Original Castle or LOTR?

[Piranha]

A new option has been added for liking them both.

[Vindicare]

Man...some of you have a strong opinion of LotR. All on a few pictures, too. I'm sure the fuel for that fire is simply a love for LotR. There's no idea on how the build will be or the figs/accessories youth raving about. What if those figs and/or accessories are-gasp!- from China. Are you going to come on here and make a stink about it?

I'd like to vote let's wait til they come out to revisit this question. And, I'm not hating on LotR. I'm quite excited about it as well. It certainly looks like it's going to be good. They do have some great figs as well, but so did Kingdoms. The king in 7188, the civilians in 7189. The noble in the advent calendar, just to name a few, are excellent figs.

[Flobnomdob]

Personally, I'd love to see some new licensed themes in castle.

One of the main reasons I disliked Kingdoms was because of the childishness of the design- large wall peices, less attention to historic detail because it was not required, and the buildings where designed like City sets- lots of play value, no story and primary colours all over. What I love about LOTR is the fact that if I want to build a new castle from Helm's Deep it doesn't have to have a red or dark blue roof and either light bley or black walls, but in better colours such as dark tan, dark grey, sand green, dark brown and OLIVE.

What I think the Lego world needs more of is Greek/Roman architecture. We already have the peices but the best way to get them was to get Atlantis sets, with no suitable minifigs or scenery. Also those sets where too obsessed with play value, such as filling half of the City Of Atlantis with a door-opening mechanism. Lego Clash of the Titans?

What we should have is a series of micro- or minifig scale Architecture sets, depicting actual castles. That'd be a dream.

[just2good]

I'm not a big fan of the LOTR movies/books, but the sets look terrific. Compared to Classic Castle, LOTR is filled with castle-like structures, which I love. In Castle, it seemed like a lot of the sets were done over and over again, and only 1 or 2 sets were castles or towers.

That's just my two-cents.

[Ash]

I like some of the Kingdoms sets, but in the UK they were crazy expensive, easily on par with licensed stuff for the most part, so price isn't really the issue for me.

I'm not a big fan of Lego's unlicensed Fantasy themes. They always seemd a bit silly and childish (there's nothing wrong with that of course, Lego is after all primarily a toy for children, this is just a personal taste thing).

I think several of the LOTR sets look really good and it's a license that I, as a fan, am happy to see and would like to stick around for a couple of waves at least.

In general I don't really have a desire for any other historical themes. Maybe a Greek or Roman myths and legends thing could be interesting I guess. Or even something like Pharoah's Quest where modern "adventurers" face of against mythical bad guys in european rather than Egyption ruins.

So in conclusion all of the above... or none of the above... uh, what was the question again?

[gotoAndLego]

LOTR for one important reason, brick-built walls.

[Panman]

I'm looking forward to Lego based on the new Hobbit film, so I can get some more dwarf minifigs.

[Elander]

LEGO produces Castle for more than 30 years...

I think NOW where we have LOTR can LEGO really to grab the chance to develop an ancient theme. Together with LOTR would an ancient theme really work!

Now can the Romans, Hellenes, Spartans, Trojans, Persians, Hittites, Arabians, Barbarians, Briton, Goths, Celts, Germans, Carthaginians, Byzantines... aaaand the Egyptians come!

The list for good sets based of the different cultures is very large...

Chariot races, ancient theatres, gladiator fights, Ancient Olympic Games, bathhouses, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Trojan Horse, Odysseus sailship, the Colosseum, the Karnak Temple Complex, the Pyramid of Cheops, the Acropolis of Athens, the Lighthouse and the Library of Alexandria, a Triumphal arch, a ancient luxury mansion and also a oasis with a luxury tent, the Great Sphinx of Giza, Solomon's Temple by Arabian Nights and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Hannibal with big elephants, the Limes, Hadrian's wall, a Celtic sanctuary with a druid and a small gallic village with some strong warriors .

I would like Roman military engineering:

-Castras, Hellenistic-era warships, siege engines (Roman ballista, The Onager, Scorpios, battering rams and siege towers)

Damn, The Ancient World is amazing!

