I remember a lot of excitement this year (sorry last year, gosh
times change quickly) due to a certain new computer game that was coming out.
The game was focused on Dragons, the hype was huge and people loved the idea,
‘Dragons’ they said,’ this particular franchise has never given us dragons
before, why I’m so excited!’ ,the term Dragon-Born was even coined (though the
image for making such an individual is horrendous).
People thought this inclusion of Dragons was so innovative, well let me
tell you something; these games designers they were mere copycats,
nothing more, our trustworthy and dedicated LEGO designers beat them to this
particular selling point years ago.
Let’s put it this way, anything to do with Castles, Knights and Swords,
instantly becomes more fun when you include a Dragon; knights riding around on
horses in full plate armour looks so much more heroic when they then trot of
and bash a dragon around the head rather than some poor foot soldier armed with
a spear (they just look like bullies then).
In 1993 LEGO released a new castle
faction based solely on that one fact (Ok, and maybe they included a wizard
too), LEGO Castle had evolved (as all things must) from a Historical toy, to a
Fantasy one, the little inclusion of ghost here and there (from previous factions) were replaced with
wizards and Dragons.
Now before I get into the nuances of each individual set, I should
point out what ‘Dragon Masters’ brought to the world of LEGO that had never
been seen before.
Well the Dragon Masters do quite well with new pieces; there are
three new knight torso prints (each with a Dragon on each), new face prints, a
new large halberd, a new helm (Dragon inspired), a beard piece and pointy hat for the first named Castle minifigs
(Wizard Majisto), a new head armour for our horses and of course the Dragon fig
itself.
We also start seeing the older flame piece for the first time and
cloth capes for our minifigs, printed scroll tiles, brown pieces to show trees
and much more. Really I can’t fault LEGO on the efforts it made to make this
faction stand out, I even remember at the time how new and interesting the figs
looked (I physically needed to get some Halberds and those new helms), by this time the old helms and torso prints
had grown stale and this was indeed a nice breath of fresh air. The only thing
I really dislike about the faction design is the re-use of the Black Knights
Shield, which always bugged me, it just feels lazy on LEGO’s behalf, there are
loads of ways to redesign a new dragon emblem however they used the same one as
an older faction and hence stole some of that previous factions Identity (one view by Ardelon a Eurobricks member is that Majisto recruited his force from the Black Knights, who simply repainted their old shields, which I like to think could be true).
It should be said though that as a kid I totally needed a Dragon
there was no question in my mind. The adverts couldn’t have helped though, as
you can see below they are totally pushing their new dragon figs to sell the
sets which is a little sad, but then again I guess that’s just business.
LEGO also when out of their way to give children a story to work
with for this faction, personally I am not sureabout that choice as it could be taking something
away from the magic of LEGO (I always wanted to create my own worlds), but then
again due to the fact they had a named character for the first time ever, they
had to give him a reason for being there otherwise it would have made no sense.
Anyway no more procrastination time to look at the sets.
Small
Set Name = Crossbow Cart 1712 and 1732
Piece Count = 23
Year Released = 1994
This set came in both a polybag and boxed form, and it’s a nice
little set. Its cheap, and comes with loads of spare weapons, my favourite
thing about the set is the fact that without it, the Dragon Knights have no real
way of building up a core army as most of the other sets come with a higher
ranked fig (In my opinion) wearing a dragon helm, get a few of these and you
even that imbalance, I also like the fact that the shield is positioned to
protect the fig.
Set Name = Wizards Cart 1736, 1746 and
2891
Piece Count = 17
Year Released = 1995 and again in 1998
This set came out as a boxed and polybag version and then as part
of a sweet promotion in Japan (in 1998). Overall I am not a fan of the wizard
fig and this though this set is nice but doesn’t have much in the way of
anything for me to like or dislike. That being said, this set is one of the
best ways to get a peasant torso (you know the one with the coin purse and belt,
ok is blue not grey but still its nice) and a few of these is the best way to
bulk up any village population, simply remove the hat and throw the wand in one
of the darkest LEGO wells you can find and then you have this brilliant little
civilian set, a trader pushing his cart load of goods too market (being watched
by his pet falcon all the way).
