Brinstar

I finished building mine today. It's a nice ship and a good introduction to the world of pirates for those who missed the last wave of pirates in 2009. For me there are a few highlights including the stern-castle (which is very nicely done), a built up fore-castle (at least in comparison to Brickbeard's Bounty), a reasonable detailed cabin, and some nice mini-figures (particular from the soldier's side). There are some very curious design choices. I don't like the way the cannons are done and in particular the fact that the flags won't cover the portholes. The fact there appears to be a door missing from the cabin which leaves a gaping hole is also very disappointing. Fundamentally, I don't like the fact that the model is so similar to Brickbeard's Bounty. It smacks of laziness on Lego's part. Thinking back to how different the Black Seas Barracuda and the Skulls Eye Schooner were I think it's a real pity that Lego didn't try and make a more unique and distinctive ship this time around. Overall I'd give it a 6/10.

Without wanting to jump on the negative bandwagon, the line looks like a disappointment to me. Its clear these sets are targeted at the lower end of Lego's age bracket. Fair enough, apart from us jaded AFOL's this is the age group that a pirate theme will most appeal to but you can't help but be disappointed with these pictures even in comparison to the 2009 line which struck a nice balance in appealing to its primary target audience of 6-12 year olds while also catering for us older fans. The pirate ship is probably the best of the bunch but it still looks like an inferior Brickbeard's Bounty despite having a larger number of pieces! While its nice to see an enclosed cabin, the cabin itself looks smaller and there isn't much in the way of detail. I really don't see the incentive to buy this ship if you already own Brickbeard's Bounty. The soldier's fort is the biggest disappointment. I thought the use of 'fort' for the 2009 variant was tenuous but this new set makes it look valid. It just feels like a jumble of bricks with endless amounts of open space and no coherent structure. Its great that Lego are bringing back the classic themes likes pirates and castle but I just wish their treatment of the subject matter was a little more sophisticated. The 2013 castle line was a big disappointment and I didn't buy a single set. I've been looking forward to this line since it was announced but my optimism has been crushed.

I'm much more of a Lego castle fan than a LOTR fan. I've only purchased two LOTR sets: 9474 Battle of Helms Deep and 9471 Uruk-Hai Army. I may purchase the Pirate Ship and Unexpected Gathering sets at some point. To answer each of your questions.. 1. The excellent part selection in Helm's Deep was certainly enticing. Despite this it was the model as a whole, rather than the individual parts, that encouraged me to purchase the set. This links with question 4. 2. No. I prefer generic castle figures. It is admittedly nice to have the LOTR characters in mini-figure form but I would not use them with my lego caste sets. 3. Clearly Helms Deep and Uruk-Hair army are great parts packs for MOC'ers as is Attack on Weathertop. An Unexpected Gathering contains some great pieces for forest men MOCs. 4. This was the main reason I bought Helm's Deep and its expansion set. Not only is it a great LOTR set, it is a great castle set. I'd go even further and say it is probably the best castle structure Lego has produced. It can be integrated into the Lego Castle universe with very little modification. Mine serves as the headquarters of my contingent of Kingdoms Dragon Knights, who never got a proper fortress in the official sets.

I owned this set as a child and was always quite fond of it. There aren't too many freighters in the space theme and this by far the largest and most impressive. While most space ships seat only one or two, the cockpit is spacious enough to allow four mini-figures as your photo beautifully illustrates. I remember at the time I was taken aback by the number of magnets, it's a shame they don't appear in Lego sets anymore. The large cargo hold is also a particular highlight. While the piece count isn't very high, it always felt like a very substantial model for the price (£24.99 If I remember rightly!) There are certainly aspects that could be improved: I never cared for the buggy and don't like the way it was attached to the front. I also wish that the rear section wasn't quite so open. Overall though a good set and a nice companion to the Mega Core Magnetizer and Particle Ionizer.

This is undoubtedly one of the better sets from the new Castle line, yet despite this I'm very lukewarm and unsure whether I will buy it. The major positives are the return of the fantasy era dragon and one of the better Lego catapults I've seen (siege engines were an obvious omission from the Kingdoms line, with the small Dragon Knights catapult in Outpost Raid the main exception). Unfortunately the main part of the set, the Dragon Mountain, is woefully unsubstantial to be the largest fortress of the main adversaries. There are some nice touches, such as the staircase and the interior but overall it's just to small and the comparison with the Kingdoms Prison Tower really shows it up in this regard. I'd like to have seen Lego use the catapult in another set and maybe use the pieces from that to work the tower into something more substantial. A slightly higher price point would have allowed for a bigger and better set.

Fantastic MOC, a very detailed and faithful Lego rendition of the original model. I haven't seen too many Babylon 5 MOC's which is a shame as it was an excellent TV series. Do you have any more Babylon 5 MOC's planned?