I vote for more LOTR sets and additional an ancient theme.

[Balthasar]

I've voted for more LOTR since I hope they will continue this theme will continue for at least another 2 years. There are still so many figs and location possible in that theme.

But indeed, I might adore an acient theme about the Romans even more. Preferably with a Romans, Chartagians and Gauls faction. Pretty much all the necessary molds are available already.

[Brig. Brick]

Where are you seeing a clone army in the LOTR theme other than the generic figures?

The only main characters that appear in multiple LOTR sets in exactly the same outfits are Gimli and Aragorn...

~ General Magma

may be not yet, but it's a matter of time

when TLG brings a second (and hopefully a third) wave, the characters will become into a new clone army

like Oky said:

Send in the Clones!

Lego has got to stop putting licensed main characters into every single set or else a different kind of Clone Wars is going to begin...

[General Magma]

may be not yet, but it's a matter of time

when TLG brings a second (and hopefully a third) wave, the characters will become into a new clone army

I highly doubt it - and otherwise they would have different kinds of outfits,

if you've seen the amount of main characters. Perhaps if the theme goes further than 3/4 waves, but other than that, I'm not expecting too many duplicates.

A differently colored cape or, perhaps, the addition of a cape, still doesn't make it a duplicate for me.

Other licensed themes did have this, however that was because the movies they were based on only had one, maybe two real main characters.

LOTR has... lots, unless you don't count Boromir, Legolas, Gimli etc. as main characters.

~ General Magma

Edited April 10, 2012 by General Magma

[CMP]

The most-seen figure in the first wave of LotR are Uruk-Hai - soldiers. At the maximum there's only one perfect duplicate of any main character's figure in another set. If you get every set in the first wave, you'll have 2 identical Frodos, Gimlis, and Aragorns. That's not as nearly as many as any other Licensed theme - in the clone respect, I think this will be going a lot different than others.

[dwarf-brik]

Classic Castle all the way! While I look forward to a couple of waves of LOTR, I really miss Fantasy Era and Kingdoms.

~Dwarf

[questforcastle]

Thank you for an interesting poll. I am torn and would like a middle-ground option as well. As is stands, though, I am voting more classic castle.

I wish there were a "no preference" option. I love LEGO's original castle themes, and was sad to see Kingdoms go. But at the same time I realize that the LotR sets are amazing

Yeah, I think many people may be torn on this one for various reasons. Many LEGO Castle fans may be genuine LOTR fans as well, I know I was both as a child and am both as an adult. So I am interested to see the LOTR sets, especially as the selection continues to grow. The first LOTR LEGO wave does not seem all that impressive, I guess I am waiting for an iconic castle (how about Minas Tirith) and perhaps some larger Shire sets. Having said that, my own LEGO loyalties lie closer to the classic castle, for which the LEGO Kingdoms was a worthy successor.

I guess the best someone like me can hope for is a solid LOTR run, followed by a mighty return of LEGO Castle few years down the road. I'd hate to see LOTR replace LEGO Castle permanently, but for the time being it is interesting.

[Theo]

I would prefer to see a castle line where there is no limit to imagination, than LOTR.

I didn't even liked the fantasy ones (sceletons or those green minifigures which I don't know how they're called)

Sets like the medieval market, or the mill I think where the best because peasants where included. I'd love to see something like that...

Edited April 10, 2012 by Theo

[Faefrost]

Can we hope for something that works well in either environment? Say a really nice "prancing Pony" set done in the style and quality of the MMV? I mean we really do need a good watering hole.

[Nightstalker]

I really like both of them equally, but I would like to see more original themed castle sets because they could do so much with them. I wouldn't mind seeing more sets around elves and orcs/trolls. I also would want to see more original sets because they come with more yellow minifig heads; that's not to say that I'm biased, but some of the flesh colored faces are ugly in my opinion.

[Odin's son Fred]

Do you like TLG's classic original Castle themes such as; Kingdoms, Fantasy Era, etc or do you prefer the new licensed LOTR theme?

