Tyrant

Was it the success of Avatar or 3D in general? The planned 3rd Halloween movie (3rd in the new series anyway) is going to be 3D because of the success of Final Destination in 3D, which was released several months before Avatar. Saw 7 is supposed to be in 3D because the makers saw a redone version of the first one in 3D and were really impressed. Avatar did not begin the current trend of 3D movies. While I believe it to be possible that this was made 3D because of the success of Avatar, unless I were to hear that from someone working on the movie I can very easily assume it was done due to the success of 3D in general which may be highlighted by Avatar but did not start with Avatar. I have heard that it was done fairly last minute though. As for the title, who knows? It's a remake, so I would wonder why the original had that name. Perhaps they meant the clashing of titanic forces (the gods) but didn't consider the fact that the word Titan already has a specific meaning in Greek mythology? That would be my best guess. How was Hades the villain? Sure he had plans to use the lightning bolt once he got it, but he didn't take it to begin with. I thought was clearly the villain for trying to overthrow the gods and take their place. Hades didn't seem to be any more villainous than the gods normally come across in mythology (my limited knowledge of it anyway).

Can you elaborate on how you think this is playing off the success of Avatar? That seems nearly impossible to me unless I missed the previews claiming that it's 3D is on par with Avatar (and I have seen no such previews, unlike with another movie, How To Train Your Dragon) or holding up Sam Worthington as the "the star of Avatar" (which I also have not seen in a preview for this movie). The timetable to borrow anything at all from Avatar doesn't work because both movies would have been in production at the same time. If you mean "fantasy story, big budget effects, borrowing pretty well the entire plot from elsewhere", Avatar didn't invent any of that. I'm truly curious because I see no way that this movie is playing off of Avatar's success beyond being a movie with special effects which is so broad as to be useless (and very innacurate as Avatar did not invent special effects). As for the movie, I was entertained. It was a departure from the 80s version in several ways and it was interesting to see how they kept using various elements of the original in different ways while adding in new things like the Djinn (I am pretty sure that was what they called the desert guys and if so I am fairly certain that is how it is spelled if they are what I think they are supposed to be, in name anyway). It did feel a little on the "soulless" side to me but I'm not sure why. Maybe because Zeus seemed like he couldn't decide which side to cheer for. Or because Persius seemed to just need to get angry to go from a fisherman to a professional soldier. I did love the short but comical cameo in the armory though and I was glad that Medusa didn't have a ruined face.

Well, by being aimed at AFOLs, I don't think sales to kids is an issue. Look at the MMV for instance. It isn't sold in stores and it has a price that pretty well excludes kids. Star Wars has numerous sets like this and they seem to sell without a second thought about sales to kids. I think it could work. Though if they go this route, it would likely have to be a MMV caliber set to sell well because I assume it will have a MMV caliber price tag (or parts of it will anyway). I think the odds of something like this happening are probably dependant upon other factors entirely. For instance, did the trains that are the template for the customizable option sell well? If not, did they learn anything from it that they think they can improve to make them sell in this format? Did the castle expander packs sell? If not, was there anything learned? I think things like that, and other questions, are what will determine if any ideas of these type ever happen. I think the problem with not using hinges is that you have to buy two of everything (or two things of equal length) to expand a castle. If you expand the wall on the left, you have to expand the wall on the right so that they both line up with the front and back where they connect. If the walls have hinges, then they can swing to account for different lengths. To be clear, when I am talking about hinges I am meaning similar to the Troll Mountain Fortress. It splits apart at every joint and the walls can swing out in a few places. I have easily added more walls to mine and I wasn't bound by symmetry. The base model in this case isn't square either. To me, that is important because not all castles are a square/rectangle and if they go this route I would prefer them to be truly customizable (out of the box). The system in the new castle is fine, if you want to build a square/rectangular castle (and there's no problem with that, I just prefer more options). The new one is more modular than the previous one, I agree with that. I just think it could go one step farther like they did in the past.

But where does it come from? Some have been sold but it's not in any set.

Well, there are two ways around that that I can see. The first way is to still make a large castle, but make it hinged and expandable (like the old castles or the Troll Mountain Fortress). Then the other sets would be add ons, and with them you would need to include attacking enemies, siege equipment, whatever. That way they are playable out of the box but also useful for expanding the castle. The other idea is to make them geared towards AFOLs. Start with something like a keep and wall sets. Maybe towers too. Then, if those sell, begin expaning into things like a Blacksmith, Stables, Armory, etc. With this idea I would have a few alternate bricks included with the sets so you have the option of making the walls with the ability to plug in things like the Blacksmith, etc and so you can set them up in multiple ways. This route would allow them to make more detailed sets because they are AFOL centered. To make them faction specific, I think the best route would be a single additional set which contains shields, accents, banners, etc for an assortment of factions. Kind of like the old equipment sets that had shields for various factions only this would also have flags and maybe some parts to put on the castle as accents. The main sets would be neutral but they would have a small section in the instructions showing where to put the custom options. The only part about that I am not sure about is soldiers. Peasants and other folk in the keep can all be neutral but if they include soldiers it may need to just be 1 or 2 for each faction and allow you to decide who is in charge of things.

