Nexo Knights 2016

[Rayskull]

I think it's really presumptive of people to go on a diatribe when members of Lego come to visit us. Kind of like telling the President you don't like his policies when he visits your town in person.

[Mandate]

I think it's really presumptive of people to go on a diatribe when members of Lego come to visit us. Kind of like telling the President you don't like his policies when he visits your town in person.

So... what exactly would be wrong with telling the president you don't like his policies? Sure, it's a bit rude, but would you rather people bow down and lie about their feelings or have them be open, but respectful, about their views? People are free to agree or disagree with LEGO's choice when it comes to labeling Nexo Knights as Castle. The opinions of those that agree are just as valuable as those that disagree. It's actually better to discuss stuff like this when LEGO's employees are present than when they are not, because it gives designers insight into what the fans think about upcoming products and allows changes to be made in the future. This allows for change to occur when needed, and it helps to see LEGO as human rather than some robotic corporate entity.

Heck, it could be worse. No one is demanding the return of Alpha Team, Exo Force or some other discontinued line.

[x105Black]

I see a lot of comments early in this thread where people were excited for a steam punk twist to castle, but that would be mixing modern day with Victorian technology AND then mixing that with castle. Instead Nexo Knights takes castle and magically twists it with modern-ish technology. If anything this is castle-punk (though I prefer cyber-castle as a term).

I do get the issues some people have with this as a 'castle' theme, I build castle for fun myself, hell I've won classic castle competition categories in the past, but as a LEGO theme it needed a shake up, to be reinvigorated, to bring in a whole new generation. In 10 years there will be so many new AFOL castle builders who look at this as their gateway. Plus we love the old stuff, look out for our easter eggs.

A steampunk Castle theme would be more reasonable, but I wouldn't have imagined anything modern day about it. I thought it would just be a bit of steam powered medieval tech, still in a medieval setting. The first steam engine was invented in ancient Greece, if I remember correctly. You'll also notice that some people weren't happy about that, either. And the technology here in Nexo Knights seems a lot more futuristic than modern. I appreciate the term cyber-castle. It feels much more appropriate than Castle.

I also understand that the Castle theme needed some reinvigoration. I would have hoped it would come from something like Forestmen or Wolfpack, both because I loved those themes as a child, and because it would be different from the last few waves of medieval Castle that we've seen, always focused on the Kings, knights, and jousts. I hope that a new generation of Castle fans emerges from this, rather than a new generation of sci-fi or cyber-castle fans, but I'm happy that it's getting fans either way.

The same members who are trying to tell the designer of this Castle theme that it isn't a Castle theme, even though he says it is.

I don't think anyone's trying to tell him that, or really arguing that fact with him at all. At least I'm not. We're just explaining our own feelings about what this feels like to us. If LEGO considers this a Castle theme, that's fine. I can understand how they could make that distinction, as it's taking a lot of familiar Castle elements and updating them into a cyber-castle theme. I can also understand how Castle fans see it as something else, because of the technology, cars, flying robots, transforming motorcycles, mech suits, downloads, holograms, robot chefs, lasers, hoverboards, etc.

I'm just waiting to see if Merlok gets a computer virus and turns evil. That guy basically controls all the tech. He just needs to find a way to get a physical form...

That would be a really cool storyline, and I hope they use it if this show gets additional seasons. He could be a cool villain. And I'd really like a minifigure of him in his physical form (trans preferred over gold). If that happened, I bet he would turn red or red-orange.

[Wardancer]

Is there a picture of the backside of a shield sigil?

[x105Black]

Is there a picture of the backside of a shield sigil?

The thing that fits into the shield? I haven't seen one, but I do believe it looks like the top of a plate.

[TPLSTER21]

Wow, lot's to digest now that all of the sets (excluding the ultimates) have been revealed. Here are my thoughts/observations:

Several of the lava monster vehicles are actually other creatures or creature/vehicle hybrids. The catapult, lava smasher, flyer in 70324 all look like they are alive and feature eyes, mouths, teeth and you could even say limbs. As opposed to Chima where the vehicles were mechanical but based on the tribes, these things look like they are actually alive!

I think that the Nexo Knight's shields are supposed to power their vehicles as all of the vehicles seem to have a space for the shields to be displayed prominently as opposed to just a place to store them.

70310 & 70311:

These are small army builder type sets. Too bad they don't include a Nexo Knight and instead have only generic "Knighton Kinghts". Stud launcher crossbows for lava monsters look cool. 70310 has the friction disc launchers featured in Ninjago's 2015 summer wave. Nothing much else to say. Pretty basic sets.

