[REVIEW] 7950: Knights Showdown

[hatcher]

Indexed

With the exception of the two Impulse sets (Jester and Wizard) the Knights Showdown is the smallest of the Kingdom's sets. Lets take a closer look at it.

SET NAME: Knights Showdown
SET NUMBER: 7950
THEME: Kingdoms
YEAR: 2010
PIECES: 61
MINIFIGURES: 2
MSRP: $9.99 (CAN) $6.99 (US)

Description for shop@home:

King's Knight versus Dragon Knight in a fight to the finish!

In the heat of battle between the forces of the good King and the army of the Dragon Knights, one of the King's brave soldiers duels a Dragon Knight soldier with a powerful catapult. Includes 2 minifigures: 1 King's army soldier and 1 Dragon Knight soldier.

Includes 2 minifigures: 1 King's army soldier and 1 Dragon Knight soldier
Features catapult and weapons rack
Roll the Catapult into attack position!
Catapult measures 2" (5cm) long by 2" (5cm) wide
link: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/cli ... p%253D7950" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Now, on to the review:

Here is the front of the box. We can see the set consists of 2 Knights, one from the Lion faction, one from the Dragon, a mini catapult, and a weapons rack. The box was damaged in shipping from Toys R Us. Their idea of shipping is to throw the sets into a cardboard box and mail it. I think I got off lucky considering some of the horror stories I've heard.

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The back of the box. Have at thee!

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The contents of the box. 2 non-numbered bags, an instruction manual, and a Lego club advertisement.

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The front of the instruction booklet.

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A random page from the instructions.

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Here is a shot of all the pieces pre-assembly. With the exception of the minifigure pieces (helmets, new green plumes) there isn't a lot to get excited about parts wise.

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The two minifigures assembled (the Lion Knight dropped his plume) from the front.

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And from the back

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And from the front again minus the helmets. Just in case you didn't know who the bad guys are, the Dragon Knight is snarling evilly. The helmets and torsos are fantastic on these guys. Really nice looking Knights to add to your collection.

Now, on to the build. First up is the mini catapult. Nothing special honestly, and it doesn't really fire very well. I guess I got spoiled with the cannons that came with the most recent Pirates line that actually shoot well, but the catapults leave something to be desired in my mind. I'm not saying they don't work at all, just not very well.

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More catapult added. Again, this is very easy build, and not much in the way of innovation.

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The finished catapult, complete with ammunition ready to go, and the Lion shield on the side.

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Now, the Dragon Knight needs something too, so he gets a weapons rack, complete with sword. Simple, and too the point.

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The extra pieces from this set.

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The complete set. I can't help but think of that scene from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" when I see the Dragon Knight helmet. "None shall pass!"

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Final thoughts. This set would get a passing grade from me. $10 for 61 pieces is a bit on the high side, but not out of the ordinary due to the new parts (minifigures) in it. However, the other parts are "Meh", and the playability is limited on its own. The minifigures however are great, so they would be the only reason to buy this set in my opinion. There aren't many play features, and the catapult is mediocre at best. Not a bad set by any means, but not a great one either. Add the Knights to your armies, and recycle the other parts into your collection.

Have a nice day!