LUGNET News : ~1112/Reviews/Archives/6078/


Matt Hein / Reviews / Archives / 6078 /

For the coming weeks, our review is set 6078 Royal Drawbridge.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

This review was written for the week(s) of August 26th to September 2nd.

* Overall Model:

* Parts Selection:

* Color Scheme:

* Function

* Alternate Models:

* Model score? =

2/2

2/2

1/2

2/2

1.5/2

8.5/10

A more elegant take on the standard entranceway module and most likely inspired by the Wolf pack’s tower, the royal drawbridge creates a model of its own, boasting its share of unique design features and an overall nice form which does not depend too heavily on loose structural elements. From the looks of it, this set seems to have a vantage over other models of its type.)

Built on the ever-usefuil 16x32 baseplate, the main model carries an interesting line of features for a set of its size, setting aside room for two dungeons, a central walkway, underside for seculding a rafted archer and a situated vantage tower (which oddly could not be accessed in a realistic situation. Perhaps this was a design flaw?). Along with these features, the castle is built upon a share of octagonal elements/ rocks and doesn’t seem to build a dependence upon tenuous walls, giving it a more natural and distinguished appearance. Along with this, the small drawbridge module is topped with penants, torches and the usual mix of castle-eqsue elements, but not in blunt concentration.

cleverly hidden foliage

Regarding the available parts within this model, I was surprised to find a nice diversity of small parts within the package, which usually wasn’t the case for the newer post ‘95 models - especially those sold for under the $30 range. When originally constructing the model, I was pleasantly surprised - and relieved - to find that the content of bricks and plates greatly overweighed the chunky, specialized parts reminescent to earlier themes, such as the Dragon Masters series. Aside from the nice collection of plates, the package also offered its share of weaponry/ soldiers, rods in bulk, hinges, light grey arch styled elements, pennants and a few rare angled roofing slopes, making for a commendable package. All the model really seems to be missing is an alligator or sea serpent creature to snap at the unsuspecting intruders-to-be.

Regarding the colour scheme of the Royal Drawbridge, I was not exactly surprised to see a repitition of the dismal, austere black with light grey setting used once again to convey the typical medieval castle. In fact, this model seemed to be more of a compliment to the earlier Black Knight’s models since it borrowed so many of the series distinct traits such as visible penants and an overwhelming dependence on black to speak for itself. However aside from its shadow infused exterior, which oversaturates the model with contrast between light grey, the imposing nature of the drawbridge still stood out, giving it a small exemption in aesthetics. Still, I would personally like to see the black replaced with a dark shade of grey and the outer towers cascaded with foliage to present a more sturdy, aged feel to the castle instead of the cleanly cut black. Not onyl would it differentiate between both themes, but would provide more integrity to the model since the ‘royal’in knights would suggest a more imperialistic and artisan oriented fashion of architecture, not spartan.

Considering some of the functions of this model, I must say that I was impressed with the excellent placement of the details and their integration to the infrastructure of the model so as not to emanate as terribly obvious. One such clever use was with the placement of a sprig of foliage directly underneath the central walkway, which,when switched to one side, would cause the plate to rotate in a vertical fashion, thus sending and poor soul who traversed over it into the murky depths surrounding the drawbridge. Other such features included the innovative use of 1x4 poles positioned underneath grey half arches to serve as a front to the aqueous dungeons to either side, and the rotating ramps to reveal their holdings.

Once again talking from the Wolf’s Tower, I foudn the alternate building possibilities to be somewhat random, ranging any where from a small seaside manor, to ramped fortifications and a somewhat decent attempt at an estate, although that would be demanding of a copy of a Black Monarch’s Castle for the necessary elements. Overall, this model seems to be quite a viable candidate for alternations.

Upon finalizing this review, I would have to give my reccommendations for this set in general, although for higher price, you could go about purhasing a copy of the Hemlock Stronghold and receive a superior model. Nonetheless, the Royal Drawbridge is a worthy candidate to consider, especially since it includes such a wide variety of elements without draining your available funds significantly, as would the Hemlock Stronghold.

My suggestions? I would definitely extend my reccommendations on procuring this model...you’ll be surprised with the results.

Primary content in this document is © Matt Hein. All other text, images, or trademarks in this document are the intellectual property of their respective owners.