I would also recommend the Fire Brigade. It is the cheapest and best value modular building. It is also likely to be discontinued by the end of the year at the latest. Although not specifically a residential building, the upper floor is basically a living area complete with kitchen, sofa and table tennis table.

A very impressive layout. I particularly like the way you have integrated the Modular Buildings with your own MOC's. The most eye catching part of the display is not the Modular Buidlings (because almost everybody's town display has them) but the office block. A relatively simple design, but incredibly effective. I also commend you for fitting so much into a relatively small space, without making it look overly cluttered.

I have absolutly no interest in the film whatsoever. Having said that I simply cannot wait for these sets. For me they are some of the most exciting sets that Lego is producing this year. As someone who enjoyed the original Western theme, these are almost the natural sucessor. The Constitution Train Chase, Stagecoach Escape and Colby City Showdown are the standouts for me. I simply cannot wait for them to be released.

Finally picked up a copy of Uruk-Hai Army to attach to my Helms Deep. A nice little army builder and I plan to get at least one more.

Nice job, I particularly like the interior and the keep which is more substantial and faithful than Legos version. I do have slight misgivings about the squareness of the walls at the front. I thought the rounded walls on Lego's official set was one of the most attractive features of that model. I wouldn't have minded seeing a few more pictures of the whole model, although I must commend your action shots and the way you have displayed your MOC, very impressive indeed! Oh and Welcome to Eurobricks!

I think the idea that Lego would intentionally focus on 'less important scenes' for this wave is fanciful in the extreme. Considering the reports of modest sales, you would assume that Lego would go all out on designing and releasing sets that would appeal to the broadist audience. Indeed, this is precisely what they have done. The corsair pirate ship is perhaps the most obvious example. They made only a fleeting appearence in Return of the King. From a LOTR fans perspective, there were probably better/ more worthy scenes from the movies to focus on for the largest set of the wave. I would suggest that for Lego, the decision to focus on the corsair ship was likely due to two reasons. Firstly, as a vehicle it adds much needed variety to a theme that is primarily based on locations. Secondly, sailing ships sell!! I can envisage the corsair ship appealing to a demographic beyond just LOTR fans, particularly when there are no other sailing ships or pirate ships on the market at the moment. Whether LOTR will continue beyond this wave is impossible to predict. Personally, I hope it does. I very much enjoyed Helms Deep and I am looking forward to the forthcoming sets. Like plenty of people here, I also think that there are plenty of scenes from the movies that would make great models, hopefully Lego agree.

Finally picked up a copy of Helms Deep. I've wanted its since it was released but finances have dicated that I could not afford it until now. It was worth the wait though. The intricate details and advanced building techniques are the sort that you would usually associate with exclusives such as the MMV or Joust. Its nice to have a castle that doesn't follow the generic four wall pattern either. The best set from the LOTR theme by an absolute country mile.

Agreed. In some ways I think its a shame that Lego were not more original in their approach to the theme. The three larger sets closely resemble the three larger sets from the first wave of the kingdoms theme; a castle, prison tower and outpost. This is mostly likely due to the fact that they know from experience that these kind of sets sell well. Lego took more of a gamble with the second wave of Kingdoms, especially with the mill village raid, a set that was generally well recieved by afols and on websites such as this. Judging by the fact that the line was pulled from the shops after 6 months, I would imagine those sets were not as well recieved by children, who were the main target market. This theme shows Lego reverting to what they know sells well. The fact that we even get a castle theme was a surprise to me. After the introduction of LOTR I feared a long hiatus for castle, similar to what the space theme witnessed after the introduction of Star Wars. The fact that we can enjoy both is a cause for celebration as far as I'm concerned.

People are lining up to condemn these sets but I really like them. It is obvious that Lego is targeting a different, younger, audience with the new castle theme. Anyone expecting the level of detail found in Helms Deep, with all those clever building techniques you usually associate with shop at home exclusives, was always going to be disappointed. I think the new castle is an improvement over 7094 Kings Castle Siege from the fantasy era and probably comparable to 7946 Kings Castle from Kingdoms. I really like the gatehouse and think that overall it looks like a sturdy, well built and attractive castle. Perhaps my biggest disappointment is with the dragon knights. I do wish Lego had used the opportunity to bring back the Wolfpack or Black Falcons as the main adversary. I don't think it would have made the theme any less appealing and it would have been a nice touch for fans of classic castle. Everybody keeps banging on about LOTR. I acknowledge that Helms Deep was an incredible set but most of the line did very little for me. The new wave hardly looks like its going to be particularly inspiring either. I'd take these sets over the truly awful Mines of Moria any day of the week.

The Super Hero theme has delivered some great sets at the £20 price point and this set is no exception. 3 excellent figures (2 of them unique to the set) and a very attractively designed transforming car make this set an absolute win in my opinion.