If you’re really dedicated you could find some hair pieces from
your town sets (come on I know you have some) and swap some of the legs around
(all blue is just silly). Now you have a civilian population worth protecting,
I oddly love this set for what I can do with it rather than what it is, which
is a shame. But we all know for a fact that if a small set was released this
year (like the jester of 2009) which included only a single civilian fig we
would all buy hundreds, stop something for so long and it becomes an obsession
(I am obsessed with civilian castle stuff).
Set Name = Dragon Masters Chariot 1794
US Only
Piece Count = 36
Year Released = 1994
This set was part of a Bonus pack (which also included a pirate
set), so it’s nice to get some value for your money, yet sadly I am not the
biggest fan of the set. Historically it’s reasonably accurate, being
reminiscent of the Roman or Greek chariots of old, however that feels obsolete
for any castle age. It all feels very
lightweight and like something anyone could design (rather than a LEGO designer)
the only interesting part of the whole build is the fact that the Halberds on
the sides can go down. Overall it is very disappointing (I will however be
using a similar design once I get a load of Roman Figs together).
Set Name = Magic Shop 6020
Piece Count = 47
Year Released =1993
I like this set a lot, it always reminds me of the Forestmen and
that is never a bad thing. However to call this little tree a ‘shop’ is almost
laughable; and the fact that the trunk is brown yet the branches are black is a
huge flaw. Again I like it because you
can change the wizard into a peasant and then you have a little peasant’s hovel
(two or three of these make a nice dilapidated village) and the scroll, falcon,
barrel and goblet are all brilliant little additions.
Set Name = Medieval Knights 6105
Piece Count = 41
Year Released = 1993
Another minifigs pack and yet we are seeing
a lot less in this set, you only get four figs (unlike 6102 and 6103
were there where six!) the number of shields is poor; and why have two dragon
knights yet only one trooper, it doesn’t really fit. Real highlights of the set are the blue and
yellow plumes and the wonderful cloth cape (it’s really nice), however the rest
is a bit of a letdown, one lone outnumbered Wolfpack, one put upon trooper and
one crossbow wielding knight without a quiver (arrrr, never give me a crossbow
man without a quiver). It’s not a bad battle pack, I’ve just seen better, I
would also have preferred a Dragon over a horse because then you have an
instant play set (a band of four brave adventures questing to defeat the
Dragon).
Medium
Set Name = Majisto’s Tower 1906 US
Only
Piece Count = 195
Year Released = 1994
This set is very difficult to find outside of the US and that is a
terrible shame. The set has some flaws (the chariot looks terrible) but the
structure itself is so nice and you receive so many good building parts
(staircase, printed archway, red roof, ect...) that it is hard to be negative.
LEGO is the type of product that, as long as you have a visually pleasing set
you will always get a good result, this set is one example of that, the build
is a little blocky (a couple of BURPS and wall/corner panels, ect..) but you
can forgive that once you see the finished product, I would advise anyone with
a decent LEGO collection to have a go at building this one, it’s well worth it.
It should also be noted that the set came with a cardboard castle to put
alongside it (check the pic below) sadly I don’t have that so I can’t really
comment.
Set Name = Dragon Defender 6043
Piece Count = 157
Year Released = 1993
The mandatory siege weapon for the Dragon Masters; the design is
interesting and I love the brick build Dragon face on the front (as well as a
perfect number of figs and weapons), yet sadly the catapult itself is not the
greatest. It feels bulky and the saturation of blue bricks is a little off-putting,
I also have no idea what the tiny wings are doing on the set. The set looks
suitably intimidating however when you fire any of the bricks (by pushing the
Dragons head down) they don’t travel far (plus my stupid fat hand gets in the
way), it’s all a little bit of a disaster.
Set Name = Majisto's Magical Workshop 1906
Piece Count = 185
Year Released = 1993
If you have read any of my previous posts you will know I am a
sucker for a good civilian set and it will come as no surprise that this set
features highly as one of my all time favourites. The little stove, the chimney, the blue
dragon plumes, the cool blue window and the nice red roof, the design of the
set is brilliant, however there is one huge flaw to this set that I never
understood, where is the door? How on earth are the figs supposed to get in?