70312:

This thing has grown on me. Looks like the flick fire missiles in the prelim have been removed. Key feature is the transformation from motorcycle to horse-mech. Ultimately, these 2 mode sets seem to sacrifice something from each mode in order to achieve the transformation feature, so it will be interesting to see a review on this one. Lack of a buildable model for the lava monster somewhat hampers the play-ability of the set.

70313:

Hammers can move forward and back as well as up and down. Also has a small catapult on the side. Again, no secondary model for Aaron.

70314:

Horse-hover-bike thing looks interesting. Model's main play feature looks to be the opening/closing of the mouths when the thing is pushed along a surface. Also has a catapult. This main build looks to be more targeted at a younger audience than some of the other builds and looks more like a "comic relief" villain vehicle to me.

70315:

Really nice looking build. Much better than the prelim. You can tell that the 2 robots are riding mini bikes that can be ejected from the front of the vehicle and that Clay's giant sword thing is an aircraft that can also detach from the main body. After those 3 vehicles are detached, it looks like the remaining frame might be another vehicle making this a 4 in one build! Very interested to see what else this thing can do. But again, no secondary model for the lava monsters.

70324:

Looks like a set that is composed of leftovers from other sets. Apparently it can connect to Fortrex which I guess is its main feature. Lava monster flyer looks cool.

70325:

Lava monster looks cool. Hammer has a disc launcher on top. Knights bikes feature their colors.

70327:

Really nice looking mech. Left hand "shield" is a vehicle for the king and has 2 stud shooters on the front. Also looks to have a cape on the back that might deploy into a pair of wings/glider.

So, no 70326?

Will be interesting to see just when we will see these on shelves. A January 1st "Official Lego Release Date" usually means that other retail outlets will get them 2-3 weeks beforehand, so might see these in December....?

[8BrickMario]

70314:

Horse-hover-bike thing looks interesting. Model's main play feature looks to be the opening/closing of the mouths when the thing is pushed along a surface. Also has a catapult. This main build looks to be more targeted at a younger audience than some of the other builds and looks more like a "comic relief" villain vehicle to me.

Unfortunately, the mouths need to be opened manually. The domes are on click-hinges, and not attacked to a mechanism as far as I can see.

[Dannylonglegs]

Unfortunately, the mouths need to be opened manually. The domes are on click-hinges, and not attacked to a mechanism as far as I can see.

Are you sure? I got the opposite impression? I think they open as you roll it. They are hinge connected, true, but what they connect to is attatched to some mechanism I think.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[DarthBrickus]

The thing that fits into the shield? I haven't seen one, but I do believe it looks like the top of a plate.

I thought is was the opposite side?

The Studs should be on the Shield, right?

[8BrickMario]

The pentagonal crest is a 3-D tile that attaches to the studs of the shield piece.

[SerenityInFire]

We don't talk about...... *Shudder* ...................Mega Man X8

I just want to say that Mega Man X8 is a very good game. Not as good as the 2D MMX games, but it's still good. You might be thinking of X7, where it had auto-aiming and obnoxious 3D levels.

To stay on topic, I'd say Fortrex is a castle. It's just that it's on tank treads.

[maginnster27]

I thought is was the opposite side?

The Studs should be on the Shield, right?

Well in the Fortrex and that large lave monster set, the shield piece seem to be attached to normal brick unless the sets would use this piece-

I just want to say that Mega Man X8 is a very good game. Not as good as the 2D MMX games, but it's still good. You might be thinking of X7, where it had auto-aiming and obnoxious 3D levels.

Yep, that's the one............................*Shudder*

[Rayskull]

So... what exactly would be wrong with telling the president you don't like his policies? Sure, it's a bit rude, but would you rather people bow down and lie about their feelings or have them be open, but respectful, about their views? People are free to agree or disagree with LEGO's choice when it comes to labeling Nexo Knights as Castle. The opinions of those that agree are just as valuable as those that disagree. It's actually better to discuss stuff like this when LEGO's employees are present than when they are not, because it gives designers insight into what the fans think about upcoming products and allows changes to be made in the future. This allows for change to occur when needed, and it helps to see LEGO as human rather than some robotic corporate entity.

Heck, it could be worse. No one is demanding the return of Alpha Team, Exo Force or some other discontinued line.

I should think that having a representative... wait a designer of Lego personally visit us and weigh in is going above and beyond the call of duty. Forums typically are over negative in nature, so, to jump at the chance to disagree with someone from our favorite company when they decide to bravely Wade into the forum waters is a good way to keep them from returning. They don't have to be here our opinions are extreme and not as important as you might think when their main market is children. So yeah go ahead disagree and show contempt when designers come around, they might not check in on us later.

