Fantasy Castle vs. Kingdoms

[Hive]

A minor debate in the Kingdoms 2012 thread made me compare these two Castle subthemes some more, and I thought it could be fun to decide once and for all (in fun and good spirits) which one was the superior theme. I have therefore lined up a series of "battles" between two compareable sets from each line, with the aim to have people vote on each one. Some may not agree with my choices, and indeed many things could have been done differently, but please bear in mind that this is only meant as a light topic in good fun.

Without further ado, I present you the battle lineup:

1. 5615 The Knight vs. 7955 Wizard - Battle of the impulses

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown - Battle of the army builders

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack - Battle of the besieged towers

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Battle of the royal carriages

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - Battle of the evil towers

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle - Battle of the castles

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Joust - Battle of the exclusives

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar - Battle of the holidays

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid - Battle of the wildcards

Let's get reeeeaaaaady to ruuuuuuuuumble!

[Hive]

Here's what I think:

1. 7955 Wizard - Due to being an exclusive not found anywhere else. It's only useful to buy one of them though, much unlike it's Fantasy counterpart.

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack - Simple choice really, due to having an additional minifig as well as a skeleton horse.

3. 7037 Tower Raid - This one was pretty tough for me to call, and if it was possible I'd call it a draw. But since this is a fight to the death, I choose 7037 Tower Raid. Outpost Attack has better colours and minifigs, and I like the design of the catapult more than I like the design of the siege ram thing... but Tower Raid has a better tower and, in spite of not my favourite design, a more impressive attacking weapon. It also has more minifigs. Very close call here.

4. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Win by a landslide here, and I'll honestly be surprised to see anyone choose the chariot. Pretty much everything except the colorscheme on the carriage itself is simply better here.

5. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - While not perfect, Prison Tower Rescue wins by having better colours and a more interesting and "realistic" structure than its' counterpart. I do like the evil wizard and dark red in the Skeleton Tower a lot, though.

6. 7946 King's Castle - King's Castle Siege has better colors and a greater size, but is inferior to King's Castle in every other way.

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village - Pretty much my favourite LEGO set ever, so not much of a battle here. Though I would gladly swap the minifigures of the two sets.

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar - Another tough battle here. I enjoyed both, but found 7979 to be the more diverse of the two. But it's another close call.

9. 7189 Mill Village Raid - I really really wish I could choose both here, as I love both (but sadly don't own Skeleton Ship Attack). MVR wins due to being a rare civilian set with tons of new pieces, though I find the SSA to be a very fresh and different idea with many things going for it as well. And I've always been a sucker for the (unfortunately) rare ship sets in Castle.

So... for me, Kingdoms edges it out 5 to 4. But a very close battle! And it leads me to the conclusion that the last two Castle subthemes have both been excellent, and while I'm still sad about Kingdoms ending, I simply can't wait to see what kind of goodness LEGO brings us next time they revive Castle.

What say you all?

[ihira]

I just got back into Lego mid 2011 so I pretty much missed the entire Fantasy line.

Looking at the catalogue @ brickset really makes me drool of some of the sets.

Kingdom's is alright but imo Fantasy line has so much more cool elements.

Sketelons and the weapons they use, Skeleton horses, Ships, unique designed sets like Skeleton tower, Troll Battlewheel.

I do own both 7946 and 7094 castles and for me its easily 7094 over 7946. I even like the color scheme of navy over red.

Kingdoms seems sort of a more safe approach to what Lego castle used to be; not a bad thing but it was a bit lacking in terms of sets.

Especially the Dragon Knight faction hardly got anything.

[Brickdoctor]

I'm just going to comment on the two exclusives, as the others are System sets of which the only opinion I have concerning them is that I would part them out without a second thought:

As much as I love the remade Falcon Knight in the Joust, I would have to rank the MMV above it. The MMV's buildings are like nothing seen before from Castle sets, unlike the Joust, of which a large part is made up of walls and towers similar to the castles. The MMV's selection of civilian minifigs is also more versatile than that of the Joust. The Joust is a worthy successor to the MMV, but it can't replace it. Though I can't deny that if one had no LEGO at all, the Joust makes a better starter set than the MMV, with small civilian structures integrated into segments of a castle and including royal, armed, and civilian minifigs.

