I'm sure it significantly reduces the stabby-ness of them too. Would you really call them "rubber"? Rubber makes me think of the material used for the minifig spears in the last wave of Hero Factory-- very flexible, so much that you can bend them 180 degrees and they'll bounce right back to their original position. A similar material is used for Exo-Force hair and for the tips of the collectible minifigure spears from the Spartan Warrior and Tribal Chief. I was operating under the assumption that these were the same sort of material used for Atlantis tridents or most post-2004 BIONICLE masks-- slightly flexible, but if you bend it too far you'll stretch the plastic and ruin the piece. Was I incorrect, or am I just misunderstanding what you mean by "rubber"? On a side note, remember that in the case of rubber pieces, the material's not necessarily there for safety reasons so much as stability reasons. In reality, nobody expects a kid to stab themself with Dobby's ears or Exo-Force hair-- the reason parts like that are rubber is because rubber parts allow more thin sections and sharp details without the same risk of the part breaking. So, for instance, if the tip of the Spartan Warrior's spear were made of ABS plastic, the tip would likely snap off as easily as the tip of a toothpick. By making the part out of rubber, it is able to bend rather than break, and it bends right back into the correct position as soon as it's no longer under pressure.
July 3, 201113 yr i love this set. didn't change a thing when i added it to my moc. great value, i would have paid that much for the bucket, blacksmith, and chicken alone
July 3, 201113 yr Thanks for this review. Went out and bought this set and love it. Edited July 3, 201113 yr by Daniel's Dad
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