WesternOutlaw

I'm really impressed Ghoulrealm. Very nice job on these various mermaids. I'm partial to the mermaid with "hermoine's face". Jarjar looks good too. Very aquatic!

You're probably right 007, but the one thing that Snefroe and I would probably agree on is that we do take our Lego seriously. We are getting off topic though, and the question was, "What's the future of the Batman theme"?

Do any of you remember the game Dungeons & Dragons? If so, have you ever tried roleplaying with Lego castle figs?

You CAN use stickers/decals. Any Lego piece. Just no custom pieces.

I agree with Athos 100%. It's not about fantasy vs. history. Good design is the most important. See my original response.

Here's my entry:

Any knight at all that you build (sigfig or other). Should be Lego pieces only though. Decals are allowed.

Wild West was not popular because children are no longer interested in westerns. There was a time when western movies and television shows were very popular (at least in the US). Little Timmy did not decide NOT to buy Sheriff's Lock-Up because of the "negative connotations" that you say WW represented. He and many other children have no idea of the history surrounding the WW. I'd bet money on it. In fact; to be honest with you, I never heard that WW was associated with what you mentioned above. WW was a time in US history when gold was drawing people to the western United States. With it came gold towns, outlaws, and cowboys (to name a few).

People will always find negative connotations in just about everything, Lego themes included. I'm not in to "sugar-coating" things in an effort to be politically correct. I hold the same true of Lego themes, and do not think that masking historic representations with fantasy is necessary, but I'm an adult. At the same time, toys needs to be age specific though. For older children, a historic battle scene may be fine (cowboys/indians, crusades, revolution, civil war, etc.). For younger children, smiling mini-figs and fantasy might be more appropriate. There needs to be some discretion of who Lego plans to market the theme to. In my opinion, I don't mind seeing either as an adult collector, but what's more important to me, is the detail and quality of the set. I like both equally and don't mind fantasy in the least if the mythical creatures, or sets are well designed.

You bring up some very good points, and I can't say that I disagree with all of them. I've been collecting Lego since the late 1970s, and completely understand your point of view. I also wish that Lego would return to the classic sets including Castle, Pirates, WW (although not so classic), and more City and Trains. I purchased a few of the Spiderman sets not because I liked Spiderman at all (I was never a fan of SM, comics, movies, etc.), but because of a city bridge, a doc, and some new vehicles. The same goes for Harry Potter (I liked the castles, hut, train, and graveyard). But at the same time, a good detailed set is a good set regardless of theme (classic or license). I think the Batman sets are pretty good. I love the Batmobile, the villains, and some of the other vehicles, which do offer playability (esp. for the person who's a comic book or super hero fan). There's a lot of them out there. I'm looking forward to the Arkham Asylum not because it has a Riddler, but because it's the first time Lego has given us an Asylum. It's unique just like the HP Graveyard. This is what I like. In regard to awards, Lego Batman and other licenses will probably never win a toy award because the toy awards are based on generic themes. Playmobil is another company with "generic" themes. These are timeless themes and I enjoy many of them. I don't think it's licenses that's destroying creativity with Lego at all, it's the limited and specialized pieces used to build the sets. These don't offer alternative building. I recently tried building a MOC with the KK Gargoyle Bridge (posted) It's very difficult. I'd rather buy a generic castle tub with lots of standard bricks in the same colors and a few figs. This would be much more fun and offer endless building. This I think, is the real issue.

I think that this point is another discussion entirely (and disagree with the association). You're getting in to politics. History is plagued with all of what you mention above (in many Lego themes) if that's what you want to focus on. I understand Brick Miner's question to mean, "which would you rather see, historic sets or fantasy"? Like with the Castle theme, would you rather see a castle based on a real-life castle, or a fantasy castle with dragons and monsters? This is my understanding of Brick Miner's question. The same applying to all Lego themes as a whole.

You're correct 007, excuse my oversight. I haven't received the Asylum yet.

Snefroe: I'm a bit surprised about your comments. Are you against all licenses or just Bat Man. I think it's a good theme and very different which adds interest. Yoda, Steff: I agree with both of you. I think it is a good theme, and I think additional sets will be produced. They seem to be very popular among both children and AFOL. That's good business for Lego. Maybe we'll see some new villains like the Riddler, which would be a nice one, others, and their vehicles and hideouts. I think the future of the theme looks promising.

I really like the axe. Your story adds interest as well.

Most Magnificent Knight in the Kingdom Here Ye, Here Ye! News is spreading of a brilliant new contest within the Kingdom of Eurobricks. Knights have come from near and far to enter this contest to be judged as the best knight in the kingdom. Who among you would like to send your knight forward as the most magnificent in the kingdom? Contest Description: Share a single image of your knight in any costume, torso design, armor, and weaponry to be judged as the "best designed" knight in the Kingdom. Horses ARE permitted. Rules: - Only one contest entry per person. - Image size may be no larger than 320 x 240 (landscape or portrait). - File size may be no larger than 100 KB. - Any background image may be used for your knight including real models. - Judging will be performed by Eurobrick member as a separate poll. Timeline: - Entries may be submitted by responding to this poll over the next five days. - Cut-off for entries will be July 13. - Judging will be permitted thru July 18 and I'll announce the winner based on the poll. Disclaimer: - This contest is only intended to be fun and to share various knight MOCs. No prize is offered to the most magnificent knight. Have Fun!

I really like the details of your Batcave 007, esp. the control panel. Nicely done. I like your Batsub. I've wanted to build a larger one since I purchased the real Batcave and built the Penguin sub. I just don't have the pieces to do so. Overall, nice rendition.

Have any of you Batman fans heard what's next for the Batman theme. While I'm patiently awaiting Arkham Asylum, I can't help but wonder what's next in the line? More vehicles, perhaps? Or maybe we'll see some Gotham buildings similar to the Spiderman theme.

I tend to agree with you Snefroe. The planes aren't that good.

I just stumbled upon your response Captain Ironhook re-reading this thread. Thanks for the compliment. I don't consider myself a good writer, as I've seen so many better. Once in a "blue moon"; however, a thought will pass through my mind and the words just start to flow (like this message and others). I sometimes enjoy writing, esp. fiction, and the more intriguing or humorous, the more I enjoy it.

Both are good; but more importantly, is the design and quality of the sets.

Your MOC and review makes me want to buy this set Gusmoore. Nice job!

Don't get the Citadel. It is pure crud. I've got it, bought it last year on clearance. I don't think it's a bad set at all. Definately not classic, but not bad.

I still like Jack Venture better (not to be mistaken with Jack Stone).

Also, it's missing a real propeller.

I wanted to see what I could build using the pieces from KK Gargoyle Bridge (8822) and came up with this MOC, an Armor Wagon and Guard Post: The Armor Wagon: Two Rogue Guards pulling the wagon: The Guard Post, bottom level: And the upper, tower level: OK, not real good, but I don't think the wagon came out too bad. What I learned is that trying to build anything with a few arches and some LURPS is pretty difficult. This is what I dislike most about KK.