Looks like we're going to go through the Asian section of memory lane first. The Flying Ninja Fortress (I wonder why Lego goes with alliterative names on some sets, but doesn't bother on others) was released in 1998, though I didn't acquire my copy until a few years later on ebay. Though I don't recall the exact year, I can tell you that tt was a happier time for the used Lego buyer; the AFOL community hadn't fully exploded on the internet and ebay sellers were letting go of Lego dirt cheap. I snagged this little gem for less than half MSRP after shipping (that was my cut-off for Lego on ebay back then). The instructions and box were not included, but I've never been much of a box man and peeron had the instruction scans, so how could I go wrong?
This is a great set, though it has some flaws. The one tower seems a bit too big and open in places, but in other parts its nicely solid. Also as discussed before, I'm not a huge fan of the blocky plates its build on; it really makes it stick out from other more traditional baseplate models. Then there is the modularity, which I'm not sure I like. And, its really only a flying ninja half fortress.
The set also has some little details that I like. The lantern/sculpture things on the corner are an ingenious detail. And the little yellow sword stand inside has a simple elegance. Nine figures is also a nice touch, though three ninja's seems a bit overkill (did feudal Japan really have armies of ninjas running around?). Not to mention that the whole thing is, at least to my mind, a very accurate reproduction of a Japanese fortress, even more so than most of the Castle sets.
I don't have much else to add on this set. I wish I'd have bought a second one to see how it would look fully enclosed, but the price for it has gone up so much, I don't think I'll make the investment... I wonder if I could MOC out some back wall modules for it from spare parts.
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