Those shields might look weird by themselves, but the potential to fit a round 2x2 tile is still great, for example the 2x2 round plate from the barrel, or perhaps the target disk from 6054 : Forestmen's Hideout , also from 1988.

As for the rest of the set, very interesting parts for a smaller set, with the horse + barding, 4 wheels and twin catapult parts, and as always extra weapons are extra nice to give figs options.

I wanted this set quite a lot when I was a kid. Still do, actually.

8.50 USD and you also got a horse with barding.. Good deal.

Nice set, the catapult did work
@ TeriXeri target wouldn't fit nicely on the shield, it didn't have an open stud on the back like the current versions.
Shields were strange for being used by multiple fractions but never bothered me at the time.

That lion-styled caparison is wonderful. I think that most castle sets have those in various incarnations based on the particular faction.

Except for dragons. Dragons do not need caparisons. Might not be so convenient during flight.

I believe that this was the first appearance of the barding element and the smaller wagon wheel (and maybe even the barrel).

I always thought of these as caparisons. And I love those shields. I have a bunch of transparent red ones that space knights used in their epic battles with Blacktron.

Ah, the precursor to 6032 Catapult Crusher, one of my first Knights' Kingdom I sets. That one got a massive downgrade though — only one launcher and one minifigure.

Thought I had this! Better launch Bricklink and see where I can get one.

Aahhh, seeing these sets makes me regret not getting into Castle theme... I was invested in Classic Space mainly. I didn't get any Castle sets until 2009, and it was too late by then.

Lotta' charm in this set. Very cute.

Huwbot is doing great: yesterday he chose my favourite space theme, today my favourite castle theme :-) Though this particular set is still missing from my collection

I’m sure it doesn’t have to be twins, mechanically anyone’s arms would do

"Sorry Ca'tin, we'r outta twin-arms...got a lotta legs though, will they work?"...Lego: Warhammer, coming 2023.:D

I really miss those shields..

One of my very first sets. Sadly the clips on the barding and the shields didn't survive complete. It's the only set I have with broken things I think

@anthony_davies said:
"I feel like launching arms is a plausible thing; trying to spread cholera into a besieged castle would be a medieval tactic. Are the red round bricks fresh, bloody arms and the yellow ones old, rancid arms?"

It seems so. Chopped into handy chunks. Man, these were desperate times...

I had no idea that the 2458 1 x 2 with Pin brick, which the launcher arms pivot on, had been around for so long. Must have been an early appearance?

I like how much stuff this thing carries beside just ammo. And the use of antennas as stoppers look interesting and maybe a bit dangerous for the parts?

@NotProfessorWhymzi it's odd that we get another twin-launcher catapult so soon after the Ninja one right?
Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for doing the 12 days of Christmas for the whole month this year. It's a (double) blast!

One of my first castle sets! The boarding was a standout piece that I still use to this day.

The shields get a lot of mention, one of mine broke but my dad superglued it back together and it’s still going strong

@AustinPowers said:
" @anthony_davies said:
"I feel like launching arms is a plausible thing; trying to spread cholera into a besieged castle would be a medieval tactic."
I guess if they want to go that route, lepracy might be an even better choice than cholera you know... ;-)

As for those shields, I have them in trans-clear from 894 and in trans-red from two other Classic Space sets. Very versatile speciality piece if it can appear both in Castle and Classic Space. :-) "

That appearance of the radar/shield in 894 was so random. Anyone know if it was meant to appear somwhere else but never did?

Thanks to the slow re-release of Castle recently and my renewed sense of nostalgia, I actually bought a used copy of this just this past year. My childhood collection was full of Black Falcon and Dragon knights, but few Crusaders. This set was a great way to remedy that a little!

@Kerr said:
"And I love those shields. "
They do have a certain charm, don’t they? I have one in my display collection and, if memory serves, a spare in reserve.

Great set. Lots of fun with this one as a kid. I remember the catapult function working very well. The adjustablity of the old scoops made for fun with range adjustment.

@AustinPowers said:
" @anthony_davies said:
"I feel like launching arms is a plausible thing; trying to spread cholera into a besieged castle would be a medieval tactic."
I guess if they want to go that route, lepracy might be an even better choice than cholera you know... ;-)

As for those shields, I have them in trans-clear from 894 and in trans-red from two other Classic Space sets. Very versatile speciality piece if it can appear both in Castle and Classic Space. :-) "

All parts are space parts.

@Atuin:
I upgraded the mounted knight with one of the grille-style jousting helmets.

@AustinPowers:
Leprosy takes years for symptoms to develop after infection (and even then is not physically debilitating until relatively advanced) so that is going to be a very long siege...

I miss when sets used to be like this. There were some affordable Kingdoms sets, but I will always miss Crusaders.

" @PurpleDave said:

@TeriXeri :
Except any 2x2 round tiles from that era were X-bottoms that wouldn't be able to attach to this single stud without shifting the tile off-center."

Yeah, I remembered that later, still would've worked with the 2x2 round plate from the barrel top to make a wooden shield.

Anyway, it's nice to see a round shield with a center stud exist even now, with the newer 2010 variant https://brickset.com/parts/6076677/round-shield , after being introduced as Spartan, Gladiator and Viking shield, now used in many things, and then coming back as viking shields in 76208 : The Goat Boat this year, which has 8.

@AustinPowers:
Leprosy is an incredibly misunderstood disease. It’s so mildly contagious that, if you got 19 other people and you all moved to a leper colony (there’s one in Hawaii), odds are one of you might eventually contract it. It could take anywhere from 1-20 years to figure out who, if anyone, did. And in the end the main impact of the actual disease would be loss of nerve function. It’s the repeated injuries from unknowingly smacking your extremities into random hard objects you encounter that will lead to infections and tissue loss, because you’ll keep repeatedly injuring yourself before you have a chance to really heal.

@anthony_davies said:
"I feel like launching arms is a plausible thing; trying to spread cholera into a besieged castle would be a medieval tactic. Are the red round bricks fresh, bloody arms and the yellow ones old, rancid arms?"

They definitely did this in olden times. Usually dead bodies of their enemies to demoralise them, or people infected with diseases such as black plague to spread it to the enemies.

*Edit. Dead infected people, not live ones.

Wow!! Great memories!! It was the first LEGO set I played with!! It was not mine, but I felt instantenously in love with LEGO Castle theme, and started colleting them. I have two of this one, a great set!!

Beautiful set--a tiny bit before my time, but it feels like it shouldn't be, because I have the same barding with my late copy of 6081.

@Ridgeheart:
You could use a The One Ring to represent two fighters getting their shields locked together.