Ruthin Road

Maybe if it's a Lego exclusive sett like LKC Not that I think LKC had a low budget with a new part, lots of prints and lots of retired parts brought back. An ideal Castle set have lots of new printed parts (like minifigs, shields, barding etc), generous amounts of minifigs and animals (recolours) and new parts like animals, weapon’s etc, which is hard to make on a low budget I think that the Viking Village demonstrates that you can have a "premium"-looking historic set while staying vaguely affordable, by good design and efficient use of pieces. It was on sale for £100 at one point in the UK, and could potentially be reduced further as it approaches retirement.

While "sales failure" could be considered relative given Lego's current profits, the fact that it was on sale for less than 18 months, was retired 2 years early, and still discounted prior to retirement, all suggests that sales were significantly less than expected.

The set would have had to be huge and expensive to do justice to all the buildings and trades included. I would have preferred a focus on one building, for example the inn, creating a set which is both more detailed and more affordable. With the sales failure of Eldorado Fortress as well, Lego can conclude that remakes of old sets are not a sure fire success. I hope they also conclude that this was due to the cost and flaws of the sets rather than a lack of interest in the subject matter. It is much easier to find reasons not to buy a set when it costs £200.

With regards to the Formula 1 sets, is this the first time that there has been a wave of licensed sets within the City theme? It seems a shame to introduce licensed products into such a core theme for children especially given that Lego have been quite happily producing non-licensed Lego Town/ City racing cars for over 30 years. Mind you, I suppose you could argue the Shell petrol stations and vehicles were a licensed theme although they were much more spread out and infrequent.

I see the retirement date for this set appears to have been brought forward two years, to the end of this year. While I felt it tried to fit in too much in one set, I was slightly surprised that it seems to have been such a sales failure. I suspect this may not bode well for the prospects of future civilian Castle sets, or that they will now be confined to the Bricklink Designer Programme.

Yes, I wonder whether they ran out of budget and had to simplify the top floor, a bit like what happened with Medieval Town Square.

The modular galactic spaceship looks OK and happily should be relatively affordable when discounted. I would have preferred something more elegantly proportioned and I think the cockpit is slightly ugly, but I recognise it is supposed to be a mothership. I still prefer my 6986! I think the small and medium sized city space sets (interstellar spaceship, explorer rover, science lab) have been excellent in this wave. However I think the larger sets have suffered from having to integrate the interlocking modules into the design, which has adversely affected their appearance.

Tudor Corner a good set and has much more life to it than the museum. I suspect the designer has done well to bring it in budget. The pub building exterior doesn't feel cohesive to me - three unintegrated floors of different styles of architecture. As often with the modular buildings, the proportions seem a bit off with the timbered section too small and the middle floor too big. The facade of the top two floors feels slightly too flat. A pub was a good choice for a corner building. However the squared off corner could have been made more of a feature rather than having a drain pipe. I would have liked to have seen the top two floors done in the timbered style and with more detailing, for example oriel/bay/mullioned windows, more prominent jettying, and more elaborate timbering. For a building called Tudor Corner, it is not very Tudor! The top floor flat seems to have a flat roof? I am not sure if the interior of the timbered section of building has been used? I will be interested to see more pictures in due course.

Indeed. The Cutty Sark and the Mary Rose are well-known in Britain but perhaps not worldwide. The Cutty Sark would at least be relatively unproblematic as a merchant ship but Lego might baulk at giving us 32 sails! The Mary Celeste is well known and the (non-Pirates of the Caribbean) Flying Dutchman would provide plenty of creative opportunities. However, what I would really like is a Lego version of the Hispaniola from Treasure Island! Yes, good shout. While it is not pirates, I am excited to see a sailing ship from a very different era in a very different setting, and with a more scientific background. Hopefully it will find an audience.

