ED-209

Very cool, I love all the detailing!

Gorgeous, I love it! I can't wait until you complete the whole range! BTW, does the force of the throw start to pull the catapults apart after a while? They look very solid, but I was just wondering if you came across the problem?

My apologies for being quiet lately, I've been overseas on holiday! Thank you so much! I honestly couldn't tell you a specific price point, the prices in Australia seem to be less consistent than in Europe or the US. And as such, I don't really have the knack for it. I defer to your judgement though! I actually hadn't thought of doing back prints (why on earth not? I have no idea!?), but now that you mention it I think that I will. The Vikings TV show is, IMO, sufficiently accurate in quite a few regards, and certainly I overlook its faults for the entertainment value. I don't really want to bang on about it as I'm sure my nit-picking would just bore most, but it's one of those situations that frustrate me because they obviously put a lot of money and effort into making a damn entertaining programme, and it comes so close on so many levels, but they just let themselves down on such silly little things as costuming when five minutes of internet research would have set them straight! But you're right, it's better than a lot of other media portrayals of vikings. OK, end rant now. But yes, I know what you're referring to. The knife Björn carries on his back is a saex, I included a small one (sheathed of course) on the tunic-wearing designs on page three. But I do like the idea of incorporating a larger saex onto the back printing... hmm, yes I shall do this! Thank you for the excellent suggestion! LOL, you'd need some monks too, but I'm certainly not going to say no to some Bathory! And maybe I'm showing my age, but I've always been partial to Led Zepplin's Immigrant Song: I'm still a fan of Marvel's Thor, but now that TLG have made that delightful little goat mould I'd love to see a "real" Thor figure with a red beard riding his chariot through the skies! Totally agree. I'd love to see a moulded fur that could fit over the cloth cape without crushing it. It could come in shades of browns, greys, tans and/or white. I think it would look fantastic with the cloaks and really give you a good sense of the minifigs being rugged up against the weather! As discussed earlier, I'd also love to see a hood piece made to resemble a bear's head - this could be made to be compatible with the fur shoulder piece and would be brilliant on a berserker! I'm so in love with this idea that I'd even sculpt my own if I could get someone to mould casts of them for me! Since getting back I've started designing the largest set in my proposed set range. As my idea is basically to translate the sets from a "standard" castle range into a Norse setting, the main set is envisaged as a Viking ring fort. It would still need to be easy to build, and would be simpler than a real ring fort (in the same way an official Lego castle is obviously simpler than a real one!) I've built the main gate with a couple of small watchtowers, and the "corner" sections of wall that curve around. Or as curved as you're likely to see in a real set at least! I've also tried to make the side walls something more than just repeated log panels. And even though it's not really accurate, I thought it would be at least a little reminiscent of the Classic Castles to have a little shop up against the wall: Although I don't have a clear picture of it, the wall opposite the shop has a small prison cell, with an "action feature" blow apart wall so the enemies can rescue their comrade. I feel it still needs some work though. I'm also at a bit of a loss as to what to do about the main building. A real ring fort would simply have encircled multiple longhouses, the buildings being separate structures to the wall. But the way TLG make castles is different, the main building is always connected to the walls (someone correct me if I'm wrong, I can't think of an example where it doesn't?). I'll only really have room for one longhouse, and it probably won't really be all that long, but should I keep it attached to the back wall for increased playability and "Legoness", or separate it for historical accuracy? I'm inclined to think the former, but would welcome input. Here's a WIP: I've also added a couple of new minifig designs. A roaming outlaw based on a Playmobil figure I saw whilst in Germany: http://www.playmobil...t-Show?pid=4769 (Incidentally in a perfect world I would replace the printed furs on his shoulders with a moulded plastic part!) And another warrior figure in quilted leather armour. Hooray for leg printing! I'm thinking I should do something similar with my previous maille shirt design, extend it down onto the legs? Could one Viking faction wear maille, the other wear leather? It could help to further separate the factions in addition to the "reds vs blues" colour coding? Anyway, as always I'd love to hear people's thoughts and comments.

Thanks! I think it looks a little more cohesive now myself. Yes, the helmet is a good aproximation (it's more or less historically fine for Vikings), but I'd like something closer to the Brickforge Viking helmet in my final version. Yes I'd be happy with a mixed bunch of helmets, as long as they were more or less historically accurate. ZOMG!! I'd not thought of printing on the neck guard, but that's a fantastic idea! I think it's a little more textured, but if TLG could do it it would certainly be a cost effective way of giving us a new look. Brilliant! And yes, they'd be pretty ineffectual fishermen like that! I did mention in an earlier post that I'd envisage one of those little string nets to be included with the set. Probably rolled up next to the barrels. I just don't know if you can put them into MLCAD or LDD, so I omitted it from my mock-up! (And I'm thinking they should have a spear as well, just so they stand a better chance against the blue guys! )

