3 in 1 Medieval Weapon
Review by JoshB
Back in the day, if you got some brand other than Lego that made brick sets, you were let down with poor quality and unimaginative designs. These days it's entirely different, with companies like JMBricklayer putting out quality original sets that are as good as the competition. This particular set, known 3 in 1 Medieval Weapon, is a fantastic set in which you build one of three different launching weapons (Ballista, Catapult, Bombard). This kit was provided for review by JMBricklayer, and you can get yours on Amazon or on their website.
The box is nice and sturdy, with a mix of satin and gloss finishes that give it a quality look. My only complaint is that if you look at the box, you'd think this set was called "Remarkable Ancient Machine".
The first mode I built was the Catapult. The instructions were clear, and parts came in numbered baggies. However, not all the parts are in the baggie for that stage, so it's best to just open them all and sort them out.
It took me about an hour to build the Catapult. When finished it's a mean-looking war machine. I didn't have any issues with the fit and finish of the pieces, and there were no pieces missing. In fact I feel like I had half of a set of EXTRA parts after this build, but I came to realize those parts were used in the other forms of this build.
The Catapult uses rubber bands to launch the rubber projectile with a great deal of force. Honestly it was fun to launch the thing all over the place.
The Catapult is held in place by an innovative latch system. Once you release the latch the projectile goes flying away.
The next form is the Bombard. I was hoping that the set used a common platform that I could just switch the weapon part, but sadly it is a complete tear-down and rebuild for each form. The only common parts are the wheels and the front grill.
The Bombard is basically a primitive cannon that launches a projectile. This form was less successful as the latching mechanism didn't hold the weapon in a loaded state. I had to manually hold down the latch until I was ready to launch it. That being said this mode did launch the hard plastic projectile across the room, so I was satisfied with that.
Pull the tab to prime the Bombard, lock into place, then press the center to release.
The Ballista is the third mode, once again requiring a full tear-down and re-build. I had no issues with this mode and the launching mechanism worked perfectly. The arrow shoots far and is very satisfying.
Also included in the set is a red target sign that looks a lot like the logo to the store "Target". Purely coincedental, but I found it funny.
There's always a little trepidation when checking out a not-Lego set, but I really enjoyed everything about this. The build was fun and then you get something to play with after, which is super cool. If you want to get one, you can get one from Amazon here, or order directly from the JMBricklayer site.
As a bonus, get 15% off by using the following codes when ordering:
VIPJBUS15 for Amazon US buyers (30001 set only),
VIPJB15% for worldwide buyers (any non-discounted sets)