Weekly Set Review: King's Oarsmen

[The Panther]

Not a bad little set. Two figs with accessories and useful parts for only $3.75. 'Course nowadays, it would be alot more.
then 6/10
now 8/10

[The Blue Knight]

If you couldn't afford the big castle, Lego could still get you on the more affordable sets. Even these small sets had life to them. I got something like 10 of these way back. Another sets of which I would like to see an equivalent today.

[Schme]

That shows my appreciation for this set 6/5

[garraofthesand]

I guess its okay... don't understand the axe as oar though.

[wunztwice]

I guess its okay... don't understand the axe as oar though.

If I am not mistaken the earliest paddlesappeared in sets in 1989 (pirates!). Since this set was made in 1987 that would put it two years before the paddle part was made. There are several sets that use other parts (axe or spear, etc) as oars/paddles.

[Bruce N H]

don't understand the axe as oar though.

According to Peeron, the minifig oar didn't appear until 1989, two years after this set was released. I think the axe was just the set designers using the closest thing they could from existing pieces to approximate an oar or rudder. Just like using the flags to make a sail since there was no good "sail piece". Given the restrictions, I think this was a reasonable piece choice.* The bonus was that this also made the set a nice army builder, with two figs and three weapons (including the lance as mast), two shields and five flags in a small set. With the two different torso, helms, and shields, you could get a few of this set and have two opposing armies, or two different companies within the same army - one of axemen and the other of spearmen.

Bruce

*Hmm, the Fabuland oar with ring handle was available at the time, but I don't know if those Fabuland pieces were used in fig-scale sets at the time. The use of Fabuland pieces in non-Fab sets seems to me to be a more recent phenomenon, with things like the Fab-wrenches on the AT-AT, Hagrid with the Fab-axe, and the remade Fab-oar showing up in Viking, KKII, Jack Stone Pirate and Bellville sets.**

**Hmm, the Fab-oar with bar handle doesn't actually appear in any Fabuland sets, according to Peeron. Hard to actually call this a Fabuland part.


Edit - Hey, Chris beat me!

[Spongey]

Great set to build a medieval navy with. Also a good army builder. If I could find this set, I'd buy ten or twenty. (Wishful thinking)

[Remyth]

THis set is a painful reminder of how LEGO used to build sets. Two figs, lots of accessories, and Great Playability. THis set is awesome! This is the kind of set that LEGO shoudl make agian. With the new sets, little kids cannot collect figs good, because the sets now are too big and expensive.

Please LEGO?

In Christ,

[Lord Felix]

I love the simplicity of this set. Great figs, great set. I wish the sail was done a little better, but hey! 4 white flags! Sounds good to me...

Then: 5/10

Now: 10/10 (It's what lego needs; a small set with 2 GOOD figures)

[DARKspawn]

If I am not mistaken the earliest paddlesappeared in sets in 1989 (pirates!). Since this set was made in 1987 that would put it two years before the paddle part was made. There are several sets that use other parts (axe or spear, etc) as oars/paddles.

actually the first oars I remember where in a American Indian canoe set in the mid to late 70's. They were the old style block minifigs with the big round heads (although the baby had a proper sized blank red head). They were even the first figs to show a different skin colour in my recollection. Although their oars & headresses are long broken I still have the figs

[Bruce N H]

That was a different oar:



But it was only in two sets in 1977, so perhaps the mold was no longer around ten years later.

Bruce

[DARKspawn]

Indeed, & that is it too I just found the instructions for that set in my old instruction book I had as a kid Pitty mine all broke though

[Borka]

Whats the obsession with oars all about? theres an axe in this set representing a rudder (quite good, i would say), and a spear representing, well, a spear. No oars to be found. I would rate this set as very good. Great playability until all the flags were broke, and then the hull parts went into my space collection while the figs expanded my favourite faction. Splendid!
/Borka

PS. Who needs blu plates for a sea? When I was 8 the floor of my room made a perfect sea!

[garraofthesand]

i know that they didn't have oars, i meant why didn't they use a spear

[Lord Nev]

Because axes are cooler! But axse? As oars? If it gets me xtra axes I don't care.

Hmmm....nice set. I was looking for some of those old flags. It's not a banner, not a pennant, it's just a flag. Good sticker fodder!