No problem, happy to help! (If I am helping that is! ) I can completely see that you're using the colours that are commonly available in order to keep the prices down, and I do think that's a very good idea. But seeing as you're giving people the flexibility of buying the set without figures, maybe that could be your "budget" option, and your "deluxe" might include slightly more expensive minifigs? I'm not sure what other buyers may think of that idea though...? But if you were looking at in that way, I think the dark green would work better if you removed the red. Lose the knight's shield, and replace the soldier's torso with something along the lines of these two: Seeing as there's no red printing on those torsos, you could switch the arms to any colour you please and it would still make for a cohesive figure. Or you could perhaps go in a different direction again? What about using the CFM knight as your defending faction? Seeing as he's got a white feather, you could extend the ranks with a "white and silver" kind of look? Give the soldiers white arms and legs, and either use either of the torsos I mentioned earlier. Personally I think that would look really sharp, and we've not seen white as a castle faction colour since... well possibly as far back as the old yellow castle set? (You might just need to make use of the "CMF stand as roof" technique in one of your sets, if you wind up with too many leftovers! ) Anyhow, I don't know if any of those ideas are helpful or not, but I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the rest of the models in the series!

Thank you again for all the praise! Still, that was pretty funny when that happened! And don't worry about it, I managed to rebuild it without a problem! Thank you! I don't know if there'd be enough to many good quality sets, but certainly two or three I'd think. Hard to know the machinations that take place behind the scenes: did Lego choose not to do the sets? Did Disney/Marvel? Were they being cagey about showing off the production artwork? Were either/both parties underwhelmed with the sales of the Iron Man 3 sets? We'll probably never know! I just really loved the idea of the flying Viking boats, and thought that the hybridised sci-fi/fantasy look they gave them in the film was really cool. So once we found out that there wasn't going to be any official sets, this was the number one model I had to make! I'm working on the Throne of Asgard, and am quite liking how it's coming along. But I want to make a physical build of it before I go public with it! Really wish we had a minifig of Odin now! I'd also love to make a Dark Elf "Harrow" ship (they're the fighters, not the mothership!) But it would be pretty tall and I'd need to figure out a suitable stand to hold it up! I haven't seen The Winter Soldier yet, but hopefully there's some designs in it that would translate well to Lego! So now on to business! I've put together the instructions, the parts list is at the back (in retrospect, why didn't I put it at the front? ) I also added the 2x6 plates to the wing "feathers" to strengthen them. I should also warn anyone who builds one, that the hull is strongest nearest the keel, so don't pick it up by the gunwales. (In other words, pick it up nearest its base!) http://fc02.devianta...red-d7cuzgn.pdf

Thank you everyone for such kind words! If only Marvel's parent company owned theme parks... Instructions? Sure! Give me a little time to put them together and I'll publish them online. I might strengthen the wings a little first though! Thank you, given the quality of some of the other Superhero MOCs out there that's high praise indeed! I'd even have been happy with the back-to-back rowboat style they've used in other sets if it meant some T:TDW minifigs! My boat is probably a little too fragile to be truly swooshable I'm afraid! But I'm sure the boffins at TLG could have found a way to make something similar but stronger, if they'd been inclined. And those new Star Wars spring-loaded missiles would actually work really well on this I think! Hmm, might have to investigate that...!

LOL No I suppose they probably don't! I've given them at least a couple of knives, maybe I'll add a spear too! The figures are really only placeholders, I'll do some more custom decals once I feel the actual model is right. But I'll make sure to give one of them armour for you! Why is there a dock? I don't know! I told you the concept felt a little unfinished to me! Abandoning the idea that it's a secret hideout, I added a small watch tower. Still not sure about it though:

Very cool indeed, I think it's very much in the style of an official set! The catapult is such a simple mechanism, yet so effective. Although now I wish the half-barrel came in black! I love the look of the castle! Mixing the tan pieces into it definitely gives it a different style. I could see TLG making a new Castle range set in a different location with this kind of look, to separate it from the normal look. Almost a warmer, southern European look perhaps? If they did altered the overall shape of the architecture a bit, and perhaps a different colour palate for the figures, I could really see it standing out from the normal Castle ranges. I think it's a good look, and I look forward to seeing what else you come up with in your series! I only have two criticisms: the blue and black faction looks great, but the red and dark green colour combo looks a little off to me. And secondly the cross-shaped arrow slit at the base of the tower would probably be seen as too religious for TLG to use in an official set. Not necessarily an issue if you sell them yourself of course, more of an observation. But other than that, I'd probably buy a set without figures depending on postage costs to Australia. Or at least the instructions - particularly if you make the whole modular castle!

