Review: The Most Amazing Medieval Set - Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower Building Kit

Hi all! This is Rachel from the Nifeliz team. Today I present my newest addition to my building kits of medieval series: Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower Building Kit. 

It has been quite sometime ago that I am so excited since I owned Nifeliz Medieval Stables Building Kit, the previous set of medieval series. It was a deep wait for this Medieval Observation Tower Building Kit. Now that I finally have all Nifeliz medieval kits in possession, it's about time to have a closer look at this set!

-Unboxing-

The package was tightly wrapped in bubble wrap to protect the box during shipping. I was quite happy to find the box was clean without any slightest indentation, which means a lot to me as a collector. By the way, it was quite a hefty box to lug around, and certainly felt like a product of good value for money. The front side of the box shows us the main build, the Medieval Observation Tower. As with most Nifeliz sets now, this box is pictured with the black backdrop. The watchtower itself dominates a large portion of the box and really stands out against the black. Pretty cool and totally giftable.

The first thing I noticed when I unboxed this set was the large number of parts. Inside the box contained 59 plastic bags of parts, a bag of spare parts included, and 1 instruction booklet. It amounted to 3061 pieces. It's kind of a pity that there were no minifigures. But given the good quality and proper price of each set of Nifeliz medieval building kits I owned, I'm fine with that. Perhaps minifigures of my own collection can guest after the observation tower is finished.

With the exception of the horse and some larger pieces, all of the bags were numbered from 1 to 5 according to a total of 5 steps completing the Observation Tower as shown at the beginning of the instructions.

This 3061-piece set is gonna be a big adventure for me. Now let’s get started.

-The Build-

As always, the instructions are clear with excellent parts differentiation and directions. The bricks at each step of the instructions are highlighted in their true colors while the parts that have been put together are all gray.

Obviously, the build starts with the base of the building. The finished base looks great and far more sturdy, and makes me not worry about building big stuff on it. Since there were not too many bricks for the second step, I finished the first floor of the whole building by combining the two steps together, across 23 of the 59 numbered bags. It's very satisfying to watch the building take shape.

And some steps later I needed to build the attic of the house, which is adjacent to the observation tower. 

Again some steps further, the second and third stories of the watchtower were built.

The last step was building the fourth story of the observation tower and the upper observation platform. 

Finally the observation tower was fully completed. All I can say is that it rocks.

-Finished Set-

Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower is a somewhat large building kit coming in at 13.39in long, 9in wide, and 18.5in tall (34*22.86*47cm).

It absolutely dwarfs the mug with its menacing size.

Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower Building kit has four stories plus an attic and an observation platform. Since it's designed in quite a modular way, there are five individual buildings that can be separated. Therefore I can easily get access to the inside of every room, observing the fancy details that I will talk about later on. 

You can also take all those buildings apart and rearrange them to display the way you like, or importantly, show off to your friends when they are at your home. However it is displayed it looks fantastic. And don't worry about putting them back, as the five sections have been very well-designed to fit together.

Taking another look of this model, I am generally satisfied with tons of details. I do feel that a great deal of thought and effort was put into the finished product. 

The color scheme, same as the other Nifeliz medieval building kits, reminds me of the actual classic medieval architecture.

Next I'd like to briefly share the history of medieval observation towers.

-Actual Observation Tower in Medieval Ages-

As we've all known, the Middle Ages are the medieval period of European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance. Sometimes the medieval ages are referred to as the "Dark Ages", of which the main reason was that Europe was in chaos at the time. 

The chiefs of each country were helpless to fight against the rich and powerful nobles, so the nobles were constantly at war, trying to expand their power, fighting for land, food, livestock, and population for a long time. To make things worse, at that time there were many roving theft gangs that would loot the victim's property in times of war. 

In dark medieval times, every city had to defend itself. So they built a lot of watchtowers in order to enable soldiers to spot the enemy on time in order to make all necessary actions to properly prepare the city for attack. An observation tower, also called a watch tower, creates a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually high structures and are made from stone and wood. They have to be sturdy enough to withstand enemies' attacks. Sometimes whole regiments of archers and other troops are stationed in one observation tower.

Now let's back on topic. Speaking of Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower Building Kit, it's an authentic reconstruction of exactly what they would have used in medieval times. It includes tons of minor details. Now I'm going to dig into the details to present to you.

-Set Details-

Let’s begin with the features of Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower overall. I can't wait to show you something I really like which is one of the very things of this set, that is, the stairways snaking up the wall to the roof looks fantastic. 

Moreover, the details of the stairs are beyond my imagination! The stair columns are individual and uniquely shaped. A few planks are nailed on the side of the stairs with the purpose of being visually appealing. 

