Jump to content

SirBlake

Eurobricks Dukes
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,066

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by SirBlake

  1. SirBlake
    Fair points. I’ll do my best to reign in my patronizing attitude. Boiling this all down, I like the optimism that if Nexo = Castle, it sets a precedent for a larger “big bang theme” budget that could be applied to something that we may all define as Castle. Unfortunately I can’t share that optimism. Because the parameters for a bedrock theme (Castle, Space, Pirates) are so very different from a big bang theme (Ninjago, Chima, Nexo) based on TLG’s past actions. As much as I hate to say it, none of those bedrock themes will ever get that kind of budget or attention, even if we were to get a whole real theme like Kingdoms for example, history would indicate that a Nexo-like level of set volume, new parts, media, etc. just isn’t a realistic expectation. My guess is that any new parts we might see are going to come from CMF. A good example of that would be the newest sword. A Lego designer has said in the last year or so (sorry, don’t have that reference handy) that opportunities for more traditional castle and pirates lie in things like Ideas and Creator. Something like the 90th set and forestmen GWP are also good examples that tell the same tale: outliers that are functionally one-offs, outside of the traditional theme structure. I would love for that all to be wrong, and that a true theme with a real budget were just over the horizon, but several years of neglect have left me a bit jaded. Sorry for the sermon from my high horse, lol.
  2. SirBlake
    Yeah I know. Happy to tell you again: TLG is inconsistent in their positioning. How is this for merit: The Eurobricks community organizes things according to the community itself. You won't find any Nexo threads in this subforum because the community deemed it not related to Castle. We are not beholden to a company's "intentions" and as far as I and most of the rest of the fans of the theme are concerned, TLG can take their intentions and stick them where the sun don't shine. Continuing to harp on Nexo here is akin to insisting Ninjago belongs. One page in an instruction booklet in one set is not enough to change the facts. TLG may want to think Nexo is part of the conversation, but when the rubber meets the road, it does not. Period. End of story.
  3. SirBlake
    We’ve been through this and whatever tiny debate existed has been long settled. Nexo is NOT castle. It was a completely separate action/adventure theme with some castle elements. A similar argument to yours would say that Legends of Chima is part of the Fabuland theme. TLG is woefully inconsistent with what they consider within the bounds of a theme and what isn’t. Bricklink (owned by TLG) classifies Nexo as it’s own separate thing. Beyond whatever TLG wants to put in promotional literature, the thing that counts most is this: there is VERY little overlap in the fandom. Worse than that, the people who have been invested in castle for decades were largely repulsed by Nexo. That’s also got to count for something.
  4. SirBlake
    Thanks! I like the bustling center too. Gives my relentless search for minifig parts that work with Castle some purpose.
  5. SirBlake
    Excellent! Thanks for the recommendations.
  6. SirBlake
    I think it's safe to say that yes, you are in the minority on that one. With a big collection of original 80's/90's castles, obviously it's not a deal breaker for me, but detailed interiors are one of my favorite aspects of contemporary Lego sets, and I think most would agree with that. Put another way, if this new castle lacked interior detail, the majority of people would lose their damn minds.
  7. SirBlake
    Right on. I've made it my business to ID and obtain any minifig bits that are usable for Castle stuff, so if you ever have any questions, hit me up. From Lego Movie "Root Beer Maid" to the old Studios theme "Hunchback", there are some gems out there if you know where to look. I just posted some pics of some of these weirdos that are a good fit for Castle here:
  8. SirBlake
    Speaking of free folk, I've got some to share. Most of my armies are set up with their respective castles and sets, but I do have a few shelves that are armied up in a way. Apologies for the potato quality of the camera. Workin' with what I've got handy. The King's Court Army of my MMV having a festival. Some more detail on this here: My MVR "farmy", lol. Army of farm animals. The PotC Elizabeth Swan was picked out early on by my daughter as her character for "The Orchard Family". We had a lot of fun having adventures with Elizabeth, Papa Orchard, Mama Orchard and the little brother, Toby. :D
  9. SirBlake