You've done a fantastic job with your purist Winter Soldier fig! But sadly you're right; with nothing official available, a movie version of the Falcon would require a much more involved customisation. Hmm... makes me think I should do some custom decals... I'd desperately love figures of Odin, Heimdall, the Einherjar, and Malekith and the Dark Elves - and that'd require a lot of custom sculpting of helmets!!

Of course, so obvious and I didn't even think of it!! LOL!

I think I'm not alone in saying that I was disappointed that we missed out on any official sets based on both Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and on Thor: The Dark World. So to rectify this, I made a MOC based on the flying Viking longboats the Asgardians are depicted using. I'm quite pleased with how the overall line of the ship came out. The design could easily be adapted for a castle/Viking theme. The wing segments are each hinged, and joined to the hull by a ball-and-socket joint. This allows the wings to be set at a wide range of angles and positions. Although not depicted in the film, I figured a built in gangplank/step would be suitable! I also incorporated a clip at each end of the boat for the Asgaridans to stow their weapons.

That's a very good observation, I definitly enlarge the drinking horn! And of course I don't mind, go for it! Thank you! I'm currently working on another "set" in this imagined theme. The fishermen are seeking shelter from the storm, but have stumbled into the lair of a pair of raiders/smugglers/baddies of some sort! The boat is of course modelled almost directly from Lake Town Chase set (79013), just with dark red parts introduced in the sail to create the stereotypical vertical stripes of a Viking sail. And I think a little string net bundled up on the deck would be good too. The rock formation and cave I'm not 100% happy with, and would appreciate any ideas for improvement. There's a treasure chest inside one of the big hollow pre-fab pieces, and the figure standing on the top is on one of those minifig catapults to make it seem like he's leaping onto the boat. I don't know if there should be a small structure atop the rocks, a lookout tower perhaps? Or would that spoil the idea of it being a secret hideout? A tree? I just think it feels a little bland at present.

Fantastic! The Black Falcons were always my favourite faction as a kid, I hope to one day build a big castle like this for them. I just hope I can make something even half as good as yours!

Lovely! It's completely believable as a set that TLG could have released in the '80s!

Haha, that's awesome! As cool as the stage is, I'm loving Shmidt's staff car!

Really looking forward to seeing the movie, and you're not helping me cope with the wait! I wish TLG had given us something, even a little something, based on the Cap 2 and Thor 2 movies! And I really love the look of your bike!

Very cool, I love all the detailing in the walls. But what's Coulson holding?

That would be my absolute ideal! Yes that's very true, I just haven't figured out a way to get that accurate look in a simple build! I've played around with some different techniques, but I was trying to hit that "looks like it could be an official set" style, rather than the more accuate MOC look. If you have any ideas I'd love to see/hear them though! So my Bricklink order arrived today! (The standard castle blacksmith is standing in until I can get around to printing up some torso stickers, and the Norman helmets will do until I get some more accurate ones from Brickforge. I also used a slightly larger plate as the base than I'd drawn up in my plans.) The blacksmith is hard at work, as one of the rival Vikings sneaks up to attack! Here's the smith hiding his silver coins in the secret compartment in his workbench: CLANG! A pair of old anvils have fallen from the rafters and dispatched our would-be thief! And now I'm going to put my feet up and enjoy a nice horn of mead!

These are all great ideas, but I think the main problem is that kids these days just aren't as interested in history. (Did I really just type "kids these days"? Damn, I am getting old! ) But for the record, I'd buy pretty much any of the historical themes discussed; Middle eastern, ancient China, Feudal Japan, Greek, Roman, but especially Vikings! I'd love to see TLG alternate each year between their standard Castle theme one year, and one of these (or others) the next. I believe the motif of Lego Castle (rival factions/kingdoms with different colour schemes) could very easily be redressed in different cultural settings.

Very cool indeed! I particularly like the crossbow/balista. I'd love to see how the interior of the roof is constructed?

I totally agree with you about the need for some sort of "action feature". I'd been trying to think of something that would satisfy that part of the brief without being *too* silly, and I came up with an idea worthy of Wile E. Coyote! I've included a couple of the blacksmith's old anvils that he stores up in the rafters of his workshop, and at the pull of a handle, they come dropping down on the head of any would-be thief! It's a little cartoonish I know, but in my opinion better than random flick-fire missiles shooting out of the walls as I've seen in some official sets! I can upload the instructions if anyone's interested? Also, these are the designs for the two figures that would come with the set:

