In Memoriam: Remembering Nexo Knights

[Robert8]

It seems it was yesterday when we first heard about a new castle theme that was supposed to be a spiritual successor of Fantasy Era (2007)

That theme turned out to be Nexo Knights

Now, the theme has ended after 5 waves in 3 years. So, I thought it would be nice to share our thoughts on the theme as a whole and its cancellation

Edited February 5, 2018 by Robert8

[chubbybots2]

I am sad that it ended early, my son and i loved the sets and story. As for the parts the nexo knight battle suit cockpit piece was godsend for mech mocers, not to mention the new nexo tile shields and the nexogonal shields!! 

[pawcanada]

While I didn't personally bother with the full sets much (although I do have and like the six mechas from 2017), I was a fan of this line. I really liked the designs of the characters, seeing it as a "Lego Super Sentai" due to the team size of five (with a teased "sixth ranger") and everyone having a unique colour and signature weapon. As with Ninjago, I really liked the "brick build" approach for the weapons, especially Macy's maces and Lance's lances, as well as some of the new parts, such as the axe head, sword blade and small spikes. I really hope these get used more in future lines so we can get them in different colours. I also quite liked the enemy mooks during the first two years, as well as the knights. I'm not normally one for army building but I enjoyed collecting all the slight variants, as well as mixing and matching any that I feel were too similar.

As a fan of elemental based powers and parts, I also love the new ones we got in the first two years. Granted fire and lightning are elements I feel are overplayed and boring, but the new flames and bolts were still a nice addition in general, and I look forward to seeing them used in other sets and colours in the future. Like many others, I do wish we got the water - especially as it's my favourite "classical element" - and wood enemies shown in the book, as I'd have loved to see a what new parts were made. Maybe some kind of "water jet blast" similar to the Y2 lightning bolt and a new kind of whipping vine or perhaps "razor leaf".

I do also agree with some about how garish the colour palettes were. I like both orange and gold but feel them mixed with a neon version of the knight's signature palette was off putting. As an artist looking into complementary colour palettes for things like character design, a few were painful to look out as they "broke" the rules I try to follow. On a more nitpicking level, I also wish that Robin had "grown up" and become "the sixth ranger" much earlier than he did, mostly as I like consistency with my figures. I'd have also preferred it if his 2018 design was revised to fit in more with the other knights, i.e. detailing on the torso and legs and having gold hands and belt, again, due to my preference for having consistency in figures. The last two are things I can change myself (and am in the process of doing), but it felt to me like they made him "the sixth ranger" at the last second, not bothering to change his appearance much to help unify him with part of the team. While I did like the idea of Axl being a bulky figure, I do wish we got a "normal" version of him at some point as well.

Edited February 5, 2018 by pawcanada
Expanding on some of my previous points, and adding in some I missed out.

[ZORK64]

Nexo Knights caught my interest for it's healthy dose of interesting constraction monsters, mechs and the blend of space and medieval themes, giving many characters a Space Marine vibe which I really like.

As a MOCist, I liked the sets I got for the unique and interesting parts that got produced for the series, but aside from that, I'm okay with the series ending.

[Dr.Cogg]

I got into the theme for the villains, because to me they are some of the best looking fantasy villains we have gotten in lego, I'm just bumbed we didn't get one or two more sets to finish off this wave (like a Virus Vampire Castle with Human Monstrox, Infected Knighton Soldiers and maybe a new brick built monster).

[Littleworlds]

31 minutes ago, Dr.Cogg said:

I got into the theme for the villains, because to me they are some of the best looking fantasy villains we have gotten in lego

Oh yes. Especially the Lava Monsters have quite a look and work so well in a classical fantasy-context too!

Apart from that I wasn't that impressed with the theme really. The colour scheme for the good guys was always a bit too in-your-face, as well as most of the set designs in general. If it would been just a little bit more medieval... 

[Robert8]

I loved the lava monsters, but I found the lighting rock monsters to be kinda plain

They should have re-used the year 1 villains (Lavaria, Flama, Whiparella, etc) for year 2 but transformed into lighting monsters

[3797]

... said no one ever.

I'm honestly surprised that the theme lasted this long. Huge dissapointment after hearing about that mysterious new Castle theme for weeks/months.