And the MMV introduced cows.

[Vindicare]

Without further ado, I present you the battle lineup:

1. 5615 The Knight vs. 7955 Wizard - Battle of the impulses

7955- Better looking fig

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown - Battle of the army builders

7090- Skeleton horse

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack - Battle of the besieged towers

7037-Troll Tower> Dragon catapult

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Battle of the royal carriages

7188- Far superior carriage

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - Battle of the evil towers

7093- One of my favorite of the theme, evil wizard is seriously bad megablocks

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle - Battle of the castles

7094- Better looking and bigger castle

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Joust - Battle of the exclusives

10193- One of the best sets, hands down

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar - Battle of the holidays

7952-Better figs

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid - Battle of the wildcards

7189- Civilians and CHICKENS/GOATS!!!!

Let's get reeeeaaaaady to ruuuuuuuuumble!

Ding, ding, ding!

Edited January 14, 2012 by Legocrazy81

[Nagyzee]

So... for me, Kingdoms edges it out 5 to 4. But a very close battle!

And that's with you having left out some of the best Fantasy Era sets from the comparison. Namely: Dwarves' Mine, Troll Warship and The Final Joust. Half of my favourite Fantasy Era sets are not even mentioned in this battle.

[Haltiamieli]

As I got back into active Lego madness just when the Fantasy Era sets had vanished from the shelves, I don't have much first-hand experience of that subtheme. Nevertheless I try to be fair in my judgement.

1. 5615 The Knight vs. 7955 Wizard - Battle of the impulses

7955 is a nice wizard (though lack of torso print is a bit unfortunate), but the main problem is obviously that you buy this set once and that's it. 5615 on the other hand... how could you ever get out of any shop without grapping one? By itself it's maybe a bit common (though still a great parts pack!), but by masses... Fantasy Era wins.

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown - Battle of the army builders

7950 is not the most interesting set, but not very lacking in any department either. 7090 certainly has rarer parts, but the crossbow-thing looks a bit awkward and I'm not that fond of skeletons... Kingdoms wins.

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack - Battle of the besieged towers

I like orcs better than skeletons... and the siege tower does look quite fab, except the wheels. The tower looks teeny-tiny compared to it, however. Outpost Attack is a more balanced set, all parts fitting together nicely et cetera. But is something still missing? There's no eye-catcher, really. Joust not withstanding Outpost Attack is the only Kingdoms set I still haven't bought. That's gotta be a sign of something, so by close call Fantasy Era wins.

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Battle of the royal carriages

There's no fight. King's Carriage rolled over the chariot without even noticing. Kingdoms wins.

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - Battle of the evil towers

I quite like wacky design of Skeleton Tower, the skull and the bone cage. And there's a dragon. Prison Tower Rescue is not bad either, I've bought two of them. Hard choice, but this time I go with wackiness. Fantasy Era wins.

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle - Battle of the castles

Both castles look good. But I do like the shape of the newer castle slightly more - especially the prominent gatehouse. It's altogether a little more compact and less airy than Fantasy Era version, which might be bigger but looks more sparse (at least in pictures, that is). Kingdoms wins.

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Joust - Battle of the exclusives

Considering that Medieval Market Village is as near perfection as a single Castle set is likely ever gonna get, there can be only one answer in this category from me, as awesome as Joust is (I'm very anxious to get it!). Fantasy Era wins - though personally I think MMV has so much more in common with Kingdoms than with any other Fantasy Era set that it practically is a Kingdoms set, never mind the logo and the two Crown soldiers. So Kingdoms gets a moral point.

