BrickJagger

That's a nice way to look at it! That could very well be the case. Great question. We know the first FE did well enough to last for three years, and they're clearly aware that there's a market for those type of sets. I just hope that they don't think they can shoehorn some medieval stuff into an asian-inspired theme and tell us Castle fans that we're complaining too much.

Eurobricks is really quite a bit past its shelf life when it comes to what's trendy on the internet. Forum style communication stopped being popular years ago, but I think it's superior to what has come after it. Let's be honest folks: Twitter, Facebook, etc. are all garbage platforms for discussion. You really can't have a long, drawn out conversation with one or several others on those platforms, either due to a character limit or it being buried in a timeline somewhere. On EB, when you make a new post the topic goes right to the top so everyone can see it. Sure, it has its issues, like when some genius bumped a 13 year old topic recently, but that just adds to the fun I also think that forums like EB build member loyalty in a way. I don't know the statistics but I would guess that we have a higher rate of engagement from our longest-tentured members than most other platforms. That's important for maintaining the culture we have here and making sure that future members can experience it. EB is an oasis of levelheadedness in the cesspool that is social media. Be grateful that it's here!

I'm a big fan of both of these figures. I love the color scheme for the knight, although I'm not sure why they've given him the old shield mold instead of this one: I wish they introduced a new helmet for him as well but I'm fond of the Kingdoms one so it's not that big of a deal. The Viking is f.a.n.t.a.s.t.i.c! It's remarkably historically accurate, from the helmet to the cloak and even the talisman around his neck. If I get the chance I'll buy a few of this one. The Pirate is a little weaker than the others but still solid, and she can work as an add-on for anyone who gets Pirate's Bay. Lego has done a nice job with this series, and I'll be satisfied with the CMF line if they commit to including 3-4 historical figures per series from now on.

Just from the two pictures alone it's pretty clear that this theme will be similar to the Big Bangs before it. It's possible that it will have a larger historical component than usual but that second figure looks like it's straight out of Nexo Knights. Wouldn't be shocked if it's the usual motorcycles and mechs again

Exactly. This should be simple, right? But I still see a ton of people on here falling for their posturing. Lots of people on here seem to buy stuff because they like "x piece/s", not because they actually like the set. This has been the way that most fans of classic themes have been buying sets recently, simply because classic themes are a thing of the past. We don't have to spend money, but I feel like some AFOLs are spending hundreds of dollars on things that they don't really want simply out of habit. Those people are under Lego's thumb, and as long as they exist Lego doesn't have to go back to making classic sets or anything that AFOLs actually want because their revenue will stay the same regardless.

Not working for me either. Is it disappearing for you after you vote?

I surprised myself by going with Galaxy Squad. Amongst the four themes it's the most evenly matched between heroes and villains, and I feel that the set design is better than MM.

Very clever build for the lion; looks like some of the people it ate turned into its legs

Looks good @pantelis! I do think the larger building is crying out for a baseplate of some kind though.

Welcome @povoq! You've got an excellent Ideas model and it's probably the fastest growing castle-related entry I've ever seen. I'll go support it as soon as I figure out what my password is

Supposedly there are four

All fair points, but on an online forum like this one there is room for a lot of different kinds of discussions. Some people enjoy talking about what they're currently building, and create WIP threads to give updates on their progress. Others, probably the majority, like to discuss what Lego has on the shelves, as we're all familiar with those sets no matter where we are in the world. The commonality of these sets is probably what fosters discussion on here; notice how you never see 1000+ post threads about a MOC, but there are dozens each year for individual themes. Each user's individual interest and what they create from it is almost like a bunch of individual niches, while the product discussions are the mainstream. Also, not everyone here is a "Master Builder". I know I'm not compared to most builders on here We've got a lot of collectors on here that buy sets for display purposes, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Lego, as a company, should be able to do a better job than almost all of us at designing a great set, which is why they deserve some brushback if they don't.

Yeah, I wouldn't get too excited by that because that's almost certainly not going to happen. It's far more likely that they're going to roll out a bunch of Forma-style "kits" and call it a day.

Good work so far @Pantelis. You could potentially add some banners and the sort to the castle, as well as some more detailing around the moat. A very strong start

When Lego refuses to make Castle sets for young kids for a sustained period, they skip an entire generation's worth of potential AFOLS. We are currently feeling the effects of that, and since CC was pretty much always just a tributary into this forum, it was going to dry out first. CC is also dying because no one wants to use a site that looks the same as it did in '07 when they could use a modern forum like EB or Reddit that caters towards younger users. I personally think the site design is charming and unique at this point in time but I'm sure others don't feel the same way. CC is currently the second best archive of Castle discussion on the entire internet (aside from this very subforum) but Lego is getting very close to completely shutting out the Castle genre. We simply can't keep it going in the absence of an actual theme, try as we might. This "Leaf" theme is the last chance that I'm giving Lego to get it right (and they're certainly taking their sweet, sweet time announcing it) because if they don't, I think that CC and this section will die out unfortunately. Up to you, TLG. Until then, I strongly encourage y'all to make accounts and post on CC, more specifically in the "Lego Castle Sets" section. It would be a massive shame to see that forum die out, and the staff there are some of the longest tenured Castle fans on the internet

I got PTSD from the Elves 2015 thread, thanks for bringing that memory back

That makes two of us.

Say no more

Personally I think this is the best modular since 2016's Brick Bank. I like the concept and the European-inspired design, because even though I'm American I found the last two modulars to be pretty clunky-looking. One knock against it is the price tag; I don't think 180 USD is justifiable for two rather small buildings. 150 might have worked better since it's about the same size as the Pet Shop. I've got no problems with the multi building design however, because the bookstore would lose its coziness if it took up the whole set IMO. Great work by the designers

I'm glad to see you were able to finished this @Grey Magistrate ! It's been fun keeping up with this series, and I appreciate how you largely ignored the official story and took a significant amount of artistic license. Honestly I'm a little surprised you decided to kill off Clay, but in a good way

Gotta say, I think this wave could be a bit stronger. As others have said it oddly has a different aesthetic than the first wave, and even Jack and Parker have regressed into the 90's for some reason. My favorite set amongst these is the Portal because it is the first set in the line to include actual ghosts instead of possessed civilians. The others are a bit muddled, such as the subway station. which looks more like a sewer, and the Ghost Fair, which has a strong concept but was likely limited by its preset price point. I think they could have made a much better version if it were priced at $80, and that doesn't seem unreasonable give that it's the flagship set of this wave. HS probably has one more wave consisting of the remaining four set numbers before it kicks the bucket, but I hope it goes out with a bang. It's one of Lego's better non-licensed offerings in the past decade, although the competition has been practically nonexistent.

Great work! I like the texturing you've done on the walls, and you've incorporated the baseplate nicely. The only suggestion I have is to break up all of the black around the back side of the tower with some more gray.

Wow. This is, hands down, the worst Police wave ever produced. Everything from the infantile set designs to the one-piece gimmicky "Helicopter" that's straight out of a dollar store clearance bin just screams lazy. Sure, the boxes say ages 5+ but they're doubtless going to price these like they're regular sets, or maybe even give them an unjustifiable markup like they do with their other Juniors sets. Lego should be embarrassed

I like this a lot! It's compact but still filled with detail. Seems like this is quite an orderly wizard too, he could probably teach his peers a lesson in cleanliness

...and I wish people would stop going into the Space forum to tell people that they shouldn't want more Space sets.