Dragon Masters
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Dragon Masters was a Castle subtheme introduced in 1993 and phased out in 1995.
Details[edit | edit source]
In contrast to previous factions of Castle, which were more or less accurate renditions of medieval life, Dragon Masters ventured into the realm of fantasy by introducing classical fantasy elements such as dragons and wizards. The Dragon Master army was led by the wizard Majisto, noteworthy for his pointed hat, his glow-in-the-dark magic wand, and his long white beard, all new elements that year, and for being the first Castle minifigure to have a proper name - in fact, Majisto was one of the first named minifigures. Majisto commanded a small regiment of knights and guards, whose shields bore a recolored (green) variant of the Black Knights' shields, as well as dragons. The dragons are bright green and black flying reptiles with points of articulation at the jaw, both shoulders, both wings, and the tail, with studs on their back to allow for the carrying of riders.
The Dragon Masters competed with the Wolfpack and Black Knights, both of whom feared the great power of Majisto.
The theme's primary colours are black, light grey, and bright red, with dark grey, brown and bright green detail pieces. The flag is yellow with a red border and blue and red dragon. The shields have a green and red dragon instead, and the torsos have a golden dragon head.
All of the Dragon Masters sets included in the catalog, excepting the Crossbow Cart, were released in 1993. The following year saw the release of two further sets, and in 1995 only one other small set was released.
Background[edit | edit source]
Castles and Equipment[edit | edit source]
Dragon Masters was one of the smaller Castle factions, although they possessed numerous vehicles. 6048 Majisto's Magical Workshop was the only Castle house released during the 1990s. Three Dragon Masters sets the new dragon figures: 6056 Dragon Wagon, 6076 Dark Dragon's Den and 6082 Fire Breathing Fortress.
New and Exclusive Pieces[edit | edit source]
Dragon Masters brought a whole array of new minifigures. The wizard Majisto, with his pointed hat and the new beard piece, was completely new and all of the knights and soldiers had new heads and torso pieces, as was standard for Castle themes. In total, there were three newly introduced torso pieces with three different dragon heads printed on them, as well as three new heads with different beard patterns, which never appeared outside of Castle and were only in use during the 1990s.
New additions to the equipment included the large grey halberd and the dragon helmets with side plumes, both pieces which would reappear in later themes. The horses were also given head armour.
This was also one of the first themes to introduce cloth pieces as flags and capes. In this case both were yellow and printed with a green dragon and not reused in other themes.
Dragon Masters also marked the first appearance of the later ubiquitous flame piece 6126, which has been reused a countless number of times ever since.
Sets[edit | edit source]
Image | # | Set | Pieces | Figures | Price | Released |
1712 | Crossbow Cart | 22 | 1 | $2.00 | 1993 | |
1723 | Castle/Pirate Combo Pack | 67 | 2 | 1994 | ||
1732 | Crossbow Cart | 22 | 1 | 1993 | ||
1736 | Wizard's Cart | 17 | Majisto | 1993 | ||
1746 | Wizard's Cart | 17 | 1 | $2.50 | 1993 | |
1794 | Dragon Master Chariot | 34 | Dragon Knight | 1994 | ||
1906 | Majisto's Tower | 190 | 3 | $20.00 | 1994 | |
No image | 1960 | Dragon Masters Adventure Pack | 196 | 3 | 1993 | |
2891 | Wizard's Cart | 17 | Majisto | 1998 | ||
6020 | Magic Shop | 45 | Majisto | $4.50 | 1993 | |
6043 | Dragon Defender | 151 | 2 | $12.00 | 1993 | |
6048 | Majisto's Magical Workshop | 183 | Majisto, Guard (Dragon Masters) | $26.00 | 1993 | |
6056 | Dragon Wagon | 103 | 2 | $20.00 | 1993 | |
6076 | Dark Dragon's Den | 218 | Wizard, 3 Knights, and a Dragon | $43.00 | 1993 | |
6082 | Fire Breathing Fortress | 393 | Majisto, Yellow Dragon Master, Dragon Soldier (2), Dragon Archer, Wolfpack Bandit | $64.00 | 1993 |
- Other appearances
- 6105 Medieval Knights (1994) contained three Dragon Masters minifigures.
A knight in 6078 Royal Drawbridge from 1995 resembled a Dragon Masters knight but carried an oval Black Knights shield. The oval Dragon Masters shield with the green dragon reappeared on a cart in 6079 Dark Forest Fortress from 1996.
- 6079 Dark Forest Fortress (1996) contained two minifigures who resembled a Dragon Masters minifigure. However, they bear a triangular Black Knights shield.
Characters[edit | edit source]
Majisto | Yellow Dragon | Red Dragon Master | Red Dragon Master 2 | Red Dragon Knight | Yellow Dragon Knight.jpg | Dragon Soldier | Dragon Archer | Wolfpack Bandit |