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar - Battle of the holidays

Very hard choice and I really wish I could have gotten Fantasy Era calendar for last year when new calendars were both abysmally bad (for me). But it was so expensive! But I think I lean slightly towards Kingdoms' favour. The variety of scenes included just feels more thought-out and more like an ensemble instead of detached small builds. Kingdoms wins.

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid - Battle of the wildcards

The Skeleton Ship Attack might outshine many other competitors easily just by its subject matter, ships being all too rarely seen in Castle, but against Mill Village Raid? That's a set that's nigh as close to perfect as a normal retail set can get. And while ships are cool, I'm not really that fond of the skeleton ship's design. The Illustrated Oxford English Dictionary could use it as the very definition of the word "truncated". Kingdoms wins.

Counting all that together, Kingdoms wins 5 against 4.

The two themes have very different strongnesses and weaknesses, in my opinion. Kingdoms is quite conformist in its designs: compact, elegant, though-out, beautiful and complete at its best, but middle-of-the-road and dull without that special spark at its worst. Fantasy Era on the other hand is all over the place with its designs, from rather Kingdoms-ish sets like the Drawbridge Defence (but if it was a Kingdoms set, it would include neither the jester nor the golden knight!) to wacky and improbable structures and subjects that simply are not content to be "just" anything, they have to be it 200 percent. Double or quits. It gives a more varied line up with more ups and downs and less average results.

Edited January 14, 2012 by Haltiamieli

[Nagyzee]

Anyhow here's mine take on this comparison:

1. 5615 The Knight vs. 7955 Wizard - Battle of the impulses

5615 hands down as it's a lot more useful. 7955 is one of the nicest wizards so far though.

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown - Battle of the army builders

I like neither. If I had to choose I'd probably go for 7950 as I don't like skeletons.

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack - Battle of the besieged towers

7037 is a million times better. Tower Raid has the best and most functional siege weapon Lego has ever produced. And the tower is neat, too.

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Battle of the royal carriages

I hate royal carriages in general. They do nothing for me. Of the two 7188 is a lot better though. But it's twice the price, too.

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - Battle of the evil towers

Another match-up where I dislike both, as I generally dislike barely-defensible looking evil faction strongholds. My pick would be Skeleton Tower as it at least looks cool despite being not really functional. 7947 doesn't even have the cool look.

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle - Battle of the castles

7094 has the better colour scheme but 7946 is the nicer one by quite a bit. My vote goes to 7946.

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Joust - Battle of the exclusives

10193 with a K.O.

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar - Battle of the holidays

Both were nice. But I have neither. Really undecided here. Draw.

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid - Battle of the wildcards

7189 as I'm a sucker for civilian sets. Despite this 7189 would lose out against both the Troll Warship and Dwarves' Mine for me if it had gone up against them.

So for me it's a draw at 4.5 : 4.5 despite 3 out of my 5 biggest favourites of Fantasy Era not even making it into the poll.

[Hive]

And that's with you having left out some of the best Fantasy Era sets from the comparison. Namely: Dwarves' Mine, Troll Warship and The Final Joust. Half of my favourite Fantasy Era sets are not even mentioned in this battle.

Yeah well it was hard to select the lineup for Fantasy in this battle, with there being a lot more sets than for Kingdoms. I couldn't use the Dwarve's Mine or Troll Mountain Fortress since there were no sets in Kingdoms that are directly compareable (due to only the main "good" faction getting a base there). I did consider using Troll Warship in the wildcard battle, but opted for Skeleton Ship Attack due to loving it a bit more than Troll Warship personally - but I do love both of them. They had to be in the wildcard battle though, since there are no ships in Kingdoms. The Final Joust, I really wanted to include as well - and nearly did. But had to make some tough cut-off choices.

Counting all that together, Kingdoms wins 5 against 4.

