Ardelon

So far, I would say the butcher, since I hoped for such a fig to appear and I didnt think TLG would actually do it. I thought a butcher with a cleaver and meat would come off as gory; luckily I was wrong . The cleaver, steak and cap are neat parts, though I was hoping for a straw hat. I might revise my opinion when I get a closer look at the legionary and the bandit. Right now I find the legionary's helmet to be too bulky. All in all, I'm in a similar situation as TheLegoDr above - a castle guy that prefers the butcher - a testament to the butcher's iconic appeal.

A new generic wig pice would be better. We're badly in need of period wigs. If a new PotC film is coming out, I would expect TLG to capitalize on it. Shame if so, I'd like to see the Imperial Armada revisited.

single-faction sets, much less themes, don't seem to be TLG's MO anymore. In this respect, I could actually imagine these sets being done in the 80s and 90s rather than now. So I'd say one of the big questions to consider before making this theme would be: who would the soldiers fight? I can't really imagine TLG making a tank and captioning it only with "Defend the borders of LEGO City with this all new battle tank! Turret really turns!" I expect that nowadays, TLG would give us some backstory. I think our best hope for now are useful and MOD-able parts from the city theme, like the twin-rotor helicopter and tan hats from the forest police theme. I could imagine TLG doing an air show set and sneaking in a realistic fighter jet, for example. Though as time goes on and memories of WW2 fade, TLG might soften its stance?

I dont really like this idea - imagine a group of people discussing one rumor, with their posts interspersed with those of another rumor, and maybe a third in between, etc. Chaos. The LotR discussion, for example, works well enough, according to me. The LotR thread is a rumor thread, by virtue of the question mark in the thread name. I simply presume that when LotR is confirmed, a new thread will be started. (If the staff decides that the new evidence isnt definitve, they can merge the new thread with the rumor thread.) A similar system could exist for any other license rumor - a speculation thread at first, and a "regular" thread if confirmed.

I didn’t...

To add my two cents to the already pretty one-sided debate, I think feeling the packets is OK. As far as depriving others of their choice fig, any shop generally works on a "first come, first served" basis, so "the early bird gets the worm". Plus, if someone is willing to pick and buy a fig at random, without feeling the packet, they probably don’t want their chosen fig as much as those willing to put in an effort to find out if they actually found the one they're looking for. On the other hand, taking all of a certain fig does seem unsporting to me. Although it seems the fingerers are actually helping many people to find their preferred fig, rather than depriving them of it. And yes, I regularly feel fruit and bread before buying it, with plastic gloves. And, as many specialists would attest, feeling your packets is good for your physical and mental well-being.

Reading the thread, i found this bit from Klaus-Dieter on page 2: So does anyone know whether Playmobil will release this Mexican theme next year? And I know it's a tiny straw to grasp, but maybe the "new action theme" next year could be a Western theme?

Here's what Derfel Cadarn had to say on the matter in the "Kingodms 2012?" thread in the History forum, page 17: Sounds promising...

Brilliant! Exactly what I was thinking!

I tend to see the Lions (and any other faction with kings, even unseen kings, such as Crusaders or Black Knights) as stereotypical reactionary monarchists, with the outsider factions as simply a lighter shade of gray. A classic grey and gray universe, with the villagers caught in between. Fight the power!

I wonder how someone would try out the skeleton disguise Keep 'em coming!

I would prefer Johnny Thunder, as it already had fleshed out characters and an epic storyline. I was sad to see it go, I wanted them to visit other locations, like an ancient Greek ruin, under the sea (with old fashined diving suits), safari with animals, etc. That said, it's ancient Egypt that excites kids, and it would be weird to send JT and company back, so naturally they had to introduce new characters. I'm afraid that TLG will keep milking the Egyptian idea like this, introducing a completely new cast of characters fighting mummies every few years. I do think the PQ mummies and Egyptian pieces are much better than the Adventurers ones. In the end, I don't really mind which way TLG goes, so long as we get another theme with an antique and/or vintage feel.

Is there a percentual breakdown of LEGO sales by age group somewhere?

This one does. The tower seems disappointing to me, but the DF figs and the fountain make up for it somewhat.

I see the use of Black Knight shields here and in the 6078 Royal Drawbridge as a kind of final shout out to the Black Knights. I presume the Black Knights were off the shelves at that point, so there was no other way to get Black Knights shields in a legit set anymore - I myself got my only big ovoid Black Knight shield from the Royal Drawbridge set, and I won't complain about that. In-universe, I treat the Dragon Masters as a faction that split off the Black Knights and decided to follow Majisto. The dragon crest suiting their new name and allegiance just fine, they decided to keep it, only recoloring the dragon to a more "realistic" green, to show they deal with real dragons. The few Dragon Masters above maybe simply didn't have time to adopt the new shields. Back to the set, I like the exclusive baseplate and the more realistic brown trees (though this isnt such an issue, the black trees of the Forestmen were ok too), as well as the fact we get all the DF figs in this set. I prefer these minifigs to the Forestmen, these new guys look grittier and more realistic (OK, maybe I take realism a bit too seriously ) next to the rather cartoonish forestmen. Shame TLG only made 3 sets. As I wrote recently in respons to SirSven7's Wolfpack review (to those who haven't done so already, check it out!), I see parallels with Wolfpack, "which was also scrapped after three sets to make way for a fantasy-style faction with dragons and a magical character..."

