Future Castle Sets?

[x105Black]

Exactly. (Which is why someone like me buys a new line of Castle despite having stacks of the stuff from over the decades.) You can't easily DIY a new line of minifigs, crests and accessories (and have them look any good).

True. Also, while the CMFs have given us some new Castle minifigures, they are few and far between. A new line of Castle could provide a lot of great minifigures.

[BrickJagger]

True. Also, while the CMFs have given us some new Castle minifigures, they are few and far between. A new line of Castle could provide a lot of great minifigures.

And, right on cue, three excellent new Castle figures pop up.

I'm sure that you'll like the new skirt and mace pieces, and maybe you could use the Scary Knight's shield as heraldry for designing a new faction, as suggested earlier.

[Ql97]

And, right on cue, three excellent new Castle figures pop up.

I'm sure that you'll like the new skirt and mace pieces, and maybe you could use the Scary Knight's shield as heraldry for designing a new faction, as suggested earlier.

Indeed, I will be purchasing several of each. The Knight will be like the Highlander. I went around to my Target and Walmart, and bought every one they had each time they got a new shipment. I deprived a lot of kids from getting the full series.

On a related note, I just realized that Robin's hair from NK is perfect for Bain.

Well, maybe not perfect, but a lot better than the hair Lego decided to use.

[x105Black]

And, right on cue, three excellent new Castle figures pop up.

I'm sure that you'll like the new skirt and mace pieces, and maybe you could use the Scary Knight's shield as heraldry for designing a new faction, as suggested earlier.

Well there are certainly a few that will be useful. But 3-5 minifigures twice a year is hardly enough to satisfy the Castle audience (or at least me). I'm not too keen on the bear heraldry, personally. It's like the boar, in that I like that they are releasing new heraldry but I don't really like what they've picked. I actually see this as more of a remake of Santis from KK2, which doesn't really say much, although I like this far more than Santis. I'd like to see more generic shield designs that are not tied to a specific faction, to be honest.

But yes, this series has some nice minifigures and I am certainly happy. I will be getting several, with duplicates of some. If only they would use some of these great ideas to produce Castle themes and sets.

[Blakstone]

What do you think about the rumored CMF Direct 2 Consumer (D2C) set? If it was a Disney one, I would have thought it would be tagged as Disney. Perhaps we could get a nice D2C Castle. That might be a good way to provide classic Castle fans a set while Nexo Knights run.

[x105Black]

That would be an excellent gesture on their part, but I highly doubt it. In fact, I think the bear on the Knight's shield is their way of sticking it to classic Castle fans. It's like a reimagined Santis bear from KK2, the most reviled of all Castle themes (when it is considered to be one).

[Lyichir]

That would be an excellent gesture on their part, but I highly doubt it. In fact, I think the bear on the Knight's shield is their way of sticking it to classic Castle fans. It's like a reimagined Santis bear from KK2, the most reviled of all Castle themes (when it is considered to be one).

Wouldn't a more castle-ish version of a heraldic emblem that was previously only been available in KK2 be a good thing for castle fans who disliked that theme? Or are the animals used for those characters somehow forever tainted by the association with that theme?

Sometimes I don't understand Castle fans at ALL.

[gedren_y]

KKII the worst? Please! The main complaint about the theme was the overly colorful knights, which is easily remedied by simply changing out some parts. I currently have a fig that uses the Sir Santis armor, and would gladly give the new CMF shield to him. The new knight fig can have one of my Sir Kentis shields. The theme got progressively better in the fig department. Sure Morcia was poorly executed (though still better than KKI), but the idea of a major castle that could be recolored to suit the faction was great.

KKI was far worse. Sure, Lego gave us their first warrior princess, but the sets were structurally pathetic. The bad guys, of which there were only three, only had siege machines (a lot of them) and one dragon. The structures were overly simplistic. The King's sigil was a pretty bad reuse of the Royal Knights' lion (which I actually liked) on the blue and yellow background.

I still say that any future historical/fantasy line during Nexo Knights (if we get one) would be something other than medieval Europe.