I saw the films in the cinema when they were released and read the book over 20 years ago therefore my knowledge is much less than most others here and I am not really the target audience. However my recollection is that we never saw or had a description of the interior of Barad Dur and that Sauron did not have a fixed physical form, so the interiors and minifigures seem a bit jarring to me. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I do not think it was a canteen with tongue in cheek in-jokes and a study for Sauron to put his feet up! I guess unrelenting grimness doesn't really fit the Lego aesthetic and would not be very commercially viable in terms of sitting in the corner of the average living room. Nonetheless a smaller display model without interiors would seem truer to the source material, fix the problems with proportion and be significantly more affordable.

It is exciting to see Lego cover a different period of history. I would not have thought that the Endurance was sufficiently established within popular culture to be honoured with a Lego set, and potentially with its own GWP as well. I keep on thinking there has been some confusion and there must be a Stars Wars or Marvel spaceship called Endurance as well. I suspect it will be a display set also. The Endurance is most famous for being trapped in ice therefore that has to be included, which would then lend itself to be a static model for display. Nonetheless the rumoured piece count is large albeit with a wide margin of error, so it could have both sailing and icebound options. I think the lack of widely recognisable expedition members will also make it less likely to have many, if any, minifigures. Shackleton would be the only name that would have any significant recognition, and even then I suspect the vast majority of people would not know what he looks like. Up there with Notre Dame as being the most unexpected Lego set this year. The rumoured price is also less than might be expected, albeit still way beyond my budget.

I think it looks like a thoughful and polished set that is evocative of the medieval period but still feels like a Lego set. The main issue is that it feels like at least 3 separate sets: a farmhouse, a fortified tower and a townhouse/inn. Subsequently there is a slight lack of refinement on the building exteriors and an incoherence to some of the interiors as the designer tries to fit everything in and on budget. I suspect the designer did as well as possible given the brief. I dislike the preponderance of big expensive sets in recent years although I suspect I should actually be thanking Lego for making it easy for me to decide against buying! I agree all the stickers are an issue especially given the price. It looks like a good set to MOD. Equally it is sufficiently simple that even a limited builder like me could create something vaguely comparable with my current bricks. There seems to be reasonably versatile selection of parts. However I think the set would need a fairly comprehensive rebuild to seem pirate-ty.

The Imperial Sloop Neptune would definitely be my choice. A clean, elegant and affordable design that is not too big. It is a shame that the flag from the Eldorado Fortress could not have been reused.

I suppose the price is indirectly the biggest flaw in that I would be much more forgiving of a similar set that was half the price. In addition the set feels padded out in order to inflate the price. While the ship is absolutely fine in itself, a merchant ship still feels incongruous as part of a military fort set. I would have preferred that the ship had been saved for a future civilian port set and the price of the fort correspondingly decreased.

Thank you for the poll. I agree with @Horation above. I think the main flaw of the set is that it is ugly, both in comparison to the original and especially on its own terms, which limits its wider appeal. While the base is well done albeit a bit part heavy, the fort towers manage to be bulky and overbuilt while simultaneously lacking in detail. The gun loops are less elegant than the original set. The use of red bricks is scattergun. The modular feature is a good idea but takes too many liberties with the appearance of the main model. I like the idea of having the remake as a pure playset but it would then have to be about half the price. I think this would have been possible by omitting the ship and streamlining the overall build. If it was cheaper I think we would have been more forgiving of its flaws and been better able to appreciate its play features. It's such a shame. If could have had one old set remade it would have been Eldorado Fortress (or Fort Sabre as I knew it in the UK!) However I can't bring myself to buy it. While a Caribbean fort will never have as broad appeal as a castle or a spaceship, I think a better set would have created more than sufficient interest to justify its existance. Sadly its failure will have sunk the possibility of future Imperial sets. I find this quite funny albeit it is probably indicative of an overall lack of care over the set. If nothing else, it contributes to the nostalgic feel by continuing the well-established slapdash Lego approach to its "lore"!

I agree with this. In addition the set felt padded out and overpriced. If they had got rid of the ship, streamlined the design and knocked a third of the price, we would be better able to appreciate the play features and more forgiving of the set's flaws. Also the set would have attracted a wider audience. Contrast with the Viking Village which engaged with, streamlined and improved upon the original design, while managing to keep costs down with judicious use of parts.