What do you mean by a more primitive dark age theme? You'd ideally like something more primitive than the Vikings, or that Vikings are acceptable because they are historically earlier than the regular Lego castle ranges? I love that tile, I'd certainly hope they'd do more parts to simulate carved knotwork! I agree "Vikings vs monsters" is more likely than "Vikings vs Vikings", but we did have decades of castle sets before they started throwing monsters into the mix. I guess I'm partly just nostalgic for how things were when I was a boy, and partly that I just favour history over fantasy. But hey, this whole thread is really about little more than wishful thinking anyway! And I doubt TLG would have a problem with villainous Vikings, they gave them horns last time so I can't see them being too precious about things! But yes, a more traditionally styled Castle faction pitted against the Viking hordes would certainly be welcomed by me! I think what a lot of us are saying is: we'd pretty much take more Vikings however they were handled! Could even base a Norse vs Anglo-Saxon concept around the Great Heathen Army of 865! http://en.wikipedia....at_Heathen_Army But returning to my personal favourite concept of rival Viking clans, I put together a little MOC in LDD (hopefully in the style of a real product). It's sort of based on the 6918 Blacksmith set (the weapons rack particularly), and the roof technique based on one of the stalls in the 10235 Winter Village Market. http://www.bricklink...ic.asp?S=6918-1 http://www.bricklink...c.asp?S=10235-1 As I mentioned in an earlier post, it's intended to be the smallest model in my hypothetical range, and I'd envisage it coming with two characters: the smith in a tunic and leather apron, and an enemy raider in maille and a helmet. The workbench is hinged to conceal coins within it. I'd also like to use the gladius mould as the standard Viking sword. Any questions or feedback most welcome!

My apologies, I didn't mean to try and convince TLG to make the range. I meant merely a fan project to design a range of sets as if Lego were to launch a "rival clans" Viking range. To try and capture the style an official product range, if that makes sense to you. Extremely roughly, how about this: 1. Blacksmith: small set (and no Castle theme would be complete without one! ) consisting of a little shed with an outdoor forge and a rack of swords, axes, and helmets. The blacksmith is wearing a tunic and leather apron, with dark brown gloves, soot on his face, and hair tied back in the Qui-Gon Jin ponytail. Probably a secret compartment inside the building for the smith to store his loot, and an enemy fig in helmet and armour come a-raiding. 2. Raiders' Fjord: a small-to-medium set. A small cave built from dark grey slopes, and a small fishing boat built from back-to-back rowboats. Two fishermen are seeking shelter from the storm, but stumble into the hideout of a pair of desperate cut-throats! The boat could contain crates and/or barrels with fish, and a string net. The fishermen arm themselves with oars and a dagger (to represent a saex). Thanks to Kermit for this idea! 3. Longhouse attack: mid-sized set, the building opens up for play, contains one "blue" warrior with his wife and child, and a couple of "reds" as a raiding party. And perhaps one or two small animals, pig/goat/chicken/etc, and maybe a loom or something inside? Maybe it could even have some sort of "action feature" where part of the roof pops off and flame pieces swivel into view? That sounds very much like the sort of thing TLG would include! 4. Longship: a big set, with a crew of "blue" warriors and a couple of "reds" climbing/swinging aboard (in the same way they always package the enemy minifigs with the ships in the Pirate range). A cloth sail, a dragonhead prow, shields lining the sides and a whole lot of oars. 5. The "red" Jarl's Fortress: biggest set, basically a palisade made from the big "log cabin" wall pieces, a group of "reds" (including the "red" Jarl and his wife) defend against a party of "blues" (armed with a battering ram perhaps?) We can probably make the concession to include those little catapults, or flick-fire ballistas or something. So yeah, I'm sure that "proposal" would still need a lot of refinement, but I could envisage something simlar to that actually working as a real product range. Maybe? That's certainly very easy for me to change if you want to see what they'd look like? But I went with yellow because TLG still use yellow for the non-licensed themes. Although I don't really have much of a preference either way, I just wish they were consistent! LOL, I'm glad she liked them! I don't know if they're paying attention to it or not, but I'm certainly going to make some of these ideas myself! I never said that! (BTW, that's a 1x2 brick for her skirt) That could certainly work, basically cast the Vikings as the "evil faction" in an otherwise standard Castle range. I'd certainly snap up all the sets if TLG released that. But honestly I'd prefer both factions be Vikings - simply becasue you can never have too many Vikings! Maybe that isn't a bad idea? Although the CUUSOO guidelines expressly state that you should only submit a single model, not a proposal for an entire range. They also mention not to propose "you should bring back theme X" suggestions, and I'm not sure if this discussion would fall into that category?

That is true, reports seem to indicate that berserkers sought favour with Odin/Wotan, but to be honest I'd only remembered that after I'd posted the earlier images! Serves me right for staying up too late working on this! And yes, the picts were said to wear woad paints on their bodies, but there's little evidence to suggest that the Norse ever did. I just felt it was feasible, without being proven demonstrably incorrect by archaeological evidence! But it is true that the berserkers were said to go bare-chested into battle, and/or to wear a bear-skin as a cloak. This is sometimes suggested as wearing the head part as a hood in a sort of shamanistic effort to take on the strength of the bear. So maybe a "bear's head hood" would be a good piece to see made for the berserkers?