Customer Reviews

Schleich Knight's Castle

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This castle is amazing in detail and quality. The working drawbridge is weighted and has metal details. Each tower has two floors above the ground floor, so soldiers can stage battles from higher angles. The castle comes with two towers, main entrance with drawbridge, four long walls, and two short walls. The pieces may be moved around and rearranged in whatever configurations you wish.

This is a heavy castle, with all the pieces collectively weighing in at approximately 20 lbs. It is also a BIG castle, with towers reaching almost 18" height. While it seems incredibly sturdy, I would recommend children be at least 5 years old before receiving such a gift; they need to be at least strong enough to lift the towers, and coordinated enough to avoid knocking it over onto themselves. Even then, I'd guess it is best suited for children 7-13, and I hope it will be treasured by my son throughout his childhood, and passed on to his children some day.

There are other websites that sell Schleich World of Knights, and have a more comprehensive collection than what is shown here (not to mention better prices if you farm around). Some additional pieces not shown on Amazon include: stone steps and ladders, which let soldiers reach the ledges behind the walls of the castle and the 2nd and 3rd floors of the towers; additional short walls, long walls, and towers; catapult; war tent; an Arabian Knights collection; a Crusaders collection; and additional mythical characters such as a fairy, elf, pegasus, and phoenix. Beware the female characters: they have homely, masculine faces, and sort of look like drag queens.

Most of the figures themselves are a single molded piece, and are beautifully detailed with things like the quilted underside of the blankets on the princes' horses, silver painted horseshoes, dirt on the faces of the soldiers, an occasional bloodied knuckle, etc. A few soldiers have long-handled weapons which are removable, as are the jousting sticks used by the tournament knights. Also, the mounted figures are removable from their horses, though their legs remain bowed.

The castle arrives in a sturdy cardboard box with a built-in carrying handle, and is attractive enough that gift wrapping isn't necessary. This is a decidedly masculine toy; a boys' equivalent to a high-end doll house for girls. It is also a toy to be added to over time -- with all the accessories, this toy will stay exciting and provide new adventures for years to come.

UPDATE (Oct '08): It's been over 3 years since my son got his castle. It still looks perfect, and he still loves to stage battles with his knights.

I love playing with my knight's castle! Its the best! I never get bored of playing with it! Not only that, but it makes you imagine stories with your knights and then play them out with them! Its my favorite toy ever!!!

This is a good quality toy. It looks like a real castle, not a fantasy castle, and can be configured in different ways. Cleverly, Schleich made a couple of the narrow pieces with the inner ledge higher than the inner ledge on the wider wall pieces. This makes placing them as an angled corner piece possible. No gaps. The other walls slide together underneath. You can see it in one of the pictures, but you wouldn't know what a great trick it is. It means that the castle doesn't just have to be a rectangle or square. This castle can't be beat for a boy's imagination toy. My son loves it and plays with it almost every day. He has 6 soldiers and plenty of animals which can be placed in, on, and around the castle on the ledges, walkways, towers, etc. The drawbridge is awesome. I highly recommend this castle.

I see all the glowing reviews but they leave out important details. The walls, drawbridge tower, etc. do not connect in any way. So if a child is playing on a rug the parts can fall over. The drawbridge piece is a particular problem as it must be held with one hand while operating the drawbridge to keep it from toppling over. Two of the "wall" pieces are narrow and can topple over pretty easily. Additionally, it is not a complete castle. This should be stated in the description. It is a front wall with two towers and some additional wall parts. I'm not sure why some reviews say it can be re-arranged as the way the walls are made there are not many ways to re-configure. It would be much better if there was a way to interconnect the walls & towers. After watching our grandchildren play with it we are returning it. We cannot recommend this product.

This is the single best toy purchase I have ever made. I got it, along with many of the figures and accessories, for my four year-old grandson to balance the family heirloom wooden doll house we were giving his seven year-old sister this Xmas. Both kids loved it and played together with it for hours and hours. It also turns adults into kids again. It is so realistic and finely detailed that you just want to get down on the floor and play with the kids. This castle promotes creative and cooperative play for boys and girls and will hold the attention of a wide range of ages. I fully expect this toy to also become a family heirloom, enjoyed by generations to come.

We purchased this castle as a Christmas gift for our 4 year-old grandson and he is enthralled with it! We are pleased with the quality of the product and it was a good buy on amazon.com!

We bought this for Santa to bring to our almost 5yr old son for Christmas. He saw this in a catalog and it was all he wanted. My dad bought him several knights and horses to go with some he already had and got his 6yr old brother the tent and catapult. Not only have the two boys enjoyed playing with this non-stop but it has become the home for Star Wars figures as well (They said it looked like the sand planet).
The detail is wonderful and it is designed well for different configurations - great for that imagination to work with!
This is a super durable toy and I think well worth the money. Considering there are many other similar items out there that may be a little cheaper, but will never hold up as well. I can see this toy being something my sons save for their children. If you can, buy the knights and other pieces from Schleich that compliment this piece. They are equally durable and beautifully detailed.

The pieces do not attach together, they just stand up next to each other. As a result, the draw bridge base is not heavy enough to support pushing down on it to open and close the gate without it falling over. And since none of the pieces aside form the drawbridge do not attach in any way, my son is constantly knock over half the castle while he is trying to play with it. I am currently engineering a way to attach the pieces with hinges but I should not have to do this for a product this expensive. Very disappointing since this was his big xmas gift.

My five year old son had many Schleich knights and soldiers, etc., so we finally got him the castle. He has had a lot of fun since receiving it for his 5th birthday. He and his 8 year old sister both enjoy playing with it. They also have used the castle as a home for some of their other toys as well (dinosaurs, dolls, plastic animals, etc.). They have gotten really creative in how they use and arrange the castle. The castle arrived in perfect condition and on time. This was a concern for me since it was a birthday gift. I am extremely pleased with the company who sent it. I love this toy because it is educational and I have been able to teach my children about history, and now they have an interest in the Medeival times. We have bought many Schleich toys and have been very pleased with the detail and quality of each item. If your child has a good imagination and enjoys pretending, then this is a great toy for them. If your child is used to lots of t.v. and video games, this might not be a very good choice (it is very expensive) and you might just be wasting your money. I hope this review will be helpful because it is a big investment for a toy. Have a great day!

We are major fans of Schleich toys and my boys have most of the Knight pieces along with other sets of animals, Indians, etc. So when they asked for this castle, I figured it would be a good investment but I am very disappointed with it.

The castle itself is great with the moving drawbridge, etc.(even though most castles have those nowadays, including Fisher-Price). But the way the castle is assembled is really inconvenient. None of the pieces are secured together or to a base. Which means, when kids play with it, the smaller walls and other pieces are constantly falling down. For a toy with a suggested retail price of almost $200, I was expecting much more. Even the base of the drawbridge, and the drawbridge itself, falls apart when you try to move it.

The quality of the pieces are wonderful, I just wish it assembled a little more practically so that my boys could play without having to pick the pieces up and put them back together every few minutes...

Now, I am going to have to look around for some kind of plastic base and my husband is going to have to screw the pieces in somehow to keep them together and from falling down constantly.