David Thomsen Posted February 8, 2013 I guess it's too early to have heard about any upcoming Castle D2C set for 2013? Or whether there will be one or not? Or what it might be? Medieval Chateau? Monastery? Barracks? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord Rahl of Clannad Posted February 8, 2013 (edited) I guess it's too early to have heard about any upcoming Castle D2C set for 2013? Or whether there will be one or not? Or what it might be? Medieval Chateau? Monastery? Barracks? It is too early to have head about any possible Castle D2C set as of yet. To be honest, I don't think we will get one in the first wave anyways. If we were to though, I highly doubt it would be a monastery or medieval chateau, partly to do with religion but predominantly to do with the fact that TLG don't seem to care much about historical accuracy in these Castle sets. After all, the kids are the target audience, not us. Edited February 8, 2013 by Star Wars NutJob 69 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The_Cook Posted February 8, 2013 I guess it's too early to have heard about any upcoming Castle D2C set for 2013? Or whether there will be one or not? Or what it might be? Medieval Chateau? Monastery? Barracks? Will there even be a D2C set? If the range is targetted at younger builders, which anecdotal comments coming from the tradeshows seem to indicate it is, then there might not be a D2C set. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but TLG don't typically produce D2C sets when the target demographic is the younger age range, probably because the sales of those sets are parents buying for kids rather than Lego fans buying for themselves. Whilst I'd expect to see some D2C sets for LoTR I don't think that we'll get anything for Castle. A Monastry is a religious subject, whilst they may have been a key part of medieval life TLG hasn't produced a set that touches on religion since they became a global brand that appeals to everyone. I'm not Lego historian but I seet to recall reading a review of a church that they produced back in the 70's that predates the big global expansion of the early 80's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David Thomsen Posted February 8, 2013 Will there even be a D2C set? If the range is targetted at younger builders, which anecdotal comments coming from the tradeshows seem to indicate it is, then there might not be a D2C set. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but TLG don't typically produce D2C sets when the target demographic is the younger age range, probably because the sales of those sets are parents buying for kids rather than Lego fans buying for themselves. Whilst I'd expect to see some D2C sets for LoTR I don't think that we'll get anything for Castle. From what I've seen, I don't think it's targeted at an age lower than the Monster Fighters sets, and they got the 'Haunted House' set. And since the 'Haunted House' came out at the same time as the other Monster Fighter sets, I don't see why there shouldn't be a D2C set for this new Castle theme in the year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lego tripper Posted February 8, 2013 Releasing a D2C set might actually be a way to lure AFOLs into this theme. That said, I'm not holding my breath. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artifex Posted February 8, 2013 Remeber the Medieval Market Village was a Castle set Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
just2good Posted February 8, 2013 Remeber the Medieval Market Village was a Castle set Yea. Speaking of which, the MMV was released in the third year of Castle, while the Joust was released in the third year of Kingdoms. So, let's expect a D2C Castle 2013 set in 2015. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kliq Posted February 8, 2013 Does anyone have any thoughts (or hopes) that you could combine a couple of the new castles to make one really big castle? And I'm not talking about MOCing, but with the way the walls and towers connect with technic pins, perhaps it is possible? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artifex Posted February 8, 2013 Does anyone have any thoughts (or hopes) that you could combine a couple of the new castles to make one really big castle? And I'm not talking about MOCing, but with the way the walls and towers connect with technic pins, perhaps it is possible? I think these new sets will be as modular as the Kingdoms ones. the side walls from a second castle could connect to the main gatehouse ones so you can have a large front. The gatehouse and towers of a second castle could be used to make four towers, one on each corner. Remember that then you can have a catapult on each side of the castle. The back tower could go together for a larger keep, I guess. And the gatehouses could be used for a bigger structure as well. That's just for 2 castles. Throw in the gatehouse set and you can have it in front of or behind the castle's gatehouse for better defenses. Or the gatehouse set could be used as a side entrance. There are many possibilities, I guess. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted February 8, 2013 You are excused. I honestly don't know how someone comparing the two castles couldn't see how the throne room in 7946 is far superior to the new castle. The openings in 7946 are for playability. If ANY throne room was completely closed, how the heck would you get the king in there, rip off the roof? 7946 had a couple of nice windows facing the front. The new castle has the king sitting in what could be described as more of an open air alcove than a throne room. He has to tip toe in there around that ridiculous ridge, otherwise he'll fall back down to the ground floor. I would have preferred a throne room like 7946 where the back or sides were open to get him in there, but he was at least protected from the front. As for the rest of the towers, it is no comparisson. Obviously they need to be open for playability, and them opening from the back is preferable because when you look at the castle from the front, as I am sure no one displays their castles facing the wall, you can see all of the glorious detail. The towers in the new castle are extremely underwhelming. They have openings, but that is it. 7946 had nice doors that created actual rooms. Despite all of that, though, I will end up buying more of this castle line than Kingdoms. Mainly that has to do with my current financial stability, but also because I have a castle collecting urge, and this new line is not by any means horrible. I just think when you put the two castles next to one another, I prefer 7946 OK, I understand now that we're just thinking of these things differently. For me, the sides of a castle that should be most protected aren't those that will be visible from the front when the set is displayed, but the ones that face outward from the center of the castle. A tower that is open towards the center of the castle makes a lot more sense to me than one open towards the outer walls, but I can see how if you were buying the set chiefly for display you'd want the front-facing walls to have the most design attention. Pictures like this one bring to light another flaw with all the attention being placed on front-facing walls, though-- when a key feature of a castle set is its modularity, front-facing walls are not in any way guaranteed to remain facing the same direction. Here, the perfectly open walls of the treasure room and throne room face the outside. By making sure the most solid walls of the towers are always those facing the outer perimeter of the castle, this problem becomes more or less a non-issue, unless you reverse the corner towers as in this picture. Regarding the throne room in particular, I don't see how the tiny amount of space in front of the throne of the new castle is a change from 7946 at all. That set similarly had exactly a one stud buffer between the throne and a precipice of certain doom, which, it might be noted, similarly lacked any ladders, stairs, or walkways from which to enter the throne room. There would have been just as much "tip-toeing" in 7946 as in 70404, not helped by the fact that the king has farther to fall and would inevitably end up OUTSIDE the castle any way he exited unless he were to jump out one of the windows beside his throne. It's also true that the treasure room and catapult tower from 7946 had doors. However, each of these had two entrances, and only one entrance of either room was doored. This doesn't make much sense at all, especially considering that the openings for the non-doored entrances were no bigger than they would have been if they had doors of their own, and there was already a completely open side to both of these rooms for playability's sake. I agree the towers of the new castle are somewhat underwhelming visually, besides the throne room/treasure room tower and gatehouse, both of which I quite like. However, I do again appreciate them only being open towards the inside of the castle, which makes far more sense to me than being open towards the back, which is only the actual back of the castle when the towers are in a particular configuration. On a side note, I was just wondering something, looking at the box art of the new castle: do you think its coins will be the classic coins, or the type introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean? I wouldn't be opposed to either variety myself, but I'm sure a lot of people might have preference for one or the other (especially as the PotC coin prepack typically also includes gold bars). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gryphon Ink Posted February 8, 2013 I doubt that this castle will be $89, no matter what its piece count turns out to be. TLG haven't had a castle that cheap in at least the last few years. As the flagship set of this theme, the castle will be at least $99. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord LOLrus Posted February 8, 2013 From what I've seen, I don't think it's targeted at an age lower than the Monster Fighters sets, and they got the 'Haunted House' set. And since the 'Haunted House' came out at the same time as the other Monster Fighter sets, I don't see why there shouldn't be a D2C set for this new Castle theme in the year. ...Speaking of which, the MMV was released in the third year of Castle, while the Joust was released in the third year of Kingdoms. So, let's expect a D2C Castle 2013 set in 2015. Hoping this trend continues: Since the D2C sets seem to appear around the time a theme ends (MMV, Imperial Flagship, Royal Joust, etc.), perhaps it means that TLG intends to keep this Castle theme going for another year or two...so I'd say it's probably a good thing that we don't see any signs of a D2C set, and would be a bad thing if we did see one so early in theme's life! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlphaQuad Posted February 8, 2013 Correct me if I'm wrong but this year LEGO is celebrating 25 years of LEGO Castle Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord LOLrus Posted February 8, 2013 The set 375 Castle ("Yellow" Castle) came out in 1978, so that's 35 years. Still seems like something LEGO might want to celebrate (they probably would if it was Star Wars), so good catch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigHobbit Posted February 8, 2013 (edited) The Castle is going to be $100, as confirmed on a press release. "LEGO Galaxy Squad, a new space fantasy theme, allows builders 8 and up to role play as the hero team saves the galaxy from a swarm of alien insects. Each of the 10 models in the collection ($11.99-99.99) offers a split feature function, turning every large model into two separate vehicles with ease. The 25th anniversary of LEGO Castle is marked by five new sets, including Gold Getaway ($19.99) and King's Castle($99.99), to build a classic kingdom of knights in shining armor, dragons and treasure for builders ages 5 and up. LEGO NINJAGO, one of the most popular LEGO properties ever introduced centered on the story of four young Ninjas mastering the art of Spinjitzu, enters its third year with six new sets ($9.99-$69.99) that introduce the Gold Ninja. Fans of all ages will want to collect 48 never-before-seen LEGO Minifigures ($2.99 each) via three new series releasing throughout the year." Original source = http://www.reuters.c...160 PRN20130207 Edited February 8, 2013 by BigHobbit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David Thomsen Posted February 9, 2013 (edited) Yea. Speaking of which, the MMV was released in the third year of Castle, while the Joust was released in the third year of Kingdoms. So, let's expect a D2C Castle 2013 set in 2015. For some reason I thought Joust was in the second year, I guess because there weren't any other sets in the second year so I kind of grouped them together. But it was the third year. I guess we'll have to wait until 2015 to see anything advanced out of this new Castle range. Edited February 9, 2013 by David Thomsen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faefrost Posted February 9, 2013 What could they conceivably do as a D2C set that they have not already covered one way or another fairly recently? Between MMV, Joust, this new Castle line and LotR they seem to have most types of good subjects for a large exclusive set covered. Really the one gaping hole is the one subject they will not do. A medieval church. About the only other thing I could think of would be some sort of massive Forrestmen set? ( maybe they could repurpose the long dreamed about imaginary Ewok village?) I don't think we will be seeing a D2C Castle set this year. We got two last year, and I think they have more than enough regular retail subjects for now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gryphon Ink Posted February 9, 2013 What could they conceivably do as a D2C set that they have not already covered one way or another fairly recently? Between MMV, Joust, this new Castle line and LotR they seem to have most types of good subjects for a large exclusive set covered. Really the one gaping hole is the one subject they will not do. A medieval church. About the only other thing I could think of would be some sort of massive Forrestmen set? I'd love to see a nice big inn. The MMV's tavern is great, but it's not the same as an inn. A good solid inn given the detailed treatment like we've seen in the modulars and the Winter Village would be a dream come true. Room for lots of different medieval characters on their travels, a little well out front, a couple of new horses and maybe a pair of thieving Dragon Knights. It would be reminiscent of the MMV, but different enough to be worth it. Other options would include a peasant's hut with an apothecary or healer's dwelling, a harbor set or a travelling fair (use that new bear mold). Most of these probably wouldn't sell well as regular retail sets, but I imagine they'd do well for D2C. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faefrost Posted February 10, 2013 I'd love to see a nice big inn. The MMV's tavern is great, but it's not the same as an inn. A good solid inn given the detailed treatment like we've seen in the modulars and the Winter Village would be a dream come true. Room for lots of different medieval characters on their travels, a little well out front, a couple of new horses and maybe a pair of thieving Dragon Knights. It would be reminiscent of the MMV, but different enough to be worth it. Other options would include a peasant's hut with an apothecary or healer's dwelling, a harbor set or a travelling fair (use that new bear mold). Most of these probably wouldn't sell well as regular retail sets, but I imagine they'd do well for D2C. I'm actually of the thought that if we do see a nice D2C Inn, it will be in the LotR theme, and not straight up Castle. There is a rather distinct and famous Inn in the first book / movie. (Well 2 actually, but one is a Hobbity place). I don't think any of us would say no to a full well done version of the Prancing Pony. Thinking on the Inn highlights the biggest disapointments with this new line. There are no civilian minifigs at all and only 1 female. Bleah! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legobear Posted February 10, 2013 Does anyone know what the knight in the smallest set is wearing? (the guy pushing the cart). I can't make out which of the three new printings he has on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CM4Sci Posted February 10, 2013 Here are some pics from NYTF. -Sci Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Infernum Posted February 10, 2013 OK, they aren't out till August. 50$ for the Dragon's Mountain? I was hoping 40$... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kermit Posted February 10, 2013 I like that they included ladder for access to higher levels apart from the stairs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lordofdragonss Posted February 10, 2013 (edited) Oh! The dragon have new chin that can hold a big fire! Nice! But 50$? That's a little too much. For 50$ The Dragons fortress from Kingdoms was great but this tower? Ehh... Edited February 10, 2013 by Lordofdragonss Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Settle Posted February 10, 2013 A shame to see the Crownie in the cheapest set has the plate armour. I wanted him to have the tunic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
