1480 - King's Catapult

Rating:
Pros: The mini-fig is armed to the teeth with a sword, spear, lance, and catapult; the structure design is very nice looking; a weapon rack was a very nice thought
Cons: The structure is a bit too small.
Contents: 20 pieces including 1 mini-fig
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 23-Jul-1999
Reviewed by: G. M.

The war between the Crusader and Black Falcon clans might soon be over. The Falcons have nearly been defeated and most of their outposts and fortresses have been destroyed. So, in a vain attempt to bring themselves back into the fight, construction of multiple forts has started. Little did the Falcons know that the Crusaders have also been doing some construction work as well.
Near the site of the future black Falcon headquarters, a catapult has been constructed in an outcropping of rocks. A knight has carefully been watching the construction process over the past days, and now has decided that the "critical time" is now.
At least seventy workers and knights are working when all of a sudden a flaming boulder is hurled through the sky at them. There is no time for anyone to escape as the walls of the half-built fort erupt into flames.

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This extremely small castle set was included in a value pack alongside two unnamed Space vehicles, one from M:Tron, the other from Blacktron II. A small Pirate island and a race car were also included in the pack, making it the largest ever.

The King's Catapult is my smallest Castle set, and also my first and oldest. It belongs to the Crusaders subtheme, although it is frequently listed under classic Castle. It is a small grey structure that houses a good sized catapult that is fired using mini-fig power.
The catapult is made of a 1x6 plate with hinges at each end, and one end is attatched to a weird little scoop found in many Town construction kits and a few classic Space sets. Attatched to the catapult is a 2x1x1 brick with a hole in it. A small flag pole goes through the center and attaches to clips on the main structure to keep the firing mechanism in place.
The main structure is composed of 2x1x3 slope bricks and 1x3x1 arch bricks. It has a nice looking design, but it seems too small. It is nearly as big -- or as small -- as the mini-fig. To the side of the structure is a weapon rack made of a 2x1x1 brick and some veritcal clips. A spear and dark grey lance with red and yellow flags are attatched to the rack.

The mini-fig has a red torso with chainmail printing and black legs. He/she also sports a grey tapering helmet, dark grey sword, and a Crusader shield with a yellow lion on a blue field.

The set lists no alternate models, but I have made a very tiny fort out of the pieces included. I reccomend this set to any Castle fanatic. If you are not a castle fan, you probably wouldn't want to pick this one up, unless you wanted the very cool Crusader shield.