Which one is the better castle?

[jngunsw]

pls let me know if i miss out any :)

I hv included the 7019 Viking set because, although it is not in the castle theme, it is essentially a castle - for the Vikings....

i reckon the 7019 Viking Fortress is the best and i am going to buy it....it's something refreshingly new.... and lego needs a theme like this.... just can't wait till it's available in shops...

the 8877 Vladek's Dark Fortress (2005) comes very close.... quite a few new tricks......although the two big swords at the gate are silly (I just don't see the point), it's still way better than the Castle of Morcia (which doesn't hv a proper "backside")

generally speaking 2005 has been a good year for Lego.... the new city series (police/ fire/ construction) are way better than the ones in the 90's and big castle sets this yr is better than last year's.

I hope this is a turning point rather than just a nice moment for my adored Lego company....

end of my lecture ;)

[The Middleman]

I also think the Viking fortress will be the best of the lot - largest castle set ever at 1019 pieces (much larger than Vladek's Dark Fortress, which was the previous champion), and $10 cheaper to boot. Also, it has better figures - with VDF, you get 3 Shadow Knights, the Teletubby knights, and Vladek. The Viking fortress gets you all six varieties of Viking and a dragon.

[Mister Phes]

How many Vikings in total?

[The Middleman]

How many Vikings in total?

Six - one of each. Probably the reason it's over $20 under piece/price.

[jngunsw]

here is another issue.... would you prefer identical minifigures in the castle theme (like the old classic medieval ones - where all the pawns hv the same torso except the general) or different unique minifigures (like the knights kingdom n viking warriors where no one has identical torso)....

my opinion is that i prefer consistency.... when you hv a large army (i.e. a collection of minifigs) it's very important for them to hv the same uniform (ie torso) to be realistic.... that's where i think the knight kingdom series has failed... too many heros... but unrealistic bcos you've got to hv pawns in the castle theme

may be i will make viking an exception bcos of the nature of its theme.... no- one really expects the viking warriors to hv the same uniform... i suppose.... (the Viking fans can enlighten me the historical facts on this one)

[The Middleman]

Vikings usually specially crafted their armor, helmets, and even weapons depending on their status or experience, and of course how rich they were. They were more diversified in their armor than most medieval armies. I can't wait to have my own chaotic Viking army. :-D

I think for something like a Roman theme, strict uniformity should be maintained. I don't know about using that universally through castle, though - sometimes diversity in the ranks is good.

[Mister Phes]

I agree that consistency in uniform is good, but it becomes quite monotomous when each figure has the same face. I like variety in my faces - otherwise it looks like an army of clones!

However, if there is no official uniform then have as many different torsos as possible. So stepping into my area of expertise. The Imperial Guard soliders should all have the same uniform, but the higher ranking officiers should have different uniforms depending on their rank. But doesn't matter with the pirates as they can have as many torsos as they like. The more the better in fact. There's no need for any two Pirates to be wearing the same clothing.

But alas, I do not have enough knowledge of castle matters to relay this in a Castle example...

[Cyclonis]

Yes, Same armour, but different faces are the way to go.

[gylman]

The Vikings seem an obvious choice. Flat base, more interesting figs, new theme, more pieces, LESS money. Duh!

The only thing about the Viking castle is that it looksl ike a very basic construction - just some walls basically. I would have hoped for a more complex build. Vladek's castle may win on that account. Hard to tell from the pictures, I must admit.

Neither of them hold a candle to 6090, 6080, 6085, 6074 - smaller, yet more elegant, and less "accessories".

I'll be buying both for sure, but hey, I buy anything TLC makes almost, even when it is lousy.

Gyl

[jngunsw]

I'll be buying both for sure, but hey, I buy anything TLC makes almost, even when it is lousy. 

how could TLC lose $$$ when there r fans like these?

;) keep it up... i hope u don't break yr bank....

[Heeck]

The Viking Fortress, obviously. It has a completely flat set of plates (modularity, anyone?) and is bigger in piece count. As said, it has more value to it for the price that it costs. The Vladek Castle looks good for KK2, I'll admit. However, to be honest with you, I wouldn't pay more than $60.00 tops for it. It just went on ebay the other day factory sealed for about $80.00 after shipping. Also, in TLC's press release, the Viking fortress is fully articulated, allowing one to form the structure in the way that he/she pleases.

[Mister Phes]

I'm going to reserve my vote until I see a photo review. Vladek's Castle looked alot better in Bloody Jay's photo review than it did in the images I'd seen previously.

[jngunsw]

can't wait to see a photo review as well.... i m sure the days are numbered ;)

viking viking viking.... awa awa awa....

[christopher110]

I voted for 8877 Vladek's Dark Fortress because it's the biggest castle set ever (according to www.LEGO.com). It has a very evilish look.........

I didn't vote for 7019 Viking Fortress because I prefer the previous design of it (the preliminary one).

Actually, both are great sets.

Play on. . . . . .

[venvorskar]

I voted for Vladek's Dark Fortress, beacause it is very useful in the pieces department; and I love the silver spekled armor.

[prateek]

Citadel

[The Middleman]

Citadel

Do you even have any of the others...?

Anyway, after seeing both VDF and VFvsFD, I confirm that I think the latter is the better.

[xwingyoda]

Its hard to decide since I only have the Citadel !!!!

However I chose the VDF because I just love all the black parts of this castle !!!!! I had to choose this criteria since it was not a theme based question ;)

I hesitated with the Viking Fortress because of all the "wooden parts" !!!!!!!

[WesternOutlaw]

I have a few but not the Viking fortress yet. It's probably a toss between Vladek's Dark Fortress and the Viking Fortress; but in terms of castles, the Viking Fortress is in a category of it's own (like Fort Legorado but released before the millenium).

I vote for the Dark Fortress pending purchase of Vikings.

[WesternOutlaw]

The Harry Potter Hogwart's castle should probably be a choice as well, although I would still vote for Vladek's.

[Sir Kohran]

I'd say Vladek's Dark Fortress. It's he biggest Castle set ever released, has more minifigs than the Viking Fortress Against The Fafnir Dragon, (six Vikings to eight Knights) and has a better colour scheme. Plus, it has those totally awesome rainbow Knights. ;)

[christopher110]

The Harry Potter Hogwart's castle should probably be a choice as well, although I would still vote for Vladek's.

I totally agree with you if you were referring to the castle of HP III. ;)

[MattZitron]

Even though its not TECHNICALLY a castle, I just got the Dragon Fortress and was really impressed.

It looks great, and actually uses the baseplate really well.

I just love those steps at the front.

[christopher110]

Even though its not TECHNICALLY a castle, I just got the Dragon Fortress and was really impressed.

It looks great, and actually uses the baseplate really well.

I just love those steps at the front.

I planned to build my 7419 into a 3-storey fortress. However, I haven't started anything yet. :-D