This year, I'm probably most looking forward to Iron Man 2. The first one was great and this one is looking good in the previews. On top of that, it already ties into The Hulk and will eventually tie into Captain America and Thor through The Avengers. I have high (but not unrealistically high) hopes for all of those. I'm hoping to be entertained by Predators. I saw the preview and it looks like it is basically the supposed plot of Predator 3 only instead of Arnold and Danny Glover they used some random characters that (presumably) have no previous ties to the series. I was disappointed by Alien vs Predator which managed to shatter my belief that there was only so low either of those franchises could sink. AvP Requiem was moving back in the right direction in some ways (but not all ways), so hopefully this will continue the trend back to entertaining. I am curious to see if any of the events of the other movies will be mentioned. It will be interesting to see Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, and Topher Grace in this. Some actual names (as opposed to either AvP movie because Lance Henrickson doesn't really count even though he's been countless movies) may mean some real effort was put into this. Here's hoping. While not a franchise I have hopes that Clash of the Titans isn't a total waste. Does Robin Hood count as a franchise after so many variations? I think the Ridley Scott/Russel Crowe version coming this summer looks good. I'm suprised it's not R rated though. I hope Toy Story 3 is good. The other 2 were good. I am hoping Nightmare on Elm Street is good, but I have my doubts. The A-Team looks just about as rediculous as I expected it to look. Here's hoping. I'm sure Prince of Persia hopes to be the start of a franchise. It looks okay so far, but I have never played any of the games.

Those tweeks to the usual modular idea sound great. Taking the customizable idea that they used with those train engines and adding the idea of using accesory sets to specify factions instead of having them already be a specific faction is a great idea. I don't know how practical TLG considers it, but I like it. If you've got any other ideas or want to expand on that one, you should check out this thread http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?...=37239&st=0

I agree that Home One has potential. When I came out of my dark age I noticed that the sets that had high value on the secondary market were ones that I had noticed just sitting on the shelves and eventually clearanced. I wasn't buying any sets but I was still looking at them occasionally, so I took notice of what was selling and what wasn't (locally at least). Unless those figures wind up in a magnet set (and maybe still even if they do) I think this set follows the trend of sitting around without many buying it (I assume that's why it's on sale half the time) so once demandd does finally kick in, a lot of people won't have them. That seems to be the recipe for outrageous prices.

Something tells me he, the studio, and their 800+ million dollars from the box office plus countless other millions from TV rights, DVD sales, and promotional tie ins either laughed at that razzie, didn't notice, or don't care. Let's not kid ourselves. The cartoon was made to sell toys. It did this by promising to deliver robots that can transform fighting each other. It has never been about serious character development. I'm a G.I.Joe fan so I know what it's like to see something you like given a treatment you don't completely agree with, but I accept that what I liked was a cartoon deesigned to sell toys and nothing more. Edit to add: I didn't even notice when I replied, but it looks like 5150Lego hit all of my points.

I see no reason that the Dragon Queen would have to be ugly. I know TLG has a track record of the evil side having disfigured leaders (similar to the Bond movies, if you see a guy or gal with some type of scar or deformity, they're the villain) but I hope that they don't make the Dragon Knights out to be the obvious villain. I also agree that the wizard should not be the leader. It might be a cop out or shortcut, but it might be interesting if the 2011 sets had a large castle for the Dragon Knights, a jester, and a king or queen while the Lions get a wizard and a mid sized fortress.