The two themes have very different strongnesses and weaknesses, in my opinion. Kingdoms is quite conformist in its designs: compact, elegant, though-out, beautiful and complete at its best, but middle-of-the-road and dull without that special spark at its worst. Fantasy Era on the other hand is all over the place with its designs, from rather Kingdoms-ish sets like the Drawbridge Defence (but if it was a Kingdoms set, it would include neither the jester nor the golden knight!) to wacky and improbable structures and subjects that simply are not content to be "just" anything, they have to be it 200 percent. Double or quits. It gives a more varied line up with more ups and downs and less average results.

Funny that you got the same result as me, though took a different road getting there. Good analysis, I agree.

About the Drawbridge Defense, I was actually very much in love with that set and craved it dearly. I managed to get it early last year, when it was pretty much the only Fantasy Castle set I could still find in any retail shop, and had to have it so much that I made my ex gf bring it back from England to me. ...however, after building it my love kinda vanished a bit. It was a bit wacky structure-wise, and doesn't really fit with anything else. Though I love the colours and the drawbridge itself, and the golden knight is... well, golden. I'm still looking for something fitting to build it into.

Anyhow here's mine take on this comparison:

So for me it's a draw at 4.5 : 4.5 despite 3 out of my 5 biggest favourites of Fantasy Era not even making it into the poll.

I'd say that since it's a tie for you, the fact that your favourite Fantasy sets were not include gives it a tie breaker victory for Fantasy.

[brickmack]

1. 5615 The knight: I like both of them a lot (Though I only actually got the Wizard set...) but The Wizard is only useful to get one, while The Knight is helpful for getting a lot to make an army.

2. Crossbow attack: Better figs, and I like the crossbow thing better than the catapult.

3. Outpost attack: While I like the tower from Tower Raid better, the catapult is better looking in my opinion than the attack tower thing.

4. King's Carriage Ambush: Better looking carriage.

5. Prison Tower Rescue: Better looking, way less huge parts (Dragon in Skeleton Tower for example)

6. King's Castle: Generally better designs I think. Although, I always find LEGO's castles to be a bit bad, since they are so tiny and have missing walls to play inside and such. Easy way for enemies to get it...

7. MMV: Great buildings, plus first set to have cows, and lots of civilians. The Joust set is great as well, especially with that Falcon knight.

8. Castle advent calendar: Better figs I think.

9. Mill Village Raid: Lots of animals, civilians, and better designs than Skeleton Ship Attack. Ship Attack also lost points for the giant hull part used, as I normally hate prefab parts.

While Kingdoms won more in this, I do like Fantasy Castle better. It has better figs I think (And a mix: Humans, Dwarves, Trolls, Orcs, skeletons, etc, vs 2 kinds of human knights.) The MMV also is good enough to add a lot to this theme I think.

[Brinstar]

An interesting topic. I think its quite difficult to compare the two because the fantasy theme, although falling under the castle umbrella was quite different from Kingdoms which felt much more like a throwback to the classic castle sets of yesteryear. Fantasy and had many more sets and thus you could argue more opportunity to make an impression. In reality I think both themes were a great success. Being a classic castle fan, I would have to give the edge to Kingdoms but I understand why many prefer fantasy. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the suggested match ups.

5615 The Knight. I didn't really understand the presence of a wizard in what is otherwise a realistic castle theme. The Knight wins hands down because it is a useful army builder.

7950 Knights Showdown. A tough one to call. I'd give it the knights showdown because the siege weapon is better and although there is one less figure, the two included are knights rather than just the standard crownie grunts included in crossbow attack. The skeletons were not particularly exciting either.

7037 Tower Raid. I actually prefer the Kingdoms outpost to the crownie tower but the orc siege tower is awesome and far more substantial than the dragon knights catapult. The Tower Raid is a much more substantial set and IIRC not much more expensive than outpost Attack.

7188 Kings Carriage Ambush. No competition really. I picked up the Kings Carriage Ambush recently on sale and was really pleased with it, although I understand the original RRP was to high. I still think its a great set and the carriage is one of the best Lego carriages ever. Didn't care for the battle chariot although it came with a good selection of figures for its size.