[kabel]

So yeah go ahead disagree and show contempt when designers come around, they might not check in on us later.

that's a weird understanding of democracy, don't you think? After all we're custumers each spending hundreds if not thousands on this here hobby. So why can't we say what we want for the money that is helping to pay for the designers' saleries?

[ZORK64]

SerenityInFire has beaten me to it, but yeah, Mega Man X8 was a fairly decent game. Mega Man X7 (where Axl debuted) though was pretty much terrible, as it was a poorly-designed mash-up of 2D and 3D with sluggish controls, horrible gameplay ideas (like being knocked to the ground when hit, civilians with perma-death who are vulnerable to anything spawning right in front of enemies and the poor balancing between its characters) and overall an ugly aesthetic.

Back on topic: The axe blade used by Nexo Knights Axl is a new mold, right? Just wanted to make sure if that is really a new piece or if it's old and I just somehow missed it the 1000 times it was already used.

As for the critics, it kind of depends on how deliver it, and if it's too negative, it can indeed hurt the forum in one way or another. I could tell you a story that kinda fits with that kind of thing, but it's very off-topic, so I'll box it.

You see, aside from LEGO, I generally like poseable figures, so when I got interested into figures for video game and anime characters (thanks to TOMOPOP), I began to look around for forums to discuss these kind of figures. Eventually I found a nice little forum, in German even. So I joined, and everyonce in a while, I discussed various figures with the members there.

However, two very common issues in the "poseable figure" section were either a complete lack of interest into the figures, or complaining about poseable figures with their ugly joints. And with the time, that kind of stuff becomes just demoitvating. I still check it every once in a while, but it's rarely nowadays.

So joining this discussion just to complain about how terrible those sets look is neither nice nor helpful. It's fine not to like it, but expressing this dislike should be done with manners I think (and there are a fair share of nice and well-written comments expressing this in a tactful manner).

[BrickJagger]

^ Agreed. This is a public forum, so everyone can share their opinion, positive or negative, but calling another man's hard work "Eye Cancer" (As done in another thread) is going to far.

If you really hate something that strongly, then you should probably go to another board to talk about something that you actually like or go back into your dark ages if you so feel.

[kabel]

As you may remember, Lego went almost bankrupt around 2000 when they tried to do stuff "kids really want" and steered far away from their classic themes. I'd hate to see that happen again.

As for my language, I get your point and edited my post.

[Dannylonglegs]

Agreed, I think we should keep the dialogue respectful, especially since the designer who worked on most/all of these models is actually listening to all of our complaints. I personally love Mark's work, and I have never told him this, since I never actually speak directly to any of the Lego employees (knowingly), but since he's here, I just have to say, while I don't completely adore the theme, I love his work! I'm mostly looking at the theme from the position of a purchaser (mostly of parts and figures for use in my own MoCs), and less from the position of an admirer of the art of these sets, which is why my own criticisms may be misleadingly negative.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[Brandysnaps92]

I quite like Nexo Knights.

Is it what we wanted with all the hype around fantasy era coming back, or even just a better quality castle them, no its not.

But if you forget about all of that and look at this with a fresh viewpoint and be open to the idea of sci-fi mixed with knights and castles and stuff like that, and keep in mind the target audience. Its actually pretty cool! And as some people have said, the villains look pretty bad megablocks.

When I look at Lego sets I think of stories and the possibilities that it has, so when I looked at the first Nexo Knight pictures, I saw the classic but reliable good vs evil, but also saw other dimensions such as different tribes or groups of people (Defined by the shield emblems) coming together to defeat a threat. And maybe these groups of knights are normally against each other - the whole the enemy of my enemy is my friend concept. Or maybe the 'good' guys have taken the 'bad' guys land and the bad guys are fighting back making the good guys the bad guys and the bad guys the good guys.

Whatever it is I think it proves the point that this series, while it is not what a few AFOL's wanted, it will capture the minds and imaginations and as a result, purchases of a lot of kids and AFOL's.

As for the design of the sets: I like them because each knight has their own colour and style to a point but there is an overall theme/motif for the good guys - the same goes for the baddies however less of their own colours, just their own bad megablocks style. And the 'sci-fi-modern-medieval' is growing on me.

Can't wait for more details on the series!

Also the new pieces in this series will be able to be used for heaps of things. Already the shield pieces have been used in next years Modular Brick Bank as floor tiles

[maginnster27]

so everyone can share their opinion, positive or negative, but calling another man's hard work "Eye Cancer" (As done in another thread) is going to far.

If you really hate something that strongly, then you should probably go to another board to talk about something that you actually like or go back into your dark ages if you so feel.

Oh God, what Thread was that in, Just out of Personal Interest.

