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Another couple of unpopular opinions for y'all The Elvis and Rolling Stones logo pictures, and the replicas of specific football grounds look impressive but they don't feel right and the reason is that they represent the kind of things that people get into when their Lego dark ages begin. They also perhaps open up a wider discussion about the countless licence agreements that TLG have entered into. They have done so on the basis that the brands in question will continue to be uncontroversial and family friendly. But if, for example, what happened at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia at the end of last season were to happen at Old Trafford or the Nou Camp, would this still be considered to be the case? Ancient Greek mythology feels like the pool that TLG is going to forever dance around, but never actually dive into.

Unpopular opinions then: Fright Knights paved the way for Fantasy Era, as well as being a hugely underrated subtheme in their own right. This is absolutely not to criticise the thought or talent that went into the Modular buildings, but the feeling they give me is one of too much chocolate cake. Looks great in the bakery window, but how are you going to feel if you eat the whole thing? I don't know if anyone has seen the shot of the unreleased jazz age/gangster theme, but it shows that these kind of buildings could have been done to the scale of other City buildings, and at a much more affordable price point. I would be quite happy if Lego released a minifig for every character JRR Tolkien ever wrote, even the ones who were so minor that they didn't even get a speaking part. And moulded versions of all the monsters and creatures. Except maybe Ungoliant, giant spiders seem to work better as brick built creatures. Taken together, the flesh tone minifigs and grey/brown colour changes were the worst decision the company ever made, and one I'd be happy to see them reverse tomorrow.

ChrisW, I haven't checked but I'm almost certain that neither the Ambassador's hat nor his torso ever appeared elsewhere. The early Pirate 'two-ended' hats were in the ballpark, but not the exact same shape. The rest of him is generic and easy to acquire, but it's the hat and torso that make him. The square medals and buttons are a great touch. A shame as his receptions are noted in society. GZ, great ideas! I would take any CMF that could fit into a Pirate setup, especially nobles, civilians, women or Armada, there were always too few of these in a line which split almost all its minifigs into factions.

Not sure I can predict what Lego will come up with in the next CMF series, but I would like to see two minifigs that previously appeared as keychains: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?G=3977b and http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?G=850744 I've been able to build the princess, though without her cloth skirt. The hair and head have appeared in other sets, the torso is (or was) available separately on Bricklink and one of the Harry Potter figs had legs that match the colour. The ambassador could have this flag as an accessory if he did appear: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3596pb03 or this one http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3596p01

Late to this, but I do love these pictures, and would snap up these sets if they ever did appear. Here's hoping, or at least for some of the parts to appear, especially the giant red roof cones. But I also wondered that if the Europa line was test marketed before Lego decided not to produce it, are there a lucky few dozen people in Denmark who have the contents of the picture in their Lego collections? Imagine your parents giving those away for a song when you moved out Doesn't bear thinking about.

Would definitely support the idea of a theme based on ancient Greece and Rome. There are so many exciting possibilities. After Greece was conquered by the Romans, they adopted many of its ideas and aspects of its culture, architecture and mythology. So although it's clear that they were two separate civilisations in different locations, it's probably fair to say that they would be close enough in many people's imaginations (and certainly would be in Lego form) to be part of one theme. To start with, sets drawn purely from history would be mouthwatering: Roman legions with their distinctive armour, weapons and standards. Chariot races. Amphitheatres. Competitors in the ancient Olympic Games. A detailed Colosseum with various gladiators and animals. The Roman emperor. Classical statuary. All the architectural pieces such as columns, pediments, domes and keystones, to enable structures such as temples, villas, arches, the forum and so on. Then you move into Greek mythology, with its fabulous range of gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters. Imagine Zeus, Aphrodite and Athene, Perseus and Heracles, Pegasus and the Minotaur, all rendered in Lego. The home of the gods on Mount Olympus, a range of giant figs (maxifigs?) to represent the Titans and the Cyclopses. Each set could tell a story, so smaller as well as larger sets could appear. Apollo's chariot, Persephone in the underworld, Perseus, Andromeda and the Gorgons, the twelve tasks of Heracles. The really epic stories such as the Iliad, the Odyssey and Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece, could spin off into mini-lines of their own. Exciting possibilities indeed!