This is an easy one for me, I love them both just as much. Castle has always been my favorite Lego theme ever since that Christmas when I unwrapped the Yellow Castle. I see the LotR sets as an extension of the overall Castle theme that will add some diversity to the theme (much like Ninjas, Vikings and Fantasy Era have done in the past). My overall view of the Castle theme has been shaped by many things from the time I was a kid to today with influences including books (like Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, The Chronicles of Narnia and LotR), games (like D&D, Warcraft, Diablo, Sacred and Total Annihilation:Kingdoms) and TV/Movies (like Kingdom of Heaven, Game of Thrones, Dragonslayer, The 13th Warrior and King Arthur). So finding a place for LotR in my Castle collection is no problem.

What do you want to see in the future? A return of the original castle themes? More LOTR? Or perhaps a new historic theme like Western, Greeks etc?

For me, this one is a little more complicated. While I would love to see the eventual return of the "traditional" Castle theme, I would also like to see what else Lego can do with the LotR and Hobbit sets (and I would like to see some battle packs...like I'm sure most would). I would not mind seeing some other historic themes as long as I could merge them in with the Castle theme as well (so Western is out for me). Some other historic ideas (and some that were already mentioned) would include Greeks/Persians (300), Romans (and other groups they fought building the Empire such as Celts, Gauls and Germani to name a few), Chinese, and Norse (although with better helmets than the Vikings line had). And if TLG wants to throw in some of the mythology from those groups, I'm cool with that.

[fred67]

Now that we have seen pictures that give us a pretty good feel for the new LOTR sets, I think it would be a good time to discuss which theme type we prefer.

Do you like TLG's classic original Castle themes such as; Kingdoms, Fantasy Era, etc or do you prefer the new licensed LOTR theme?

What do you want to see in the future? A return of the original castle themes? More LOTR? Or perhaps a new historic theme like Western, Greeks etc?

I must have missed this thread a long time ago...

That's a really hard choice for me. Frankly, I "discovered" a love for LEGO Castle during Fantasy Era, and was sorely disappointed we didn't get an elf "faction" before it ended (now we know why, I think). When they switched to the latest Kingdoms, I just wasn't really that enamored with the sets. I finally figured it out - the only reason I liked it was because of the fantasy aspect.

So I can't really choose the "classic" themes, because out of all of them the Fantasy Era is the only one I really liked. I am a huge LOTR fan, but wouldn't want them to do LOTR forever, either.

Frankly, I would have been just as happy if they'd continued Fantasy or, in the future, did Fantasy II (with elves).

I don't think I'd like Western or any ancient themes... I like the architecture, but I wouldn't get into those kinds of sets.

[Nom Carver]

I prefer an original castle fantasy theme, but I cant deny my hopes to see the Balrog or Sauron incarnated into LEGO form

[thornie]

LEGO produces Castle for more than 30 years...

I think NOW where we have LOTR can LEGO really to grab the chance to develop an ancient theme. Together with LOTR would an ancient theme really work!

Now can the Romans, Hellenes, Spartans, Trojans, Persians, Hittites, Arabians, Barbarians, Briton, Goths, Celts, Germans, Carthaginians, Byzantines... aaaand the Egyptians come!

The list for good sets based of the different cultures is very large...

Chariot races, ancient theatres, gladiator fights, Ancient Olympic Games, bathhouses, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Trojan Horse, Odysseus sailship, the Colosseum, the Karnak Temple Complex, the Pyramid of Cheops, the Acropolis of Athens, the Lighthouse and the Library of Alexandria, a Triumphal arch, a ancient luxury mansion and also a oasis with a luxury tent, the Great Sphinx of Giza, Solomon's Temple by Arabian Nights and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Hannibal with big elephants, the Limes, Hadrian's wall, a Celtic sanctuary with a druid and a small gallic village with some strong warriors .

I would like Roman military engineering:

-Castras, Hellenistic-era warships, siege engines (Roman ballista, The Onager, Scorpios, battering rams and siege towers)

Damn, The Ancient World is amazing!

I vote for more LOTR sets and additional an ancient theme.

