SirBlake

The only one of those licensed properties that makes sense to me is Wizard of Oz.

If I had my way, it would be for the new CMF/Ideas mashup where they release Robert8 CMFs. Hey, I'm a dreamer.

That would be a cool departure for sure that I would welcome, but I don't think it's strictly necessary. Generally speaking, castle doesn't require too much in the way of super complicated builds. That said, the step up in build sophistication that came with Hobbit/LotR was nice. So I guess my point is, any level is good for me as long as factions and heraldry are on point.

Forgive me, but I do think these concerns are unfounded. For the most part (there are always going to be unreasonable people) everyone understands that TLG has a line that they will not cross, so I don't think you have anything to worry about there. Any sets that they release that are more adult focused a realized either through their size, complexity, or subject matter that is acceptable for kids, but perhaps it may not appeal to them as much. To put it another way, I think we can all agree that we're not going to be seeing Game of Thrones Lego, ever. And that's just fine. @Nabii, Glad you're still in this thread. Your thoughts are valued. I see where you're coming from as far as age range and all of the factors that play into that, from build complexity to the level of fun and freedom designers get with older age products. That said, I do think that perfectly good Castle can be made for the younger ranges that can still appeal to all ages. For example, 2013 Castle could have been a big hit here based on the fact that the builds were fine, it just needed different heraldry. Kingdoms is a good example of this. But I suppose that is a separate and long-dead conversation that we don't need to rehash. I am curious about one thing that you've mentioned more than once: that we should be careful how we sound to the designers. For myself, and I think the majority of us, nobody wants to come off as a whiner or complainer, but we are passionate and we are honest. I'm sure that can be annoying to someone in your position, but at the same time, I think this feedback should be valued. While we may be a vocal minority, that doesn't mean we're spoiled brats. At the end of the day, we are consumers of a product we love, and TLG is fortunate enough to have good access to their consumer in the form of this and other forums. Telling a company what we would like to see is different than complaining for the sake of complaining. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, and simply put, we have a right to vent our frustrations and I would hope that you and other Lego decision makers would respect that.

Go rogue!

Yeah, I had told myself that I wasn't going to vote for anything Simpsons or Olympics/Soccer and, well, that's all there is.

That's really fun, and close to how I think about things as far as factions go. I think TLG could consolidate Lions and Dragons under one respective piece of heraldry and pretty much just go with this and it would be magnificent.

Very nice. That fits right in with the MMV.

That's the whole point. If focus groups can't make a business case for a full theme, that's where creator modular type sets come in. They're really not aimed at kids. They're for AFOLs, so at least give us something. I think most of us don't care that themes that don't appeal to us are available, be they Ninjago or whatever. It's when their existence is at the expense of what we love that things get tense. Put another way, something is better than nothing, so if an occasional low-volume/high price tag castle set is the best we can get, I think we'd all take that as opposed to nothing.

Sounds like a good problem to have. That's the trouble with anecdotal local evidence. As I recall, the Uruk army set sold pretty well around here. I myself got 4 or 5 of them and two Helm's Deeps.

That's the dream right there, but I'm also open to the City style big modular builds. Just one of those every year or two would be appreciated. Much better than nothing, that's for sure.

1. It's about as "castle" as any castle with tank treads and jet planes, which is to say, not at all. 2. Take a bet? Last I checked, TLG is doing just fine. If they don't see the value in continuing to serve an audience they've spent 40 years building, that's their mistake to make. 3. No, there's been a terrible draught in the space theme, and that too is a mistake. But kids don't like space toys, right? /sarcasm 4. It also does us no favors to lie and talk about how wonderful a theme is that we don't like. Also, the designers are the ones who should want us on their side, not the other way around. It's our kids that are currently keeping them in business. I can't tell you how many hundreds of dollars a year TLG is missing out on because my daughter and I are skipping the Lego aisle because there's nothing there for us. She still gets the occasional Elves set, but nothing like a few years ago when we both had product available for us. It's a "bad building experience" because I don't want to build it in the first place. It's not my intention to "tell kids they shouldn't like it". I am communicating with my fellow fan that I am displeased with current offerings, and in case you haven't noticed, I am not alone. I am delighted at the chance that NK might fail because to my subjective eye, the whole theme looks bad. Trans orange and tanks have no business in a castle theme. 5. I am a fan of Lego in general, but if there's no product I'm interested in, what's to be a fan of? Once again, as a drastic departure from traditional castle, the failure of NK would be a confirmation of what I and many others have deemed as stillborn from the very beginning. All of that said, I don't understand why you're choosing to make this about a Nexo Knights indictment. As far as I can tell, this thread is about a hopeful, post NK future for castle. Should TLG be so short sighted as to damn all of Castle to purgatory because their wacky He-Man and the Visionaries of Power Rangers theme failed, that's fine. People like me will move on and take our wallets with us.

Wow, very nicely done. I've played around with houses like this but never came up with anything this nice. Love it.

I agree with this. I'm flexible as to what form those factions take (Fantasy, Woodsmen, Wolfpack or similar), but variety is key.

Nice printing and if I recall correctly, first appearance of the foil. Edit: now that I think about it, that credit may go to the Musketeer I have both, but find the conquistador much more useful.

Looks like this one has clear winners already.

Man, I have to disagree. Elf Girl is one of my favorites. The hair piece is great and I love the printed shoulder armor and the use of metallics. I think she works in a very LOTR way, like a Galadriel/Arwen mix.

I would buy all of that.

Go Forest Maiden!

I think it's great the way it is. On another note, it will be a tragedy if the princess loses this round. Great minifig.

Holy cow! This looks amazing!

I sure hope Frightening Knight wins this match. The printing is amazing, as is the shield. I like the vampire too, but I think he's outclassed by the newer, better knight.

That bimmer is awesome! its been a while and I have fresh pics with new wheels... A nice camera and even nicer lens makes all the difference.

Sorry I'm getting to this thread a month late, but it is a symptom of the subject. I am currently in my second dark age. The first started when I discovered girls, about 1990. I came out of it when I had a 5 year old, some time in 2011. My new revolution had been great, with Kingdoms and the Hobbit/LotR sets being my heroes. At this point, I'm a few years removed from having viable product for me to focus on (Historic/Castle). It has been difficult to stick with the hobby when there's almost no new product on the shelves for me. Hopefully that changes sooner rather than later.

This is a cool way to do this! Thanks again for all the hard work, Itaria. This has been really fun.