[BrickJagger]

43 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

I loved the lava monsters, but I found the lighting rock monsters to be kinda plain

They should have re-used the year 1 villains (Lavaria, Flama, Whiparella, etc) for year 2 but transformed into lighting monsters

That wouldn't have worked imo. No need to repeat the villains for a second year, even if they are different variants. I don't think kids would like that a whole lot and having a whole other set of Stone Lieutenants (Ruina, Reex, Roog, Rogul, Krakenskull and Garg) was probably for the better. I think that Roberto should have been made into a figure, and that Jestro shouldn't have been a bad guy again after year 1. The Stone Monsters also should have received a base; that abandoned city they came from would have made for a nice $40 set.

[FortNerd]

The best thing about it was the bad guy designs. I am a bit dissapointed we will never get the forest monsters... I was also able to find one unexpected use for the shield in my upcoming MOC, but, other than that, I won't miss this theme and I'm curious about what will replace it.

[Digger of Bricks]

I only hope that we will continue to see the introduction of more new parts consistent with the Nexo Knights design aesthetic, as that was one of the best parts of the theme for me. Perhaps we could see a new Space theme in the near future that takes after Nexo Knights, because I want to see more bricks and canopy parts such as 22391, 22483, and 22390 for instance (all pictured below, respectively). If not new parts, at least I hope to see plenty of recolors of many of those parts throughout the future, incorporated wherever possible.

  

Edited February 11, 2018 by Digger of Bricks

[Legochaek]

Quite liked it- got a few sets from it, but do we know what’s replacing it?

[3797]

45 minutes ago, Lego-fire said:

Quite liked it- got a few sets from it, but do we know what’s replacing it?

More Friends sets.

On a more serious note: Most likely the rumored Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter stuff.

[x105Black]

Good riddance.

21 hours ago, Robert8 said:

I loved the lava monsters, but I found the lighting rock monsters to be kinda plain

I liked some of the lava monsters, and agree about the rocks.

13 hours ago, FortNerd said:

The best thing about it was the bad guy designs. I am a bit dissapointed we will never get the forest monsters...

I agree, the bad guys were the best thing.  Next best, new visors.  Too bad they had to make them all Ice Planet visors by the end.

10 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

I only hope that we will continue to see the introduction of more new parts...

Me too.  The other best thing was new parts.  The pentagonal tiles, the pyramid tiles, and some of those wedges were great.  I also like the Fortrex wall panels (got some of those in black).

[Digger of Bricks]

4 hours ago, Lego-fire said:

Quite liked it- got a few sets from it, but do we know what’s replacing it?

My guess? Perhaps an in-house "big bang" theme inspired after Classic Pirates, given that next year will be the theme's thirtieth anniversary.

3 hours ago, 3797 said:

On a more serious note: Most likely the rumored Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter stuff.

I don't think that theme is necessarily filling Nexo Knights shoes, as only another in-house theme (a big one most likely) can do that.

9 minutes ago, x105Black said:

Good riddance.

Nuf said, huh? 

10 minutes ago, x105Black said:

Me too.  The other best thing was new parts.  The pentagonal tiles, the pyramid tiles, and some of those wedges were great.  I also like the Fortrex wall panels (got some of those in black).

Particularly, I'm hoping for plates with the footprint of many of these parts, and perhaps also a brick to fill in the gap of 22390, something with a 4×4 footprint like 22391, but with no slopes.

[Nexogeek]

On 2/10/2018 at 11:20 PM, BrickJagger said:

The Stone Monsters also should have received a base; that abandoned city they came from would have made for a nice $40 set.

The abandoned castle would of been a perfect set given that we barely got structures in Nexo Knights even if it were $50 it could of came with another Harpie, stone scurrier's, Cloud of Monstrox, Arnoldi, and gargoyles even if it was a little more in price they could of made it great for people wanting to build large stone armies and the castle is all just ruins so that could of been a fairly simple structure 

For me this theme was great, it brought me out of my dark age. I loved the new pieces it gave and the story of the show as well. A few things I wish we would of gotten are the water and forest monsters in some form even if it was just an overpriced large figure pack for both, The abandoned castle ruins the Harpies and Gargoyles were zapped to life at, Arnoldi, Human Monstrox, more to this years wave on the tech vampire side and some regular citizens. They could of easily put a citizen or two in some of the larger sets per wave given that in context of the show the monsters attack them

[Falctron]

I know people hated this theme, and when it came out, I did too, but ultimately all the winks to the past reminded me that I more or less invented this line when I was 9-years-old (though my version had pirates as well as spacemen and knights).