[Sorrelon]

Or are the animals used for those characters somehow forever tainted by the association with that theme?

All of them are okay for me. Well, all of them except Rascus' heraldric emblem. Monkey heraldry? Seriously, Lego?

But, other than that, they have bear, falcon, wolf, scorpion, unicorn and snake as heraldic emblems, all of which fit perfectly good for any medieval fantasy setting.

[Murrig Icehammer]

...

I still say that any future historical/fantasy line during Nexo Knights (if we get one) would be something other than medieval Europe.

That's an interesting thought.

But i can't see any non european medieval theme they could come up with at the moment.

Middle east has been done with Price of Persia line and the mummy/pharao quest line (whatever that was called. Both wheren't especially successful afaik) and the far east is covered by ninjago (roughly). So i don't think that they would consider a feudal Japan or historical China themed line.

They could create a India centered theme, but i'm not so sure about it tbh.

Another option would be ancient greece or rome, at which i would favour ancient Greece because there's much more potential for mythological creatures and gods.

Mongols or Aztec also come to my mind but they could easily be too bloody for Lego.

To me a ancient Greece inspired theme would be the best and most interesting sollution.

It would offer a lot of different factions (city states), mythological monsters and LOTS of possibilities for heroic themed sets.

I'm sure Lego only has license to peter jackson Tolkien movies, but i'd love to see some Silmarillion themed sets (e.g. Beren and Luthien or the children of Húrin).

[Umbra-Manis]

I'm sure Lego only has license to peter jackson Tolkien movies, but i'd love to see some Silmarillion themed sets (e.g. Beren and Luthien or the children of Húrin).

YES! Those sets would be awesome!

[x105Black]

That's an interesting thought.

But i can't see any non european medieval theme they could come up with at the moment.

Middle east has been done with Price of Persia line and the mummy/pharao quest line (whatever that was called. Both wheren't especially successful afaik) and the far east is covered by ninjago (roughly). So i don't think that they would consider a feudal Japan or historical China themed line.

They could create a India centered theme, but i'm not so sure about it tbh.

Another option would be ancient greece or rome, at which i would favour ancient Greece because there's much more potential for mythological creatures and gods.

Mongols or Aztec also come to my mind but they could easily be too bloody for Lego.

To me a ancient Greece inspired theme would be the best and most interesting sollution.

It would offer a lot of different factions (city states), mythological monsters and LOTS of possibilities for heroic themed sets.

I'm sure Lego only has license to peter jackson Tolkien movies, but i'd love to see some Silmarillion themed sets (e.g. Beren and Luthien or the children of Húrin).

Ancient Greece or Rome would be my preferences if they are to leave medieval Europe. This is mostly because they are very similar in style and the weapons, armor, and helmets created for such themes would be useful for medieval European Castle characters. Also, any other creatures like Satyrs, Minotaurs, and the like would fit in well. For me, they would even be preferable to goblins, trolls, and skeletons. The next most applicable theme would probably be Vikings.

My builds are mostly relegated to medieval European styled fantasy, and I see that as the crux of Castle.

Sets based in the far east (feudal China or Japan) wouldn't feel like Castle, although they would be much closer than some futuristic medieval hybrid. I would say the same of sets based in India, the Middle East, Africa, or the Americas. Would I welcome them? I would, as they would be the closest thing we would get to Castle sets and they would be likely to provide many useful parts and minifigures. In fact, I think India and pre-Columbian America could be a lot of fun, and provide some really nice, fresh, and vibrant variation to TLG's lineup of themes. But any of these just wouldn't feel like Castle themes in the same way that traditional medieval European fantasy does and they shouldn't be considered as such in my opinion.

Now some Silmarillion sets would be fantastic. I'd definitely be interested in seeing some of those. I think the Tolkien themes are some of the best Castle-related themes there have been. Great choices on detail, color, and overall style make these far more desirable to me, even without the licensing.