Really looking forward to these sets, and to the movie, which surely can't be any worse than the third one in the series. The Queen Anne's Revenge (Blackbeard's flagship, not his only one) looks fantastic, and London Escape looks interesting too. I've always liked the idea of 'civilian' land-based Pirate-era sets, and minifigs which are not specifically pirates or soldiers. During the first wave of pirate sets, I always wished Lego would swap the colours of the omnipresent Cap'n Redbeard to give us Blackbeard with a red outfit. Could this be about to happen? I wonder if this or future POTC episodes will see an appearance by the Spanish navy. Then the Lego Armada might sail the high seas once again! The only drawback is flesh-toned minifigs. I still haven't got used to these. I wish Lego would offer the heads in yellow as an alternative, even if they are not used in box art or publicity material.

These little scenes are so clever! My favourite is probably the Blitz scene in the British history one, I like the way the cone piece has been used for two completely different things in the same picture. How about doing the history of Russia and the Soviet Union next? Plenty of interesting scenes to build there!

If we see Jango again, I suspect (and hope) that it will be in a Geonosis Arena playset, with creatures, stands, other VIPs etc. Lego seems to be getting into these big 'location' playsets, and the Episode 2 sets are probably next in line to be updated after the run of Episode 1 updates a couple of years back. On a similar theme, a really big Jabba's Palace would be nice. The old one wasn't as big as it could have been, as well as missing out the Rancor and several other creatures and minifigs, so here's hoping.

Apologies if I've been a tad slow, but I've only just noticed that it's Chancellor Palaptine rather than Emperor. He's one of the minifigs I've wanted to see for some time, but never really thought we'd get. Sounds promising!

I don't know very much about the world of Batman, so most of these suggested villains' names don't mean anything to me But I'm surprised that we haven't seen Batgirl or Commissioner Gordon yet, as they were in the 90s series of movies. And how about a pack of Gotham police vehicles and officers, perhaps styled after those in Batman Returns, otherwise Batman and the boy wonder will be in real danger of being hopelessly outnumbered! But I would support the ideas of villains' hideouts which riff on their characteristics, ie giant playing cards for the Joker, a greenhouse for Poison Ivy etc. Could be fantastic parts packs

I wondered about this, because I know I do. In fact, my usual Lego dream is the only recurring dream I have. In the dream, I'm always in a shop where I've found some sets that I didn't know existed. (Even in the dream, I remember which sets Lego released, so I always know when I've 'found' some new ones). The sets are always classic Castle in an 80s style, with the yellow 'sunset' background on the box. So then I get all excited and 'think' to myself 'I've got to get these before I wake up'. And of course that's always the point at which I wake up. Even though I sometimes get as far as getting out the money to pay for them, I never reach the point of buying the sets. My latest Lego dream was different however. This time, I was reading a catalogue and saw a different, much bigger version of the Guarded Inn. It was a different shape and lacked that set's fortified parts, but it had all four walls in the distinctive red and black, the roof made up of black slope bricks, and was listed as 'tavern' or 'inn' in the catalogue, which had it down as being released in 1984. I suppose the closest waking events to these have been finding much-desired, out of production sets on shop shelves (which has happened for me a couple of times, but not for many years, and one of which was the Guarded Inn) and discovering on Lugnet the existence of all those superb Castle sets which were never released outside the States, and of which I was totally unaware until the internet came along. So there they are. I hope nobody finds this post too boring or self-indulgent, but since we're all into Lego, I thought it would be a good place to share. I would be intrigued to read about any Lego dreams that anyone else has had.