A spear was placed at a corner of the staircase, and an oil light that can rotate is installed on one handrail nearby. 

A barrel containing wooden sticks and flowers and plants were placed under the side staircase to add to the overall harmony.

What I really like are those handrails with several different designs, in particular the individual handrails as the steps go up one level, which are quite adorable.   

To my surprise, the patterns on some of the very handrails are extremely authentic. Let's have more close-ups. You can see the printing on those handrails to represent the texture of the wood panel and even the nails driven into the four corners of the board. That's really a wow to me.

Another thing that attracted me to this Nifeliz Observation Tower Building Kit was all the roofs which are extremely impressive. You are probably familiar with the design of roofs if you're a collector of Nifeliz's Medieval building kit series like me. As always, the roof uses plenty of shield-shape bricks to great effect as architectural detailing visually.

I'm fond of the color scheme of the roofs, of which there are most sky blues and purplish blues, a few blacks and greens at the top part which I think are to highlight the moss growing out of the wood. 

Besides, the walls are fairly detailed with a mixture of dark greys, light greys and dark tans, as well as greens to represent moss, and masonry bricks to provide texture.

Another impressive detail is that vines spread throughout an entire wall at the back of the building.

As I pointed out earlier during my building, this observation tower - perhaps designed to be a fairly large military spot - is developed on four stories, each of which can be separated so I'm able to observe the interior. Next I'm going to show you the details of each story which features as many details as possible.

-The First Story-

The first story of Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower contains two rooms and a stable outside. The first floor covers a large area and has a lot of details inside and outside. Let's start off with the main entrance.

I'm so big on this fantastic-looking main entrance, flanked by a pair of flaming torches. The torches are accurate to history, as torches were one of the important lighting tools in the Middle Ages, along with candles and oil lights, which used tallow or turpentine to keep burning. 

Grey shield-shape bricks take pride of place above the entrance, meanwhile the doorframes on either side of the entrance are decorated with a number of raised grey bricks. 

More details are featured at the entrance, like the gravel path in front of the door, a plant and uh, somewhat questionable bag. Despite the earliest form of the backpack being a large, tightened sack in medieval times and exactly the same shape as this one, the only thing I don't really get is the reason it was left at the door. It’s for quick pickup on the way out, perhaps? 

There's a big-deal design, you must have noticed earlier. That's exactly the wooden door at the entrance, which must be the first thing that caught your eye when you actually see the set. It features quite a few details like the doorknob, printing presenting the texture of wood and even 12 irregularly placed iron nails. 

Moreover, the wooden door can be opened inwards to be able to get good access to the inside, the lifelike scene of which makes me want to shrink into room like Alice. BTW my old friend Alice the princess happened to visit the watchtower today. 

"What brings you down here, princess! This place is too humble for you to come." The soldier who opened the door was so surprised that he shouted. “Never mind, I just passed by to see what it's like inside.”The princess said. But she was stunned after she walked into the room and saw tons of weapons. She said:" I have to leave now. Never do I want to rip my dress."

Too bad the princess left. Since it's so, let's take her place and visit the inside of this watch tower. On the wall we’ve got a shield-shape pennant coming in gray, red and yellow, bearing a black wolf's head, which might be the family crest to which the watchtower belongs. I take a fancy to the awesome black wolf. The edge of pennant features a lot of details.

The wall next to shield-shape pennant hangs three flags that are green, yellow and red.

Next to the three flags there were two armor stands, each of which holding a helmet and armor. I'll take them off to show more close-ups, as the details of the helmet and armor are historically accurate.

Those helmets, called the bucket helmet, were basically the iconic equipment of the knightly class in the Middle Ages. I'm a fan of the cool appearance of barrel helmets. The cross-section of the bucket helmet is sharply streamlined, meanwhile the eye slit is with a narrow and angled opening. Those designs assure the spears and arrows can slide away from the helmet when they hit it. The front edge of the helmet is quite low to protect the neck. So as you see, helmet models in Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower building kit are realistic. Here's a profile shot of the real Bucket helmet for comparison purposes.

Speaking of the armor, or rather the cuirass, it is also worth mentioning. The cuirass is a piece of armor covering the torso and consists of a chest plate and a back piece. It's formed of single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material that covers the torso. That was a time when the armors of European knights were changing from traditional chain mails to separate armor. So this little detail is just as delicate.

On the wall directly behind the armor rack hung two light crossbows, also a notable weapon of medieval times. The crossbow had a long range and was lethal enough to pierce the best European chain armor of the time. So it subsequently became the most feared weapon of the time. At the same time the crossbows did not require as much skill as a bow, so it played a significant role in the warfare of Medieval Europe.