Dragon Masters were the faction that drew me in to LEGO Castle, so they have a special place in my heart. I didn't have this set (I had the Dark Dragon's Den), but it looks fine to me, probably thanks to the great review. I guess I prefer castles on raised baseplates, as it gives them a certain character, i. e. being built on a mountain or cliff and towering above the minifigs, instead of just standing on a flat plain. The dragon head might look out of place, but this is a fantasy castle after all - how many real castles have pits for dragons in them, for instance? The secret door next to the main entrance is a bit weird, but it does have its uses - for example an attacking army would concentrate on the main gate, when all of a sudden the DM army would appear right next to them! I prefer the Dark Dragon's Den, though, since it also had the other knight, so you got one of each face and torso pattern. I'm ok with the BURPs, as it would take forever to build the DDD without them. And good memories play their part too.

Another cool review. I just wonder why TLG only released 3 sets. Did they somehow run out of ideas mid-theme, or was Wolfpack only intended as a filler theme? Or maybe when someone came up with the Dragon Master concept, TLG liked it so much they threw Wolfpack overboard? I see parallels with Dark Forest, which was also scrapped after three sets to make way for a fantasy-style faction with dragons and a magical character... Also, does anyone know if the keychain guy is one piece, or can his head/torso/legs be separated?

Looks like a helluva project. Time, money and location constraints prevent me from taking part but I look forward to a lot of inspirational MOCs, maps, backstories, etc. Good luck to all involved, and may the best guild win!

I don't think TLG would produce Barad Dur. No part of the storyline takes place there, so there would be no reason for TLG to create the set and face the wrath of the fans who would be disappointed by the inevitable non-epicness of it. Isengard and Helm's Deep, could be done in LEGO scale, I think. - As Tyrant mentioned, Helm's Deep is basically a keep, a ramp and a long wall, which could be done on a 32x32 baseplate (if TLG decides to use baseplates). - Orthanc could be just 3-4 stories high, as the height of the tower isn't all that important to the story. - Rivendell, a house or two, a bridge over a river, and an open area for the Jewelry Jamboree. - Lorien, a big treewith a platform, maybe 1 or 2 smaller trees. - Mount Doom would just be a vignette with Frodo, Sam ad Gollum on a ledge over a pool of lava. Minas Tirith might be tough, I wouldn't expect TLG to do the whole city. The lighting of the beacon scene, sure. Meeting with Denethor in the throne room (with courtyard with withered tree), maybe, if the lisence lasts. A segment of the outer/1st wall, with an orcish catapult, siege tower or even just orcs climbing a ladder, could be - maybe as part of a Pelennor set, with a mumak and Rohirrim thrown in. For The Hobbit, a corner of Lake Town, for example. I can't think of any other Hobbit passage which would merit a large set. I doubt we would see all 13 dwarves, but who knows? The key, I would say, is to think small.

Cool creation; I wonder what it will lead to... I have two isuues though: - I would put the Bulls next to the old lion knights, as they were their official adversaries - I think the Dragon Masters work better as a forest faction, as intended by the color of their baseplates. They just seem too European to me to be a mideastern/desert faction. Wild, dragon-infested woods suit them better. Awaiting the placement of other faction, like Black Knights (some coastal region, as they have the only fleet worth mentioning), Persians from Alamut, possibly the Chinese and east Indians from Orient Expedition, who seem to be stuck with pre-industrial technology, maybe even some lost island of Spartans/Greeks with Atlantis architecture , etc And by the way, who gets the island in the middle of the map?

Hmm... I never thought of the set name as intentionally ambiguous, just as a poor formulation of a name. I tend to prefer an explanation which keeps the Monarch alive and hopefully to be seen someday (if only in my MOCs). I also see the Black Knights as the last classic faction, for purely subjective reasons - my golden age started in 1993 with the Dragon Masters, and while Wolfpack were still in the catalogs (and the largest DM set), the previous factions were "prehistory" as far as I saw it. I read a few times (and sourced it to brickipedia, in the 1992 chapter) that the 6086 Black Knights castle was originally called the Dungeon Master's Castle. (Maybe you would like to include it in your article, SirSven7?). I sometimes thought of the newer Black Knights as a splinter faction of the original ones, using new dragon plumes and ovoid shields and calling themselves Dungeon Masters. This in contrast to the original Black Knights, who kept their allegiance to their unseen Black Monarch (whether ghost, missing, hidden away, or otherwise).

Very nice! I especially like the palisades, the 3 trees in the back and the fields - the fields look like they would also work in minifig scale. What bricks did you use for the castle windows?

Very nice, especially the stripe (probably the highlight of the build)! And in contrast to lightingtiger, I also like the use of the PoP arches above the front wheels - creative usage of the piece.

Why not? I can't imagine TLG passing up an opportunity for another fire station. Seriously, it's a staple set, and the fact that it would be in a forest location would enable TLG to break the "another fire station" monotony. And look at this years police sets - they released the massive 7288 Mobile Police Unit alongside the police station without batting an eyelid.

Great review, as usual. I myself consider the 6086 Black Knights Castle the best ever, even though I prefer gray castles overall. As for raised baseplates, I have no problems with them. 6034 Black Monarchs Ghost was one of my most treasured sets, as it gave me my only ghost and breastplate. But ever since I learned the name of the set, it had me wondering: was it the ghost of the black monarch, or was it a ghost that somehow belonged to the black monarch, and if so, was the knight the black monarch, or was he just a knight of the black monarch who was to check on the ghost, or ...???