Sirens-of-Titan

It seems that after a while all cloth capes (as well as ship's sails) fall into disrepair. Older sets such as the Royal Knights I have from the 90's have lost their flags to time and use, and while updating an old minifigure with new leg pieces, heads, arms and accessories is easy, replacing capes and flags seems very difficult to me. I had the idea awhile back to take a Lego cape and trace it out onto a piece of fabric, cut the contours and get a brand new cape, unfortunately most fabrics do not like to cut into irregular shapes, and immediately start to brim apart. My greatest discovery was tracing and cutting a cape out of a sheet of really really thin leather, which yielded a rally solid, and great-looking brown cape, which resists damage, and tearing over time. I tried the same with dyed leather, and got great results. (It's a bit thicker than normal capes, but looks great and lasts for a LONG time!) The only issue with this is that unlike making paper capes and flags, leather can't be printed on, and that makes it a poor candidate for flags. My question is; what do you use to make custom capes, flags, sails and etc.? What type of material, and how do you make graphics on it, if you do? I'm curious to find out what techniques are out there.

True, but judging by the last castle line, we are a few short months away from a big dragons set with tons of troops, where I will buy multiples and thus get a dragons force. (It really is inevitable that this will happen\n, and when it does, I would rather have saved my money for an army builder with quality)

Well I followed through with my plan and got 4 prison carriages and 2 knights showdowns. I mounted all the knights on horses and I gotta say they look beautiful. I'm certainly happier with my purchase than I would be with battle packs, and I can't wait to see what's coming up for this line!

I was hoping for a galley that's a bit larger than a one-piece boat. If there is a navy, it could be a different farction, after all this is 'kingdoms' so next year we may see a ship-based naval force in a different color with a sea monster on their shields

I love the idea! Yes that mythology could be used quite extensively, I don't know if they'll use a hydra which is too much like a dragon, but possibly a griffin or a minotaur

Yes, it doesn't look good if you want to collect only Dragon knights, but I want a force of each and that ratio seems pretty good for my liking, plus the set gives you horses, and that's something no battle pack includes. Just think about the number of figures as a total and accessories and horses and tell me that 16 figs, plus 4 horses and two catapults for 54$ doesn't sound better than 15 figures and nothing else for 45$. Plus the quality issue, I don't know, i am really picky for quality and I have old lion knight which have taken some ware over time. I look at those and say, well, those were superb minifigures 10 years ago, and now they are a bit rough around the edges, but just imagine how the battle pack figures will look in a few years of use... That is enough to make me pay the higher price and just get the small sets as army builders, and make a force of each.

Well these have to appeal to kids too, so I don't think they will ever make a brewery or a wine cellar, simply because of the whole alcohol issue. What I do want to see is a peasant type farm and cottage sets, and of course, maybe a windmill or a granary (I don't see why not keeping in mind that there is a whole sub-theme of Lego Town which is all about farming. I would also like to see more sets that give the feeling that each one is a quest or a story; not just a a random group of knights battling it out but more like a set that contains a catacomb, called the haunted layer, or a set that has a special sword or item that presents a clear goal for the minifigures involved the way the Indiana Jones and adventures sets did back in the day. As far as different civilian structures go; we could always see some more of those Tudor buildings from the market set, maybe a dock or a stables (we are yet to see either in a civillian set) I know it won't happen but some type of church or monastery would be amazing (or a temple of some sort)

Well I think there is a solution to this dilemma, which unfortunately is rough on the ones who want to collect dragon knights and really great for those who want to collect lions. Instead of buying 3 battle packs I am planning to get the following sets as army builders; 4 prison carriages and 2 knights showdowns. Here's what each contains: 3 BP (2 lion BP's and 1 dragon BP): 15 minifigures, (10 lions and 5 dragons) Also cheap plastic, issues with loose joints, only a few significant parts (breast plate+helms) Price= 45 USD before tax Now the 4 prison carriages and 2 Knights showdowns: 16 minifigures (10 lions and 6 dragons) Best quality plastic (and a ton of bucket helms) extra weapons (including lots of dark pearl) 4 horses/unicorns with armor A ton of bricks useful for MOC'ing (carriage wheels, bars, torches, mini catapults, multiple color cheese wedges) Price: 54 USD before tax (yes that's a price difference of 9 bucks but I think that's worth the quality, extra pieces, and the 4 horses. So that's my plan until I see a change in BP quality. I guess the downfall is that if you only want to collect dragons this doesn't really make your life easier, but I like the knights and I'm gonna get a small force of each by this "formula" yes it will be a 5:3 ratio but I have no problem with that.

