Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)In truth, Raider's Tower really brings nothing new to the Megabloks Dragons line (other than the new faction, the Iron Raiders). All the figures and dragons are repaints, and no new pieces are included, as far as I can see. That said, it still is way better than the newest line, The Metal Ages, whose constructions and pieces are mostly useless for making your own creations, and whose figures come in much smaller amounts per kit (the largest comes with only 6, much less than older kits like Dragair castle). The older kits like the Iron Raiders are simpler, yet they come with many more pieces, more figures, and a whole lot more playability, as you will see in my review.
First of all, the kit comes in a large metal tin, perfect for transporting the pieces elsewhere. When I opened the tin, I was surprised to find many more plastic bags than I had expected to find. Opening all of them took a few minutes, but I soon had all the pieces layed out, and started to build.
As I had expected (I've had other unenjoyable builds with Megabloks kits) the construction process was not nearly as fun as a standard lego kit. It often took a lot of effort to snap the pieces together, and once, I even had to take down part of the assembly to fix a mistake, due to the sometimes unclear instructions. Still, the tower came together without too much hassle, as did everything else in the kit.
Once completed, though, the tower is something to gaze on. The construction and detail of the pieces is excellent, and the tower as a whole is really good looking. I especially like the bridge that leads to the tower and the little details like the torches and dragons heads. The interior is a whole different story, however, as it is virtually non existent. This came as a downer to me, as I had hoped for something more than just a ladder and trapdoor. The good thing is that Megabloks is compatible with Legos, so you can easily create your own interior! (I added a table with food and chairs, a throne, and some weapons racks.)
Dragons are, of course, included, since this is a fairly large kit. A red dragon named Ignistrafe and a monster named Grovel can be found in this kit, both which need assembly. The pieces are, once again, often hard to snap on, but once together, don't break off very easily. The dragon is very detailed, painted in over 6 different colors, as is the monster. They both are great for display, and since they both have features (the dragons wings flap and his claw can pick up minifigures, the monster's jaws snap shut when opened), they are great for playing with as well.
The minifigures are also well detailed, although they have fewer colors than the dragons. The kit comes with 10, 6 Iron Raiders and 4 Draigar warriors, enough to have a good battle with this kit alone. They, however, are simply repaints of Dragair, Norvagen, and Vorgan minifigures, all which came from the previous series, the Krystal wars. Their fingers are also fairly fragile, and 2 of my figures can only hold weapons or shields in one of their hands now. One other thing: while the Iron Raiders came apart easily, the Draigar warriors seem to be glued together, although their joints still move.
The other things included are a catapult, a harpoon launcher of some sort, 2 horses, and a large selection of weapons and shields. The weapons come in all sort of shapes, and clubs, swords, and axes make up most of them.
Now, one of the most important parts of a kit is the pieces, and this kit aces that area! Pieces include basic corner and triangle castle walls, rocks and rock walls, ladders, dragons heads, torches, 2 stone arches, stairs, a few basic bricks, lots of baseplates, and a flag and pole. Everything needed to make a castle, bridge, or some other medieval structure is here, making the kit a great parts and building pack. There is also a crystal, which, when inserted into a holder, lights up and flashes. The effect is neat, and you can also plug it into the red dragon's saddle to have the same thing happen.
The last thing I will be judging this kit on is playability, and even here, the kit does well. You can have great battles with all the things included, and young kids will love the features like the catapult and trap door. Since the kit and figures can also be disassembled, you can simulate battle damage as you play, knocking off walls or torches while playing.
Overall, I think the kit is definitely worth it. I would not recommend it to someone under 6, due to the difficulty of construction, but anyone over that age who loves Legos and Megabloks will love this kit. Even someone who is new to building sets will appreciate the large amount of figures and playability, although I still would recommend a Lego set over this. I leave you with this final thought: I used to consider Megabloks of poor quality, but after buying this kit, I have changed my mind.
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Mega Bloks: Dragons Irons Raiders - Raiders Keep
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