I'll miss the theme. I didn't expect it to go on past this year, but I am mourning the lost summer wave.

But either way I get to enjoy the following year, either by Nexo-ising a new Castle line in 2019, or laughing at all the Castle raging when the death of Nexo doesn't hasten the return of a new Castle line.

[Faefrost]

On 2/16/2018 at 2:52 PM, Nexogeek said:

The abandoned castle would of been a perfect set given that we barely got structures in Nexo Knights even if it were $50 it could of came with another Harpie, stone scurrier's, Cloud of Monstrox, Arnoldi, and gargoyles even if it was a little more in price they could of made it great for people wanting to build large stone armies and the castle is all just ruins so that could of been a fairly simple structure 

For me this theme was great, it brought me out of my dark age. I loved the new pieces it gave and the story of the show as well. A few things I wish we would of gotten are the water and forest monsters in some form even if it was just an overpriced large figure pack for both, The abandoned castle ruins the Harpies and Gargoyles were zapped to life at, Arnoldi, Human Monstrox, more to this years wave on the tech vampire side and some regular citizens. They could of easily put a citizen or two in some of the larger sets per wave given that in context of the show the monsters attack them

I never understood why some themes always seem to shy away from structures? Some of the arguably best and well selling Ninjago sets are the various Temples. Chima's Structures such as the Lion Castle are viewed as teh series best and were adored by kids. City thrives on its yearly Police Station and Fire Stations. Which give the vehicles something to do. Nexo Knights was a SciFi Castle theme, that had almost nothing resembling Castles.  The other problem with Nexo Knights is there was nothing that even vaguely qualified as civilians save the one little girl. Nobody and nothing was actually being threatened in any of the sets.  

[Nexogeek]

3 hours ago, Faefrost said:

  The other problem with Nexo Knights is there was nothing that even vaguely qualified as civilians save the one little girl. Nobody and nothing was actually being threatened in any of the sets.  

And the thing is that "one little girl" is actually a very important part of the knights team so I wouldn't classify her as a civilian.

[Juxtapoisson]

I'm an adult returning to lego.  It's only been in 2018 that I'd even noticed the existence of this line.

Classically I always loved a castle/space mash up.  It's sort of exciting and sort of disappointing for lego to do it. 

There were a lot of parts and ideas that I loved.  And the "bad guys" were for the most part amazing.

I found the "good guys" to be kinda iffy.  Some combination of vague and over the top.

The line gives me a warm feeling, but I don't see myself ever buying a set from this line, with the possible exception of getting the "bad guys".

[Lordofdragonss]

I will just add the Fortrex is one of the best Good guy bases they have ever made. And I see it as beeing CLASSIC in 20 years :)

[x105Black]

3 hours ago, Lordofdragonss said:

I will just add the Fortrex is one of the best Good guy bases they have ever made. And I see it as beeing CLASSIC in 20 years :)

I disagree and sincerely hope not.  The Fortrex was an atrocity starting from the concept.

[BrickJagger]

4 hours ago, Lordofdragonss said:

I will just add the Fortrex is one of the best Good guy bases they have ever made. And I see it as beeing CLASSIC in 20 years :)

I have to agree with that. The Fortrex really has it all, from the opening feature to the livable spaces to the detachable vehicles and various shooting contraptions. It's probably a top three Nexo Knights set overall, maybe even second behind the Volcano Lair IMO.

[Robert8]

6 hours ago, Juxtapoisson said:

There were a lot of parts and ideas that I loved.  And the "bad guys" were for the most part amazing.

I found the "good guys" to be kinda iffy.  Some combination of vague and over the top.

Agree 

The heroes side was kind of weak. It was like "Hey this is what worked with Ninjago, let's just do it all over again" 

I think NK will be remembered for its villains, which were pretty innovative for LEGO, like cloud Monstrox, Flama, the year 3 virus guys

[ZORK64]

Oh, I liked the good guys for their space knight theme a bit more than the bad guys.