In the two corners of the room there were placed a storage box and a weapons rack.

I love that Nifeliz didn't cut corners here, going for delicate hollowed-out windows over stickers, for example. This main room contains three windows, one being single casement window and two being two-casement window that can even open outwards. 

I extremely love how the windows are designed and opened. Especially this window, cheek by jowl with a row of potted plants that add a touch of life to the august watchtower, is exceptional. 

From the outside, the small eaves combined with this window are more visually appealing.

Oh, dear. And that's just details of the main room. The main room also has a door to another room, which is also the first floor of the tower. Inside, a shelf where three swords and a pot were placed stands. 

I'm very keen on swords and satisfied with these models of sword. In Medieval Europe, the sword was a symbol of chivalry and high status.

Now that I've got a helmet, armor, and sword, I wonder if I can equip my friend Mic as a knight. And I'm extremely excited to find that it works. Mic is now an imposing medieval knight, protecting the safety of the people.

Under the two-casement window were two wooden barrels with a spade, an axe and a billy club.

Coming out the back door of the room we can see the back of the first story of the building. The decoration of the back exit is the same as the main entrance, except that there is no door.

In addition to the details of vines, greenery and a bucket, there is actually a rat tucked away in a rat hole under the stone steps leading to the second floor of the watchtower. I admit I was scared by its lifelike tail when I built it.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of rats, which not only steal the food stored by people in their houses, but also spread disease. The plague that swept through Europe during the Middle Ages, also known as the Black Death, was spread by rats in the streets at the time and was the deadliest plague in history. It had a devastating effect on the population of Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. 

But every coin has two sides. There are dark days to make the light more valuable. Modern medicine sprouted from this plague and laid a good foundation for the development of medicine in later generations. People's health hygiene and disease prevention awareness were greatly enhanced. In any case the rat adds to the authenticity of medieval architecture, I'll leave that as a surprise.

-The Stable-

The reason why I am talking about the stable separately is that I like its design a lot. The front of the stable has a gravel path leading to a small, openable door. The stable is on the first floor of the whole building, next to the main room.

In the corner outside the stable was a box with carrots and a super small water bucket with a movable handle. 

There is a barrel containing sticks and a large fork that might be used to shovel horse manure at the side of the stable. Green plants grow around the stable. 

A horse whip hangs from the back of the stable.

Inside the stable there was a long trough where I kept the light tan horse as well. 

Of course the horse can be let out, and its joints of neck and hind leg are movable, so it can strike some fun poses.

What's even more fun is that the saddle on the horse's back can be taken off and put one of your own minifigures on it. Here our Baron Louis elegantly mounted on the horse.

-The Attic-

The attic is right above the main room, next to the second story of the observation tower. One of the funniest additions here is the leftover fish on the dinner table that is in the center of the attic. This plate of fish allows us to speculate on the living conditions of the soldiers. If one can afford to eat fish in the Middle Ages, he should be in pretty good living conditions. There is also a candlestick on the table and a stool near the table.

On one side of the attic, there is a coat of arms bearing wolf's head hanging on the wall. A two-casement window is under the coat of arms. There is a long axe, a bag, a barrel with chains and a barrel with two swords near the window.

On the other side of the attic there is also a window with a crossbow hanging on the wall below. 

Given the dining table and the large open space in the attic, I inferred that this attic was a great place to eat, rest or have some entertainment for soldiers. Yet the only drawback is that the light is a little bad.

-The Second Story-

The structure of the second floor of the watchtower is unique in that you can come down the stairs in the attic or walk up the stone steps from the back door.

The back of the second floor has a roof over the entrance arch and an oil light hanging from a post.

On the second floor appeared three chains hanging on the wall or side wooden frame.

The second floor has two rooms if you count the attic. Now let's see what's in the room on the second floor of the tower. In the room there is a weapon rack with two spears and two long axes, as well as an armor rack hanging a helmet and cuirass.

In addition, the inner and outer walls of the room are either installed with a log ladder that can be climbed to the upper level.

-The Third Story-

The most unique feature of the third floor is the long staircase winding against the outer wall. Seeing its suspended structure I have felt the fear of walking on it. The soldiers must be quite daring. 

The light tan wattle and daub are used to great effects around the third story.

The wall holds an adjustable pole flying a blue flag. Suchlike long, streaming flags called banners shows the symbol of the owner of this territory. Banners were used in wars to help soldiers identify friends or enemies. 

There was only one room on the third floor of the tower, with a window on one side that was blocked by a log ladder mounted on the wall. There is a long axe, a bag and a storage box on the other side of the room. 

I love that this storage box can even be opened, and kind of delicate.

