Triceron

Great to see them dropping the nod to it. Still gives hope that they may bring the piece back Also Brick Clicker dropped a new vid reaffirming 18-19th release date, with it appearing again on the 24th-27th for Black Friday. Both are VIP weekends, and will be doubled up with Winter Stall GWP.

I figure it could still be 2 Dragon Master soldiers with regular helms. A new print wouldn't be out of line. I'm also wondering if it might be cross axe guards. I have a feeling the guards in Market Square will be cross axes, as it seems to contain a spiritual remake of Guarded Inn in the set.

I'd be super happy if they made more horse helmets for the modern horse design. Here's hoping for the future of Castle

Hmm, interesting point. I can see them tossing in an extra soldier minifig to make up for the lack of a unique Dragon Knight for sure. That would also keep it more in line with the upcoming Medieval Market Square which wouldn't need to appeal to a specific faction. I hope it's not just the same BAM wizard print, and it's at least something slightly different.

Very interesting! Can't wait to see pics surface :D I do wonder that if it is Dragon Masters, if the helms and dragon plumes will make a return.

Must've been one hell of a good dream

I'm a bit surprised this hasn't leaked yet, but there's still more than a month away. Still plenty of time to be super hyped.

We don't really have much information to talk about the D&D set. It all depends on what treatment Lego does on it, since a lot of the design is gonna change for the final. For me, it all depends on what the minifigures will be and what D&D races and classes will be represented, what new molds they might have etc.

Ah, didn't know they appeared back in 2013 sets

You could be right about that, I just noticed now the watermark could be what's making the sheep look different. That would be good if the only new part is the Goat mold, and hopefully the price remains on the lower side. I don't like the Jester using more of the bard CMF torso and I hope that changes. I also wish the 'Crook' gets a nod to Wolfpack, similar to the little Wolfpack badge the Rogue CMF has. Something subtle would be fantastic.

I remember the designers talking about some of the pricing budget going to new molds for LKC. I think the two outstanding ones I can think of was the new arch piece, and the bardings that are workable with modern horses. Other than that, I could imagine a lot of the budget also going to new prints, since we have the new lion logo on banners, shields and torsos, and all the classic Yellow Castle shields with prints. Market Square has new fern pieces which are already shown in some other sets like Rivendell, so it doesn't eat the part price. At most I can see it adding in the cost of the Goat mold. I heard rumblings about there being an alternate sheep, and I can see in the leak image that the second sheep looks different, but I'm not sure whether that would be a new mold or recolor. I'd also love to see a new barding for Forestmen, or at least something that is more neutral towards greens and browns that could also be used for other factions like Wolfpack.

That was literally the point of the survey https://9to5toys.com/2023/02/01/lego-marketing-report-jabba-sail-barge/ Today’s news comes to us from a 9to5Toys reader, who previously completed a market survey from the LEGO Group asking questions about interesting and pricing of various sets. We can also confirm that this is a different person than Eurobricks Forum user JeanGreyForever, an individual whose report sites like PromoBricks used to first run the story. So now in addition to that information, we can now further attest that there’s some extra validity to report. Detailed in the survey, the LEGO Group was asking individuals for opinions on sets that have already hit store shelves, as well as some still under development. Participants in the survey were not specifically LEGO builders themselves, but selected out for being in a certain demographic. We’re just lucky that the reader who reached out happen to be a builder themselves. Throughout the survey, individuals were asked to look at models and then note how much they’d be willing to spend on each within a specified price range. Wouldn't likely happen since the budgets for these sets would likely already be set and done to even get to the point of presentation. The content (ie how many animals, how many minifigs) within the prelim/prototypes should be considered final, while the details of what prints of what pieces could be in there could still change. This would have been set well before they gave it to Marketting for the survey. The survey is just another datapoint for pricing for what they've already committed to, and I doubt it would change any of the content in the actual sets. As noted above, the survey would have provided a specified price range. Meaning TLG would have already factored in development and budget into the price point. I see no reason why they would offer price ranges well below what their budget allows that results in arbitrary cuts to the product. All that is usually factored in during the development process, not to the point of marketting. Even the decision to go with printing or stickers would likely be something decided on earlier than not.

LKC was in a weird spot because it came out right after all Lego prices went up. So the previous rumored price could have been accurate as a pre-inflation price. Hopefully the cheaper price is a result of the Feb survey. Especially since these aren't liscenced themes.

