A set released today of comparable size to the Fortress would almost certainly include a number of printed pieces and, most likely, a decently-sized sticker sheet. On top of that, new bricks have obviously become available since the late 1980s which allow for more detail and realistic brick-built models. This is great for LEGO and great for us, allowing us to build more detailed and more realistic LEGO models. These advances allow for new and exciting ways to interact and create with LEGO. That being said, when you view a medium-sized set which was produced before the “age of detail,” - a model comprised of the simplest of bricks - it can occasionally make a more profound statement than the largest of sticker sheets ever could. This is certainly the case for the Black Falcon’s Fortress. It’s the kind of set which looks good in pictures, but great in person. Black Falcon's Fortress is a set which I’ve owned since I was a child in the late 80s, and it’s been at least twenty years since I’ve built the set. Still, I’m amazed at how beautiful and displayable the set is.

There is one negative element to this set, however. Although the set certainly holds its own in the design and presentation department when compared to current sets, it does not do so in the area of stability. I’m sure it’s simply a sign of the times and the way sets were built back then, but this set does wobble quite a bit when used as a toy. Whereas today a number of additional Technic pins and side-studs would be used to make for a more solid structure, the Black Falcon's Fortress does not. For example, one piece of the castle wall is connected to the rest of the castle via only one Technic pin at the base of the structure which leaves the upper-most area of the wall completely detached from the set. I believe the thought behind this one-pin design is to make it easier for children to detach the pin and open up the castle for a larger play area. Nevertheless, I'm certain LEGO would have designed this play feature in more stable fashion, considering the modern LEGO product-scape.

THE PLAY FEATURES

The set does include a couple of play-features. As I mentioned above, you do have the ability to detach a section of the castle and open the castle in order to make for a larger play area for your horses and your minifigures. The inside of the castle looks great and very believable considering how simply the design. Once the castle wall is detached, you have a number of various ways which you can position the castle for play or display. This is a fantastic play-feature. It turns this quaint, compact castle into a larger, more imposing structure for children looking to use this set for a good, old-fashioned castle battle.