-The Fourth Story and Observation Platform-

Finally, let's have a good look at the last part of Nifeliz Observation Tower Building Kit. Following the suspended stairs we came to the entrance of the fourth floor. The door frame of the arch is made of wood, again, flanked by a pair of flaming torches.

There is a handle on the wall outside, which is cool stuff I will talk about later

The fourth floor has one room which contains a table, a wooden barrel holding a sword and a ladder. Since this floor and the observation platform can not be disassembled, I try to show you part of the inside view.

So far we have visited all the rooms, and the whole building has six rooms, indicating that there are quite a number of soldiers stationed here. I'm not sure if you'll be wondering why there are no beds here. In fact, in medieval times most of the servants and military folk would sleep on pallets or trundles, if they were lucky. There were mats of either woven straw and rushes or mattresses stuffed with straw that were laid on the floor. Nobody was assigned a private sleeping area or spot on the floor.

There is a large observation platform atop the tower, with a square circle of guardrails and a heavy crossbow attached.

My friend Stuart temporarily took up the responsibility of standing guards. Now he is on watch out for enemy attackers while the crossbow is almost ready for the siege! 

The handle outside the wall of fourth floor I just mentioned actually controls the rotation of the giant crossbow. By twisting the handle to rotate the crossbow, clockwise and counterclockwise rotation are both very smooth. But I can't twist it too fast or change direction frequently, or there will be a slight lag for the rotation.

The mechanism is simple: The handle outside the house is actually a horizontal long stick, connected to a vertically placed gear which is stuck with another gear horizontally placed. There is a hole at the bottom of the observation deck above, through which the bottom of the crossbow is connected to the horizontal gear. Twisting the handle outside makes one gear drive the other so that the crossbow turns 360 degrees in the horizontal direction. This design should be designed to increase the playability of the building blocks. After all, if the medieval watchtower is really so designed it is difficult to adjust the direction in time.

So that's it, all the features and details of this Nifeliz Observation Tower Building Kit. Rooms throughout the building may have different functions, the first floor of the main room being the assembly place, the attic like I said earlier being the rest area, the first three floors of watchtower being weapons depot, the fourth floor and the observation platform being the places to keep watch.

My only regret is that it has no archery holes, providing a narrow slit on the outer wall and opening to a wider aperture internally, to protect against attackers. But considering that this was probably a watchtower in relatively peacetime and its real value was not to repel invading enemy forces, but to deter banditry and illegal incursions, so I still think it's a perfect set of building blocks.

-My Collection of Nifeliz Medieval Building Kits-

For as long as I can remember, the medieval theme was a favorite of mine and I dreamed of being a feudal lord and having a whole medieval village. I'm no pro at MOC-ing, but when I finished collecting all the Nifeliz medieval block sets, I got myself immersed in my own medieval village. When I arranged six sets of block buildings, which were Medieval Observation Tower, Medieval Stables, Medieval Town Barn, Medieval Town Market, Medieval Water Mill and Medieval Windmill, jeez this is just a superb scene.

The top floor of the observation tower affords a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.

I'm also a fan of the LEGO medieval sets. It is fairly expensive for me, however. So in terms of value for money priority, I considered Nifeliz first. So that's my medieval village, still a work in progress. I'd be surprised if children nowadays are not still as enamoured with medieval buildings, knights, battles, as they were with superheroes.

-Conclusion-

All in all, Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower is a great set and is really becoming a classic. Overall it's really enjoyable to go through the process of building this observation tower. It features tons of cool details, plenty of playability, and marvelous looks from all angles. It's a massive, truly beautiful display piece that will no doubt wow anyone who sees it.

I'm absolutely blown away by the sheer quality of it. It's a dense, compact build. What's more, it's expandable like LEGO. There are no stickers, as all of the details are printed parts. That's perfect because you know the stickers will probably like fall off quite easily once after a few years.

The only thing Nifeliz can do better, in my opinion, is to consider providing minifigures. Yet because the set itself has many designs that can interact with the minifigures, you can choose some of your own collection of minifigures like I do to build scenarios.

As a lover of history, a museum visit doesn't always cut it. Sometimes the most satisfying experience I can have is actually build blocks. You'll feel like you've been transported back in time as you finished the sets. Nifeliz Obsevation Tower Building Kit is totally worth collecting. Anyway this is a set I definitely will recommend anyone to get.

Here is the link to get this.

Nifeliz Medieval Observation Tower On Amazon

For more interesting builds, please click the link below. 

Nifeliz Official Amazon Shop

Really thank you for your reading, guys. And I hope this review could be a help. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave your comments below and I'll be happy to answer any questions. See you next time.