DaleDVM

Eurobricks Fellows
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Everything posted by DaleDVM

  1. DaleDVM

    Could LEGO remake Fright Knights?

    I like the harpoon piece being used for the handle of his axe. Makes it so he can use that end as a weapon as well. I am certain to just buy on bricklink to deal with the boxes. As it was I have had to resort to bricklink to build my CMF armies anyway. The local LEGO store never had enough of the castley figs to get me enough of what I wanted. I would get 10-20 from the store over a month or so and resort to bricklink for the rest. Unfortunately at a premium cost. I am pretty certain now that they are in boxes bricklink prices are going to be insane.
  2. DaleDVM

    2023 Majisto GWP

    I get that. I am obviously trying to work with what I have already and make this faction look cohesive. I have some factions that are more random. Most adhere to "uniforms" even though that is not accurate to the period. You are correct. The new torso will likely look OK with the black helms because there is quite a bit of black on the torso. However, the printed pauldrons on the old torso don't look like they should be connecting to anything else? The new silver collar kind of hints at being connected to the silver pauldron piece on the new fig. I will find out soon. Although I was not planning on actually opening the set. I would imagine someone on here will post a photo of the new torso with the old dragon helm before too long!
  3. DaleDVM

    2023 Majisto GWP

    I agree and do like the back printing. However, I still wish the collar was not included. I will have to see how the silver collar looks with black accessories. I don't think the silver helms would look good mixed in with my old dragon masters at all.
  4. DaleDVM

    2023 Majisto GWP

    Well, now that I see the inside and the printing on the torso... I thought for sure they were going to improve the inside since modern sets usually have great interior details. This reproduction is really lacking! UGH!!! For me the worst part is the torso printing. Which ironically is also the only unique part in the entire set for us to chase after. The silverish collar might not look good when I remove the silver pauldrons/helm and replace them with a black helmet. This might be the worst possible outcome for this set. If I was not a castle collector, I would not get this set at all. If I didn't want to get the Viking village sets, I would just get this off of Bricklink. On second thought... Perhaps I will just hang at the LEGO store and offer $30 in cash to people who are getting it free with their large purchases. I am certain I can get the Viking village at a future date for less than full price and only double points. I really hate TLG taking advantage of castle fans by denying us the sets we want, and trying to force us to buy sets we don't want just to get the castle stuff! FOMO marketing is terrible IMHO. Haven't been to the LEGO store in months. You don't have to pay for this membership to still get VIP points do you?
  5. Hmm... Double points next weekend or gamble on Black Friday? Buying a pair of Viking villages is a good idea too. Edit... Oh dear... I looked and I already purchased the Police Station and Grand Boutique to get the forestman GWP. I am terrible at remembering what I have purchased since I haven't opened a set newer than the Prince of Persia theme. Does anyone else have this problem? From now on, I will not buy modulars until they are a couple years old. TLG lets you buy them at a discount on VIP days once they are the older modular sets on the shelf. They never allowed modulars to get the VIP day discounts in the past but recently changed the policy.
  6. DaleDVM

    2023 Majisto GWP

    It was a combination of factors that caused the pause in the castle line. GOT had little to nothing to do with it IMHO. A weak castle line in 2013 that many considered juniorized was one factor. Hobbit/LOTR sets on shelves competing for the same LEGO dollars as the 2013 line was another factor. The Hobbit movies being a disappointment for many also factored in. Neither line performed very well. The 2013 castle line actually did worse than the Hobbit. Then Nexo Knights theme was introduced, it had zero appeal from adults but did okay with kids. It didn't sell well because adults have a bigger affect on LEGO purchases than TLG understood at the time. All while Ninjago was already well established (released in 2012) and competing for the kids battle themed dollars. All 3 castle "ish" lines did not sell very well but for different combinations of reasons. TLG management couldn't comprehend there being multiple reasons for the failures, especially since those failure were made by them. So... As usual TLG took the wrong message and thought castle/fantasy/historical/medieval was no longer popular. Leading to the castle drought. Now that people constantly vote up castle Ideas sets TLG is slowly getting the message. PAB could be having an effect from army builder types. I am one of those. However, I think we are a small minority in the overall LEGO community. Yes, this decreases buying of sets. But, TLG should have that data, and be very aware when we are buying torsos, shields, weapons, etc. from PAB in huge quantities that castle IS popular AND we want lots of figs too. This is why they should always provide battle pack sets along with the castle theme releases.
  7. Just wanted to say, I love reading all of the speculation. I will be excited to see actual pics in the new year. Now I just need to figure out what to buy to get my GWP Majisto set. Another Rivendell? I need a couple of the new modulars too?
  8. DaleDVM

