LEGO Castle 2013

[Crownie]

Do you think it's possible the guy on the Forest Ambush set is jumping on a mounted knight…?

Huh. If I'm reading the squiggles right, it looks like a cart being pulled by a large brown thing (Ox or horse, what's your pleasure?), being 'ambushed' (read: jumped on) by a minifig 'dressed' in brown. Obviously, I'd love for it to be a member of the ill-fated Wolfpack, but that's probably about as likely as me winning the lottery. When I never buy tickets.)

Oh yes, and I see a tree. And the cart has hay in it. (This is really starting to feel frighteningly like an ink blot test...)

[Mahtion]

Yes I saw a cart or some kind of rectangular shaped object. Definitely the bandit like minifig in thrown leaping from the tree. The tree itself looks small and boring. I doubt a knight would be in a small peasant cart so probably we will just be getting a farmer or civilian. Would have loved a knight with horse but at least we will get a horse.

I love hawks from the black falcons so hopefully we get something along those lines. Forestmen from the 90s were my first sets and oddly Phantom Menace Legos were my last around 2000. Then I started again this past year with LOTR and so ended my dark age. If we get some Forestmen or wolf pack types I would be happy.

[Huntleyfx]

I am torn on the new sets, as I army built mostly with the Fantasy era, so while the colors are the same, the livery is different. I am withholding judgement fully until new pictures, with more details are up.

[Maxim I]

Nice to see there will be more Castle sets coming up!!

The only 2 things that disappointed me atm are:

* The herald of the good guys is almost the same as these of (only the red is blue now). It's not the first time that TLC just changed a colour for a completely new faction :(

* I don't really see armybuilding sets right now...

(note: probably most of this is already stated earlier, but this is just my opinion)

[TeufelHund]

I'm firmly in the camp that the images are far too low-res to make up one's mind about at this point in time.

One thought that occurred to me though is that both the 2007 Castle line and the more recent Kingdoms line both got excellent UCS sets at some point in their run, so that's something to look forward to even if the base sets turn out to be a bit too kiddie-friendly for AFOLs.

Personally, I'd like to see a siege set with some proper siege weapons but I'm not sure if that would fly but there's certainly potential for expanding a Medieval village in any case.

Edited December 30, 2012 by TeufelHund

[Hive]

Y'know, I was just looking very closely at the Kings Castle set, zoomed in super close at the shield sigil in the logo. And the more I look at it, the more I see a HAWK. The background is split down the middle, left is white and right is blue. And right there in the middle is a hawk, perched with its wings folded at rest, his head turned to the right. His chest is a goldfish/copper and he is trimmed in black. Anyone else see it? Or is it just me?

I could live with that-- although the castle may still go to my Crown knights and their new Order of White Knights!!

A hawk would be new and refreshing.

[Mr. Elijah Timms]

I tried to take great care in saying HAWK and not FALCON, because I don't think this new herald relates to the Black Falcons in any way.

I guess we could call 'em Eagle Knights if that is in fact what it is...?

[Graysmith]

I don't think these sets are going to be that much different, build-wise, from Kingdoms, but the style definitely feels more childish with the Red vs. Blue factions. It doesn't give off that classic vibe that Kingdoms did/does. But hopefully these are just prototypes, they just have to be considering how odd some of it looks (most notably the grey wheels on the catapults, which just looks weird). But I have faith because there's really no way LEGO could screw it up so badly that we'd be talking about it being on par with the stuff from 10 years ago.

Anyway, what I came here to discuss is this little non-Castle Castle set, 10656:

Is anyone planning on getting this? It hadn't really crossed my mind, but given the price (about 10 $/€/£/etc.) it's actually not that bad of a deal considering you get a unique princess minifigure and one of the new horses. The pink and lime bricks may not be very useful for building Castle MOCs, but they are at least not the most common colours around. I'm thinking I'll probably get one if I find it at a discount.. Wouldn't mind adding another princess to my Kingdoms Joust set. :D

Apologies if I'm tarnishing this thread with all this pink princess stuff, but it felt like the right thread to discuss it since it is a 2013 set and sort-of a Castle set.

