x105Black

I'm excited about this series. Tentatively excited.

It surely is. Well that's interesting as well. In my excitement, I focused too much on Itara's excitement. I know he is a fan of Castle themes, so I thought there might be a clue there. But Castle, Space, and Town themes all began in 1978. So it could be just like any other series, really. Maybe with a focus on redesigning the classics. Still hoping it will be Castle focused, though.

I've been saying that since it was first announced. I'm frankly surprised it took this long for an article about it to surface.

A very interesting conversation. What anniversary could LEGO be celebrating? Maybe the 40th anniversary of the Castle theme? If true, and if they live up to expectation, I'm going to blow a lot of money on these.

Yeah, at that price I'll just forget about it.

Thanks! Not a bad figure, I may consider this one from BrickLink if it has a decent price.

If the silhouette is actually indicative of his real shape, I expect he will have a cape.

That's actually all very good news. That shield especially is an excellent design, I'm so glad it's not a sticker this time.

There are some good looking minifigures in those Guardians sets. I may have to make a purchase.

I'd like to see these helmets:

Nexo Knights was launched above the shark. I'm not too jazzed about the villains in this year's sets, but I do like General Garg and this version of Stone Stomper: I'm eager to see what's next. The 2 years have had completely different villain themes, and there have been some minifigures among those that have been impressive. It will be interesting to see what year 3 brings. And, if Nexo Knights is only a 3 year theme, it will be very interesting to see what kind of Castle theme follows. The fantasy villains of Nexo Knights were well received (especially in year 1), so I hope that some of that will make it through into Castle. Also, can anyone post a picture of Roog without armor? Can't seem to find one. I think this might be another figure I'd be interested in.

Yes. While there are parts in more subtle and subdued colors for traditional Castle fans, there are a lot of very bright, bold colors that don't work as well. I think that LEGO made a bold attempt to create something that appeals to both Castle and Space fans, but got a little caught up and made something in between that didn't really work for either. This is especially true if you aren't interested in selling off all the parts you wont use for one reason or another. I commend LEGO for trying something new. I'm happy to see that they wanted to do something different from their stale, formulaic roll-out of Castle sets. I'm just disappointed with how different they went, in a personal capacity. And you're right, they've done weird themes in the Castle genre before and come back to normalcy. But we should acknowledge that those deviations are among the least popular sub-themes of Castle. I agree. As I said, I believe that this was what they were doing. Rather than release a Space wave and a Castle wave, they tried to kill 2 birds with one stone. And they did miss the mark. Furthermore, I think the 2013 theme's size might go further back than itself. Because we know that sets are usually in production quite far before release, I think there must have been another factor. The last year of Kingdoms saw the release of Tolkien themes, which may have dulled its performance. And while the Tolkien themes were popular, they weren't as popular as LEGO had hoped or expected (resulting in truncated releases). I believe that this could be why Castle 2013 was as short a theme as it was. They didn't want to risk it. But after these medieval fantasy themes, they saw fit to try something bold and new based off of both the success of Ninjago and the enduring popularity and history of Castle and Space themes. Again, I applaud them for their outside the box thinking. LEGO is always innovative, if nothing else. But as Itara indicated, Kingdoms was not a poor performer. There were other much worse performers during the last several years. And considering the cycle of Castle themes over the years, I'd expect something like Fantasy or Kingdoms to be in the pipeline for release. I am admittedly very critical of Nexo Knights. There have been aspects of the theme that I have softened on over time. It's not a complete waste. I hope that other Castle fans can point out what LEGO did well with Nexo Knights, and that LEGO will listen and try to incorporate some of those elements into a new Castle theme. For example, the new shield shaped tile, the pyramid tile, the visors, the lava-based fantasy monsters, the gargoyle themed monsters, the idea of knights representing different factions with different colored gear... So while there is a lot to complain about, now would be a good time to start appreciating what was actually good. If the next Castle theme is expected in 2019, they are likely in a design phase already.

Few and far between. And as Itara said above, not worth buying a set when so many of the other pieces are so useless to me.

All this talk about highways... maybe it's a street walker.

Nice. Yeah, I don't mind licensed series. There's always at least a couple I like for one reason or another. But I vastly prefer the regular numbered series. Mostly for the couple of figures that are useful for Castle themes, but there are still usually a few minifugres I would like otherwise.

Breakout from the Goblin King's Fortress is nice, despite it being minty fresh. I'm also happy to see the use of dark blues. As for the helmet, I'd love to see that without prints. It's a fantastic helmet. Maybe when the new Castle theme comes out (if ever), they will reuse that helmet. The new style wings are pretty interesting, too. I actually kind of like General Garg, though I'd prefer a color other than light blue with his black aesthetic. I get why it's used, though, and it fits with the theme. The King and Queen are not bad. I like the Queen quite a bit, actually. And I've got high hopes for the Thor sets. My issue with the villains from this year's Nexo Knights sets is that the purple parts are very plain and flat, especially when contrasted against the detailed prints of the minifigure parts. I do like the use of purple and sand blue in general, though. I just wish I liked how they were using them.