I'm mostly in agreement on this. I can live without one, but I know a lot of AFOL's seem to want something like this. I guess it mostly depends on if your setting really is supposed to be Europe, or if it's Europe-like similar to most fantasy settings. I'm more the latter so I see no reason to assume things like that had to be there (I also have no reason to assume they wouldn't be there, to be clear) so for me they aren't "must have". Although new building and figure variety is always nice and there are some interesting possibilities cathedrals and monestaries present. I do agree with you on teh likelyhood of it happening though. If sellability among non Castle fans is an issue, the alternative of just making a large Creator house primarily in light bley would also work just as well for getting a set out that is packed with bley bricks. The Castle route would be better for things like the doors and windows (and maybe the roof) and other detail oriented parts. I think it's ability to sell beyond Castle fans would largely depend on what it's 3 models were. It probably wouldn't happen, but if one of the models were a stone church it would possibly have cross over appeal for town. Well, I did mention single faction as a possibility. It's my general preference as well. The multi faction pack was more as an idea if they were going to either reuse older factions (then there would be at most two sets, one with new figures and one with old, and that would make mixing a necessity) or if they were going to include civilians. I would prefer single faction, sold in stores, with a set up similar to Star Wars. To cover this I would have the figures updated in some manner so that they are different from the originals. That might still drop their value. However, I would think it would be a decent compromise that would allow fans to have a cheaper way to build up an army of one of the older factions (Black Falcons, for instance) while hopefully not destroying the value of the older figures (though I have my doubts that concern is one that TLG shares). Using the Black Falcons as an example, they could make more detailed figures similar to the Crownies but with the Black Falcon crest and colors instead of that of the Crownies. For instance, something like a chainmail background with the falcon crest on either the chest or belt buckle. I honestly believe this approach might be cost prohibitive for TLG if they don't completely revive the older faction with a full range of sets but I would like to see it. I think a large tournament set is the best chance to see some of the older factions come back or be updated. Taking factions like the Black Falcons (I would really like to see more of them if that isn't obvious yet), the double axe guys (were they considered part of the Crusaders group?), etc that never had horses with barding or large flags and using them would be a great shout out to older fans. 1 knight and squire for 4 groups, updated or older torsos, printed armor and bardings for each. Maybe some new nobles or peasants for the crowd as well. I think the only serious downside to this set being made is that it would have to minifigure intensive which would possibly throw off the cost (although, the MMV has several figures and comes in at 1600+ pieces for $100 which makes it better than the 10cent per piece ratio that seems to be the magic number) Well the high end Star Wars sets put the regular sets to shame so I'm not sure if that is a huge concern for them. At that price it is likely to be a S@H exclusive and aimed at adults and I think they know that AFOLs know the castles could be considerably better if they were willing to charge the appropriate price for them.

With any luck the Dragons will have a king (and maybe a queen) too and the Lions will hopefully have a wizard of their own. Maybe a white wizard? A female wizard?

It might be due to the fact that Castle is my favorite theme, but I believe it is timeless. I do believe it has stumbled along the way, but which of the themes that have lasted a while haven't stumbled? The upcoming incarnation looks promising. It seems to be a throw back to the older style using more current techniques (in some cases anyway) and with more current styles (more detailed torsos with double sided printing, for instance). I think interest will remain because the middle ages will continue to interest people, even if only because a large chunk o ffantasy stories use it as a backdrop. Having said that, overall the Castle line could use a little more variety to keep it fresh. The Dragon Outpost in the upcoming series is an interesting change. More midrange buildings like that or the Black Falcon Fortress of old could help keep things interesting. Another way to keep it relevant could be to make a larger, more detailed (and by necessity more expensive) castle. Edit to add: I believe Castle can coexist with other Historical themes so I don't see the reason to cancel Castle to impliment Egyptian/Roman/Greek themes.

This reminds of something I have heard over and over with one of my other hobbies. I also buy Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures (purely for the skirmish game, not the RPG, that's important). At the conventions I have gone to where the question was asked, Wizards of the Coast has near universally stated that the RPG crowd accounts for 75-90% of sales (depending on who you ask, time of year, and maybe the phase of the moon). The problem is that there is no way to know that. I've spent thousands on those figures and have never once been asked why I buy them. My local shop has never asked why I buy them. There wasn't ever a poll that I took part in that asked that question. So near as I could tell, the number was entirely fabricated. Later events that altered the distribution method to favor the RPG crowd actually saw a decline in sales. That, and other events, were all the proof I needed that the number they threw out was pulled out of thin air. Since this stat was used to justify certain actions, some of the more outspoken people at the conventions let it be clearly known they thought it was pulled from someplace else entirely. So, as with that, I see no easy way to come up with that statistic. It also isn't clear if they mean 5% of customers are AFOL's, or if 5% of sets purchased are purchased by AFOL's, or if 5% of overall revenue is from AFOL sales. Those all mean different things and I find the first and second easier to believe than the third. I know this is purely anecdotal, but when I was a kid (the 80s, for the sake of clarity) I would estimate based on my memory of what I got that I got $300-400 worth of LEGO in good years. I've already spent that much this year and the sets I really want (Castle, Prince of Persia) haven't even been released yet. Yes, I am aware that there are more kids getting LEGO than adults. I have absolutely no doubt about that. I also know that there are AFOL's who's spending eclipses my own by a considerable margin. I would imagine, in total dollars, that AFOL's are closer to 10-20%. Having said all that, it is nice to at least be aknowledged. I just wish it would translate into a few more AFOL oriented Castle sets.