[Sandy]

With the awesome LotR and Hobbit-sets around, I have a hard time getting excited about this return of Classic Castle. I'm fully aware that it is aimed for the little kids who will experience that sort of sets for the first time, but as someone who has seen three decades of LEGO Castle sets, it's just same old, same old. There's really zero inspiration on these sets - they even reuse the old lion-logo!

But I guess every generation needs to have their own "king's castles" and "wagon ambushes"...

Apologies if I'm tarnishing this thread with all this pink princess stuff, but it felt like the right thread to discuss it since it is a 2013 set and sort-of a Castle set.

I will get that set, for one. Too bad the print on the dress isn't a new one (although the torso is).

[Gatekeeper]

A hawk would be new and refreshing.

you know, I think it would be interesting too, but I'm just not getting that from those grainy photos. Someone mentioned that this is beginning to seems like a Rorschach test and I think I agree. Everyone is staring at tiny grainy images and coloring the interpertations with what they want to see from this new wave.

I think we need better pictures.

[gedren_y]

I'm with DaMaximus on the heraldry id. I liked the Royal Knights, but I prefer blue over red as a color scheme. That is a plus IMO. Some people here don't like the new wall panel pieces. I was on the fence for a while, but I've found a way to incorporate them into my building arsenal. The newer wall pieces, with a little offsetting, can be used to make 2x thick walls with glass filled windows. I was able to do this trick with the old 2x5x6 panel pieces without an offset, but had a problem with either the lip showing a gap or having an unwanted overhang. I may have to re-build this in LDD to show you how to accomplish this.

[Artanis I]

The pink and lime bricks may not be very useful for building Castle MOCs, but they are at least not the most common colours around. I'm thinking I'll probably get one if I find it at a discount.. Wouldn't mind adding another princess to my Kingdoms Joust set. :D

Apologies if I'm tarnishing this thread with all this pink princess stuff, but it felt like the right thread to discuss it since it is a 2013 set and sort-of a Castle set.

One can never have enough of those castle wall top pieces in pink...

[Sir Walter Maugham]

The castle in Battle of Alamut (Prince of Persia) was considerably different (sorry, don't have the pic at hand, but with some google foo you can find it) and looked awful. The finished product was quite nice though. The leaked pic was a poster (I think?) and not a shot of the box

But I guess these new Castle sets are probably close to what we're gonna get

I'm guessing these sets are pretty close to what we are going to get too. But you never know for sure, look at these preliminary Viking sets:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=349981

I'm not totally disappointed with these new castle sets, but I think there is definitely room for improvement.

[Brickington]

I think we all agree that there is room for improvement, but TLG is not dumb, they know what they are doing and I think we will be very happy with the final result.

[Mahtion]

Wow I like the Vikings preliminary sets, red wooden fort, frost giants and a sea serpent. Even fenris looks better and not so cartoony.

[Maxim I]

Wow, and there were 2 ships planned???

That was my favourite theme back then ... (but sssssht, otherwise some people will start to think I got sympathies for Mitgardia )

But that's all out of the topic :)

If the price is really 10 € for that pink set, I will give it a try as well. The fruit, diamond, flag, princess, horse and cart are all usefull. And maybe I can find an use for the pink bricks as well

[Kai NRG]

...Anyway, what I came here to discuss is this little non-Castle Castle set, 10656:

*snip*

Is anyone planning on getting this? It hadn't really crossed my mind, but given the price (about 10 $/€/£/etc.) it's actually not that bad of a deal considering you get a unique princess minifigure and one of the new horses. The pink and lime bricks may not be very useful for building Castle MOCs, but they are at least not the most common colours around. I'm thinking I'll probably get one if I find it at a discount.. Wouldn't mind adding another princess to my Kingdoms Joust set. :D

Apologies if I'm tarnishing this thread with all this pink princess stuff, but it felt like the right thread to discuss it since it is a 2013 set and sort-of a Castle set.