    2023 Majisto GWP

    Been away from LEGO forums for a while. That was a lot to read... My take. As always, unique parts are much more important than the overall build for me. I am mostly disappointed with the lack of a shield. Majisto being plain doesn't bother me as much. When a fig is an individual character it is easy to MOD them. However, if you lack the parts, as in this case for the Dragon Masters, you can't MOD them into existence. This is especially true if you want a unit/army of them. Hence, I welcome the new torso... But... With a shield you can really build up your Dragon Master faction and it would have character. Without it... Not so much. You end up with a faction that does not have much to differentiate itself from other factions. If the torso becomes available on BAP, I will get 50-75 to add to my old Dragon Master Faction which is about 75 strong. But without shields, capes, or flags... adding too many figs will make the faction look bland. I certainly will not spend over a dollar each for the classic dragon helm. The black helm with neck protector will have to suffice. The silver grill helm and pauldrons will not work out for this fig at all IMHO as it will not match the original faction at all. I will likely use these guys as archers behind my normal Dragon Master troops. In other words, I will be hiding them. Not the best result, but better than no new prints at all? As for the workshop. I am okay with BURPS. I like the door addition even if it is not big enough. People used to bend to enter rooms a lot in medieval times. Overall the exterior seems okay... I would have preferred a little more of a refresh on the model, especially the roof since it kind of dominates the look of the model. I can't give a final opinion until I see the interior. Even though I have multiples of almost every LEGO castle set ever made, I feel okay with just having one of these. For now anyway.
  9. I hope the set is real. Time will tell. I need more civilians.
  10. DaleDVM

    Could LEGO remake Fright Knights?

    The Fright Knights followed by Knights Kingdom threw me into my dark ages... and contributed to LEGO nearly going under. I collected all of those sets anyway. But it took me a decade to open them. And when I did. They were just as bad as I expected them to be. IMHO, it would be better if they never happened in the first place.
  11. Hey everyone. The Europeans should be packing up and boarding flights to Chicago. I only have to drive 45 minutes, without traffic... How can I repay all those who are traveling so far to bring their LEGO here? It is a small thing to do, but it is pizza that comes straight from the heart to you! The pizza party is on again. This will be the 14th annual (damn Covid) pizza party! I am so looking forward to seeing what the Eurobricks crew has in store this year! Make sure to stop by on Saturday, say hello, and give me $5 and more importantly your preferred type of pizza. Can't wait! Edit: My display is close to the entrance this year.
  12. DaleDVM

    Brickworld 2023... come eat pizza with me!

    @ CP5670 So sorry I couldn't respond on Saturday. I was surrounded by the public. I hope you were able to find me. I should have given a description of my display. @ Peppermint I hope you can make it back to Chicago. I miss so many of our old European friends. I know it is a long way to travel. This year we had over 90 people partake in the party. It seemed like everyone had a good time and left with full tummies. Already looking forward to next year.
  13. DaleDVM

    Bricklink Designer Castle 2024

    I did not know that they were now compensating people 5% for their designs? Is that figure correct? If so, that is a step in the right direction. If people do not know. Several years ago TLG hired a bunch of business types that have no interest in LEGO to run their business. It used to be that if you worked for the company in any capacity you had to be a LEGO fan. Those suits fired a bunch of experienced set designers because their salaries were considered too expensive. I know a couple of those set designers. They were middle aged people in the prime of their earning potential. And yet... their salaries weren't even 6 figures in USD. The new management thought those people wanted too much and they were let go. TLG then hired a bunch of young twenty something AFOLs on the cheap to save money. This saved the company a few million dollars when they were already making billions. But hey, the suits justified themselves getting hired by cutting company costs. I know this is typical corporate behavior, but when I started collecting LEGO, this company was family run, and it did make a difference. @MAB I also imagine for some people it is an honor to have your set made by TLG. That is the problem IMHO. When people feel honored, they do not properly value their labor, then they may get taken advantage of, and somebody loses their occupation. Just my opinion.
  14. DaleDVM

    Bricklink Designer Castle 2024

    I am not certain how I feel about these sets. I am not exactly a fan of "unofficial" LEGO sets floating around. I also do not like how TLG is (IMHO) taking advantage of AFOLs to do their set designing for them. I am a LEGO castle collector. I am only short 6 tiny sets from having a complete collection a few times over. And yet, I don't feel the desire to get these sets at all. They are hard to get, pricey, and really do not offer anything that makes them unique. They are well designed and beautiful. But I feel like I am buying somebody's MOC. Just my opinion.
  15. Those Donkey Kong leaves can certainly be used for more than just palm leaves. They could be used to make a large variety of foliage. Definitely a tropical vibe with those large leaves though.
  16. I suppose I could use a couple of the Maleficent and Princess dresses. The Robin hood body can also be useful if you can cover up the white fur in the front. The outfits are not the best for medieval MOCs, but are passable as long as you don't have too many in a scene.
  17. Give me minifigs. Of course, I like when a set looks good. However, a set does not have to be big to be of quality. Small and detailed sets with more figs is what I desire. Like what others have said. I can get cheap brick anywhere. Few sets TLG is going to sell are going to match the quality and scale that an AFOL can achieve anyway. Therefore I need a quantity and variety of minifigs and unique parts to occupy the world that I make for them. After all figs, medieval gear/accessories, heraldry, barding, weapons, armor, animals, fabric items, etc. are things that I can't MOC. I need to be provided with those crucial parts in any medieval set that is released. I will say that as long as LEGO keeps making medieval minifigs available on B&P, I will be able to obtain medieval figs in the numbers that I need for a reasonable price. Thank you LEGO group! However, I still want more figs in sets just so we get a greater variety of figs. Especially for civilians. It is OK for an army of soldiers to all look similar. The peasants, workers, merchants, artisans, royals, need a more varied appearance. Historically there are just not a lot of medieval civilian minifigs. I am saying this, and it is likely I have one of the largest collections of medieval civilian figs in the world. Sadly too many of them look similar... There is only so much you can do with hair and faces when the clothes look identical.
  18. DaleDVM