I like the set personally. I never really had a problem with the use of larger pieces. Especially in castle sets where they want the set to have some size to it but to do it with regular bricks would likely cause a massive price increase (assuming they were aiming for the same size set). I have one of these assembled and another in pieces. When I get around to it (and get more dark red parts to help use as accents with the black) I plan on reworking the one that's already built and adding to it with the other to make a nice sized 'evil" castle. I also like the fact the entrance is different than most other castles out there. I think the set is definately one of the gems (or the only gem, depending on who you ask) of the KKII sets.

I'm glad to see we are getting battlepacks. This will make it easier to balance out for me to build up a large number of Dragon Knights. From what I have seen so far I prefer them to the Lions. The assortment in the Dragon pack (or lack of one as the case may be) is fine with me. I want lots of the generic guys to make up the bulk of the army. If these are meant to be army builder sets, that works just fine. Then the regular sets have a greater variety to give us figures to act as commanders, champions, whatever. In the Lion pack I really like the 2 more generic looking guys and the "leader" knight has a nice looking chest print. I'll likely be picking up several of the Dragon sets and maybe a couple of Lion sets.

Some would still be rarer than others (though not by much). 3 x 16 is 48, which still leaves 12 slots. So, it's possible that there will be 4 copies of 12 of the figures and 3 copies of the remaining 4. Or, there could be 5 copies of 6 of them and 3 copies of the remaining 10. Or some other combination. So, in the grand scheme of things, there will be some figures that are produced at either a 3:4 or 3:5 ratio which will make them rarer. The real rarity will come from increased demand of one figure over another. The slightly lower production run (assuming that the soought after figures are the ones with the lower production run) will likely have an effect on the price on the secondary market, but it's anyone's guess how much it will impact it.

Thank you for the insight. That was more along the lines of what I was looking for. I'll have to see what my schedule looks like but I would like to try to make it up.

I would love an idea like that. I think there was a thread along those lines on here a while ago. I believe the basic idea was to make a larger castle (something that would normally be in the $250 or so range) out of several smaller sets. Something like that anyway. All TLG would need to do would be to look at their past offerings such as Battering Ram and Knight's Stronghold as a good place to start as far as wall segments. Just use more updated techniques on them and they could probably come up with something in the $20-$30 range that would be decent. You could possibly even make a small castle out of a few of these all by themselves. With some modifications, the Tower Raid could be used as a base for a new Tower set (remove the prison aspect and make the lowest level designed to be incorporated into a wall a little easier, maybe have a lesser seige weapon so that the tower could be larger or more detailed) and the Drawbridge Defense could be used as a base for a Gatehouse (either eliminate the elevated, water crossing aspect or keep it, but either way the tower would need to be redone to account for a portcullis). These would be a good place to start to get an idea of possible size and cost for these types of sets. Along with the ones you mentioned, updates to sets like the Guarded Inn, Blacksmith Shop, and Armor Shop Would be great to help add character to a castle made from modular components. And they would be a nice way to get more villager types.

Thanks. I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything but I have checked out that link. I guess I should have been more specific. I see 4 vendors listed with links and 2 without. Of those, 3 sell either custom kits or custom made parts so I have a good idea what they will be selling. The other with a link is a bricklink store that is closed, so I can only guess what they will be selling (LEGO obviously, but what quantity, price, etc). So, what kind of space is there for vendors? I've been there for GenCon. The main exhibit hall is a pretty big space and being primarily locally run I would think they couldn't possibly fill that with displays and 6 vendors unless each of those takes up a lot more space than I am envisioning. For GenCon the number of booths in the main hall is in the hundreds, though the majority of those booths are smaller than what I would think a LEGO booth would be (although there was actually a LEGO booth of sorts at GenCon last year). So, I know BrickForge will be selling their items, and the other two custom sellers will presumably be selling their custom work. What about the others? Should I expect primarily sealed sets? Parts? Figures? I know it probably sounds awful that I primarily care about what I can buy, but with an event this close I would like to take advantage if this is a chance to seriously stock up without paying a fortune in shipping and handling.

i've never been to either of those types of events (LEGo related anyway, I've been to GenCon so I know what conventions are like) so can you elaborate on what the differences between teh two events will be? Indy is about a 2 hour drive North for me so I am curious what will be at the Indy event. For instance, are there any vendors? If so, what kind of product do they typically have (sets, figures, parts, etc)? I would be interested to know things along these lines. As a side note, my 11 year old nephew also likes LEGO and he lives in Indy. Is this the kind of event that would ahve something to offer him?