I plan on getting it, you can never have too many princess (especially when you have none), though I'm not crazy about pink and lime green - but it does have a 1x2 brown tile and I'm always needing more of those!

[CDC]

So far these prelims look rather disappointing. Or maybe its just the lame colour scheme :) I hope they turn out to be cool, i want to pick up at least the small ones. Forest ambush and Gold Gateway seem ok, others appear to be too childish or something, at least for me. Oh well, more money for LOTR sets.

[Bobsy]

Don't think it's really worthwhile complaining that the new sets are too simple, colourful or childish. Quite apart from the fact that Lego is a children's toy, take a step back and look at the LOTR/Hobbit range. With one or two notable exceptions, the entire line is dominated by grey or brown. It's a predominantly grim, dark and gloomy line of sets and it's pretty obvious that Lego would be cutting off the younger market that want simpler, brighter and lighter castles. The new Castle series is to fill a gap in the market, not to compete with LOTR.

Incidentally I think the new big castle is a step up from the one in Kingdoms, and the dragon set looks very intriguing indeed. I do wonder if the dragon will remain red in production, since the inevitable Smaug set will also be red. Perhaps a green dragon?

[Brickington]

Don't think it's really worthwhile complaining that the new sets are too simple, colourful or childish. Quite apart from the fact that Lego is a children's toy, take a step back and look at the LOTR/Hobbit range. With one or two notable exceptions, the entire line is dominated by grey or brown. It's a predominantly grim, dark and gloomy line of sets and it's pretty obvious that Lego would be cutting off the younger market that want simpler, brighter and lighter castles. The new Castle series is to fill a gap in the market, not to compete with LOTR.

Incidentally I think the new big castle is a step up from the one in Kingdoms, and the dragon set looks very intriguing indeed. I do wonder if the dragon will remain red in production, since the inevitable Smaug set will also be red. Perhaps a green dragon?

I couldn't agree more. LotR theme is more centered for the AFOLs. Can't we let TLG have a theme for kids? And I don't know about you guys, but I will buy any castle TLG makes, no matter how bad it is.

[Bobsy]

I couldn't agree more. LotR theme is more centered for the AFOLs. Can't we let TLG have a theme for kids? And I don't know about you guys, but I will buy any castle TLG makes, no matter how bad it is.

Wouldn't go so far as to say LOTR is for AFOLS, but it's certainly got a more mature appeal - older children and teens, as well as those kids who are REALLY into the Hobbit right now. And those parents who are willing to throw down £60 on Bag End.

Castle 2013 is for those who aren't, and for younger children. I forsee wonderful squabbles when younger brothers all over the world bring their bright plastic dragon to burn down their older sibling's meticulously-arranged Helm's Deep. "MUUUUM! He's doing it AGAIN!"

Course, older sibling will get his revenge when Smaug comes out.

[Crownie]

And I don't know about you guys, but I will buy any castle TLG makes, no matter how bad it is.

Me too, lol.

(And incidentally, I'd actually love to see a purple Dragon, though I imagine red is the more 'popular choice' even with the coincidental release of Smaug from The Hobbit. [Who actually could be more of a maroon and gold, but I guess the film will give us a better idea. You'd think.])

[Aanchir]

When you're going for realism, sure that floating tower on 7094 is NOT realistic, and neither are many of the other spaces. Does the front of 7094 look much more appealing than the prototype we've seen, though? I have to say yes! The prototype gives another example of the classic phrase often used to describe unfortunate building techniques, "big gray wall". Yes, 7094 has many illogical spaces, but I can forgive that because at least the 'fantasy design' appeals more to me than six of those flat, blank walls stacked up and next to one another. It just screams laziness.