This is one of my most anticipated sets of 2012. If truth be told, Galaxy Squad as a theme has left me a little cold. The Vermin Vaporiser is the exception to that, I think it is an outstanding set at the price point. The main vehicle has an interesting design and looks very powerful. I love the way the mech integrates with the main vehicle but can also be seperated and used as a stand-alone model. I think the comparison with the Mega Core Magnetiser is slightly unfair, that was the largest set of that theme. The only slight drawback with this set is the number of stickers which I always find to be a total nightmare to apply.

What a wondeful little model. I share your love of the classic 6086 Black Knight's castle, it is probably my favourite castle set of all time. You have captured the both the look and feel of the set in mini scale, I particulalry like your interpretation of the base plate and the thatched building on the side.

I didn't have particularly high hopes for the new LOTR sets. I found the first wave a little disappointing (apart from the excellent Helms Deep). Without wanting to draw to many conclusions from the small pictures, these sets look very promising indeed, particularly the Pirate Ship Ambush set which I simply cannot wait for.

I'm reluctant to draw to many conclusions based on such small and low resolution pictures. My initial impression is that Lego are being careful to draw a clear distiction between the Castle and LOTR themes. From an AFOL's perspective the Castle theme probably suffers as a result, with the sets seemingly aimed at the younger end of the market. The decision to resurrect the Royal Knights emblem is truly mystifying, that was always one of the most unpopular logo's. On the plus side the castle looks quite substantial, I particularly like the design of the gatehouse. Overall I do agree with the sentiments being expressed here, these do like a step back from Kingdoms and even Fantasy era, which was one of my favourite castle themes.

I was disappointed with this outcome. The modular western town was a wonderful project and had got to 10,000 votes through the backing of the AFOL community. To me, the project epistomised what Cuusoo is supposed to be about. Unfortunatly I think it was the victim of circumstance and poor timing. As has been pointed about, Lego's licensing agreement with Disney may have forbidden any similar themes/ sets being produced. I also think in that in retrospect the designer may have been better focusing on a single building. I remember there was a vote on which would be the most popular building and I think that alone should have been put forward to the review stage. Cuusoo seems to be focused on invidual models, I do not see a new theme or sub theme origininating from it. I was genuinely surprised that the DeLorean passed. I thought the complexities of the licensing agreement might have prevented its production. I think Lego deserve enormous credit for making this happen. Whether it will be sucessful will be very interesting. The film franchise is quite old and it certainly will not have the universal appeal that Minecraft did. I accept that I may be underestimating the affection that people still have for the Back to the Future films. What the set does have in its favour is that it is small and presumably will be relatively cheap (I expect a price of around £20/ $20), therefore anyone who remembers/ enjoyed these films is more likely to make the purchase. I think its worth offering a couple of observations on Cuusoo in general. The decision to reject the Modular Western Town has undoubtedly alienated some of the AFOL community. I've certainly seen a lot of disappointment, anger and frustration on other websites and I think Lego has work to get those people interested in the concept again. I think the review process takes to long. If the reviews are conducted quarterly then I think it should take no more than three months for a decision to be made. I accept that agreeing licenses can take time but by taking seven months it just kills the enthusiasm people have. Finally, I think it is regrettable that the quarterly review seems to only allow for one set to be produced. I would prefer a system where each set is judged on its merits and those that pass the lego review are produced and those that don't aren't. I dislike the idea of sets being in competition with each other.

This more or less summarises my feelings towards the QAR. It was my love of lego pirates rather than a liking for POTC that drove me to purchase this set. I absolutly love the sails but it is difficult to overlook the obvious shortcomings of the model. The tiny unenclosed cabin, the needless excess of bones and skeletons, the bare deck all contribute it to being a little disappointing in my eyes. I actually prefer the Black Pearl. Its a smaller model (with 200 less pieces) but to me it felt more fleshed out. I don't think either lives up the standard set up the classic pirate ships of old or those of the 2009 theme.

One of the great things about the Helm's Deep model is how easily it can be adapted for use by other castle factions. So really, I think it is perfect for what you want. When I get around to buying a copy I plan to use it with my Kingdoms and fantasy era sets, most likely as a fortress for the Dragon Knights. I will keep the figs as they are some of the best that Lego have done. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with this set, its head and shoulders above the rest of the LOTR line and is more detailed than most recent castle sets except maybe the MMV and Joust sets. I've noticed it is also starting to be discounted at some retail outlets so you may be lucky enough to grab one at a bargain price!

Some fantastic images there. I was never really a huge fan of the Lego castle (it never seemed to be the appropriate colour for a castle!) but set alongside the wonderful drawbridge and the jousting scene really brings it alive. A classic castle collection to be proud of.

That is an absolutely wonderful MOC. I really like the intricate design of the board and the mix of brick built and mini-fig pieces. I'm not sure if Lego will make a LOTR chess set but if they do I hope its half as good as this!