7497 Prison Tower Rescue. The Prison tower was a good sized fortress for the dragon knights. Its certainly an imposting fortress from the outside, although I felt it could have done with a more substantial interior. I really didn't care for the skeletons and much preferred the orcs introduced later in the theme.

7946 Kings Castle. The Kings castle siege may be larger but I much preferred the Kingdoms castle. It has a proper gatehouse and is aesthetically much more pleasing. A comparison between the open kings tower in the fantasy set with a proper enclosed tower in the Kingdoms version illustrates what I'm talking about.

10193 Medieval Market Village The MMV is a work of art and is rightly considered to be one of the best castle sets ever. Despite the crownies I do think it fits in better with the Kingdoms sets than the fantasy sets. The Joust is also a great set and one I look forward to owning.

The Advent Calenders Nothing to choose between them really, I'll sit on the fence on this one.

7029 Skelton Ship Attack Unlike seemingly most AFOL castle fans, I'm not obsessed with civilian sets. The MMV is a great set and I quite like the Guarded Inn (because it can attach to other castles) but generally much prefer military themed sets. That is what castle is about after-all. The MVR was a decent set but I didn't quite understand the attraction and would have preferred Lego to make a large structure for the Dragon Knights. Despite my dislike of skeletons, the Skeleton ship attack is a great set, both for the ship and the crownie fortress.

I would also point out that there were some great sets from both themes not included in this poll. Most notably the brilliant 7079 Drawbridge Defense and the 7187 Escape from Dragon's Prison.

[fenrir]

A minor debate in the Kingdoms 2012 thread made me compare these two Castle subthemes some more, and I thought it could be fun to decide once and for all (in fun and good spirits) which one was the superior theme. I have therefore lined up a series of "battles" between two compareable sets from each line, with the aim to have people vote on each one. Some may not agree with my choices, and indeed many things could have been done differently, but please bear in mind that this is only meant as a light topic in good fun.

Without further ado, I present you the battle lineup:

1. 5615 The Knight vs. 7955 Wizard - Battle of the impulses

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown - Battle of the army builders

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack - Battle of the besieged towers

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Battle of the royal carriages

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - Battle of the evil towers

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle - Battle of the castles

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Joust - Battle of the exclusives

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar - Battle of the holidays

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid - Battle of the wildcards

Let's get reeeeaaaaady to ruuuuuuuuumble!

Nice topic!

1 the knight, a nice way to expand your knights and weapons.

2 knights showdown. A nice collection of minifigs and shields

3 tower raid, much more playability. Both not looking great though.

4 king s carriage ambush, i think this one looks much better

5 prison tower rescue, looking a little bit more realistic

6 kings castle, this castle has a working porticulis. Not one hanging in the air. Its a more solid and in my opinion better looking castle

7 mmv, I think the joust is More fun to build, mmv looks better on display

8 castle, I love the witch

9 mill village raid. I own both, but the mill village raid is the better set. Skeleton ship attack is a limited edition and a rare set, but mvr is much better.

Castle 3 kingdoms 6

Overall I like the the look of the kingdom line much more. But I like the mmv and the dwarf mine from the castle line and think they are outstanding.

[TheLegoDr]

Having missed the entire Fantasy line and coming back into lego halfway through Kingdoms, this is a tough call other than pictures. I have since purchased all of the Kingdoms sets, but there are quite a few Fantasy sets I would like to have (but I won't be paying aftermarket prices for any of them).

1. 5615 The Knight. Just like everyone else has said, it is a great army builder! As mentioned, I don't have any, but if I would have been doing Fantasy, I would have bought many multiples of this (probably why I have multiples of the archer for Kingdoms...hey isn't that the competition here!)

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack. Simply because you get more figures, plus an undead horse which I could have used for thestrals in HP! But I have multiples of the Kingdoms version.

3. 7948 Outpost Attack. I like the design and colors of the tower better. And I like the siege weapon better than a giant ram. Although, the ram would come in handy.

4. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush. This is a beautiful carriage with great colors. Plus, some much needed tree parts. The price was high, but that didn't prevent multiples on clearance (at a much better price point).

5. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue. Having never seen the Fantasy version, I actually quite like it. But I like the color scheme and build of the Kingdoms version better. I did miss out on those dragons though, unfortunately.

6. 7946 King's Castle. I just finished building it today and it is a very nice structure when you're done. It looks more complete than the Castle Siege set.

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village. Having just built the MMV, I can say I really like it. I like the looks of the Joust set, but MMV does bring about new buildings and a new wave of civilization outside of the king's court.

8. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar. I am choosing this one because it is the only one I have. You did get a good assortment either way, but you get a queen and a prince in this set. That helps beef up the royal family. And a "good" wizard to combat the dragon one.

9. 7189 Mill Village Raid. The fantasy ship was beautiful. I've never seen that before. I really would like to get one/build one sometime now! But MVR has a beautiful barn with some wonderful figures. I had a fun time building that. Plus, the new animal molds and a new horse print seals the deal for me!

Fantasy Era 3. Kingdoms 6. Wow I did not expect that big of a difference between the two. Some of the Fantasy sets weren't included, and of the ones included some were quite brilliant. But I had to choose Kingdoms due to being able to actually see it in person AND I like the design a lot better on those sets. Too bad, Kingdoms didn't have another wave to flesh out some more sets.

Oh well, let's see a Fantasy II happen (outside of LOTR). Probably won't, but oh well.

[Huntleyfx]

2 words, my good sirs, 2 words. Those are, of coarse, DWARF and TROLL. Fantasy wins, hands down for me.

[Weil]

1. 5615 The Knight

5615 The Knight is the perfect army builder but for me the 7955 Wizard could have stole the victory if there had been a little more attention to detail. The lack of printing on the torso of The Wizard and the poor choice of head (with the grey beard showing through over the black beard) in a set focused around this minifigure tips it the other way for me.

2. 7950 Knight's Showdown

Great little set. Both nice minifigures and building element for a set of this price.

3. 7037 Tower Raid

Not the best tower design but I love the siege tower.

4. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush

An easy win here, the carriage is much nicer and the inclusion of landscape is another plus.

5. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue

Again another easy win, the overall design is much nicer.

6. 7946 King's Castle

I don't like the build at the back of 7094.

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village

Both are great sets, but the amount of content in the MMV at the price is unbeatable.

8. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar

Not much in it but for me the Kingdoms calendar overall the has best elements.

9. 7189 Mill Village Raid

7029 has a nice design for the dock area but although I'm really keen to see more medieval ships I'm not much of a fan of this one. In comparison the Mill Village Raid is an all round great set with great minifigures, buildings and accesories.

So on these sets Kingdoms have it 6-3 for me. On overall feel I prefer Kingdoms as well though both are (or rather were ) great themes.

[DaleDVM]

I appreciate the effort Hive, and I do like to debate these type of things. However, I cannot respond to those comparisons because I feel it is fatally flawed.

I am in the camp that some of the best fantasy era sets are not even included. I'm surprised noone has mentioned the Ultimate Castle Chess Set yet? That set was incredible and groundbreaking. I also realize it was expensive and not many people have it.

I feel it almost impossible to compare the two lines. Fantasy era has almost double the sets and it makes it an unfair fight. I also think it is difficult for people to compare when they don't even own all of the sets.

[TeufelHund]

I prefer the Fantasy series to Kingdoms. There was just a bit more variety, imagination and daring to be different about them.

Compare the two large castles - the Kingdoms castle looks good but your Lion knights only have to fend off 3 piddling Dragon knights who have no chance to breach the walls without even a siege weapon to assist, whereas the Fantasy castle comes with a dragon which at least gives the assaulting skellies a fighting chance!