Well, there's what I have a problem with right there. I think equating simplicity with laziness is a mistake to begin with. While certainly there's something to be said for high-detail castle walls, I think the simpler look here is a stylistic decision, not a way of cutting corners. It's what's often called "economy of design"-- removing non-essential flourishes to cut to the heart of what the design is intended to evoke. In this case, the resulting castle feels sturdy and substantial to me, unlike KK1, KK2, and even Fantasy-Era castles which felt bare-bones and skeletal. Could this same sturdy look have been achieved without the use of so many prefabricated wall segments? Probably, at a higher price point. But everything comes at a cost, and I quite like getting a castle that feels so different structurally than past offerings even if it comes at the expense of some previous castles' detail.

Don't get me wrong, my problem is not the piece itself. I am actually a fan of it, and the piece castles used before it. I even like BURPs! I think they look nice when used right. That's my problem, though. These prefab wall pieces are not used well, in my opinion, in the prototype castle. They just stacked them up and around eachother. I've never seen such a bland forewall, and that includes, unfortunately, the awful KKII Castle of Morcia. Like I said, this prototype castle looks so much like the Fisher-Price TRIO Castle. I can't say that enough, look it up using Google Images.

You say "bland", I say "orderly"-- certainly better than the downright chaotic look of the Castle of Morcia. I see no real resemblance between this and the Trio castle besides the rectilinear forms both tend to favor versus more irregular wall shapes. The Trio castle, as it happens, has a gate that is every bit as thin and flimsy-looking as the walls, whereas this new castle has a sturdy-looking gatehouse, which I consider the most definitive aspect of the new castle's design.

On a side note, reading about gatehouses on Wikipedia (since I am utterly clueless about castle construction terminology and often find myself having to consult Wikipedia just to know what the names for the different parts are), I read that some gatehouses took on the functions of a keep. If this is the case here, then that negates my earlier criticism of this new castle in that it lacks an obvious keep or throne room.

Castle is my favorite theme, above all else. I just don't want to see it taking a step backward, which the prototype seems to suggest. Like I've said, though, I'm looking forward to the final product because I'm sure it will turn out pretty good. I'm going to buy all of these sets, including multiples of some, no matter what, though. I can never get enough Lego castle.

I personally don't see this as a step backward by any means. "Backward", for me, would suggest skeletal-looking castles like those of KKI and KKII, not sturdy-looking castles like this upcoming King's Castle. Now, I can't say the rest of the theme fills me with the same amount of optimism-- the Dragon Mountain and Gatehouse Raid sets are still a bit of an enigma, since their pics are smaller and they seem far less three-dimensional than the King's Castle. But the King's Castle, for me, is not a step backward or forward but rather, if you'll excuse the stretching of the metaphor, to the side. Instead of advancing the style of construction seen in Kingdoms or going back to the style of construction in KKII, it is exploring new ground with a castle largely unlike any we've seen previously.

Edited December 31, 2012 by Aanchir

[Albero - BEL]

I took a look at the pictures and my first impression is that they are disappointing. I hope I will change my mind.

[october]

The bad guys have a shield with a wolf logo. I am not 100% sure because it looks different than the wolfpack. They are black with the red logo (the shield). The shield edge should be gray. The logo of the good guys is the same as the royal night from the '90 only in blue and not red.

Any other details please ask. I will answer if I could.

Huh. If I'm reading the squiggles right, it looks like a cart being pulled by a large brown thing (Ox or horse, what's your pleasure?), being 'ambushed' (read: jumped on) by a minifig 'dressed' in brown. Obviously, I'd love for it to be a member of the ill-fated Wolfpack, but that's probably about as likely as me winning the lottery. When I never buy tickets.)

Oh yes, and I see a tree. And the cart has hay in it. (This is really starting to feel frighteningly like an ink blot test...)

the smallest set, forrest ambush, has 4 minifigures, 2 good and 2 bad guys. there is no horse. there is a small ugly tree with flick missile and a cart with the treasure chest on it. and yes, tere is a dog!

One of the bad soldier has a helmet similar to the evil knight from cmf 7.

Edited December 31, 2012 by october