These two have their perks. The archery set has some nice parts. The other presents a way to better amass soldiers for the Dragon Army (without amassing soldiers for the Lion Army at the same time anyway). I guess (for those of us in the US) we can only hope that these are sold at Target like past polybag sets have been.

That is what the previews lead you to believe. However, it is not a horror movie. Thriller is probably the best description. There are horrific elements, but it is not a horror movie.

I can watch the following near endlessly: Ghostbusters-Part 1. G.I.Joe the Movie-The animated one from the 80s. Transformers the Movie-Also the animated one from the 80s. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust-This one is considerably better than the original in terms of characters, plot, and animation. Aliens-I like the others, but I view this one as the best and I can watch it at any time. Airplane 1 and 2-These movies are hilarious and never get old for me. Big Trouble in Little China-This is quite possibly my favorite movie. Conan The Barbarian-All around awesome. Far better than part 2. Dawn of the Dead-Either one. I like them both for different reasons and I think they are both awesome. Die Hard 1, 3-The others are watchable but these two are the best of the lot. Flash Gordon-This movie is packed with cheese with a soundtrack by Queen. Indiana Jones-1-3 for sure. 4 is okay but I have to give it some time. Pulp Fiction, Resevoir Dogs, Kill Bill -Tarantino is good in general as far as I am concerned. Lord of the Rings-I could probably watch these every day. Star Wars-I'll watch any of them but 3, 5, and 6 are my favorites. Predator 1 and 2-I liked both of these. Shaun of the Dead-Not only a very funny movie but also a pretty good zombie movie. Terminator 1 and 2-I like all 4 of them, but the first 2 are the best. Vampires, The Thing, Halloween -John Carpenter is awesome in general, but aside from Big Trouble in Little China which was worth mentioning on it's own these are my favorites from his films. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (Unrated)-The Batman Beyond timeline meets pinnacle of old Batman's rogues gallery. Gundam:Char's Counterattack-The finale of the main Universal Century plotline that proves absolutely no characters are safe in this series. A fitting end.

Re Planet Hulk-I'm 99% certain I saw Adam Warlock in the crowd and about 75% certain I saw Star-Lord there as well. I thought it was decent overall. I never read the storyline it was based on so I have no idea how accurate it is. I'm curious to see if they make a follow up that has what happened after, namely the Hulk invading the earth with his army of warrior folk. I saw a few movies at home and at the theater over the last few days. Theater Shutter Island This was a definate departure from what Scorsese usually makes. It did seem a little drawn out at times. The music seemed to embrace the tradition of building tension by using a single note from a piano every now and then. That annoyed me a little by the end. There is a twist. I had discounted it early on and had an alternate theory. Being honest, I kind of wish my idea would have been the way they went. This movie is not scary in case anyone had that impression from the previews. It was well acted and well written. I enoyed it but I won't call it great (though it's hard for me to elaborate on what I disliked about it). The Wolfman Well, it's more gruesome than I thought it would be. I'll give it that. I also had no idea Hugo Weaving was in it until he walked on screen. I guess that shows how much I payed attention to this movie's previews/hype before I saw it. There weren't really any terrible performances. The end definately dragged on. Watching everyone very, very slowly make their way across England to have their big throw down in the country side could've been cut down or simply cut. I guess I was hoping for more, though I honestly don't know what I expected. It wasn't awful or anything, but I thought there was room for improvement. DVD The Hurt Locker This was an all around good movie. I dont really have anything negative to say about it. If anyone out there has any interest in bomb disposal, this will either convince to go into it or convince you that you seemingly need to have a death wish to do it. Cabin Fever 2 This is the even more gruesome sequel to the already bloody Cabin Fever. If you saw the original you know that there room for a sequel with the spread of the supremely deadly flesh eating virus. Well, it spreads. Folks die. A lot more than last time. There are some definite over the top moments in this movie on the gross out front. If you liked the original, you'll probably like this one. This is a horror movie so this isn't really a spoiler, but if you like these I'm sure there will be a part 3. Black Dynamite This movie is hilarious. It is a spoof of movies like Shaft and Dolemite with a dash of 70s Kung Fu movies. It is very over the top in just about every way. The violence is over the top. The kung fu is over the top. Even the sex is over the top (in a hilarious manner). Micheal Jai White overacts about half the scenes he is in and it's great. I was laughing most of the way through this movie.