Rand Holindale

I highly suggest investing in 6086 despite your concerns. I didn’t get it until I was older but it is such an amazing castle. I also really like 6081 too. They made such good use of the raised plates with this sets. Although flawed, King’s Castle Siege, 7094, is another castle I like, probably because of the added fantasy element. 7046, King’s Castle, is a nice call back to older castles. Both are pricy to get and wouldn’t be worth it over 6086. The creator castle is actually a nice small castle too.

Wow, didn’t expect to see today’s politics creeping so much into a post about a Lego castle. You have the right to not buy this because of female representation. That’s okay, it’s your choice. To me, that’s close-minded, as a number of girls and women do in fact buy and play with Legos. While this set is catering to 80’s and early 90’s Lego children, it doesn’t mean fathers (or mothers) wouldn’t let their children play with this and girls (and boys) like to see girls in roles other than a peasant wife or servant. Even if that’s not the case, it’s Lego, swap heads. As for the Queen, I get a little Queen Calanthe vibe from her. I’ve got plenty of kings from other sets, no problem with a warrior queen. I’m excited for the set and only wish it came with a few more horses and barding.

New shield on the left and original on the right. The black outline and a more crisp image are the differences I noticed with the new one.

Here’s a side by side of the vintage and gwp Forest Hideout. So lucky to get one of these! It goes well with my original. Can’t wait to get the large castle in August

Defense of Crait is now available in the US online at Toys R Us. Nice to see the new sets showing up before Christmas.

Got 75149, the Resistance X-wing, earlier today. Look forward to building it and adding to my x-wing collection.

This is a great set. It is very similar to the last version of the Falcon but there are improvements. The minifigs are interesting and the set has good features. The build is enjoyable too. If you don't have the previous version then I highly recommend it. If you already do then it depends on how big a fan you are of the ship and if there are other sets you want.

The quality issues are concerning but at least we're dealing with Lego. They are good about replacements. My Poe's X-Wing is fine, no canopy issues. It sounds like others have gotten sets that are fine too. As far as all the new sets, I'm looking forward to getting most of them. The snowspeeder is probably the set I have the least interest in. Maybe that'll change based on the movie. Initially, I didn't like Kylo Ren's shuttle but that has grown on me, especially after seeing some of the cool and easy mods. That's moved up on my list. I will get a Tie Fighter when it is discounted. I love the new Millenium Falcon but I do have the previous version. I may cave and get one because I like the new details and figures.

The blue rubber bands stuck out for me as a strange choice too. Fortunately, it's an easy fix. I can't wait to see it in action in the movie - though hopefully it's not wrecked in the first minutes never to be seen again.

I just finished building the new X-Wing. It was a fun build. I'm impressed with how well it is put together. It was a hard decision as far as which of the new sets to pick up. I attached a side-by-side comparison with the previous X-wing. The black and orange one seems to age Luke's X-wing. Makes sense.