LEGO Knights Kingdom
By Lando Da Pimp

Bionicle and Alpha Team are very futuristic lines and now LEGO traveled back to medieval times to release their newest original line, Knights Kingdom. Based in the time of knights, castles, and dragons, Knights Kingdom is a very outstanding and fun line to play and build. Let's check them out:

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Castle of Morcia 8781
Set 8781 is a great interpretation of a medieval castle. Located in the land of Morcia The Knights of Morcia and The Shadow Knights fight for possession of the castle. With a turn of a few pieces each side can proclaim ownership of the stronghold. The blue LEGO pieces denote the good Knights of Morcia while red denoting the evil Shadow Knights. This is a really unique feature that not only saves a person from buying two different castles but also provides a great way for Knights to conquer the castle.

The structure of the castle is built upon a base-plate painted with a castle foundation and vegetation. Alpha Team and LEGO City sets use a similar base-plate mold. The two front turrets are where the action takes place. On the right side is the archer area while on the other side is the catapult that launches large brown boulders that with a pull of a chain. Other features in the castle include hidden treasures and rotating wall revealing a skeleton.

The Shadow Knights have their own catapult but this one is on wheels. With a push of a piece a scorpion is catapulted a pretty fair distance. The set comes with five Knights of Morcia, two Shadow Knights, skeleton, and a horse.

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Border Ambush 8778
On the trek to the Grand Tournament the knights are ambushed at the wooden bridge. Forced to cross the bridge the Knights need to take caution as to not fall into the pit below with scorpions and spears. On the other side is a Shadow Knight attempting to stop anybody from crossing the bridge.

This is a small little set but I really liked the production of it. The wooden drawbridge is the focus of the set and just like a real wooden bridge the LEGO interpretation is just as fragile. You can easily throw a boulder from the other side knocking the enemy off his balance with a push of a LEGO block.

I typically enjoy the movie line (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spider-Man) sets more than anything else but now that I have the opportunity to review LEGO's original sets I am finding that they I enjoy them just as much.

The map of the Morcia printed in the instruction books has a striking resemblance to the map of Middle Earth from The Lord of The Rings. Which brings me to how Knights Kingdom could be better. I would love to see the addition of different characters to include wizards, elves, and dwarves. I hope that one-day LEGO may have the license to make Lord of the Rings Sets. How cool would it be to have a huge Helm's Deep set with thousands of little orcs and warrior characters? Knights Kingdom is a suitable alternative.

This is not the first time LEGO has produced a castle set. The older sets used only yellow or blue bricks and the details were not as great. The newer sets utilize a vast array of colors with a strong attention to the inner workings of the caste.

I think my love of LEGO's has grown because of how they have improved with not only the addition of color and shape of the blocks but also the action features each set contains. Pick up a Knights Kingdom set and see if you feel the same.

You can read the first 4 comic books issues and purchase Knights Kingdom sets from the official site.

Check out all of our LEGO coverage here.

Castle of Morcia 8781

Border Ambush 8778

Photographs and article ©2004 by MillionairePlayboy.com