Future Castle Sets?

[gedren_y]

TRU is in such a tailspin that they probably aren't going to get exclusives anymore, so there is that opening. I wouldn't worry about retail stores not carrying toys based on licenses from Amazon's media productions. The licensing percentage is generally covered by mark-up for Lego. Any large chain stores are not likely to forego profits because of licensing percentage.

I doubt Amazon's LOTR will be licensed, though, given that the target audience is expected to be adults.

[Artanis I]

Plot twist: Lego release an historic theme called "Amazons" - exclusive to Target

[thetang22]

9 minutes ago, Artanis I said:

Plot twist: Lego release an historic theme called "Amazons" - exclusive to Target

This gave me a good chuckle :)

[Ravelino]

I just hope they come up with something to build up your villages and (generic) armies supplying the customer with a few fairly brick intensive buildings ie Millraid and that 3739 blacksmith like houses for a butcher or a new inn, some castle and wall sets that hopefully boycot the use of those huge window walls or BURPS as much as possible, and ofcourse lots of smaller army and people builder sets with some machines/vehicles/animals for the €15-€30 euro range and army builder packs ranging from €5-€15.

I'm not even hoping for a MMV like thing with two houses that'll cost too much just one or two €40-€60 sets per wave so it can be a large present for people who can't afford the €90+ castles and still want to build up some city walls or castle gate.

Ofcourse a CMF line in such a theme wouldn't be too farfetched then would it?Imagine 16 different historic minifigs in one box maybe even from different era's but why not just different Knights, maybe some solo vagabonds or (anti)heroes, some (lesser) royals, peasants, merchants, maybe a butcher or a hunter, etc? infinite possibilities

And if you do some kind of mix up make it look cool and not childish and completely beyond absurd like Nexo Knights

Yes lego is for kids, but my 8 year old cousin rather plays with my old 80's Knights or my own "Space-Knights" than with the Nexo Knights minifigs because "they look more like real people even though you have ghosts"

Anyway looking at the Ninjago Movie sets and the increased quality of the Modular and even the other themes..IF TLC decided to do a medieval/historic theme in the upcoming years I think there would be enough in it to satisfy both the younger and the older children and maybe even us critical AFOLS

[Aanchir]

My biggest worry about castle and wall sets trying to eschew BURPs and castle wall panels is that I remember as a kid how instrumental those sorts of parts were in helping me to MOC my own castles. Actually planning out your MOCs before you build them is beyond the skill level of many KFOLs, and if you build the perimeter of your castle only to discover that you don't quite like the shape or the size it's incredibly liberating to be able to just snap away a few wall segments and snap them back on in a different orientation, instead of having to undo layer after layer of individual bricks.

That's not to say you can't have great, versatile sets without wall panels. I loved how the Soldier's Outpost and Soldier's Fort from the 2015 Pirates lineup used Dark Red masonry bricks in place of the printed or stickered wall panels of past Pirates sets, and even as recently as 2013, The Gatehouse Raid was largely panel-free. But for bigger builds, castle wall panels are a tremendous boon.

[The_Cook]

It's also ease of buidling. The target market for Castle has always been the younger demographic and the use of the large panels makes it easier for them.

It's also creates bulk, volume, without and extraordinarily high brick-content. Castles are supposed to be impressive, big things, but Lego need to do that in as few bricks as possible to make them cost effective hence the use of panels and in the early day's raised baseplates.

[gedren_y]

This panel in gray would be best for an outer curtain wall.

[Artanis I]

I find the detailed rock formations to be very tedious during the build of an official set. Same with the detailed walls. (Helm's Deep, Kingdoms Joust etc)

Fine if it is your own creation (especially if you are totally making it up as you go), but following instructions for actual sets is sooo dull and repetitive. Give me a couple of burps or wall pieces to mix in.

[x105Black]

I agree.  I don't have as much a problem with BURPs as I do with wall panels, though.  Still, I do like wall panels enough.  I just want to see Expert level builds in Castle, and those do not use panels.

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, x105Black said:

I agree.  I don't have as much a problem with BURPs as I do with wall panels, though.  Still, I do like wall panels enough.  I just want to see Expert level builds in Castle, and those do not use panels.

I’d argue that depends a bit on the set! It’s true we haven’t seen the castle wall panels specifically in Creator Expert (as far as I remember), but we have seen the even larger 1x6x5 panels used as windows in sets like the Grand Emporium and Downtown Diner, not to mention as walls in the Disney Castle. I think an expert-level set could get away with using the castle wall panels if it had enough other complex details to keep the build from having a monotonous look or building experience.

[MAB]

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I’d argue that depends a bit on the set! It’s true we haven’t seen the castle wall panels specifically in Creator Expert (as far as I remember), but we have seen the even larger 1x6x5 panels used as windows in sets like the Grand Emporium and Downtown Diner, not to mention as walls in the Disney Castle. I think an expert-level set could get away with using the castle wall panels if it had enough other complex details to keep the build from having a monotonous look or building experience.

Also take a look at Orthanc, one of the better and more detailed (non-Castle) castle sets ... there are the 3x3x6 corner panels, 4x3 panels, a 6x5 panel. Of course, it makes sense here as they are stickered for decoration.

Edited April 16, 2018 by MAB

[x105Black]

Valid points.  I was mostly talking about the Creator Expert Modulars when I mentioned the panels, but still, you guys bring up reasonable arguments.