I have been saying this for years. The Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians are amongst the most prolific builders in human history. The wonderful diversity of myths and historical events from each of these cultures is enough to drive countless amazing sets. Yet TLG has always refrained. Imagine a UCS Coliseum? or a Roman fort? What about the Olympian gods? Sooo much good stuff. It's so much of a no brainer that I HAVE to assume that TLG has already thought of putting these out and has decided to hold back for some unknown reason. Perhaps the themes are too explicitly historic? I've noticed that all of TLG's "historic" themes are all somewhat ambiguous. "Imperial Soldier" as opposed to French Legionnaire, or the "Lion" King as opposed to Richard the Lionheart. To my knowledge TLG has never done an actual historic set, just romanticized elements from the past. Because of this, something tells me they never will. :(

Regarding Classic Castle vs. LoTR... My vote stands clearly with the Castle theme. I love LoTR, I've read all the books and even the expanded fiction such as the Silmarillion. I'm just not crazy about these sets. The minifigs are amazing no doubt, I just find the sets to be kind of bland. I love to build classic castles, with draw bridges, keeps, towers, etc etc. Medieval history is my favorite period of all. LoTR just does not fill that void. There are no classic medieval elements in LoTR other than swords and shields. The design of the world is much more fantastical than medieval.

I really hope LoTR sticks around long enough to get cooler sets like the white tower at Isengard or Minas Tirith, or Minas Morgul! I just hope it doesn't stick around at the expense of Kingdoms/Castle. For me, those are two different itches that need scratching.

[dyntar]

Classic castle all the way.

I bought the LOTR dvds and figures when they came out... But after reading the books .sigh... the books were painful to read... so long and soo boring. It really turned me off everything LOTR

Roll on 2014 when we have a return to actual castle sets instead of overhyped overpriced Lego sets.

The only thing that interests me about the whole line is the new horses.

[LRDark]

Roll on 2014 when we have a return to actual castle sets instead of overhyped overpriced Lego sets.

Now I can understand disliking Tolkien's writing, as he was a very long-winded fellow. Personally, I love his writing, but to each their own. However, I don't believe in the slightest that these are overhyped, nor that they are overpriced. Sure, there is a whole lot of talk going around about this line, and it should come as no surprise. AFoLs have been begging for this line for years now, and the sets have just about everything expected from a first-wave LotR Lego line; it seems to be only missing Saruman. The amount of attention it is receiving from adults shouldn't be shocking in the slightest; it is a classic toy for a classic novel.

The point about being overpriced is also rather odd, unless Australia has a sever increase in price in relation to past castle lines. Gandalf Arrives comes with the largest price per piece ratio I believe (using US pricing as that's what I know), at roughly .156, which is only a sliver worse than previous sets. All the others seem to be average to above average, at .103 for the Mines, .116 for Weathertop, .109 for the Forge, .116 for the Army, .088 for Shelob, and .095 for Helm's Deep. Going by .100 as the base, as that seems to be average with previous sets, these measure up completely in regards to their pricing, especially considering that they are a licensed product, which tend to be more pricey; these, however, are not. They may not be cheap, but that does not necessarily translate to them being overpriced.

Edited May 5, 2012 by LRDark

[Ultron]

Classic castle all the way.

I bought the LOTR dvds and figures when they came out... But after reading the books .sigh... the books were painful to read... so long and soo boring. It really turned me off everything LOTR

Roll on 2014 when we have a return to actual castle sets instead of overhyped overpriced Lego sets.

The only thing that interests me about the whole line is the new horses.

So you don't like LOTR because you found the books boring? That's sad because they were fantastic. Some of the best literature around. Personally I like the new LOTR theme better than castle. The castle sets just weren't that great. I did enjoy knights kingdom when I was younger though. But the original castle, not so much.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

I guess that I love the original castle theme, even though I don't own any sets, because I think that we saw more complete castles and very interesting sets. However, LOTR is a fairly faithful reproduction of a classic literary work, and I love it mainly for that reason. Therefore, I like both as much.

Nevertheless, I would like to keep seeing more LOTR. I would love it if we got a Mount Doom scene.