Subject:
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4x2ReVu: 6094 Guarded Treasury
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.reviews, lugnet.castle
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Date:
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Wed, 12 Jan 2000 17:12:13 GMT
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Viewed:
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2235 times
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The land of Bernatia is on the brink of destruction and King Leopold doesn't
even know it. Impending doom at the hands of Tauros the mad has slowly worked
its way into the kingdom. Already his henchmen have quietly captured outlying
settlements and the silent fingers of the clenching hand are slowly closing in.
Tonight a major step has been taken toward final victory with the stealing of
the Martinus Sword. A lone guard lies dead at the base of the Martinus shrine
while Crag-eye Bulwart creeps away with the symbol of Leopold's sovereignty.
To me, the return of European medieval castles in 2000 was an omen of good. On
closer look, the new factions appear interesting but the structures are not too
impressive. At this point I'm playing it safe and rather than plunging right
in I've only picked up the 6094 Guarded Treasury for a quick, cautious taste.
The set is a combination of two separate towers and the guards that protect
them. The first tower is composed of a small cell with an iron gate and torch
sconces on either side of the entrance. The upper level is a simple
half-walled turret. The second tower is a doorless cell with a 1x2 brick on
which a large, silver sword can be mounted in a standing position. The second
level of this structure features a very small room with a blue, peaked roof.
Two halberds are mounted at the front of the second level on a swinging base.
These are set so that they can swoop down on whoever has entered the first
floor entry. Neither tower provides access to its own second level (there are
no steps or ladders).
Interestingly, the last few pages of the instructions provide less-detailed
3-step suggestions for two alternate models to be made from the available
pieces but the structures are very haphazard due to the scarcity of building
bricks.
This year introduces two new factions into the Castle theme. The first is a
variation on the 1995 Royal Knights sub-theme, this new sub-theme is called
Knight's Kingdom and they have the same insignia as the Royal Knights but the
colors are changed somewhat to depict an orange lion on a blue background. The
new bad guys' insignia is a black bull head silhouette on an orange and brown
background (it's a neat emblem!). The set comes with one figure from each
party. The figures come with a corresponding shield and other weapons include
a crossbow, short sword and two spears.
Unique pieces found in the set include the a new rounded/plate minifig helmet,
tan lion-pillar elements (measuring around 2x6x2), brown torch holders and a
new one-piece tower measuring about 3x4x6 (which I don't really like because it
takes up the place of what could have been more than a few basic pieces).
There are also a couple of tan elements (two 1x1 round bricks, two 1x1 bricks
with a vertically-placed stud) for any interested parties.
The inclusion of alternate possibilities in the instructions was a nice touch,
but it just can't save the sad attempt the company is making at cutting costs
in the name of easier-to-build models. There simply aren't enough pieces here
to even resemble a Classic castle model. It's all thrown together in ten
minutes with no thought for constructive imagination. Miniatures fans will
undoubtedly scoop up the sets for the new figures but building fans will want
to avoid the sad decline in creativity. I confess that I'm still considering
picking up the 6096 Bulls Attack set and the large 6091 King Leo's Castle but
it won't be with any hopes of a challenge in constructions.
!!!4x2ReVu Stats!!!
Rating: Two out of eight studs.
Thumbs up for: Neat figures (the only saving grace of this set).
Thumbs down on: Terribly basic designs using a minimal number of
creatively-challenged elements.
Wallet-Wise: $15.00 suggested U.S. retail for 101 pieces.
Date: 1/3/2000
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