MAB

It doesn't need to be that complicated. Human faction 1 in a set, human faction 2 in a set, fantasy faction in a set. You could even have 1+2, 1+F, 2+F and 1+2+F in sets. The user can decide who fights who. If an adult only wants humans, they can buy the relevant sets.

No

I can see the helmets being used for fantasy space MOCs but they are way too modern (especially with the print) for castle. But not at the price of the cars, as cheaper and better helmets for space are available.

If someone wants it to be a faction, then yes. And if not, it can remain as dressing up kit for girls. There are plenty of other decorated shields (printed or stickered) that LEGO have produced that are not castle factions.

I cannot really see them doing a female dominated minifigure theme. They have already found that minidolls sell well to girls. If they want to sell fantasy to girls (again), I imagine they'd use minidolls again. If they are doing a new minifigure based fantasy theme, I'd expect them to use both male and female characters in the important roles so it appeals to both boys and girls.

Nail polish, or a bit of acrylic paint, on the shoulder 'ball' joint usually works. But I agree with the above, if selling it just declare it and sell as is.

The point is that they fill a bit of a niche gap in the market. They are quick and fun to build, need little to no parental supervision, easy to take apart and build again, and look pretty decent models with few parts. They are essentially a 3D jigsaw puzzle, between molded / pre-assembled toys at one extreme and at the other, fiddly construction sets whether that is LEGO style or plastic models you have to glue together. It can still be a construction toy even if only built in one way following the instructions. When I look at the way a lot of kids play with lego these days, it is not that different - the set gets built following instructions then not taken apart again. It can be taken apart and rebuilt into something else but kids have so much these days that sets tend to be kept together and only ever built as instructed. I doubt these are meant to compete with LEGO, as they already have Mega Bloks / Construx for that. These are for kids that like to put something together but want to do it quickly.

That sounds like it could be a licensed England Football set ... :-) ! https://www.thesun.co.uk/world-cup-2018/6576483/england-aces-race-on-inflatable-unicorns-as-they-cool-off-in-the-pool-after-late-triumph-over-tunisia/

Presumably you mean space! I was looking closely at the pictures trying to work out what a slave helmet is until I spotted the space helmet in the interior.

To go alongside the mystical division of Horse Knights provided by the unicorn boy cmf.

The HP bookends look like two separate displays that presumably click together with technic pins. Plus they then have a back in the nook format which looks much better than the Sherlock one.

They look similar to Airfix Quickbuild kits, brick built sets that look like realistic models.

Of course you can clean it up. Vinegar will help remove the corrosion. If contacts are broken, you can replace with those from another broken toy. Or you can use a 4.5V lipo battery connected to the first and last terminal.

Any odd shaped parts are not really going to be MILS sections as they cannot be used elsewhere. You could cut a baseplate, or use cardboard or something else to pad the mismatch in height.

Sell the set you no longer want, add some cash and buy the set you want, or something new. There are still sealed 60097 sets available for not much more than RRP from a decade ago.

For unique parts, I don't really blame them. The availability of certain parts has meant I no longer need to buy the set, and reasonable prices for in-demand parts also fuels reselling.

A lot of the torsos are coming in at under £1 instead of about £1.30 or so.

Or they could do it side on, so you see the sides of both the Balrog and Gandalf.

Unless they are planning to be buried/ cremated with them! Now I wonder if anyone has ever done that.

Have you built or even just seen Lion Knights' Castle?

I cannot see LEGO doing such a figure and calling it Eostre. They don't do modern religion and she is a goddess of neo-paganism. Even calling a minifig "May Queen" might be a step too far, especially after the movie Midsommar. Using a name such as "Spring girl" is far more likely, and could be any girl with some flowers in her hair or handheld and a bunny.

It is, SW has been fantastic for providing cheap, and often free, grey and tan bricks over the years if you don't mind pulling out the minifigures and selling them on. BUT only if you are creative and don't have to follow official instructions to build something. Whereas if you are not creative and you can only build what is pictured on the box, then it is true that a Star Wars set is not good for Castle. All LEGO sets can be parts packs if they contain the right combination of parts and colours. Star Wars ones just happen to be particularly cheap parts packs due to the high value of the minifigures in them. Yet they aren't. LEGO's financial statements show that they are not being killed.

SW sets are great for Castle (and LOTR) MOC builders as they also tend to be grey. And the figures tend to be valuable as LEGO SW minifigure fans want them so you can sell them individually for about the same as the set price, especially if bought at discount, and get lots of free building parts.

I doubt most kids link hot cross buns and the crucifiction, or the spices with the embalming of Jesus' body.

That is a really good idea especially for broken strings. I've got a couple where the ends have come off. They are good for climbing ropes where only one end needs to be attached at the top but I had never though of cutting them up even more.