lego tripper

I do. However, the only reason I own 70404 is because I have this OCD where I must own every Lego castle ever released. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have bought it. 7094 on the other hand brought me out of my dark ages. I loved it back when it came out and I still do.

In my opinion 7094 owns 70404 on every level.

On the topic of crests: I just want a Bear faction, that is all.

Even the slightest chance of a continuation of Fantasy Era is so exciting! Fantasy Era is what got me out of my dark ages, and after classic castle definitely my most favorite theme. Crossing my fingers for non-fleshy elves!

After seeing Iomis' renders, I must say I'm really digging the (however limited) modularity of this theme.

I'm guessing the frogs are stand-ins for a new chameleon mold or something of the like.

We need a Bear faction. That is all.

Releasing a D2C set might actually be a way to lure AFOLs into this theme. That said, I'm not holding my breath.

I have studied all the pictures, and have concluded with 99% certainty that the castle IS indeed modular. http://www.hothbricks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/lego-castle-2013-70403-dragon-mountain.jpg If you look at the side of the castle on this pic, you will notice a double dark grey slope. That right there is the point where the tower disconnects from the rest of the wall. And if you look at the gatehouse, you will notice the same dark grey slope. If this is correct, this would also mean that it is possible to move the backside tower to the front, which imo creates a much more impressive (and symmetrical) looking castle. Here's to hoping future Castle waves will include more of these modular sets.

very nice where is Allora's torso from (the brown one)?

Dark Forest was never released where I live... I think I was 11 back then. Luckily, me and my family went on vacation to the US that year, where I first saw these sets, and I was instantly in love with the Fortress. I BEGGED my parents to buy it for me (they didn't believe it wasn't available back home) and was eventually able to pursuade them. I said it in a previous review of yours: these were my Lego golden ages. I had a few of the classic castle sets, but almost all of the Wolfpack, Dragon Masters, Royal Knights, Dark Forest and Fright Knights. Good times.

why the flesh hands though?

Add another vote for the Falcons and Forestmen. I don't care that they wouldn't blend with the originals. Neither do the Lion and Dragon factions. Personally I'm not a big fan of mixing the classics with the new ones. Put a crusader next to a new Lion Knight and it's like they're from different dimensions. Also, classic minifigs seem wildly out of place in builds that use the plethora of more recently released colors. I consider the classic and newer sets as separate generations in the ongoing struggle between the different Lego factions. If enough of us say that here that we want the Falcons and Forestmen back, TLC might actually read and consider this.

Ha, in my story Majisto had captured the dragon queen with his magic, forcing her children to fight alongside his knights (yes I totally stole that from WarCraft II) against the evil Willa the witch who had once been his student but had betrayed him and now used magic for evil purposes. Awakening the ancient dragons however caused great displeasure with the Royal Knights, who believed that the pagan dragons had been put to sleep by their god and therefore started a holy crusade against the Dragon Knights, completely oblivious to the real threat that was posed by the Fright Knights. Oh this is fun. I'm so curious what all you guys' stories were.

I was about 10 when the Dragon Masters were released, and they were instant-love for me back then. I LOVED the dragons and the wizard. For me that was very much Castle's golden age. The Royal Knights were on a crusade against what they perceived as users of dark magic the Dragon Masters and Fright Knights (I still don't get why these seem to get so little love), whilst Robin Hood of the Dark Forest was defending Lionheart's kingdom from the opportunistic Wolfpack. The Dragon Masters were not bad guys in my stories, but rather misunderstood anti-heroes who had inadvertently caused the rise of the actual dark magic users the Fright Knights and only wished to correct their mistake. Good times... However! In retrospect, I can definitely see why people consider the Dragon Masters the end of classic castle, with all those bigger parts (although I have no problem whatsoever with the faces as some have pointed out earlier in this thread). As an adult I MUCH prefer the non-fantasy castle sets before this, and I've gone out of my way to collect most of them. I always wanted the Black Knight's Castle as a kid, and now I do! (Ironically, it eventually were the fantasy-themed Trolls and Dwarves that got me out of my dark ages.)

agreed

Greek Philosopher Gender: Male Occupation/print on torso: toga Type of headgear: bald / long gray hair, with long beard Type of facial expression: pensive Color on torso/legs: white Accessory: not sure

Ah yes, now I see. I thought the sharp end to the left was some kind of tail at first, but now I can definitely see a razorback in there.

I like your torso designs (D gets my preference), but personally I'd do away with the red hips and maybe change those to white/black. I think the red sticks out too much. I know the original Black Falcons had red hips, but if you look at the current Lion and Dragon Knights, they didn't exactly copy the original designs either.

I for one will be very sad to see Kingdoms replaced with a licensed theme. On one side I look forward to getting elves, but licensed means it will be fleshies, and I just have a serious dislike of mixing up yellow figs with fleshies. At first I was disappointed to see Fantasy Era replaced with Kingdoms (mainly since I was expecting elves), but I've definitely grown to love the Kingdoms line, because it really feels like a return to the classic days of Lions vs Dragons. I firmly believe that another few years, with one or two added factions such as the Black Falcons or Forestmen thrown in, would allow for much more intriguing storylines of alliances and betrayals, and make this line one to remember for a long time to come. In contrast, if it stops with the Joust, Kingdoms won't be much more than another KK1 with its mere 2 factions and short-lived run. (Note that this is purely from a storywise perspective; I definitely prefer Kingdoms over KK1, mainly for its high-quality minifigs). Of course, who's to say we won't get a Kingdoms II after LotR?

I see either a rat or a bat on the Knight's shield.

I see either a rat or a bat on the Knight's shield. edit: oops wrong series

Didn't the same thing happen last year? By which I mean that this year's 4 Kingdoms sets hadn't yet been announced this time of year, resulting in everyone believing the line was discontinued?

Well it's been clear for a few years now that coming up with entirely new factions is impossible in the long run. I think Kingdoms has been so strong exactly because it's a return to the classic days of Lions vs Dragons. So I for one would more than welcome an update of the Black Falcons and Forestmen.

Well I for one am definitely hoping for a new Black Falcon wave, but even if that's not the case, the knight is a perect addition to this set.