The tower sets are another interesting case - the Kingdoms tower has a catapult to deal with but the Castle one a giant battering ram/siege tower combo that looks awesome and is bigger than the tower it is attacking!

There were other interesting sets like the Battle Wheel, Skeleton Ship, Troll wagon with the meat dangling in front of the troll's eyes to get it to move etc etc. I personally also think that the Crownies look nicer than both the Lion and Dragon knights.

Saying that, I think the second, brief run of Kingdoms sets would be of big assistance to those looking to build generic medieval MOCs - I think Blacksmith Attack, Mill Village Raid and Kingdoms Joust are all very useful sets in that regard.

[Stiel]

1. 5615 Knight vs. 7955 Wizard

5615 is an army builder with good equipment, and even the weapon rack has useful parts if you take it apart. The wizard is 'just' a decent impulse set, not much flexibility there.

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown

7090 had lots of minifigures for a small price. The war machines are not very good in either set, not much of a difference there. 7950 lacks a dragon shield.

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack

Nothing particularly wrong with 7948, it's just poor value for money, what with 3 minifigures and all. 7037 is much better.

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush

I look at 7078 as a figure pack. Admittedly the chariot itself is much worse than the carriage, but the minifigure lineup is better and it costs much less. 7188 is overpriced.

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue

Both structures are good for their purpose, but 7947 has a lot more potential, plus it is also somewhat cheaper. The figure lineup is decent for both sets. This is a close one.

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle

7946 is small and has too few minifigures for a line's big castle. I don't like this tendency. How many figs will we get for the next big castle? 6?

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Kingdoms Joust

Both are excellent, but I will go with the nice houses and lots of medieval fare-style accessories. This is still a close one.

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar

It's close, but I like the civilian minifigures more than soldiers and skeletons in a set like this. The accessories are nice in both sets. This one is also close.

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid

The mill and the barn is excellent and original; the skeleton ship and harbor is nice but somewhat generic.

There should be a distinction between how good a theme itself is, and how good the individual sets of a theme are. While fantasy era had better sets value-for-money-vise, I like Kingdoms as a theme more (e.g. heraldry, color schemes, structures). Also, some of the better sets from both lines are absent from this poll (e.g. 7009, 7091, 7949, 7187).

[Hive]

I appreciate the effort Hive, and I do like to debate these type of things. However, I cannot respond to those comparisons because I feel it is fatally flawed.

I am in the camp that some of the best fantasy era sets are not even included. I'm surprised noone has mentioned the Ultimate Castle Chess Set yet? That set was incredible and groundbreaking. I also realize it was expensive and not many people have it.

Yes, I left out a great deal of very interesting sets from Fantasy Castle - but that's because they had no logical counterparts in Kingdoms to put them up against. The two Chess sets being good examples of that dilemma.

What I did was take parts of the Fantasy line that I felt had fairly compareable counterparts in Kingdoms, and made that basis for an obviously not exactly scientifically discussion that was aimed as lighthearted fun.

[Niku]

1. 5615 The Knight vs. 7955 Wizard - Battle of the impulses

A great impulse set, wich provides lot of weapons and gear, even if you have extra minifigure you could double arm and increase the large of your army.

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown - Battle of the army builders

Same here, two minifigures IMO are always better than a minifigure and a skellie.

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack - Battle of the besieged towers

More figures, and a bigger construction tips the balance on Castle side.

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Battle of the royal carriages

Good design, printed horses and decent trees.

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - Battle of the evil towers

The dragon is cool, but the prison tower although should have a dragon leader, is a better building.

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle - Battle of the castles

The overall aspect of the King's Castle is nicer than the Siege, wich I find a too gray.

And not so eye-appealing.

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Joust - Battle of the exclusives

I can't decide on this one, so it`s a tie for me.

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar - Battle of the holidays

I like the selection of characters.