It's a shame if there's not going to be an interior, but as long as there's plenty of room to MOC one, that's fine by me. The cockpit was always the main reason I held back from buying the Falcon in the past, and covering it might be a bit tricky if the transparent parts don't exist to do the job. But if this a display model, might there not be a canopy in the finished set? BTW, I love the shots of those guys gazing rapt at the model, while simultaneously preparing to take pictures of it. They're in love *wub*

Erm, as it says really. They're not in my 1996 catalogue, and until the advent of the internet I didn't know they existed. It wouldn't surprise me if they weren't-some really peachy Castle sets seem to have been US-only :-( See also Forestmens Crossing, Smuggler's Hayride etc, and especially Knight's Challenge *wub*

With the original trilogy remakes well under way, and the first ones from Episode 1 due later this year, I wonder which sets, that have yet to be remade, will reappear in the future. AT-AT: Every chance of this one coming again. It was hugely popular first time round, and there's scope for expansion with the inclusion of a second pilot, a commander and a walkway through the neck of the craft. Tie Bomber and Interceptor: Not so sure. The existing sets do the job well, and they don't need any more minifigs than just the one pilot. That said, they might turn up in a 'fleet' set. Droid Escape: Strange that this hasn't appeared already. Maybe Lego are saving it to rerelease as part of a huge Blockade Runner (remember there was a UCS one before). Perhaps next time it will include a hatch, so that having escaped from Darth Vader, the droids can then escape from their escape pod X-D Skyhopper: So marginal that I'd be surprised if we saw it again, unless it came as part of a Lars homestead set. Jabba's Palace: This could be trebled in size and still not cost more than the sandcrawler. With a Rancor, Oola, Salacious Crumb, 8D8 and a couple of new cronies for Jabba, a new version of this would have selling points aplenty. Ewok Attack: The speeder bike was a redesign, the glider and the catapult might feature in an Ewok village set, if Lego ever release such a thing. Sith infiltrator: Highly likely IMO. The first one looked very blocky, and Darth Maul hasn't been available for years. AAT: yes please. Flash speeder: another very marginal set, which doesn't have the bonus of being a 'battle' craft. And I think Lego did it very neatly first time around. Cloud car: To judge from Bricklink, this wasn't a strong seller, so Lego may decide against a remake. Podrace/Watto's junkyard: A wealth of colourful and varied parts, a chance to design some different racers, new pit droids, a Sebulba (or is it Gasgano?) that doesn't look like a breakfast cereal giveaway, a stand with Jabba's VIP box and the prospect of being able to charge a pretty penny for the whole thing...if I worked for Lego, I'd be designing this already ;-) Sail Barge: erm, it's only just been released. And if Lego do decide to remake it, it would have to go some to compare to BaronSat's version. I've got the instructions, and I can't wait to have all the parts. Cantina: as with Jabba's palace, a lot of scope for a bigger building and more minifigs. Maybe the speeder would be dropped to make way for them. On the subject of playsets, the only really big one that we've had so far is Cloud City. I wonder whether Lego are saving them up and preparing to astound us by releasing them in quick succession. Here's hoping! The Hoth one is rumoured to be on its way, and others could include the Theed palace, pod racecourse, Geonosian arena and droid factory, Ewok village, Jabba's palace, the bridge of the ship on which Anakin killed Count Dooku (can't remember its name), the senate chamber and the hideaway where Anakin slaughtered the Separatist leaders. And one final thought about the new droid arms; who's planning to upgrade all their existing tan battle droids? And will the same thing happen with the sand red ones, and other non 'battle' droids, and what about IG88, who appeared only last year?

The Fright Knights arrived, perhaps appropriately, during my Dark Ages, so I have only the pictures in old catalogues to go on. But for what it's worth, I think the line is massively underrated. I can understand the frustration of those who would have preferred historically accurate sets to a line rooted in fantasy, but I enjoy both types of sets. It's also true that the line was let down by poor set designs. Had the Fright Knights arrived a decade earlier, there would surely be nothing to touch them. But all that apart, the line has much to recommend it. I love those bat helmets and the stylish coat of arms on the Fright Knights' shields, and if Lego hadn't introduced witches, we would surely be asking when the company would do so. Generally though, I like the idea of being able to build an army of darkness and creepy castles in Lego. The Fright Knights dovetail well with the horror sets from the Studios theme, another line whose set designs are hit and miss, but with fantastic minifigs and parts. When Lego makes generic evil minifigs, like Capn Redbeard or the witches, I love the way all the cliches get thrown into the pot. Pointy black hat? Check. Broomstick? Check. Spider patterned cape? Yep, got that. So next time I shop on Bricklink, I think I'll be looking for some Fright Knights!