The set relies too much on BURPS but I still love it all it requires is a little
bit of common sense and you can change the set to something wonderful (I always
wanted to make the alternate build on the right).
Set Name = Dragon Wagon 6056
Piece Count = 105
Year Released = 1993
Finally a set with a Dragon, and what a set; the idea is brilliant;
Dragon Masters need some way to cart around their captured pets. I love the
size of the wagon, I love the cage built out of ladders, I love the flag on
top, I love the horse helmets and I love the fact this was the cheapest way to
get a Dragon (back in 1993). The set is nice and well thought-out (giving the
knight a halberd to deal with the dragon is far better than a sword), most
castle wagons feel and look very similar but this one is completely different,
it even works well if you’re not a fan of fantasy LEGO, simply remove the
Dragon and you have a brilliant prison wagon.
Large
Set Name = Dark Dragon’s Den 6076
Piece Count = 214
Year Released = 1993
You can’t really look at this set and expect it to compare to one
of the Castles; that type of thinking will lead to disappointment. This set is
not a castle; this set always looked more like a mountain with a small outpost
built on top, or possibly a castle that slowly crumbled away over the years.
Whatever it is, it is also set up to trap Dragon’s; it comes with a decent
compliment of minifigs however it’s not the nicest looking of sets.
Construction wise it is something of a double edged sword, the
tree build and outpost roof are both very nice, however the mountain itself is mostly just BURPS so it
can be a little disappointing, there are also a few design flaws (such as the
ladders on the right leading up into a shrub, or the stairway having no form of
protection such as a trap or door). This set whilst being only a slightly
glorified cave, is still completely in theme of the Dragon Masters, after all
the Dragon’s need somewhere to actually be stored. I always thought the set
would be better designed as a cave with the knights questing into it, so that they
could kill or capture the Dragon lurking inside, as it is the sets just a bit
of a mess, I actually prefer some of the alternate builds. The set overall is ok,
but it is far from some of the masterpieces LEGO has built.
Set Name = Fire Breathing Fortress
6082
Piece Count = 397
Year Released = 1993
Now we come to the final set of the Dragon Masters theme, their
castle. This castle is on a raised baseplate, yet if compared to some of its competitors
it looks like it falls slightly short, with no portcullis, drawbridge, turrets,
and with the build simply placed on top of the plate rather than incorporated into
it, you are forgiven for being less than impressed. However this set really surprised me, I feel that it is one of those few
sets that looks and feels much better in the flesh (so to speak) rather than in
picture form.
Minifig wise you get a perfect balance, again you get a Dragon and
Wizard, but I also like the inclusion of the solitary Wolfpack (possible Dragon
Bait) lurking around and the three troopers commanded by one knight (finally
LEGO got the trooper to commander balance right for the Dragon Masters). There
is a lot of playability in this set, from the collapsing wall, the Dragon head
trap, the trap door on the second floor and much more, everything about this
set works well and there just so much to do. I guess what you could say is this
set is a rough diamond, it’s worth a look for anyone who is interested and the
best thing of all is that most of these Dragon Masters sets sell for a reasonable
amount on Bricklink, so if you interested have a look, you might be as surprised as me.
Beginning of the End?
A lot of people have seen the Dragon Masters as the beginning of
the end for classic LEGO; this view has always confused me. A lot of the sets
to come where brilliant (such as King Leo’s Castel) sure there is a distinctly
new feel to these sets; the classic smiley face has gone, not every castle is
90% grey and we have to put up with some BURPS here and there, but these sets
still have a very nice thought-out look to them and the figs retain enough of the
old whilst incorporating something different too.
Really I like this faction, I feel like they don’t quite reach the
true LEGO beauty of some of the sets and the fact that these guys went up
against Dragons more than anything else left them feeling a bit left out of the
conflict in the LEGO world (when I think of Crusaders for example I instantly
think of Black Falcons) but they are a core group and have a deserved place in
our combined LEGO history.
I guess you could say they were the beginning of the end for traditional
LEGO castle; however I don’t feel that castle really started to go downhill
until a little later. Dragon Masters offer something new and very different
from what came before; they totally switched up the LEGO styles. Change my good
friends is always a good think.
Thank you very much for reading.
Next up Castle goes Royal.
Cheers all.
