Looking for a budget-friendly alternative to Lego Technic we check out the 3-in-1 medieval weapon from JMBricklayer.

In our house, I have 2 sons and one of them is Lego mad he finds building lego helps with his anxiety and he is autistic so has always enjoyed being able to focus on a project like Lego. The cost of Lego sets has more likely than not given me anxiety. So when JMBricklayer got in contact and asked us if we wanted to review any of their products this got us very interested. 

 

Over the next 2 reviews we are focusing on the 3-in-1 medieval weapon model kit and the RC TigerTank we have taken our time with both reviews and we will discuss the build, what it was like building both of these alternatives to Lego and are they both value for money. 

First Impressions

 

If you are looking for an alternative to Lego then JMBricklayer certainly offers you a wide range of models to build from Robots to buildings and in this case medieval weapons. The 3-in-1 medieval weapon kit comes in fully recyclable packaging however, the bags of parts still use plastic which one would have hoped to see less of now the focus is becoming more sustainable. The one thing that will please most consumers is this model is lego compatible and can be built into 3 different medieval weapons that are fully functional. You get the chance to build as a Ballista, Catapult & Bombard.

 

The full set contains 568 pieces that you will notice are either brown, grey, black or green. The parts are small so when building this I suggest you work on the dining room table to prevent you from losing parts. You will notice the parts are quite similar to that of the Lego Technic builds so if you have built things like this before you should be at an advantage.  

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit

Unboxing

As mentioned there are 568 bricks separated into 8 bags with each bag marked with a number in addition to this is a 153-page manual.

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit

The kit allows you to build a ballista, catapult and bombard but only at one time as you will reuse parts for each build. 

Design

The parts that make up this lego alternative are smaller pieces but appear longer and thinner pieces like a 1×8 flat are noticeably more flexible than what you get from Lego. When you put the parts together they still offer the same tightness as lego. They will stay together unless pulled apart and you will be pleased to know that the parts from JMBricklayer are fully compatible with the lego you may already own.

 

The provided instruction booklet requires you to spend a little time studying as you only have images no instructions and no real part numbers either. At each section is a picture within a grey background of the finished item with a white box showing which parts are required.

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit

For example, if a black bar is required it should indicate the length and if a hole strut is shown you sometimes get a blue figure which indicates the number of holes but this is not always the case. (Take care when selecting the small black joining pins as there are several types). 

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit

Set up 

 

You get the choice to build either the ballista, catapult or bombard. In building the three I pulled in an expert my father-in-law who very much enjoys building these kinds of things. He decided to build a catapult and you start with pack 1 but also need pack 3 for the joining pins. Something we noticed was there is nothing in the manual to say when to go from one pack to the next you just run out of parts.  

 

The set includes rubber bands of various sizes and in order to use the correct one the instructions provide a measurement such as 1.6cm. Unfortunately, it’s not obvious how to know the right way to measure whether the bands are circular or stretched out.

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit

At stage 35 you need to open pack 4 and the chain that is required for step 40 is provided in a self-seal bag. At step 48 it is quite easy to get the joining pins around the wrong way so take care then when you get to stage 64 that is when pack 5 is required. When you get to stage 66 that is when you need pack 6.  

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit

At stage 72 we found a 15-hole piece and presumed they had provided then instead of the 13-hole piece I need however that was found in pack 7 which is needed at stage 77. We found 99% of the parts fit together with ease but you will notice a few black shafts need a little extra effort. Something we did notice there did not seem to be any mention of how to keep the wheel axles together then he noticed there were 2 light brown sleeves over which seemed to do the job.

 

Things to consider 

 

  • A few of the pictures in the instructions will need to be rotated so you can see exactly what should connect with what and that is a minor inconvenience.  

 

  • You will also notice the catapult is supported by a pair of side-mounted brackets. The instructions built one bracket and then the arm which was connected to a pair of rubber bands. The problem is there was only one bracket and the arm was twisted and bent out of shape due to the stress. These are the tell-tell signs this is not a lego product. 

 

Performance 

 

Regardless of what we built, they are all functional the catapult and ballista can launch their weapons. You can see the manufacturer puts a good level of attention to detail for example the chains that hold the support arms of the catapult and the blades attached to the wheels.

 

The manufacturer also states the age range is 8+ I think this might be a push as I expect a child that age needs a bit of assistance from an adult. I would change the age to 12+ I feel that would be more accurate.

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit

Overall when built it is a very stable catapult that makes nice use of the SNOT technique (Studs Not On Top) which refers to building the bricks sideways where there are no studs. You will also notice when building any one of the 3 options many parts of the overall structures are identical such as the wheels, bottom frame and shields on the side and even the spikes out front. 

Verdict

 

The JMBricklayer 3-in-1 medieval weapon allows you to build a catapult, ballista and bombard using lego compatible bricks. We felt the quality in the build of all the pieces was very good it’s not quite lego standard but is very close. I also found the reuse factor was a great benefit allowing more technically-minded builders to get creative. My only negative would be I found the instructions are a little basic and some more detail on the steps would have helped. 

That aside it’s a great alternative to lego and at only $29.99 it’s budget-friendly which is a big bonus. What I also liked was the JMBricklayer website states they will send additional pieces if you are missing any which is a nice perk. 

 

 Product Rating

Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars

Set up: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars

Performance: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0  

Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0    

  

Overall ranking: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars – 4.5-star rating  

JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon Model Kit is available for $29.99 – Want 15% off use code: VIPWG15%

 

Also Read: JMBricklayer RC Tiger Tank 61501 Review

 

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