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Weekly Set Review: Witch's Windship

Discussion of official LEGO Castle Theme sets and products

Postby evilnailman » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:21 am

I don't like this at all.

It doesn't look good, it doesn't have many pieces that are particularly useful elsewhere, I don't like halberds and I have enough dragons.

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Postby Mr. Shiny & New » Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:12 pm

I think this set is underrated; it gets zero points for execution but it's probably a difficult concept to pull off. For one thing, LEGO is trying to build an airship that is powered by a dragon. The piece count has to be kept down (for the price point), and yet it needs enough "features" to satisfy marketing. Most likely it has to stand up on its own (physically) which is why the dragon is above, instead of beside, the airship, on those rigid 'rigging' pieces.

Other builders have built nice (fantasy-themed, of course) airships and the concept is not totally flawed. But the problem of trying to build a convincing airship, with enough 'weapons', etc, in this piece count, overcame the poor designer. This, combined with the hated witch minifig leads this ship to the pit of shame.

I think a good idea for those who hate this set so much would be to try to re-imagine it, using the same approx parts count, while trying to meet the marketing criteria: armed airship, dragon, magic-user (witch?)... It could be a good C-C.com contest :)
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Postby PunkRockCowboy » Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:23 pm

Mr. Shiny & New wrote:I think this set is underrated; it gets zero points for execution but it's probably a difficult concept to pull off. For one thing, LEGO is trying to build an airship that is powered by a dragon. The piece count has to be kept down (for the price point), and yet it needs enough "features" to satisfy marketing. Most likely it has to stand up on its own (physically) which is why the dragon is above, instead of beside, the airship, on those rigid 'rigging' pieces.

Other builders have built nice (fantasy-themed, of course) airships and the concept is not totally flawed. But the problem of trying to build a convincing airship, with enough 'weapons', etc, in this piece count, overcame the poor designer. This, combined with the hated witch minifig leads this ship to the pit of shame.

I think a good idea for those who hate this set so much would be to try to re-imagine it, using the same approx parts count, while trying to meet the marketing criteria: armed airship, dragon, magic-user (witch?)... It could be a good C-C.com contest :)


Couldn't agree more.
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Postby Kozai13 » Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:45 pm

I've always loved this set! It was one of my first lego sets! aaaah, the memories.......
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after having thrown up...

Postby Giorgio Chronas » Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:47 pm

I have to make my remark, that I would rather buy Playmobil than this set. It doesn't even have any really useful pieces. DISGUSTING SET!
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Postby kelderic » Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:52 pm

Almost everyone here keeps saying how bad this set is, but it can't possible be the worst set of all time. It has an old-style dragon, for pete's sake. While it might have poor design, it is one of the cheaper sets in which to get a dragon, and that puts it, not too high, but at least not at the bottom in my list.

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Postby jokkna » Mon Oct 22, 2007 3:25 pm

this set can be described in one Icelandic word: viðbjóður.
ithink it is the next worst lego castle set ever. the worst was set nr 5994.
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Postby Aliencat » Mon Oct 22, 2007 3:49 pm

arc wrote:The problem with it, imho, isn't that it's too fantastic, it's that it's badly designed and it doesn't really "imply" anything. I look at this, and all I really see are some Lego bricks, whereas if I look at many of the other Castle sets, I see a cart, or a tower, or whatever.

Couldn't agree more.

This set has an old-style dragon but that's all it has going for it. The rest of the parts are pretty much useless, the witch was in too many sets, the design is plain poo, and the whole Fright Knights theme partially caused my dark age because it was so inferior to the themes before it. Of this already *@#!$*@! theme, this set is the worst.

No nice words about this set from me :)
Between plotting to kill you all and chasing balls of yarn, I also build MOCs

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Postby Spongey » Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:02 pm

Sadly enough, I actually own this set. The set design itself is very poor, and is one of the worst ones LEGO has ever made. That said though, I did get my only classic dragon out of this set, as well as a Willa torso (useful, even if the face isn't), as well as a crystal ball. So partswise, slightly below average, and set wise... well, we really don't need to go there again, do we? :wink:
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Postby psu_ericksen » Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:15 pm

architect wrote:However, Witch's Windship crosses a line of being more fantasy than castle, and that is bad.

Do you still feel this way? While this is no doubt a BAD set, if it helped opened the door for the "fantasy" that's part of Castle 2007, then perhaps this set served a purpose after all.


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Postby footsteps » Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:39 pm

jokkna wrote:this set can be described in one Icelandic word: viðbjóð(your).
According to InterTran, you've called this set a "collarbone". :?

jokkna wrote:ithink it is the next worst lego castle set ever. the worst was set nr 5994.
I disagree. Though it is an unimaginative little set, the catapult at least has useful parts.

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Postby MacFarlane » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:07 pm

Even as a young wee builder, I would always pass this kit by, unintrigued and utterly unperplexed by how "blech" it was.

Albeit, Lego is Lego afterall, and I suppose that some parts could be salvaged from it?
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Postby PunkRockCowboy » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:28 pm

Aliencat wrote:and the whole Fright Knights theme partially caused my dark age because it was so inferior to the themes before it.

I actually prefer Fright Knights to Royal Knights


footsteps wrote:According to InterTran, you've called this set a "collarbone". :?
Alan

Hahahahahahaha.
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Postby Webrain » Tue Oct 23, 2007 5:53 am

Weird I haven't review it

hmm well
it was 1997
I didn't have any dragons (none DM sets at all)
I wanted a green dragon
I bought this set
I was happy

but other then that yeah its crap :)
but I don't hate it, just not a big fan of it
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Postby jokkna » Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:51 am

Actually it means disgustingor repulsive.
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