I messaged BrickClicker for clarification. This was his response For the past month or so I'd been hearing $215 and recently euro and US prices are different sometimes so I imagine it's $215 but 230euro :( I kind of agree it's a bit low considering the amount of minis present in the set. But I mean, it really should be packed. I felt the LKC was a bit overpriced for what we got out of it, considering we didn't even get a proper Majisto. I could see the LKC price being inflated because of all the new prints and molds involved ,whereas this new Market Square benefits from the LKC already paving the way. I'm really hoping it's decently priced, because I'm really not looking forward to anything over $300 CAD ($229 USD)

I'm planning to do that for Black Friday, which usually has a VIP weekend, plus Majisto GWP. They've been consistent with the 2X VIP rewards during that time.

Looks like BrickClicker just announced Medieval Market Square will be priced $215, which would bring it closer to the price of Eldorado Fortress. Promobricks leak had the price at 229 Euro (also $229 USD), which would actually be closer to the price of the Globe, Boutique Hotel or Jazz Club price. Not sure which is the real price, I'm personally hoping for the $215 obviously.

I also tend to get a lot of sets on the aftermarket if I see a good deal. I pulled the trigger on LKC for Christmas deals, but immediately saw a posting on Facebook for LKC + Blacksmith + Forest Hideout for just a hundred bucks more. And by that time, it was too late to return the Lego order, and the stores don't take back any unopened sets larger than $200 or something like that. So now I have a second unopened LKC sitting around. I just need to learn to pace myself better. It's hard when Lego really knows how to promote a deal and chip away at my fear of missing out. Viking VIllage was never on my original list, but it's definitely up there. I also forgot about the D&D set, but I think I can hold out on that since I already have quite a few big castles. I'm starting to look at diversifying different biomes and terrain. I still want to expand on some snowy terrain, which Viking Village is perfect for.

Really tempted with this VIP and double GWP to get the Viking Village, but I think I'll hold off. I still have to save up for the Medieval Market, and I've got a $200 PAB order that still needs to go out before end of year. The set does look really darn good and I've only heard good things about the build.

Those came out at a terrible time. Covid shut down all the brick and mortar stores nearby, and I missed out on the entire line. And the markup on those guys make it hard to get a single Tournament Knight...

I have a feeling the Market Square might have Lion Knight torso variants, like what we saw with Black Falcon CMF. The variant could even be cross axes dudes. Not sure what guards they used in the survey pic, the colors don't match the lion knights at all so maybe it's a different color variant too, like the Build a Mini silver Falcons torso we saw out of the blue. I do hope we get some new shield prints snd variants too since there is a shield maker. They did go out of their way to make redesigns of classic Castle themes for both CMF and recent Castle releases, I'd hope to see more easter eggs and not just reprints of what we already have.

I can see that threshold too. I'm mostly factoring recent inflation and the rumors of it having 3 minifigs pushing it past $200. Of course I'd be much happier with it under $200, we still have to wait and see.

That's not what I mean. I don't think Wolfpack Tower would ever be remade as a $80 value GWP set. It's ideal to be remade like Eldorado Fortress as a $200+ set. I can't see them remaking this as an $80 set, since it's quite a large set and would be brick built instead of using BURPS and large castle wall plates like the original. If they do GWP Castle, it would be something smaller like a $30-40 value Wolfpack Renegades, with a ~$250-300 purchase threshold, (whatever the Wolfpack Tower price would be). That is how I see it happening. This upcoming Majisto GWP, I do see it as a $250-300 threshold, priced perfectly for the Market Square, and would be returning as a GWP for it. Just like Forest Hideout came back for LKC, just like Blacktron Cruiser came back for Eldorado Fortress. there are many people that would love to get it and just can´t  I never said it was fair, I'm just pointing out Lego'a business trends and how Castle fits into their potential plans moving forward. I can't give any reason why they think kids aren'y interested in castle, but that's generally been their impression. I'd love to have a return of the entire line and continue with new Classic Castle factions, but I guess TLG sees it differently

Blacksmith and Viking Village size would be nice but I think they already know the Castle lovers will pay big bucks for big sets, and they aren't really aiming for kids with the new Icons line anyways. I can see them making anything Castle smaller than $100 exclusively as GWP with high thresholds, just like Forest Hideout and upcoming Majistos. From a business perspective, I think what they're doing is smart, because they keep the supply low, and the demand for castle remains high. I agree we want smaller sets, but I also see that the demand for castle is not coming from kids, it's adults with expendable income.

I consider anything over $200 US to be a big set. I could see them revamping any of the ones you mentioned into a larger set, like they did with Eldorado Fortress.

I imagine they'll stagger Castle every two years, so there's plenty of time to space between. One year for Castle, one year for other. So far that's what we're seeing, and I think they will stick with big sets because they can count on the AFOL sales.