6080 King's Castle

6080 King's Castle, also known as Castle Lion in the UK, was the first set released in 1984. This was a Castle set designed by Niels Milan PedersenSets Designed by Niels Milan Pedersen [Unofficial | Brickset: LEGO set guide and database] for the Crusaders and included a large castle, four horses and twelve minifigures, comprising four archers, two spearmen, two axemen, and four mounted knights. In Canada and Australia, where the faction was known as the Lion Crest, this set was called the Lion Crest Castle.
 
== Description ==
The castle consists of a rectangular wall with two towers on the rear corners and a gatehouse at the front. The gatehouse had a drawbridge and a portcullis. The whole building is made up of three segments of which the two rear smaller segments (with the towers) are connected by hingebricks to the rear corners of the fore segment with the gatehouse. This allows to fold the castle open, similar to the later 6085 Black Monarch's Castle. Under the rear right tower is a prison cell shut by a normal door locked with a bar. The walkway behind the crenelation at the rear wall could be reached via a stairway built upon the divide between the two rear segments.
The archers wear uniforms with lion crests on their torso pieces, while the spearmen and axemen have torsos with halberd crests. The four knights have torsos with printed on breast armour.
== Notes ==
 
* This is the first of two Crusaders castles, the second one being 6081 King's Mountain Fortress from 1990. However the 6080 King's Castle was discontinued after 1987, meaning that there was no castle for the Crusaders faction available from 1988-89.
* The overall structure of 6080 King's Castle is similar to the Black Knights's 6085 Black Monarch's Castle from 1988, which had a similar segmentation with hingebricks as well as two towers, a prison and a gatehouse on the same positions as in this set. The 6085 Black Monarch's Castle, despite different styling and emblems, did not belong to a named faction yet (it was retroactively included as part of the Black Knights when that side officially launched in 1992) and so it was considered a spiritual successor to the ageing 6080 King's Castle.
* The white saddle piece appeared only here and in 6021 Jousting Knights from the same year.
* Although named King's Castle, this set did not include a distinguished king minifigure. Still, one of the 4 mounted knights stands out because only he has yellow shield and double flag, therefore maybe he represents a king. The first actual king appeared in the Royal Knights line in 1995.
* The castle in the 2010 set 7946 King's Castle bears a superficial resemblance to this set.
== See also ==
* 6081 King's Mountain Fortress
* 7946 King's Castle
* Other sets named "King's Castle".
== References ==
== External links ==
Category:1984 sets
Category:6000 sets
Category:Crusaders