    Post Your Castle Army Here!

    Nice work Shroffy. I hope I can mix the fantasy era trolls, CMF orcs, and this Master of the Mountain Ninjago guy. I got a ton of these pretty cheap in a polybag. What is that torso on the orc with the Jack Sparrow hairpiece? Love that look!
  19. Great thread to read! Thanks to all that have been discussing this. I am only a month behind on this news. I am curious if any better pictures ever leaked of this set? I only see the small grainy photo currently up on the internet with the two confidential stamps on it. I am really looking forward to seeing this set when it is finalized. As I always say in these threads the real value will come with the new civilian prints, new molds for medieval builds, and other hard to get parts. Obviously many of the animals fall into this category. If the civilians torsos are taken from the blacksmith set, and/or the LKC peasants, I will be very, very disappointed. I've already obtained 50ish of each through B&P and/or LUGbulk. Civilian prints closer to the fantasy era, or even better, robe-like similar to Jedi torsos would be incredible! It does appear that the new LOTR torsos will add some fantastic variety for merchants and casually dressed nobles now that the flesh part of their torsos is notably absent. I just don't know how I will obtain a fair number of them. Do we think the Rivendell set will ever make those torsos and legs available on B&P? I haven't really purchased licensed stuff on B&P ever. Finally, I obtained about 150 orcs and 50 ish Falconers. I resorted to Bricklink and paid a premium (around $7.50) to get most of them. Some I got in store by feeling them out... Army building with CMFs is getting too hard and very expensive. Even at the LEGO store they come out to be $5.50 with tax. I'm kind of an idiot for collecting them in numbers. But I guess in a decade they will be worth double or more than what they are now. When they go to putting the CMFs in boxes, Bricklink will be the only place I obtain them.
  20. DaleDVM

    Lord of the Rings Ongoing Discussion

    It is an amazing looking set. MOC worthy by an AFOL and certainly one of the best TLG has ever released. The only part not truly MOC worthy are the trees. There is only so much a LEGO designer can do to make great trees before the costs of the set balloon into the stratosphere. So the trees included look good enough to complement the rest of the design. As for the minis some are better, some are worse than the originals. However, all of them look pretty good. The legs and parts for making the minis sit is just perfection! I am most excited for the new molds. The weapons look great. The leaf pieces are going to be the most useful. And damn, that is a lot of printed floor tiles! They are beautiful! Boromir's shield is literally perfect as a generic round shield for so many factions! I hope I find a cheap way to obtain hundreds of them. I will get a pair of these sets to go with my 2 complete collections of the previous sets. The set is certainly expensive. However, my heirs can sell them for more than double what I bought them for 20-30 years down the line. It is an investment, and in the meantime I can enjoy them.
  21. I literally read this post and it did not register in my brain about the 10305 minifigs. They are sold out now but it is good to know this may be an option in the future! Thanks for the post! AND I got the final two Viking torsos that I was missing. Thanks again!
  22. DaleDVM

    LEGO IDEAS teams up with Dungeons And Dragons!

    I look forward to the finished design. I hope we can get a variety of generic figs that fit in with the castle theme. I also hope that they might have some generic looking heraldry and shields.
  23. This is the first series that adds two figs to existing factions. The tough part is at $5 per fig, it makes army collecting them rather painful. So many of my large armies were obtained by collecting chess sets and other inexpensive purchasing methods. And yet... I will get as many as I can of both. At least 50 of the Falcon and 100 of the Orc. Absolutely love the new tan bow! I will LUGBulk that if it becomes available as a part. I could use many hundreds of them!
  24. I would love for a flat round shield with planks printed on it. Perhaps both with and without a small metal studded rim printed around the outer edge. These would be fantastic shields to give to all of the rogue type factions...
  25. I am waiting to see if the minis make it onto bricks and pieces. I have 3 castles now but will get 3 more if I can't get the minifigs.