TheFrisian

For me, LEGO kinda faded to the background somewhere in the mid 90s. The quality of set designs dropped rather dramatically in those days, and themes became less and less appealing to me. There was a brief revival of my interest in LEGO when the first wave of Bionicle came out in 2001, but in the following years set designs became rather repetitive (six good guys vs six bad guys over and over again) and LEGO faded to the background once more. It wasn't until 2007 that I was very pleasantly surprised by the drastically improved quality of both themes and sets. Especially the new Castle line surpassed all my expectations. LEGO was back with a vengeance, and so was my passion for this great brand.

GO LEGO!!!! (what else is there to say ;-))

The one from Doctor Sinister is very nice, but personally I would like something... darker...

Congratulations DNL, very nicely done! *sweet*

Chester the Jester :-D Or else a silly sounding name like Wamba :-P

I second Piranhas idea! With the limited number of parts and the open character of the contest anyone can participate *sweet*

LOL, never realized LEGO had such a disruptive influence on the developement of children. Shame on you TLC! Very funny Hollisbrick! :-D

I can certainly relate to that, I too am likely to explode when someone breaks or otherwise defiles my precious LEGO models. That's why I usually put them away when I expect visitors. On the other hand, I have no problem with others playing with my old LEGO from before my dark ages, which is far from in mint condition anyway.

Human vs human has been the standard format for as long as Castle has been around, the fantasy theme is new and refreshing for LEGO. And with all the attention the fantasy genre is getting lately, there are a lot of fantasy fans who are very exited by the direction TLC is taking with Castle. Personally I would welcome the addition of an Elves faction to the Castle line, as they are one of the most iconic races in fantasy fiction.

Congratulations to all the winners!!! Great effort by all the contestants, I see some superb designs and techniques among the entries! I'm actually at a loss for words to describe how awesome I find the Tower of Brothers by Noddy! I'm surprised nobody has posted pics of this amazing creation on Eurobricks yet.

I just love Rahi *wub* By far the best opponents the Toa ever had. As characters the Toa Mata are unsurpassed, although I prefer the more poseable design of the Toa Metru.

I'm not sure what happened to my older instruction booklets from before my "dark ages", they are probably still stored away with my catalog collection in a box somewhere. The instructions from the more recent sets I keep sorted by theme in some of the boxes that came with the sets.

As Cardinal Brick already pointed out, you captured the atmosphere and action very well. *y* As for the landscaping, I think that part of the MOC could've used a little more attention.

As a bit of a LEGO purist, clone brands kinda go against my principles. But I do have to admit that this set doesn't look half bad. I especially like the cloaks, would be great if LEGO had a part like that for cultists or monks. Out of curiousity I visited the Oxford website. Some of the castle sets looked mildly interesting, but in my opinion there wasn't much variety in the sets. At first I actually had the impression that the same set had been listed multiple times, until I noticed that there were some minor changes in the details. When browsing further, I noticed it was similar for most other sets as well.

Thanks a lot for bringing us this information Legomilk, I'm glad to hear the Castle line is being continued next year! Can't wait to learn more about next years theme. If I had to guess, I'd say we're getting Elves, but we'll just have to wait and see ;-)

What about an Orc Shaman? That could be a nice addition *sweet*

A beautiful work of art, just like Cafe Corner! Keep them coming ;-)

I have to agree with Iamded and Batbrick here, comparing the current Castle theme to Timecruisers, Alphateam or Agents is like comparing apples to oranges. I think TLC managed quite well to combine the best of classic castle with a more fantasy based theme. Not only is it a new and fresh concept, but it has something for everybody. And to be honest, an Elves faction does seem to be the most logical next step in the continuation of the current Castle line. A Robin Hood like theme has already been done in the past, so it is unlikely that that theme will be revived. An Elves faction fits the overall fantasy theme and it could very well be combined with a Forest theme. However, I do agree with Klaus-Dieter that we really need to see some more civilians. It would give the Castle line a lot more depth when there were some villagers to defend.

I got most of my LEGO sorted by color, except for minifigs and some special pieces I like to keep seperate.

That's a sweet collection you've got there! Even though these old sets are pretty primitive compared to current set designs, they still have lots of charm and appeal and never fail to bring a smile to my face! *sweet* The knights you referred to look kinda familiar, but I don't have a clue as to what set number they are from.

It may list as an Impulse set, but it seems a bit larger to me than the current Impulse sets, so I would be pleasantly surprised if this still turns out to be a

Nice comparison shot, judging from these pics, I think I have to agree with you that green suits the Troll better. Especially since the Orcs are sand green as well, indicating some relation between the two races (if they are indeed separate races). Great review, very detailed and with lots of pictures. I was already interested in this set, but after reading your review I want this set for sure! *y*

Am I the only one who thinks this helmet looks a bit like the Juggernaut from X-men?

I think the "coin" is actually some kind of amulet or locket. Nice review, keep them coming! *sweet*