My own choices would be: minstrels with mediaeval instruments, heralds for the various factions, Teutonic Knights with barding and flags to match, but above all, a Lego jester X-D

If Lego decides to revisit Episode 2, I'd like to see any or all of the following: an Arena set with the three beasts, the three pillars, Padme in white and the VIP box with Archduke Poggle; the execution cart that brought Anakin and Padme into the arena (this could be released as a smaller set) with that other animal that drew it (forgotten its name); a Droid Factory set with lots of Technic parts and another chance to acquire Padme; Count Dooku's spaceship with its sails and droid pilot, and any set that could include blue robed guards.

Mister phes, you mention set 6269. What is this?!! I've never heard of it before. Was it an official set or a custom creation? Does anyone have any pictures or info?

A great question! Here goes: A combined port and fortress for the Armada soldiers. As latecomers to the Pirate line, the only base they had was that little tower with the cool green doors. A set of this type would make sense as Spain was the country with the most cities and outposts during the Pirate era. Some ideas for the contents: a governor's palace, a prison/dungeon area, a fortified port with towers and shooting cannons, decorative touches to give it a distinctively Spanish look, plenty of Armada minifigs, lots of standards and flags. Could it be a modular design, so that you could expand your town with further sets? A pirates' tavern. Just the sort of place where Captain Jack Sparrow would go to recruit his crew! Lots of internal details, bottles and cups, a good variety of pirates and wenches. A large merchant ship, as suggested in one of the above posts. The ship in set 6277 is a nice little model, but far too small. Never mind attacking it, the big pirate ships could simply crush it into splinters and pick the cargo out of the water. A ship of comparable size to the big ships could feature a hold with all sorts of different cargoes, some civilian passengers and secret compartments. A warehouse and wharf. Not the most exciting idea for a set, you might think, but just imagine all the riches inside-a perfect target for those pirates! Some sea monsters. Not sure how you'd work these into a set, but the Viking line has shown they can be done. Just look at old maps for inspiration, they've always got fantastic creatures on them. I was going to suggest a ghost ship, but the variety of undead minifigs and 'darkside' themes available mean that there are plenty of possibilities for MOCs in this area. In more general terms, Lego should watch the forthcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and then release sets that are, ahem, 'inspired' by the scenes therein ;) Having said all this, there are plenty of existing sets and lines that can be used to expand your Pirate universe, such as the Mosasaurus, the Rescue from the Merpeople, and as suggested in one of the posts above, the Amazon subtheme if you want to take your pirates inland. Best of all must be the Diving line from the late 90s. Those seabeds with all their Pirate accessories would make ideal battlegrounds for armies of skeleton pirates, and maybe the moonlight could bring even that whale's skeleton to life :o

I'm also not a big Harry Potter fan, but there's every chance I'll be buying this. That black skeleton is just too cool! I love it when Lego takes a trip to the dark side. Fright Knights and Time Twisters in '97, the Studios 'horror' subtheme in 2002 and now this and the sinister black queen in the chess set. Great stuff!

Since the introduction of cloth capes, Lego has released them in various different colours, but never in white. I wonder how much longer they will wait before doing so. In the absence of classic Castle, I reckon the Harry Potter line is probably our best bet if we are going to see these. I'm not familiar with the Potter stories, does anyone else know whether one of the characters is likely to wear white in the forthcoming films? Of course, this is nothing to do with the fact that I want to buy a chess set and then swap out the grey parts for white ones. Nothing at all, oh no... ;)