[Murrig Icehammer]

Ancient Greece or Rome would be my preferences if they are to leave medieval Europe. This is mostly because they are very similar in style and the weapons, armor, and helmets created for such themes would be useful for medieval European Castle characters. Also, any other creatures like Satyrs, Minotaurs, and the like would fit in well. For me, they would even be preferable to goblins, trolls, and skeletons. The next most applicable theme would probably be Vikings.

My builds are mostly relegated to medieval European styled fantasy, and I see that as the crux of Castle.

Sets based in the far east (feudal China or Japan) wouldn't feel like Castle, although they would be much closer than some futuristic medieval hybrid. I would say the same of sets based in India, the Middle East, Africa, or the Americas. Would I welcome them? I would, as they would be the closest thing we would get to Castle sets and they would be likely to provide many useful parts and minifigures. In fact, I think India and pre-Columbian America could be a lot of fun, and provide some really nice, fresh, and vibrant variation to TLG's lineup of themes. But any of these just wouldn't feel like Castle themes in the same way that traditional medieval European fantasy does and they shouldn't be considered as such in my opinion.

I agree.

It's not only about the time period or the fact that it is simply "historic" themed. A castle line without any connection to ...well... castles, knights and medieval europe just doesn't work imo. But that doesn't mean a different theme wouldn't work per se, i'm just talking about a possible castle line.

To be honest i tend to think Lego designers feel somewhat restricted when designing castle sets, maybe by adding a science fiction element (or some other goofy stuff) they think to have more options to create exciting stuff for kids.

Anyway, to get around that "problem" is to add some fantasy elements. (at least dragons or mythological creatures fit more seamlessly into such a world than technology imo). Maybe kids aren't thrilled by the thought of building "boring" medieval villages where nothing happens (in their point of view). So adding some fantastic elements could be used to fill the gap between what many AFOLs are looking for and what kids like.

Maybe a renewal of the Vikings theme (including their mythology) and integrate it into a more fleshed out castle line would be doable. (btw i loved the thought of Vikings vs Orcs , which was way more refreshing than generic knights vs orcs. but that's just my personal taste. )

Instead of restarting Lego castle over and over, they could add more diverse cultures and factions.

But they should keep things vague enough to leave it to each one which faction is the good one and which one isn't. This would also keep the line interesting and they could add more and more sets that kids would want to have.

They could even include some Lego Chima or similar animal like cultures (similar to the TES universe), there are so many possibilities, without getting into the realm of goofyness .

(Btw: They COULD create nice Castle sets without taking a sidestep to sci fi, without any problem. They just need to take a look at the various proposed castle set by some forum members!)

...

Now some Silmarillion sets would be fantastic. I'd definitely be interested in seeing some of those. I think the Tolkien themes are some of the best Castle-related themes there have been. Great choices on detail, color, and overall style make these far more desirable to me, even without the licensing.

That's true.

To be honest i don't really care if they are explicit movie licensed sets or not, but the style of LotR and Hobbit sets is the best i've seen in any Lego castle set line.

I wish that a future castle line (fantasy related or not) would have such a level of detail and atmosphere. I'm not sure if it's possible but i wish they would just keep releasing similar (but more generic themed) sets just without the license of the movies, since they have the molds and all the other things needed to produce it.

I think it'd be a big letdown if some future castle line would fall back to the use of textbook knights and generic styled weapons, Minifigure torsos and the mandatory pricess in a cage which is hanging at the bad guys tower....

[Sorrelon]

*snip*

My thoughts exactly! A human blacksmith crafting weapons might be boring for a kid, but replace it with a dwarven blacksmith and suddenly they like it better, even if the rest of the set doesn't get major changes.

[BrickJagger]

My thoughts exactly! A human blacksmith crafting weapons might be boring for a kid, but replace it with a dwarven blacksmith and suddenly they like it better, even if the rest of the set doesn't get major changes.

Yessir!

We have way to many blacksmiths in the Castle line already, as it seems Lego thinks there was only one job back then. However, since they aren't going to change their ways anytime soon, a blacksmith of a different race would be welcome.

[Lyichir]

Yessir!

We have way to many blacksmiths in the Castle line already, as it seems Lego thinks there was only one job back then. However, since they aren't going to change their ways anytime soon, a blacksmith of a different race would be welcome.

