Lion Knight History – The Characters One

Only appears in 6010: Supply Wagon, a sort of travelling armourer, with horse and cart at his disposal and a range of weapons attached.  In one account it seems that the Black Knight instructs him as a “sneaky squire” to steal a treasure chest during a tournament while everyone is distracted.  In official catalogue sources he appears in the background to the castles, obviously on his way to various places.  In Ideas Book 200 (1985) he carries a yellow Falcon shield in one picture in a period of restless peace.  In the big war he is busy supplying the Lion Knights with weapons and materials to strengthen the castle walls.  I therefore treat him as a person with allegiances only to the highest bidder.  The bag of money on his belt – even in the very early days of minifig designs – perhaps gives a clear sign of this.

CAS186: With his distinctive blue breastplate and red arms, he only appears in 1984 in 6021 Jousting Knights, but in core source material he is described as Sir Richard who is facing off against the Black Knight in a tournament.  This is his only appearance in the official sources, and he doesn’t even seem to have been at the key battle of 1985.  He appears soon after peace is declared, but he is in Falcon livery almost in a diplomatic move of exchanging prisoner

CAS111: This is one of the first types of infantrymen in the Lion Knights army, carrying the distinctive double axe logo on his tunic.  He supports 6022 Horse Cart, which appears to be there to carry troops and any supplies that the main army needs.  In 1987 he goes into battle in the front lines of an attack on Black Falcon positions in 6062 Battering Ram.  And in 1985 Ideas Book 200 this soldier is in a clear role in defence of the Lion Knights main castle during the Black Falcon assault with a high level of numbers deployed.  In the grand tournament of 1985 where the Black Knight is said to steal the treasure chest, these guys are seen cheering their colleagues on in the tug of war competition, so they are identified as a slightly lower-rank to the blue-legged soldiers.

A minor variant appears in 1985 with CAS111A in 6055: Prisoner Convoy – the only difference is that this soldier wears a blue cape along with his standard uniform.  Given the suspected importance of that mission, it looks like he was given special status just for this operation.

CAS238: Apparently only ever appearing in 6022 Horse Cart, he carries the distinctive double-axe logo on his tunic but wears a grey helmet in contrast to the black archer helmets for the troops that guard the main castle.  This soldier does not appear in the 1985 main war, but he comes back in support during the peace that was brought about soon after, rather similar in role to that of Knight CAS186.

CAS089: Blacksmith – this guy is a legend in his own right in Classic Castle!  He only ever appeared in 6040 Blacksmith Shop, but he is so valuable to the Lion Knights that he has his own guard for his shop.  In official and unofficial Ideas Books he is constantly on the move, making things with his trusty hammer and forge or assisting troops with their weaponry.

CAS108: Here is the definitive soldier who operates as the backbone to the armies of the Lion Knights.  With his distinctive red and blue tunic along with blue legs, this level of soldier appears 10 times across 6 official sets between 1984 and 1987.  He carries a wide range of weapons (including even a bow & arrow in minifig pack 6103 in 1984) and is seen guarding various fortifications through the official publications during the period of operations, or marching out in support of other troops.

CAS189 + CAS189A: The basic knight only appears in one set 6061 Siege Tower, where he seems to be directing operations as troops practise storming a fortified position with their black engine.  In that set he doesn’t have the standard lance of most of the other cavalry troops.  However a very close variant, who has an extra cloak, appears in 6055 Prisoner Convoy in 1985 and is fully equipped on horseback and with double flags, so maybe he gained a promotion.  See also CAS171 in 1990 below.

In Ideas Book 200 in 1985 he is seen supervising the defence of the main castle during the Black Falcon assault, and then again getting ready to support the Lion’s champion in the deciding tournament.  He seems to have a role in maintaining peace afterwards, but then he disappears from view and is not seen in the 1987 Ideas Book.

CAS288: This type of archer is unique in the Lion Knights’ armies in that he is only seen in one set – 6061 Siege Tower.  He is also rare that he carries the cross-axe emblem on his tunic, compared to other archers who carry the lion emblem, and this is only copied by CAS237A in 6067 Guarded Inn in 1986 (see below).  With the blue legs, there are numerous archers on the walls in the great assault of 1985.

CAS190: One of the royal knights from 6080 King’s Castle (Castle Lion), he is only seen in this set with his white plume, although he is seen getting ready to strike out at the Black Falcons during their invasion in 1985.

CAS192: Another of the royal knights from 6080 Castle Lion, he is only seen in this set with his distinctive blue plume and red armour – but he is also seen in Ideas Book 200 getting ready to ride out in defence of the Black Falcon assault in 1985.

CAS193: One of the royal knights from 6080 Castle Lion, he is only seen in this set, but he is seen defending the walls of the castle in the face of the Black Falcon assault in Ideas Book 200 in 1985.  As he looks very similar to CAS192 (only difference being the plumes in their helmets), could they be brothers?

CAS222: The first of any of the soldiers with the distinctive Crusader Lion tunic, he appears four times in 6080 Castle Lion and then again guarding a prison transport in 1985.  I work on the basis that this soldier is an elite archer, guarding the royal castle in the early period.  With his red legs and black helmet, he is also seen defending the castle walls in the great assault of 1985 and guarding 6055: Prisoner Convoy.  He then gets involved in construction projects in Ideas Book 220 in 1987, but he is replaced by the light grey helmet archers in the middle period

CAS414: The last of the royal knights from 6080 Castle Lion in 1984, he is unique to this set, and does not appear in the assault in Ideas Book 200 in 1985, so seems to have had a very short period of service.  Again, he is very similar to CAS190 – so could they be related as well?

CAS199: This soldier appears in two sets, sometime apart – he initially showed up in 1984 in accessory pack 6103: Castle Figures carrying a sword and round shield.  He then makes an extra appearance in 1988 with 6039: Twin-Arm Launcher, where he now rides a horse and carries a lance in support of siege weaponry.  He wears the chest armour of the knights, but the helmet of the infantry, and so he is probably more of a sergeant, directing smaller operations alongside other troops.

CAS093: Peasant: On the face of it, this is the third civilian produced under the Castle theme, but the circumstances of his appearance have led to considerable debate about who he really is.  He only ever appears in 6055: Prisoner Convoy in 1985, and the special troops assigned to his escort suggest he is either far more dangerous or more important than his peasant clothes indicate…

CAS113 + 113A: With their Lion crest and their grey helmets, this type of soldier only ever appears in 6102: Castle Mini-Figures in 1985.  He appears as an archer, and also carrying a sword and yellow shield with blue lion.  Looking at official material, their role was simply as supporting troops for the main operations that were taking place during this period.

Chapters 5 to 8

The Characters – Two