Why do Lego toys have value to you? They allow me to create whole worlds without the need for paint, glue or tools. Nothing beats that feeling of nostalgia and fun when you get a new set, crack it open for the first time and see all those coloured parts spill all over the floor. And if your Lego model breaks, it can be rebuilt as it was. That can't be said about too many other toys. What makes Lego brand construction toys worth your money? When you buy a Lego set, you don't buy only what's on the box. You can turn that into whatever you want, and even pieces and minifigs that seem very specialised, can be used in many different ways. In what way has the Lego brand let you down? (Sigh...) The colour change and the flesh-toned minifigs. A year and a half on, I find myself still amazed, angry and upset that anyone at the company could misunderstand both the strength of the product and the strength of feeling among many of its longest standing customers, and even consider making such a fundamentally misguided change. Sadly, this outweighs all the positive things I have to say about Lego, because there's just no way around it. If you aren't happy with part of a set's design, you can change it. But if a part has been produced in the new greys or brown, but not in the old, you're stuck. And while Lego should be about using your imagination, you shouldn't have to do that in order to build what's on the box, in colours that are compatible with those produced by the company for more than 30 years. The reasons given at the time make no sense. When was the last time something was described as 'bright grey' or 'bright brown'? If a child has a new set from 2003 and one from 2004, he or she will notice that some of the colours don't match and if he/she doesn't notice, then what was the point of making the change? All of this applies to the flesh-toned minifigs, but with the additional argument that they have taken away the racial neutrality that was so admirable about Lego people. When I was a child, I can say honestly that the thought of what race my minifigs were, never crossed my mind. Taken together, this pair of blunders has dulled my anticipation of new Lego products. I used to look forward to seeing new catalogues. Now I look and my thoughts are along the lines of 'Looks cool...but will I be able to swap out all the new-coloured parts?' The light-up lightsabres are a lesser irritation, but a significant one nonetheless, because two of the figures are not available as regular minifigs. This development detracts from what Lego is all about, because the minifigs can't be used in other ways. The playability and value for money are reduced rather than enhanced. What would it take for you to spend more money on new Lego products versus buying sets/parts on the second hand market? The invention of a time machine so that I could buy all the sets I missed! Seriously, apart from the reasons given in the above answer, Lego should keep strong sets and lines in production for a longer period. Back in the day, sets stayed in the catalogue for two or three years. These days, a set can appear as a mid-year release and disappear the following January. Recently, how has the Lego brand improved? In many ways. The release of the Legends series is a sign that Lego wants to cater to its adult fans. Making large sets available exclusively through Shop at Home is a good way of putting them on the market without breaking the bank through distribution costs. And the very existence of Lego Star Wars was a cause for celebration, but the sets released since 2002 knock spots off most of the earlier ones-better contoured, with a greater variety of minifigs. Sets such as the AT-AT and the Dragon Fortress were fantastic designs, and when I look back at sets from only a few years ago, I can see the leaps in design quality that have taken place. What would you like to see Lego (re) introduce in the next three years? Pirates! This was Lego's best-selling line, and they let it fizzle out. The presence of at least two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels would be like free advertising, without the cost of licensing. A line of 17th/18th century sets that could dovetail with the Pirates or stand alone. As great a variety of Star Wars sets and minifigs as possible, and get that licence renewed! Ancient Roman history and Greek mythology. Arabian Nights/Ottoman sets that could cross over between history and fantasy. A return of classic-style European Castle. Also, rather than spend money on licences such as Harry Potter, Bob the Builder, Disney etc, Lego could licence individual MOC designs, as it did with set 3739 which was released to rave reviews. The designer of the original version of that set, Daniel Siskind, noted his surprise when the limited runs of his sets sold out in no time at all, so clearly there is a market out there. Of course, my comments on the colour change qualify all the above... What reasons do you have for not buying new Lego sets? Aside from financial constraints, the colour change/flesh tones/LULS conundrum are all that has held me back from snapping up all this year's new Star Wars sets. What will it take for Lego to remain the best construction toy for all ages and remain a profitable company? -Know when it's onto a winner. The horror sets from the Studios theme could have developed into a superb line by themselves, but the company dropped them. Wild West and Fright Knights came and went very quickly. -Release sets of high design quality and value for money. Lego builders are discerning, they know these things when they see them! What are your home country, first name and age? UK,Ben, old enough. Is there anything you would like to say with this last question that you feel someone at Lego should not go without reading? Please find a solution to the colour change/flesh tones. Change back if possible, if not then offer parts in the old colours as service items, bring in the secondary market (suggestions were made on Lugnet's forums), offer minifig heads in yellow as well as flesh tones, but ideally change back and we can put this behind us. Remember that the grey/brown problem applies to some Star Wars minifigs as well as parts. Offer LULS lightsabre figs in the standard configuration.

Very very cool stuff!!! Tell me; if you do go ahead and produce and sell these, will it be possible to do them in old grey and brown, and the figs in yellow?