Papo Knights & Castles

Building a proper company of knights

Armour and weapon detail is where this collection does most of its work, shields, swords, lances and horse tack are sculpted properly rather than moulded as one simplified block, which matters to a child who wants their knight to look genuinely equipped rather than symbolically armed.

Several figures are named, historical or legendary characters rather than generic knights, which gives a child a specific identity to attach to a favourite figure, useful for a child who already has some familiarity with medieval or Arthurian stories from books or films.

Most knights are sold mounted or with a matching horse available separately, and it's worth checking whether a specific figure includes the horse or not before buying, since the two are sometimes sold as a pair and sometimes as separate pieces built to fit together.
Because this collection involves more small, separate accessories than most, weapons, shields, plumes, it carries more varied age guidance than a typical animal collection. It's worth checking the specific recommendation on an individual figure rather than assuming the whole collection suits one age.

This collection pairs naturally with Papo Fantasy's dragons for a child who wants a full story, knights to defend or attack, dragons to fight or command, though a small company of knights works perfectly well as a self-contained collection on its own.
As a gift, a single named character, Lancelot or a King, makes a strong standalone present for a child with any interest in medieval or Arthurian stories, and the collection is large enough to build out a proper company of knights over several birthdays.

Rival factions and opposing colours appear across the collection too, a Blue and a Red version of some figures, for instance, which makes it straightforward to build two opposing sides for tournament or battle play rather than a single uniform group.
It's worth thinking about horses as part of the buying decision here, not an afterthought: a knight without a mount plays differently to one riding into a scene, and several figures are built specifically to pair with a matching horse rather than standing alone.

For a first purchase from this collection, a single mounted knight tends to give the clearest sense of the quality on offer, armour, tack and weapon detail all visible at once, before deciding whether to build out a larger, more varied company over time.
As with the rest of Papo's catalogue, figures are made from durable material designed to survive genuine handling rather than careful display, and wipe clean with a damp cloth.