Thursday, November 24, 2022

Toy Review: Remarkable Ancient Machine/ 3 in 1 Medieval Weapon #30001 from Civiization: Medieval Times by JMBricklayer

 
  
   Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I've got a review of a very cool building brick set that's a veritable buffet of medieval weaponry. The good folks at JMBricklayer sent me this set to review and I have to say that it's a pretty fantastic one. The set is called "Remarkable Ancient Machine/ 3 in 1 Medieval Weapon #30001 and it's a really cool set that features the parts to build any one of three medieval siege weapons: Either a catapult, a bombard, or a ballista. This is a very high quality set that uses a lot of pin and rail pieces to create some interesting brick built devices. They also work, too. The catapult launches and the bombard and ballista fire projectiles, all with the use of clever engineering and various rubber bands. This is a very different set from what I typically build and I had a lot of fun with it. I never got much into the Lego Technic stuff as a kid, so this was a fun introduction to that unique style of building that's a bit more akin to something like an Erector set than a traditional brick built set. The set also scales really with action figures, so I've included a few shots of the set with some G.I. Joe Classified Series figures or Masters of the Universe Origins to give you an idea of the scale.

   If you dig the set, it's actually on sale today through Monday 11/24 for 30% off on Amazon (use discount code VIPJMB30) or on JMBricklayer's own website. You can also order any other sets that aren't already on sale through their at 15 % off store using my special discount code VIPJerry15%. That's good through the end of 2022, so use it for all of your holiday shopping needs. Just tell them your old pal Barbecue17 sent you!

Now, let's check out this Remarkable Ancient Machine after the break...





The Concept:

* The Remarkable Ancient Machine/ 3 in 1 Medieval Weapon comes in a sturdy box and shows off all three of the buildable contraptions. While the parts are included for all three machines, you can only build one at a time. If you want to build all three at once or form a ground army of your own you'll need to pick up extra sets.






The Facts:

# of Pieces: 568

Non-Scalper Price: $40 dollars

The manual has all three of the builds in it, plus a brick separator device is thrown in. It's a bit different than your average brick separator and seems designed to aid with the little pins and stuff that this set utilizes.


The Catapult:


* Let's start out with the catapult, the perfect weapon for chunking pumpkins or launching treats to your dog. That's how my daughter and I spent an evening after we built it, and our dogs loved it! The colors on the bricks are excellent with two shades of brown and more realistically colored highlights like bluish-gray and a pale green. The directions were easy to follow and the brick quality is excellent.

* This is definitely a machine built for battle, and all three of the machines have a spiked front, blades on the wheels, and metal studs on the sides to add additional defense. The catapult is the tallest of the three siege weapons and probably the easiest build. The directions were good but do pay attention as there are some more advanced building techniques in this set.



* Here's a shot of the blades and stuff defending the front of a catapult. It's pretty sweet looking, almost like something the orcs might use on their siege weaponry in The Lord of the Rings. You don't want to try to attack this thing head on.




* The wheels are really cool, too, and are covered with rounded blades. My daughter calls these shark fins, and it's a fitting name because they seem almost as intimidating.



*The catapult has a lot of technical building in the "frame" where the catapult arm is attached. You sue the black pins (I've always called them Technic pins) to get the frame pieces at the appropriate angles.



* The back of the catapult has a set of latches that keep the catapult down and in place for when you're loading it. It's pretty impressive how well with works.



* The catapult has a rubbery payload you can build to launch out of the catapult's bucket. We also used dog treats (for the dogs) and bits of cereal (for us).







* The catapult uses rubber bands to propel the arm up, releasing the payload. It all works really well and is a heck of a lot of fun.




* Here's a shot of the release mechanism that keeps the arm and bucket down and in place while you're loading it.





* And here is the catapult with Serpentor from the G.I. Joe Classified Series! Doesn't he look like he's loving this thing? If you only listen to one opinion when it comes to medieval siege weapons, make sure it's Serpentor's!







The Bombard:

* I've heard of a bombardment, a bombardier, and the phrase "to bombard" something, but I honestly wasn't familiar with the bombard itself. It's a type of cannon uses during the middle ages to launch projectiles using gunpowder. This one doesn't use gunpowder, but is instead propelled by rubber bands.









* Out of all three of the builds in this set, I'd say the bombard is the most complex. It took the longest and has lots of moving pieces and intricate mechanisms. This one provided me a bit of a challenge for sure.





* Here's a shot of the bombard. Most of the moving parts are inside but you can see the frame of the "barrel" where the projectile goes.



* The green piece on the bottom right here gets pulled back, which brings back a launching arm that gets locked into place. When the round green piece on top is pushed, the bombard fires.



* The projectile for this set is a small cube-like object, made of three different pieces and some pins. It's lightweight and is designed to fit perfectly inside the barrel of the bombard.




* The bombard gets loaded like so...




* Now it's in place and, when you hit that button on top, it's going to launch!




* It works pretty well. It's not as much fun as the catapult but it does shoot decently far and has a bit of power to it.





* Here's He-Man, all armored up and ready to bring the fight to Snake Mountain with his new bombard!




The Ballista:


* Last up is the ballista. This one isn't as complex as the bombard but there are some more complex details inside. It's probably the second most challenging build of the three siege weapons in the set. Rather than a standard projectile, this launches a spear. Look out!




* The ballista is kind of like a mobile crossbow, so there are lots of pieces and rubber bands used here.



* Here's a look at the top of the ballista, allowing you to see the crossbow arms and the rubber bands used to propel the spear forward.




* Getting some of these small rubber bands tied on is definitely a bit of a challenge, but the end result is so good it's worth it. This thing really has some power!




* The spear that launches is a simple black axle rod with a cone on the end. Simple, but highly effective. You can knock down some of your enemies with this thing!




* The set also includes a cool target that you can build to practice your skills. It's a simple build but a neat little extra to put with whatever machine you opt to display.







The Negatives:


* My only complaint with the set is that there isn't a washer or anything to keep the spiked hubcaps on. You can easily use something else from the set to do this, but it's odd the instructions didn't direct the builder to add these parts.
   The Remarkable Ancient Machine/ 3 in 1 Medieval Weapon set from JMBricklayer is a really, really cool set. It looks fantastic, the builds are fun and challenging, and the siege weapons work. What more can you ask for? With the parts to build any of the three machines, this is a pretty good value. The wood colored bricks also make it a classy item for your desk or mantle. It's a Great 1/2 set and definitely an impressive brick built toy. Whether you're complementing other medieval/ castle sets, using this for a school project/ demonstration, or using it for action figures, it's a lot of fun.


Thanks to JMBricklayer for providing this set for me to review! If you're looking to do some Black Friday or Cyber Monday 2022 shopping, it's currently on sale today through Monday 11/24 for 30% off on Amazon (use discount code VIPJMB30) or on JMBricklayer's own website. You can also order any other sets that aren't already on sale through their at 15 % off store using my special discount code VIPJerry15%. That's good through the end of 2022, so use it for all of your holiday shopping needs. Just tell them your old pal Barbecue17 sent you!


6 comments:

  1. This is really cool. I need one of these.

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    Replies
    1. It's a really cool set. Might go well with some of your toy soldiers if you have any medieval guys.

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  2. thanks friend Barbecue17

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  3. How to keep the spiked hubcaps on?

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    Replies
    1. They're not loose but if you move the set around, they tend to slide off. I'd use a standard washer piece to give them some extra resistance. There seem to be a couple extra in the set for the various builds, though you might have some aying around if you have other building brick or Lego sets.

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