I'm sure the reason for the plethora of blacksmiths is that blacksmiths played a much more directly essential role for knights and military than other professions like, say, a cobbler, or a cooper. It's like saying "Here—we know he's not wearing armor or using a sword, but he can MAKE those things for the knights!"

Unfortunately, kids just aren't that interested in the more mundane aspects of medieval life, so unless you can make that as relevant and interesting to them as the classic knights and kings and wizards and jesters, it's hard to justify a lot of emphasis on the peasantry. Which isn't to say that Lego hasn't done admirably at that with rare sets like the Mill Village Raid. But scarcity works in their favor.

On another note—yesterday I finally finished the game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D after having it for a while. Out of curiosity, how would the Castle fans react to a Legend of Zelda theme if it somehow took shape after so many failed Lego Ideas projects? Would it scratch that medieval fantasy itch? Or would its "videogaminess", pointy-eared heroes, and tendency to feature ruins and dungeons over actual castles be a turn-off? Personally, I think it would be pretty cool.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Lyichir

[MAB]

It's been a while since I read this thread, so these are replies to rather old comments.

I apologize, but I can't take this argument any more seriously than all the moms and dads who stubbornly believe that basic brick buckets are the ONLY sets that encourage creative play and that any other kits stifle it by teaching kids to only build what's in the instructions. If kids or adults want to use these named characters as generic characters, or even mix-and-match them to create new and unique characters, there's nothing stopping them. But giving the characters names and identities gives kids another level on which to relate to them, if they prefer that. It's not "dumb", it's just a different type of play that involves plenty of creativity in its own right. From my experience, things like character names and backstories generally don't stifle creativity, but rather jump-start it.

I agree with this. One of my kids loves Chima. He saw a couple of episodes online (we don't get it on TV here) and didn't really like it. But he loves playing with the animal minifigs and vehicles. He makes up the stories perfectly well. Some lions are good, some bad. Some of the crocs are good, some bad. And so on. He can of course refer to the "official" story if he wants to and make up action based on what he has seen, or he can completely ignore and make up his own stories. He prefers the latter.

If they put out a Lord of the Rings set with Eowyn, or a nice Witch King, or some Gondor soldiers, I'm sure it would sell. LEGO lacks confidence, though.

I'm not sure it would. It would sell to people who already have LOTR, but it would lead to confusion to others. Why make a single set with Eowyn and Witch King when customers cannot buy Frodo and the other Hobbits, or Aragorn, or Boromir, etc. To get shelf space, a small set needs to be part of a range. Major retailers here in the UK dumped Hobbit sets (50% off within weeks of release). Whether that was on lego's orders or their own, I don't know. But they wanted rid of the Hobbit quickly. I doubt they would buy into a single small LOTR set.

[x105Black]

On another note—yesterday I finally finished the game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D after having it for a while. Out of curiosity, how would the Castle fans react to a Legend of Zelda theme if it somehow took shape after so many failed Lego Ideas projects? Would it scratch that medieval fantasy itch? Or would its "videogaminess", pointy-eared heroes, and tendency to feature ruins and dungeons over actual castles be a turn-off? Personally, I think it would be pretty cool.

Personally, I'd be a huge supporter of this. I love the Legend of Zelda games (particularly A Link to the Past), and would buy many sets based in this world. It is a great series, and would translate well into LEGO.

I'm not sure it would. It would sell to people who already have LOTR, but it would lead to confusion to others. Why make a single set with Eowyn and Witch King when customers cannot buy Frodo and the other Hobbits, or Aragorn, or Boromir, etc. To get shelf space, a small set needs to be part of a range. Major retailers here in the UK dumped Hobbit sets (50% off within weeks of release). Whether that was on lego's orders or their own, I don't know. But they wanted rid of the Hobbit quickly. I doubt they would buy into a single small LOTR set.

I wasn't thinking of a small set. I was thinking of a few sets. But you may be right. The market at large has probably moved on from Tolkien sets. I still think that those characters that have yet to be made would be immediately purchased by many fans of Castle and Lord of the Rings, though, and I would love to see them someday.

