CLASSIC CASTLE PART 3
Firmly established as a theme, it was now time for Castle to expand its cast of factions beyond the walled domains Words: Mark Guest Photography: Andrew Tipping and The LEGO Group
D
eep in the darkest regions of the forest dwells a bunch of renegades. Unsure whether they where simply just an entity of myth and rumour, we packed our wagons to find out. The year was 1987 and a new tribe had been introduced to the Castle theme - one that in the coming years was going to provide a more diverse take on the range and would certainly expand the kingdom. The newcomers were called Forestmen, a band of outlaw-looking folk who appeared themed around the Robin Hood genre, attired primarily in green. Their set was one of four new offerings in 1987 but arguably, through the eyes of a slightly plump child, the most exciting.
1987 As mentioned, this year saw only four new releases but within that, there was a great diversity in areas that previously had not really been touched upon. The two smaller sets were waterbound vessels in the form of a two-man boat and a more substantial five-man affair. There was only one set which contained what could be described as classically themed, which consisted of a castle wall and battering ram with 110 BRICKS
the now-familiar knights, and the fourth offering was the Forestmen’s camouflaged outpost. To me, this originality indicated a confidence in the theme which was now starting to branch out beyond those original carts and castle walls and signified a stable longevity for this medieval LEGO world.
THE SETS The smallest set to be released was 6017 King’s Oarsmen. This was a small boat containing two Crusader knights. It was a simple affair, which you would expect from a set costing £2.50 with only 45 pieces. It measured 16 studs long at its longest point, while the hull measured 12 studs long and only four studs wide, so without removing the sail this boat was at capacity with two figures. For me, the interesting part of this set was not just the low price point but the use of weapons as parts. The main image on the packaging depicted one knight using his long-handled axe weapon as an oar or potentially,
1987