Darn that is a real disappointment, thank you for letting us know though Metalandi I guess, you could always get a few black legs off of old Lego figures and replace these, but I guess that still leaves the flimsy shields issue. I was so looking forward to these... Were the recent Castle battle packs this poor quality as well? I never bought them, and now I'm regretting not getting a huge force while I could

That really is upsetting, When did Lego give up on quality? That was a major reason i loved it back in the 90's so much; all the pieces were solid. To, even if only a part of a minifigure is flawed it ruins the entire figure. Can you please post a pic with a battle pack soldier and a regular set soldier just for comparison please?

The new Kingdoms line is fantastic and the model's construction is awesome! Looking at the figures I can see the theme really forms a connection between the characters and their coat of arms. The lions are noble and brave, and their units reflect the personality of the actual animal. Same with the dragons (they actually have scales as armor and are high and mighty, not necessarily evil yet powerful. I want to see a lot of new factions but instead of speculating on possibilities I am gonna post a quick ideas pic and explain what my ideal factions are at this point. Something like these is what I hope Lego will give us, and while I have no shortage of ideas, i try to be realistic. So let me post it and explain: http://www.mocpages.com/image_zoom.php?moc...46m_DISPLAY.jpg 1) The lion shield of the current faction (yes I know it's not the actual shield but it's a shield in that style to give you an idea of the conversion you would have to do in your mind from my quick "paint" and clip art pic to real Lego style. (My apologies for the trouble) 2) The dragons shield (same as above) 3) The shield with the eye, is what I hope will be some sort of magician faction (knights who follow a powerful wizard) These will be a fantastic new color scheme we have not yet seen in the Castle line, and will satisfy us fantasy fans. I can see ghosts and dragons being fantasy creatures here, but just imagine a new Kingdoms torso in those colors with that symbol; now imagine a battalion of them!! A wizards tower will be the corner stone of that army. 4) The yellow-gray fox shield. Since this line features full-torso animals instead of just heads as the old castle, I imagined a wolf-pack faction will have a symbol like this. Now, I wanted to go with yellow and dark gray because it's something now yet done, and especially because I could see a whole group of these guys ambushing Lion knights in a forest. I could also imagine a whole lot of yellow on grey checkered patterns being incorporated in their knights (it's almost Teutonic ) 5) The cow skull shield: This is a shield that represents a faction of highly trained, bulging, veteran mercenaries. I don't think they could coexist with number 4, but they are good substitutes for each other. This will satisfy the ruffian army model, and will give us a blue army with a bit of an evil edge. (as opposed to the good old crownies) 6) The peasants shield: Yes i know, very counter-intuitive, as peasants do not fight, don't have shields or use a coat of arms as they are the farthest from royalty, but then again they do need representation in the realm of Kingdoms! I could see this being a revolt of sorts, and while their units will carry wooden board shields and pitchforks, the leaders can carry this on a banner. What more to motivate you than seeing the images of your favorite pig at your side at all times! Well, this is my take on it, I want to see other ideas posted, and please include a visual. Cheers!

Me too, as good as these sets were, I can't wait for the next wave (assuming there will be a next wave) Let's hope this theme doesn't end up like Pirates in 09

These run out really fast; I went last weekend to a ToysRUs and they had a shelf of jester sets for sale; I went today and there were none left.