SerenityInFire has beaten me to it, but yeah, Mega Man X8 was a fairly decent game. Mega Man X7 (where Axl debuted) though was pretty much terrible, as it was a poorly-designed mash-up of 2D and 3D with sluggish controls, horrible gameplay ideas (like being knocked to the ground when hit, civilians with perma-death who are vulnerable to anything spawning right in front of enemies and the poor balancing between its characters) and overall an ugly aesthetic.

Back on topic: The axe blade used by Nexo Knights Axl is a new mold, right? Just wanted to make sure if that is really a new piece or if it's old and I just somehow missed it the 1000 times it was already used.

Yeah sorry, my mistake, and to my knowledge that piece is new for the Nexo Knights Line (As in the Axe piece, if that was Unclear)

[anothergol]

Ok, as good as Kingdoms was, not every Castle theme could be like it

They can't just keep rebooting the same thing over and over again. They have to try new stuff each time, otherwise people will get bored of the theme. And sometimes we like it, and sometimes we just don't. That's it.

Why? Kids grow up, Lego's target is always the same, kids, but never the same kids.

Trying new stuff to avoid boreness is something you do for adults, but this theme is clearly not aimed at adults at all.

I come back to Lego after over 20 years. Never had a big castle (not the money for that), but lots of small sets of the 1984 theme. I come back early this year and realize that luckily there's still a castle theme going on, that it still has the same spirit, but it looks "meh" and I find out that I missed the best one by a few years, the Kingdoms one. So I don't buy the 2013 one and decided to wait for the next one and well, looks like there will be no next one.

I don't think people are angry at this theme claiming to be a "castle" one, it's just that by being one, it replaces the real castles and there won't be any for many years.

..which is still ok if there's a licensed theme to replace it, but LotR has kinda faded out.

And maybe that's also why Lego concluded that kids weren't interested in castles anymore? IMHO it was conflicting with LotR, and if I'm a kid and I'm hesitating, I take the fantasy theme.

Edited October 12, 2015 by anothergol

[Aanchir]

As you may remember, Lego went almost bankrupt around 2000 when they tried to do stuff "kids really want" and steered far away from their classic themes. I'd hate to see that happen again.

As for my language, I get your point and edited my post.

Everybody seems to have their own idea of what it is LEGO did wrong in the early naughts that led to them nearly going bankrupt, but it feels like very few people actually know all the facts. Trying to do stuff kids really wanted isn't what caused that crisis at all. In fact, one of the problems is that they didn't listen to kids and instead stuck to a "designers know best" attitude, releasing sets without first taking the time to optimize them through research and focus testing.

Actually listening to kids, including kids who they didn't take seriously as potential LEGO buyers before, helped them to create the Bionicle theme, one of their most unequivocal successes of the time, and the only successful theme they had in 2003 when they nearly went bankrupt. Bionicle was not remotely a "classic theme", but if the LEGO Group hadn't taken a risk and invested in it then they would not have survived the decade. The development process for Bionicle provided a roadmap for future innovations, including "big bang" themes like this one.

I encourage you and any AFOL interested in learning about this period in the LEGO Group's history to read the book Brick by Brick by David C. Robertson. It's an amazing book that goes into great detail about what the LEGO Group did wrong in the late 90s and early naughts, what they did right to recover from that crisis, and what they learned from the experience that continues to guide their more recent innovations.

[8BrickMario]

Oh God, what Thread was that in, Just out of Personal Interest.

Brick Bank's, I believe.

I think this theme is shaping up to be one of my favorite in-house themes. While several of the sets fail to appeal to me (Merlok's library especially, it's too basic), many of them do. I admire the creativity around this theme, and I'm sure it will be a hit with kids. Which. you know, is kinda the point, guys. I like the character designs and all the new molds. We've needed a better boo piece ever since the original one was made.

Overall, I eagerly look forward to this theme. It's a lot of fun, and I appreciate the designers that made it a reality.

Also, if you're listening, please give us a real Merlok figure in the future!

[Lyichir]

Are you sure? I got the opposite impression? I think they open as you roll it. They are hinge connected, true, but what they connect to is attatched to some mechanism I think.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

Take a look at where the click hinges attach—they're attached to Technic bricks that seem to be able to hinge open, which in turn are attached via chains to a round brick on a turntable. It looks like by rotating that brick back and forth, you can alternate which of the "heads" is opening its mouth. Unfortunately, I don't think that function is driven by movement of the vehicle—I can't see any way that that round brick could be connected to any sort of wheels or the like on the underside.

[The_Fiery_Rooster]

How much will the ultimate sets cost? If it's just a figure with a large backpack ,than I'm not paying more than 5 dollars for each.