    Someone asked in a different thread about my extra MMV buildings, so I thought I'd take some (very amateur) photos. All of it is subject to part limitations, as if I had an abundance of windows, sand green bricks, dark blue bricks and other detailed pieces, I would have certainly made some adjustments. Here's the whole MMV shelf. Detailed look at the Magic Shop. This one was really fun. Detailed look at the Armory. Again, very fun to build with some parts compromises, but I'm happy with how well they fit in with the MMV buildings.
  10. SirBlake
    Love it. The round towers of the gatehouse are very successful, the dark grey on top of the battlements is a great look, the port and waterway layout is nice and the treetop round table concept is brilliant. Both concept and execution are really strong with this castle. The photos are quite good as well, which really helps.
  11. SirBlake
    Some excellent observations here. I like all styles of castles but if pressed, I think I prefer the high Middle Ages approach. I bet that preference is heavily influenced by past Lego castles and fuels my excitement for this new 90th set.
  12. SirBlake
    The knowledge is also VERY specific, lol. If it hadn’t been stuff that fits with castle, I’d be super lost.
  13. SirBlake
    The purple dress is the CMF frog princess. The “red cape” corset torso is the CMF fortune teller. Edit: the red/purple dress piece below it is the fortune teller too. The fiery red dress piece attached to the fortune teller torso is the skirt for the CMF evil wizard. I don’t recognize the two with chain mail, but they look cool. CORRECTION: the chain mail torso is the first CMF Viking. That’s some good older stuff for a BaM tower.
  14. SirBlake
    Really enjoying his stuff lately.
  15. SirBlake
    I respect where you're coming from on that one, but I do have an exception: A new helmet. I heard in an interview somewhere that they were considering a new knight's helmet for this set, but opted for other new parts. That's something they've done for other CMF's (viking) and a princess, but never for a knight, guard, whatever.
  16. SirBlake
    I can’t make sense of their decision making process. Seems to me they’re full up on NASA, but it took them YEARS to finally approve a castle set. I’m not complaining. As a long-suffering castle fan, something is better than nothing. The newest approved set is confusing. Third-rate 90’s Halloween movie that is waaaay down the list of iconic IP’s they could have gone with. Or not done any IP at all. That’d be nice too. Whatever. It seems their parameters for approval are secret and way beyond what us mere mortals can predict, so it doesn’t make much sense to moan about it. They’re going to do whatever they want to do.
  17. SirBlake
    Very well said. Agreed on all points.
  18. SirBlake
    The question then becomes how big is big enough? I personally am happy with anything over 20, capping it around 35 or so. Unless it’s something I’m not way into ((late 90’s-KK2). A smattering of royals/bulls/fright knights is fine.
  19. SirBlake
    Nice collection that spans the ages! I particularly like the free folk, and the pillaging of other themes for good castle bits.
  20. SirBlake
    That makes sense. Once Kingdoms came out I was reignited, and ended up finding MMV at Walmart for $50. That was a stroke of luck. Nice! Thanks for the recommendation. Subscribed.
  21. SirBlake
    Right on. I’ll certainly watch if you post a video on this. As far as the lack of narrative at the time, I’m right there with you. It’s fun when they leave things vague so the stories are ours to make.
  22. SirBlake
    Wow, that’s quite an undertaking. The silhouette is there, but executed with your own parts and techniques, which makes it something different in a good way. Populating it with different factions is fun too.
  23. SirBlake
    CMF have certainly helped to keep things interesting, but nothing replaces a full theme when it comes to fully building things out. The bear and crow knights could really use some foot soldiers and archers.
  24. SirBlake
    You’re exactly right about that. If there’s any misunderstanding it’s because I didn’t go into detail on my own convoluted thought process, lol. The shape of the wheel opening on a 69 is indeed flattened at the top, but it’s also an integral part of some finely detailed body lines. Understandably not represented at this scale. Paired with the absence of the “gills” in front of the rear wheel, it’s easier for me to view it as a 68 with rounder wheel openings. Plus, very selfishly, I would love a rounder new fender piece in dark blue to retrofit on the 67 Mustang. Fun to daydream about.
  25. SirBlake
    Not just possible: likely. While I personally champion Kingdoms as a return to form, I absolutely respect the opinion that the “last great” castle was 25+ years ago. We’ve waded through quite a bit of disappointment over the decades. The success of the Ideas/Creator/90th sets will hopefully be a strong influence on future offerings.
×
×
  • Create New...