I'm looking at these figs right now and the pink is definitely noticeable, and it's very much off white. The thing is though, because it is a result of a thin layer of white being added and not poor printing, the rest of the torso looks quite good, so it is almost intentionally pinkish; and it doesn't look half bad So the gold on the lion head is solid, the black in the outlines is perfect, and the brown in the belt is also flawless. It looks good to me, almost like you could see through the white patches to the red tunic below; i find that kind of makes it more acceptable. Still the set in an excellent army builder; plus you get that dark pearl sword and axe, which people will need extras of if they want to outfit their dragon BP's with dark pearl weapons. If there was a dragons shield this set would be perfect but I'm happy anyways

I completely agree, the dragons seem to be a bit more rugged but nothing on the face prints or sets suggests they are an "evil" faction. in that way they are kind of like last year's pirate theme; both pirates and soldiers could be your 'good guys' it depends on who you pick. It's part of Lego's attempt to leave no one behind as pure evil. As far as the green wizard goes, i like everything about that set, except i can't seem to get over the gray hair on the face, and the dark black beard... Oh, well he wins anyhow

Fantastic work my friend! I can't get over how good that knight looks, and how, he's on scale and everything! Can't wait to see more pictures!!

Thank you Brickster I too want to see new and improved forest-men figures. (I think that because the dragon knights got a green color, it's unlikely we'll see classic robin-hood green, but perhaps something in Brown and dark blue or deep purple will suffice.) Here's something I've been thinking about; I don't see trolls and orcs from Castle as magic, simply as fantasy. I think there's a clear distinction between them; fantasy is a world of multiple fantastic races coexisting and inter-fighting, and while they can have magical abilities, each is simply a race in that world (the way Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings books) The classic Lego magic means humans being the only race, wizards commanding this ability to call on magic in the earth, and any fantasy creatures that appear exist in that context. I think it's very possible we'll see a 'scary' faction that is a bit more magic based, and while it won't be another undead faction, they could have barbaric ruffian humans augmented by ghosts and maybe a few mythical beasts. Oh dreams...

King's Carriage in the early 90's, Fantastic set!

Hey no worries, I have the prison carriage which also comes with a horse head armor and its totally up to you how you modify it; you can take off the horn and put in a plume, or one of those ork teeth, or even a single stud brick can go over it. it's really a universally applicable piece with a slot that they have chosen to place a unicorn horn in so far.

@ I spoke the the manager at my local Lego store and he said that all of the minifigures in battle packs, magnet sets, and otherwise are manufactured in denmark just like the minifigures in the regular sets. The coloring is sometimes different but, the minifigure is the same quality. He also told me that Lego only uses china to build specialty parts like the magnets and electronics in some sets and so on. default_classic.gif Oh that is fantastic news!! And boba jagoda, thatnk you for the pictures!!!! The figs look just as good as the ones in the big sets, (although it is a shame about the light silver weapons ) Oh well, that's the least of my worries for these; I'm happy quality looks up to par! Time to start army building haha

Thank you, I saw that earlier and I was hoping we could get a few more pictures In those they look quite normal, although it is hard to tell through the plastic

I see a lot of members managed to get their hands on some battle packs, and while no one has posted a review yet I'd like to ask on behalf of all of us eager people awaiting their arrival that anyone on here who has already bought them please answer a few questions: First and foremost quality; is it cheaper plastic with flaws, incorrect textures, flaws/marks on the arms and loose/poorly fitting parts, or is it up to the standard of the Castle battle packs? Secondly, how much did you pay for them and where did you get them? Last, but not least; if anyone is kind enough to post a picture or two of these guys, and maybe do one with a fig from a standard set next to a battle pack fig for comparison, that would make a lot of people, myself included, very, very happy.

For some reason this theme makes me think back to Age of Empires 2, it seems to fit the "Castle Age" quite well. Take a look: So by looking at the different units the game offered I am willing to definitely say I want to see: 1) Peasants! Absolutely necessary; I want to see farming/mill sets with tons of feudal serfs and laborers 2) Lords not clad in armor; (I want to see some fancy monarch types like the prince in the advent calendar) 3) A mounted cavalry faction like the Huns with a wild Asiatic look/feel to them who plunder (satisfying both the feel of the wolf pack and the more-primitive barbaric nature a lot of people wanna see) 4) Since we get wizards and maybe dragons, I want to see some legendary mystic figures who harness the power of the earth (not really fantasy but as close as it gets) 5) Last but not least: multiple chivalry inspired, heavily armored and decorated mounted knights with coats of arms and printing that belongs to neither faction.

Agreed, there doesn't seem to be any difference between them

The prison carriage rescue has a horse without a saddle, but that's because it's pulling the carriage.