Ardelon

Very, good, but the levels look kinda flat compared to the real thing. I would suggest one more brick layer between the inverted slopes and the trans-green tiles. Though then it wouldnt look too good next to the Empire State Building...

6000+ votes!

Maybe the lack of Castle figs can be explained by the fact that there was a Castle theme ongoing, so they could have put any medieval figs there. Now, with LotR taking over, we might see some medieval figs in the CM line (or maybe not, as there were no classic pirate figs alongside PotC). Of course, TLG made space figs alongside SPIII and AC, so that could disprove my theory. Basically, Im saying the opposite of what I wanted to say. I agree with those who would rather see unique minifigs, like a Conquistador/explorer or a roman patrician/emperor or a mandarin, or a warrior from China/Arabia/India/..., or continue with the line of Western figs.

Thats funny, I remember from when I visited a few years back the Parliament distinvly had a tan/brownish color, as can be seen on most pictures on the wikipedia page and elsewhere. On other photos, like the first image on the wiki page, the Parliament is rather whitish. Maybe it was repainted recently?

Looks neat. Would look a lot better in tan and dark tan IMO, though I dont know whether the parts are availible in those colors. Maybe at least some (dark) tan highlights?

Agree.

My post was a synthesis. The RR were trying to leave the planet, the brown Rock Monsters kept interfering. (Where did you find that they ate the crystals anyway - was it canon globally, or only in the US?). The PM went looking for trouble, though I admit It was for a good cause.

Cool MOC! As for me, it reminds me of the movie Planet 51

So, +1point for the RR for ethics, in my book!

Great review of a great series. Bit disappointed in the evil knight - like others I find his armor to be overdone, TLG should have spent some of that decor on the torso. I also find the black torso of Red Riding Hood a bit off, and its a shame if a visor cant fit the space trooper helmet. But those are just about the only complaints I have.

Ah, but the Rock Raiders were just trying to collect enough crystals to leave the planet they were stranded on, IIRC. I dont know what the PM motivation was, nor whether the Rock Monsters of either theme were dependent or had any actual use for the crystals, or whether they just attacked anything that moved and was unfamiliar, like a raging rhino. Yeah, I guess the PM theme has the benefit of some 10 years of LEGO evolution, and it shows. I still say the RR were more awesome in their day than the PM are now, though.

I vote Rock Raiders, I like how theyre more gritty and rag-tag, like an isolated mining operation would be. The Power Miners just look so squeaky clean with their bright blue and lime. Their lava armor is pretty cool, though. Your rock monsters dont impress me, those dumb beasts dont stand a chance against superior tech! Civilization and Progress FTW!

Early-to-mid 1700s for me, as the imperials have uniforms, which only became widespread in the 1700s. I would put the 1996 Imperial Armada in the 1500s-1600s though, due to their morions and cuirasses.

Nice level of detail at that scale. Thought the trees look too big, i think maybe green cones (with brown studs at the bottom) would look better. Im guessing four shades of blue. While the wave does make it rather sinister, I dont think its in bad taste, anymore than, say, war MOCs. After all, when is it “late enough” to put something into LEGO? If anything, it keeps those of us unaffected by the tragedy from forgetting.

What I appreciate about KK1 were the new bits – helmets, lion capitals, detailed torso prints. And the more realistic gray color scheme as opposed to black. And the revolving “glass window” piece is neat (though it looks out of place in the joust set). Its a shame that the theme wasnt fleshed out more, it was just a castle and some weak towers (though still better than what the Bulls got. I definitely think the theme was better than KK2 or Vikings. I wonder if people would like it more if it wasnt so <insert that tiresome argument>, or if that was the single biggest deal-braker. Keep it up, SirSven7!

Now that I returned to view the post a second time, I also noticed that some sets were missing the first time I read it, namely the sets with the chrome parts. I use IE, btw. But its all there now. Funny.

Reminds me of joke about the German V-1 or V-2: Composed of 12% steel, 8% gunpowder and 80% propaganda!

A Monster Fighter. Name of Jack McHammer.

Your son did a very good job, the characters are instantly recongnizable - I might only suggest trans/clear 1x1 studs on Scrooges eyes, to represent glasses. BTW, just in case someone is interested, in Slovak, its: Držgroš (read: Drzh-grosh) = Scrooge, káčer Donald = Donald Duck, Gustáv Gunár = Gladstone Gander, Hui, Dui, Lui = well, you get it...

I also think the Bulls didnt need a Castle, I saw them as a mobile faction, moving often to escape discovery by the Lion Knights. I think of the biggest set as their camp. I think attempting a faction with no fixed buildings was an interesting and challenging idea. Even without buildings though, TLG still could have diversified the line more, with a more proper camp (with tents, a spit or cauldron over a campfire, a siege workshop for Gilbert, etc), a supply wagon, an ambush set like Kings Carriage Ambush, etc. I dont find the siege weapons blocky, the only ones that irk me are the cannons, I always found them un-LEGOish. Of course, if catapults work poorly, that is a big drawback. The biggest siege tower / battering ram is pretty cool, though, IMO, it really seems to give the Bulls a decent chance against he castle. I agree the figs are best part of the faction, they really stand out among the other factions (though the gray eyes are strange), and I really like the bull shield. And its true they should have included some generic soldiers, so wouldnt be limited to three characters. I tend to think they are just the survivors of a bigger rebellion against the king (those skeletons in the Lion sets probably belonged to their less fortunate comrades). They really do come off as the pitiful underdog fighting the Lion machine, the fact tha they can still mount attacks on the Lion castle shows just how heroic, competent and motivated they are, and it makes the lions look pretty incompetent or unmotivated, if their biggest enemy are three washed-out attackers. Funny, this review, unlike others, actually lowered my opinion about the KK1 line, I didnt know the sets were as <insert that tiresome argument> and the catapults were as lousy. Still, I have have a more positive view of the Bulls then most, the biggest drawbacks being no logistical support for their siege engines and too few figs.

The problem is, I would say, that the sides and back don't look very representative for a stand-alone building.

Ive been meaning to ask, it the window-shutter (seen for example here) new?

While I dont really like this theme, I find a few redeeming things about it. The minifigs are interesting, and that includes the generic guys as well, not just the "alpha couple". And the many impulse sets ofer good ways to army-build, even the flying-machine ones. You could get a fair amount of accessories like the bat helms, chrome swords, crystal balls, bats, and even the dragons were easier to come by than in the Dragon Masters theme. The castle isnt as bad as the rest of the theme, its only a bit too open. I agree building it to its full height must be fun. I think the prisoner in the Traitor Transport is a Royal Knight (on eof the actual knights on Horseback). Im looking forward to your KK1 review, will you do all the sets at once, or Lions and Bulls separately? Keep up the great work!

I actually like KK1. I dont own any of the sets, so I can't comment on the <insert that tiresome argument> build, but the sets look nice (as you managed to show); I especially liked the Bulls, who were rather undeveloped. Not to mention the new molds it gave us (lion capitals, kettle helmets). I did find the castle rather lacking in the back from pics I've seen, but you managed to fix that very well! Great job!

I think its just a hallway to the elevator.