I don't mind BURPs per se. As others have said, they are useful to build large areas of rock and landscape. However I am not especially sentimental about them and I think they are of most use in larger sets that would otherwise have significant amounts of repetitive building. In a set that consists of a small building, I would favour a more versatile brick-based approach that allows for more modifications. While the BURPs may create more interior space, unfortunately that space can be more difficult to use because of the awkward interior shape and absence of connections. Obviously it is difficult to comment until we see pictures of the inside. While I really like the concept and colour scheme of the original set, I do not think that the build itself necessarily had much in the way of flair. You can usually break down a set to key elements such as the steeply pitched red roof, the blue shutters, the green leaves, and the symmetrical opening. As long as the remake retained these elements and the approximate colour scheme and proportions, I think the set designers actually had a reasonable amount of room to manouevre to create something that improved on the original while keeping in budget. With the Forest Hideout and Blacktron Cruiser, I think Lego got this process pretty spot on. My initial impression is that the workshop is a bit lifeless in comparison. Perhaps it's a bit like restoring an old building.If you keep everything that is old then the building can only be a museum piece rather than a living building. Remove too much and it loses what makes the building unique. You have to decide what to retain, what to restore, and what to remove, while not losing sight of the overall vision and remaining in budget.

Oh dear! The concept and colour scheme of the original set was great. However even at the time it was let down by obvious flaws, namely the over reliance on large pieces such as BURPs and turret tops, the large gap under the roof space, and the lack of a door. The remake was such a good and straightforward opportunity to fix these faults and create a more coherent build, while remaining faithful to the spirit of the set. Instead we have been given a kind of a door but a similarly unsatisfactory build. At least it has leaked early and gives people the option to get the Galileo set instead if they have been delaying purchases. The thought crossed my mind as well. Surely a sign of an unimaginative set. The yellow banner has only been on sets and GWPs that recreate sets form the Legoland era; the original Majisto’s Workshop did not have the Legoland banner, so it would be odd if one were included on the remake. It would have been fun to have some retro "Lego System"-style packaging instead although that is definitely nitpicking! Surely not! It would be hilariously bad if this was actually the case. The interior is going to have to be great...

It just looks a bit lacklustre and lacking in imagination to me. Like the town hall, the front facade is plain and lacks definition hence the somewhat unsubtle attempts to liven things up with the banners, tree and the window cleaner. The interiors and exhibits seem sparse and to lack refinement. The interiors are gloomy in colour. On the plus side, the simplicity of the design should make it relatively straightforward to modify both the building and the exhibits. The extended footprint seems unnecessary. If the dinosaur skeleton was removed then it could easily be modified to fit on a standard footprint, which may also have helped create a building with more detail and flair. The bank and police station demonstrate you can have civic buildings on the standard footprint that still look sufficiently imposing, and part of the joy of the modular buildings, and of Lego in general, is seeing how designers are able to work within a limited size and piece count. Unfortunately the museum does not justify the increased size. It continues an unwelcome trend of Lego creating ever bigger sets for, presumably, ever bigger profits. Also, and as other have said, given the range of exhibits, why is this a natural history museum as opposed to just a museum?!

What has been the highest threshold for a GWP in the past? It is rumoured that this set will have 100 pieces more than Forest Hideout. It is highly anticipated, with multiple people saying that they have been holding off large purchases to obtain the set. Given also that it is supposed to be released on a double points weekend and alongside a second GWP, it would seem a fine opportunity for Lego to see how much more money they can squeeze out of the nostalgia market. I would be surprised if the threshold is below £250.

A Post Office would be wonderful. Lots of potential interior details: mechanical features like conveyor belts or a grand marble entrance hall. Hopefully enough people still remember what letters and stamps are! I have fond memories of classic Lego post offices, especially 6689.