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid - Battle of the wildcards

New animal molds + civilian set =

[Darth Nihilus]

I'll just comment on one:

9. For sure, the winner is the Skeleton Ship Attack. It was my very first Castle set, and I still have it built. The construction of the ship is, in my opinion, very clever, and it was a very good start to my collection. The other set may have civilians, but the Skeleton Ship has more action, which is what a lot of kids want in a set. It also has those beautiful dual-colored BURPs.

Go Castle!

[morganm]

1. 5615 The Knight vs. 7955 Wizard - Battle of the impulses

- 7955; no contest. Here's why: You get knights like that in tons of other sets. The wizard looks sweet, comes with an awesome familiar, and the printed tile of ossum.

2. 7090 Crossbow Attack vs. 7950 Knight's Showdown - Battle of the army builders

- This one is tougher for me to decide... a draw perhaps? 7090 comes with a skeleton with sweet skeletal horse, 3 minifigs in all, artillery... it's a good set especially for the category of Army Builder. 7950 is just as great though; two knights with one all decked out, catapult, and two minifigs. I guess the tie breaker would be number of minifigs since you called this one 'battle of army builders' and you'd want the most minifig bang for your buck... so 7090 wins... barely.

3. 7037 Tower Raid vs. 7948 Outpost Attack - Battle of the besieged towers

- Hardly a contest here; 7037. Why? It's just more epic. The tower is bigger and the siege weapon is badder... bigger and badder is better! =)

4. 7078 King's Battle Chariot vs. 7188 King's Carriage Ambush - Battle of the royal carriages

- Easily going with 7188 on this one. The set overall is just better; larger scene, carriage is a more interesting design, one more horse, and more interesting bits.

5. 7093 Skeleton Tower vs. 7947 Prison Tower Rescue - Battle of the evil towers

- 7093 is a big win especially for the category of EVIL towers. Honestly the dragon alone draws no contest from the other set but that aside the skeleton tower is much more evil and interesting.

6. 7094 King's Castle Siege vs. 7946 King's Castle - Battle of the castles

- Another tough one here; love them both. I think the dragon will have to be the tie breaker here... 7094 wins.

7. 10193 Medieval Market Village vs. 10223 Joust - Battle of the exclusives

- This one is difficult for me as well. I love them both; very interesting scenes with lots of pieces. Ultimately I think the versatility of the market village is higher but the only thing really exclusive about it is the sum of its parts... you can get any of those parts in a bunch of other sets. Where as the joust has parts that I think you can only get in that set. I guess if I HAD to choose I'd say 10223 given the exclusive nature of some parts and the category.

8. 7979 Castle Advent Calendar vs. 7952 Kingdoms Advent Calendar - Battle of the holidays

- Ugh, I honestly can't decide. Really.. I know some of them are close but nothing about either of these jumps out and says "Yeah, this is better". Sorry... draw... for real this time.

9. 7029 Skeleton Ship Attack vs. 7189 Mill Village Raid - Battle of the wildcards

- Going with 7189 on this one. The ship is rather ugly IMHO. 7189 has a very interesting scene and more versatility.

So lets add this up...

Castle: 4

Kingdoms: 4

Heh.. a draw... I guess I have to score number 8 to to break the draw. However I'm not going to. I think a draw best sums up my opinion about these product lines. They are all awesome and I want them all =)

[K-Nut]

#1: Well, the Knight was certainly a better army builder, but the Wizard is a pretty nice fig, so I say Kingdoms.

#2: Fantasy Era no doubt, two soldiers plus a skelly horse, what's not to love?

#3: Fantasy Era for the more figs and playability.

#4: Kingdoms, I love carriage's more than chariot's.

#5 Fantasy Era, since I'm a sucker for magic.

#6: Fantasy Era because it has a more nique shape to it, unlike the King's Castle, or shall I say, 6080?

#7: MMV. Do you really need to ask?

#8: Kingdoms, since it has some great parts to it.

#9: Kingdoms, since it has peasants!

So, unlike others, Fantasy Era wins, 5 to 4. This may be because of my interests, but who knows?