[The_Cook]

On 15/04/2018 at 1:41 AM, gedren_y said:

This panel in gray would be best for an outer curtain wall.

Looking at the Brickset review for 75933 T.Rex Transport your wish has come true. Looks like just 4 in the set; a MOC castle from these might be an expensive proposition.

[gedren_y]

Not really when you consider that two of those covers the same space as three of the 4x5 panel pieces. It also gives additional architectural detail, and it removes the unprotected windows.

[ratjag]

Ideally, I would prefer a new piece that’s somewhere between a BURP and a wall panel.  A large-scale panel with a few stud and/or SNOT attachment points that can be used for either architectural or textural detail.  As I imagine it, it would allow customization and playability while still maintaining low piece counts and price points.  (I’ve also long wanted a better tree trunk option for similar reasons).  

[Artanis I]

these allowed for side studs, clips, bars etc that you could attach anything to. You could put any modified plate or brick in the corners and use them as an anchor point for decoration, greeble or whatever snot work

[x105Black]

You could use this one:



It comes in black as well.  Maybe if it was in gray and tan colors, that would be better.

[BrickJagger]

10 minutes ago, x105Black said:

You could use this one:



It comes in black as well.  Maybe if it was in gray and tan colors, that would be better.

That looks a little too futuristic for a regular Castle though, even in those colors. I'd have to see it used in a MOC or something first.

[x105Black]

23 minutes ago, BrickJagger said:

That looks a little too futuristic for a regular Castle though, even in those colors. I'd have to see it used in a MOC or something first.

I think it could work well if done properly.  I bought a good few of them in black from Bricks & Pieces a while back, but I have yet to use them.

Also, I'd imagine them for a fantasy themed Castle more than a historic one.

Edited April 18, 2018 by x105Black

[MAB]

You can also use a regular panel with any of the large number of different shaped brackets, so long as you level off with plates.

[Aanchir]

I was just browsing old Castle sets to see if I could find any inspiration for an Elves MOC and something unusual occurred to me. For all the complaints I see about baseplates being so scarce these days, it turns out that they were fairly scarce in a lot of classic Castle sets as well. Furthermore, the more LEGO incorporated baseplates in sets of the late 80s and early 90s, the more they shifted away from the modular interlocking designs that characterized many beloved classic castle sets like Guarded Inn, Blacksmith Shop, Black Falcon's Fortress, etc.

That being said… would you like to see modular designs again like there were in 2010 and 2013, or have those worn out their welcome? As much of a soft spot as I have for modularity, some of my favorite recent castles have been ones like Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle and The Goblin King's Fortress that have more of an all-in-one design with a fixed layout, similar to classics of the late 80s and early 90s like Forestmen's River Fortress or Black Knight's Castle. And yet, modular designs make it so much easier to make improvements to the sort of castles we've so often come to expect which are missing important features like places to eat, sleep, board horses, forge weapons and armor, etc. Modular designs also have lots of lasting play value.

[The_Cook]

The raised baseplates were typically used by the flagship set in the line; not just Castle but Pirates, Space and Adventurers as well. Packaging cost may well be the driving factor here you need a large enough set with a big enough box to be able to accomodate a raised baseplate.

I'm not sure that I agree with your conclusions on the similarities between Ragana's or Goblin King's and the earlier River Fortress or Black Knights castle. Whilst all four given examples are "unitary" builds rather than "modular" the principle differentiating feature for me is that the modern sets are designed as a "wall", there is a front and a back with easy equal access for play on both sides. The older sets; both the ones cited and the modular sets are designed as "enclosures" that contain a space. I wouldn't be surprise if TLG has done extensive research with focus groups and they've found that the "wall" plays better than the "enclosure" because it's more accessible.

The nice thing about the original 6080 King's Castle and 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress were that whilst they were "enclosures" they could be opened out via their hinges to become a "wall"; I miss that from the more recent 7946 King's Castle and 70404 King's Castle where the lack of articulation in the modular pieces within the large set constrains the set as a whole.

[BrickJagger]

Now that the Lego Movie 2's title has been revealed, I expect that we'll get a trailer of some kind in the near future. Crossing my fingers for a Castle themed set, especially if Lego decides not to make a theme for next year. Since the last movie was five years ago, I expect there to be new heraldry of some kind for the Castle figs. 

[x105Black]

10 minutes ago, BrickJagger said:

Now that the Lego Movie 2's title has been revealed, I expect that we'll get a trailer of some kind in the near future. Crossing my fingers for a Castle themed set, especially if Lego decides not to make a theme for next year. Since the last movie was five years ago, I expect there to be new heraldry of some kind for the Castle figs. 

Same, absolutely.  I'm eager to see what's in store (or what will be in the stores).

[Digger of Bricks]

2 hours ago, BrickJagger said:

Now that the Lego Movie 2's title has been revealed, I expect that we'll get a trailer of some kind in the near future.

Typically posters closely follow behind teasers/trailers within the same week, so I'm hopefully expecting to see our first teaser for the sequel attached to Solo, which is releasing this weekend. 

2 hours ago, BrickJagger said:

Crossing my fingers for a Castle themed set, especially if Lego decides not to make a theme for next year. Since the last movie was five years ago, I expect there to be new heraldry of some kind for the Castle figs. 

Well, given the "Space Action Musical" precedent hinted for this one, I'm expecting even less of a presence for the Classic Castle theme compared to the first movie, which strangely wasn't much to begin with then anyway.