Interesting debate, thank you all for your insights and photos. I also do not think the remade Galaxy Explorer has captured the spirit of the original, although it is clearly a very considered and polished design. Thinking about it, I suspect the decision to make the set predominantly for display made this inevitable, turning the Galaxy Explorer into something it was never meant to be. It actually makes me feel a little sad to think of it sitting lifeless on a shelf, like seeing a stuffed animal in a museum. It is supposed to be out there exploring galaxies, while being played with and rebuilt! I hope future nostalgia sets move away from being display pieces. While the Galaxy Explorer has quite a few play features, it is too fragile for regular play by children. While I can understand that display sets designed primarily to be as realistic or faithful to an original as possible may have some compromises in stability, for example architecture sets or sets based on film props, it seems inappropriate that a remake of an actual Lego set is not more robust. In the same way that "The Lego Movie" was a family film that could be enjoyed on different levels, I think the Galaxy Explorer should have been a more fun and family-orientated set. I wonder what sort of set we might have got if the designer had been given a freer hand, for example being told he could build any spaceship he wanted as long as it was gray and blue, and had a classic space logo and a trans-yellow cockpit? For me, the Creator 3-in-1 medieval castle and pirate ship actually get closer to the spirit of the original castle and pirate sets despite (or as a result?)of not being remakes of specific sets. Mind you, the Galaxy Explorer is such a legendary set that it would be difficult to create something entirely fresh.

As another time-limited builder I sympathise. I would hope there would be a middle ground between the sometimes excessive use of panels, LURPs and BURPS in the 90s, and the preponderance of small fiddly pieces that are more difficult to reuse in modern sets. I suppose the Creator 3 in 1 sets try and fill that gap although they seemed to have moved away from classic themes this year. I would have loved a Creator 3 in 1 Classic Space set that could build a spaceship, a ground vehicle and a moon base. Fingers crossed that the new wave of Space sets will have something fun. It would be a shame if Icons sets become synonymous with big expensive sets that are meant for display rather than rebuilding. Hopefully the rumoured Lego Moments subtheme can bridge that gap between models that look good on display but can be easily modified and rebuilt.

I wonder how Lego will proceed with the reimagined sets. I would guess if you asked the average casual middle aged Lego fan to describe a Lego space ship then it would most likely be blue and grey with a trans-yellow canopy. If you asked them if they could name a theme then I would guess Blacktron or perhaps Space Police would be the most common answer. Is the casual pure nostalgia market big enough for many more remakes beyond these core sets/themes? Perhaps so. However if Lego need to attract adult fans of other themes to make the sets viable then the builds and parts will need to be interesting, and the sets polished. If they are to be partly aimed at children as well then they will need proper play features. There is already a suspicion that the recent Eldorado Fortress remake had a smaller budget than the Galaxy Explorer and Lion Knights Castle of the previous year. I suspect a release every 2 or 3 years may be the pattern. While the sets themselves may not be the most profitable in the portfolio, I suspect they may act as something of a loss leader, keeping the faithful like us buying Lego while awaiting the next big release.

This set seems like a missed opportunity. It feels like the designers were given free reign and have just thrown everything Castle at one set without creating a terribly coherent whole. While most seem to have found it a fun build and some of the angles in particular are really clever, it could have easily have lost some rooms with no overall loss of effect. Indeed a smaller build would have decreased the amount of gray wall and reduced the artificial "doll's house" feel, as well as creating a more affordable set. I think this set could have benefitted from more ruthless editing or a more precise remit. For me part of the skill and fun of Lego is creating designs and implying features from a limited number and limited types of pieces. I feel this set falls into an uneasy middle ground between a traditional Lego castle and a more realistic model, where, somewhat counter intuitively, the areas of increased detail, for example the kitchen, actually amplifies the more artificial elements of the set, for example the uniform layout of the rooms. I am newly out of my Lego "Dark Age" so still adjusting to this new world of Lego. However I really like 31120 Medieval Castle so it's good that there is a choice for different tastes.