Fair enough. I'm glad that there are people that can appreciate Nexo Knights and the candy colors. I personally prefer the dull, drab, darker colors of the Tolkien sets, it was a much more realistic feeling Castle theme. It felt warm and inviting to me. I apologize for my use of "lowest common denominator" because it seems to have been taken wrong. I was talking about the obvious pandering to a general audience of children, not saying that anyone who appreciates the theme is somehow less. As I said, I'm glad people like it. I just don't, and there are reasons for that. You disagree with my reasons. One man's junk is another man's treasure, as it were. Of course, I should add, I mean no offence to the designers. I know that they work hard to create these sets. Did I say anywhere that my disappointment matters more than anyone else's? No, I was merely posting my own opinions, as others have done. I'd fully support anyone who feels disappointment over a lack of attention to their favorite theme. I miss some of those myself. I'd be happy to see a new Pirates, Space, or Viking theme. I do feel that this year's sets are worse than the previous year. I like some of the colors more, but I don't always like how they are used. And you're right, bright colors are no less mature by nature, but I personally find the bright flashy candy colors of Nexo Knights to be less mature than the subdued, darker colors of the Tolkien themes. It's one of the many reasons I like Star Wars sets, as well. I lean towards a darker, more nuanced overall color palette and aesthetic in my builds, and really like the way official sets look when they follow that as well. Furthermore I agree with SirBlake's responses. Posts like mine are how I deal with it. This is a great post. I couldn't agree more. Let us have this. I agree, 2019 seems like the closest possible date. I'm very interested in what we will see, as well. I'm personally hoping for something between Fantasy and Kingdoms, with some civilians (and dark colors, of course), but I fully expect something like 2013. I'll be happy to see it, though, and I hope that LEGO would be wise enough to use a lot of the new parts that have come out in the years between Castle themes. Many newer parts are very appropriate, and that's what I was hoping for in a Castle theme before we all found out about Nexo Knights.

Yes, Nexo Knights (and LEGO in general) are for kids. All themes (including Castle themes) have always been for kids. But using that to excuse Nexo Knights is a cop-out. It's insulting to kids, as if they can't appreciate something more mature like Kingdoms and are only drawn to the flashy candy colors of themes like Nexo Knights, which is not the case. That said, Nexo Knights may appeal to a larger general audience of children by pandering to the lowest common denominator. I understand that, but it means focusing on the dollar at the expense of real quality. I'm not sure people understand that. Will there be AFOLs building Nexo Knight MOCs in 15-20 years? Sure. I wish that wasn't the case because I find it to be an ugly aesthetic, but to each their own. Or not. Saying 'to each their own' implies that there is something for people like me, SirBlake, Blakstone, and other Castle fans. But there is no real Castle theme now, and there likely will not be one until Nexo Knights has finally ended.

I think the hammer might be in pearl dark grey. Either way, it will be very nice.

It's a loss, but not much considering how good she still looks. And despite the sloped legs, I'm still excited. I'm going to guess and say she has the taller new shield, but the angles and other pieces in the way are confusing the eye. Same here. I do like the dwarf's torso and pants, though. The gladiator is solid, a very simple design well executed. Looking forward to that Highwayman, though.

That's what I love about it! It's not blue! I genuinely love it!

Same. Best looking minifigure in this series, easily. I'm not. It would fit well with the character. Drat. OK, so overall: Battle Dwarf - I like it, but I don't love it. I'll get one for the hammer, if nothing else. Butterfly Girl - I will get one for the wings. Circus Strongman - Don't really care. Connoisseur - I like the dog, might have to get one. Corn Cob Guy - I like the costumes, so I'll get one. Dance Instructor - Don't really care. Elf Maiden - Looks fantastic so far, can't wait. I'll get a few. Gourmet Chef - Don't really care. Highwayman - We'll have to wait and see. Hot Dog Vendor - Don't really care. Retro Space Hero - I love it. I'll need a few. That raygun looks awesome. Rocket Boy - I really like this costume, and I love his little flag. Roman Gladiator - Looks great, might get a couple. Surfer Boy - Don't really care. Veterinarian - I like the bunny, might have to get one. Yuppie - Don't really care. There are some cool accessories with some of the figures I don't care about, but nothing I am too excited for. I like the surfboard with the shark, and some of the hair pieces. The whisk and pie are cool, too. Great series overall.

Love the helmet on the left!

Well that's just ridiculous.

Even if this is the case, and the Forest Maiden is a female counterpart for the Elf rather then the Forestman, then we still need a female counterpart for the Forestman. I personally feel that this was the role of the Forest Maiden, and we are expecting a female counterpart for the Elf. It would be very exciting if that was in this series.