While this set is originally a free giveaway with a purchase, however I was able to get my hands on it on Amazon. The set has a wonderful nostalgia to the original classic set that I saw in the catalogues during my childhood.

For the box artwork, it has totally captured the classic look and feel of the yellow colour with the set being displayed on with modern Lego bricks, a new classic look.

The building instruction was straight forward, although it was nice each page is highlighting the section you are building, the only con part in this set and in the building process was the base, I compared both sets instructions, this set the base comes in 4 plates and the build is not centred between the 2 plates makes the base fragile, and the 2x2 round piece on top does not help it stay strong as it got unattached multiple times during the building process, which is why I had to strengthen it by adding extra green plates in the bottom, so technically I raised up the set 1 plate high, beside this weakness the building process itself was so much fun.

The complete model turned out to be so fascinating in real life than the images, I was impressed by the look of the branches and the green foliage and how you can somehow adjust the branches, I have also added a bee hive in this set as an extra.

Before receiving this set I have thought multiple times and ways to add an extra weapon or 2 to clip as per the classic version, but after I received and build it I only clipped the spare sword on top.

As per the classic version, it comes with 2 minifigures, however this time it's a male and a female, both have the same torso and legs, I only wish the heads were as per the original with smiley faces.

Overall it's a wonderful set and adds a beautiful look to my collection

So, I was not alive during peak Castle times, nor can I identify with castle themes. However, I sought this out because I appreciate callbacks to vintage sets. I felt it was a very good set that paid homage to the original while including updated building techniques. There's definitely play value in it, but that's not what I look for in sets.

I admit that I am absolutely the target market for this set. I grew up in the 80s when LEGO was much more simplistic with a palette of about six colours and only three types of brick (blocky, slopey or flat). I began to drift away from LEGO as the sets became more complicated, there were more colours introduced and the themes became too specialised - things that diverged from my childhood memories. As an adult I have come to appreciate the sophisticated modern designs currently being produced, but it doesn't quite evoke in me the same building experience I had as a child.

Of course I was going to pick this set up as soon as I heard about it. Building the set brought back childhood memories in a way that no other set has for years. I've bought other Castle sets over the last decade, but there was something different here about opening the box, seeing the classic Forestmen colours and assembling the iconic Forestmen figures. While it does use some modern parts and designs, this is the purest representation of a 1980s LEGO set I've seen without being a direct re-release.

Overall rating: 5. Maybe a more objective opinion might give it a lower rating, but I can't possibly give this set anything less.

Building experience: 3. I admit it was a bit tricky at times, and sometimes segments would collapse if I put pressure on them the wrong way. Also I'm not the biggest fan of adding random leaf bits at weird angles, and I think I would have preferred a way to clip the tree closed, even if this wasn't how the original set was constructed.

Parts: 5. I honestly believe LEGO sets are better like this when they have a limited palette and range of pieces, it makes it much easier to reconstruct the set in other ways. There are so many parts here for a Forestman-themed adventure, with bows and arrows, swords, shields, quivers, flags and a barrel of gold.

Playability: 4. Possibly a bit limited, since the Forestmen face no opposition within this set and would need to acquire another Castle set in order to create opposing forces. But even without any 'enemies' there's enough activities to do with keeping guard over the tree, with climbing, archery and foraging.

Value for money: 5. I got it for free! Some have lamented the amount of money required to spend to get it for free, but as I was going to buy another set anyway I have no complaints.

I got this set from LEGO as a promotional gift with purchase. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it to add to my castle collection.

Minifigures

Forest man; this is an excellent minifigure he is wearing the classic forester hat and feather. His head only appears in just a couple of sets to date. His torso is an updated version of the classic version. His legs are plain green. He carries a bow and arrows.

Forest Woman: this minifigure is not as interesting as the forest man in my opinion. She is not wearing a hat for one. Her hair and face is quite common. She shares her legs and torso with her male counterpart. She wields two swords.

The Biuld:

The treehouse/lookout tower is impressive and extremely enjoyable to build. It includes a classic small pine tree and two classic forest men shields. I really like the blue roof with the red flag on top. The archery target is also nice.

Overall

This is an excellent set. I would highly recommend adding it to your castle collection. The price point to acquire it was high, I'm also pretty sure it demands a high price on the resale market which I would say it definitely deserves.