writes:Yesterday, I looked at the new Walls set from Epix Haven. Today, I'm looking at the Corner Tower set. Here's the box:
And here's what's inside, after removing the top layer of foam:
There are four layers of tower, plus three staircase pieces and one flagstaff piece.
Level One
Here is the base piece, viewed from the 'outside':
It has a felt-like lining on the bottom. Here is the 'inside' view:
The door is cast into the level, and does not open.
This set also comes with three staircases, which look identical to me. Each has a square plug on the bottom, and a square opening at the top.
Note that the staircase can face in four different directions, but only one direction will fit into the floor of the next level. Here is the base level with the staircase in place:
The staircase fits loosely now, but will be anchored in place once the next level is stacked on.
Level Two
Now I've added the second level to the tower. This is the Corner Tower, which is why it has openings to link it with the corridors in the wall sections. You know you have the level aligned properly when both corridor openings line up with the openings on the previous level.
Here is the 'inside' view:
And the 'outside' view:
Here, you can see the staircase from below, and how the upper level 'sandwiches' the top of the staircase and keeps it from moving:
When stacking the levels, my suggestion is to first make sure you have the alignment right, then make sure the lower staircase is facing the right direction, then fit the lower staircase into the opening, and then the new level should settle down into place over the previous level.
Here is the new staircase plugged into place:
Level Three
Here is the tower as viewed from outside the city walls, with the third level added:
This level is larger than the previous level, and has openings where defenders could presumably shoot arrows at or drop rocks on any attackers.
Here is the view from inside the city walls:
And with the staircase added:
Level Four
Now I've added the final level, which is simply the top of the tower and the crenelations. This is the 'inside' view:
And the 'outside' view:
The final piece is the flagstaff, which plugs into the final staircase:
(If you can't find the flagstaff in the box, it is hiding in a slit in the foam beneath where the top level sits.)
Connecting With the Walls
There are two tower models in this series: one is a stand-alone tower, and there is this tower which is designed to tie in with the city walls. This tower has openings which correspond to the corridors within the wall sections and to the walkway on top of the walls:
Here, I've placed one wall section adjacent to the tower:
You can see how the walkway leads into the tower:
Here is the view from inside the city:
And finally, here is the tower connected with both wall sections:
Also compatible with these models from Epix Haven are a Gatehouse, exterior stairs for the wall sections, and a 3' x 6' felt Battle Mat gridded to the same 28mm squares.
Features & Flaws
For the most part, what I said in the previous article applies here too – look at the painting and casting quality in these photos, and make your judgments.
One issue with our sample is that the second level does not sit flat on the first level, which means the tower rocks a little. Here you can see the gap when the tower is tipped in the opposite direction:
(Since these pieces are hand-crafted, I don't know that my fit problem with affect your set.)
The wall sections do not fit perfectly with the tower, resulting in small gaps. Here, you can see gaps and alignment problems with the inner courtyard:
The flagstaff fits very loosely into the final staircase, and would not insert all the way. It easily leans to one side.
These little imperfections don't bother me much. Maybe I'll try to fix the flagstaff. But mostly, I'm excited about the idea of playing games with my new tower!