[BrickJagger]

Personally, I'd be a huge supporter of this. I love the Legend of Zelda games (particularly A Link to the Past), and would buy many sets based in this world. It is a great series, and would translate well into LEGO.

Yeah, but they would be fleshies.

[Lyichir]

Yeah, but they would be fleshies.

That'd definitely affect the figures' faces (and pointy ears, where that applies), but many of the characters wear full-body clothing (like Link) or have non-human skin tones (Ganondorf, Zoras, etc.). And of course, Lego is about more than just figs—the parts would probably be as useful for Castle MOCists as themes like Lord of the Rings.

[BrickJagger]

That'd definitely affect the figures' faces (and pointy ears, where that applies), but many of the characters wear full-body clothing (like Link) or have non-human skin tones (Ganondorf, Zoras, etc.). And of course, Lego is about more than just figs—the parts would probably be as useful for Castle MOCists as themes like Lord of the Rings.

Fair enough, but let's say Lego discontinues Nexo Knights and replaces it with Zelda (Never going to happen, but whatever). Instead of a rift between Old School and New School Castle fans, there would be one between Pro-Fleshie and Anti-Fleshie fans. That's a whole nother can of worms, isn't it?

[MAB]

I wasn't thinking of a small set. I was thinking of a few sets. But you may be right. The market at large has probably moved on from Tolkien sets. I still think that those characters that have yet to be made would be immediately purchased by many fans of Castle and Lord of the Rings, though, and I would love to see them someday.

The problem is it is only existing fans that would buy them (at least initially at full RRP). It's getting people that didn't originally buy into LOTR lego to buy them that will be tricky if it is known that there will be no other new sets containing eg. the Fellowship. I would also love to see them, but I doubt it will be through regular sets. The only real hope is through Dimensions now.

[x105Black]

The problem is it is only existing fans that would buy them (at least initially at full RRP). It's getting people that didn't originally buy into LOTR lego to buy them that will be tricky if it is known that there will be no other new sets containing eg. the Fellowship. I would also love to see them, but I doubt it will be through regular sets. The only real hope is through Dimensions now.

I would be happy with Dimensions releases, so long as there are releases. But actual sets are an obvious preference.

[Lyichir]

Fair enough, but let's say Lego discontinues Nexo Knights and replaces it with Zelda (Never going to happen, but whatever). Instead of a rift between Old School and New School Castle fans, there would be one between Pro-Fleshie and Anti-Fleshie fans. That's a whole nother can of worms, isn't it?

I mean, Castle fans in general didn't make much of a fuss about the fleshies in Lord of the Rings. Unlike Nexo Knights (which forced Castle fans to really examine what made castle themes castle themes), the debate over fleshies is basically old news. People who like them like them, and people who don't either reject them or grudgingly accept or modify them.

That said, regardless of when Nexo Knights ends, I seriously doubt it would be to make way for a licensed theme. Lego has never directly replaced a "big bang" original IP with a licensed equivalent. And Zelda specifically doesn't really have any more in common with Nexo Knights than it does with Elves, so I don't see why any theme would have to end to make way for it.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Lyichir

[Wodanis]

I think our question to this thread has shifted. We should ask is the traditional Castle theme relevant to today's kids? Nexo Knights obviously modifies Castle to a Sci-fi theme to make it palpable. Personally I would love the traditional Castle theme to return. I have no time for indulgences in discussions about Zelda (never will happen, it is a zombie issue) nor LOTR (a licensed theme that has run its course).

I love my classic Castle, but do kids want to play with this theme the way we used to? Is it a case of kids preferences today or the lack of providing a great theme to get kids interested in it? I think the latter is a more risky strategy so TLG takes the former strategy and produces Nexo Knights, Chima, Ninjago etc. I sincerely wish we had a full fledged Castle theme without gimmicks but I don't think TLG see enough of a market for it with kids today. I don't really know what our answer will be for whether we will have Future Castle sets but it doesn't look like anything is on the horizon for awhile unless Nexo Knights fails...