blueandwhite

I suppose it comes down to the fact that people know that LEGO can always do better. In fact, this is one of the reasons that the quality of sets in LEGO's City line has been so high in recent years. I don't think that people are out-and-out disappointed with King's Castle Siege. I would imagine that people simply are hoping for a castle that steps things up a level. A gatehouse would certainly be nice for example.

Catoring to AFOLs doesn't necessarily mean alienating younger consumers. The two groups are not mutually exclusive. That being said, the return to two human factions strikes me as something that will certainly appeal to a number of AFOLs who weren't entirely happy with the current theme. Frankly, I'm 32 and I'm not a big fan of the current Castle sets, and just as you know AFOLs who love the current Castle sets, I know some who aren't so fussy about them. In all seriousness, a throwback to older themes doesn't perclude all fantasy elements (the Wizard being an obvious example). That being said, the current line is dominated by fantasy figures. Some AFOLs do miss the days when we had multiple human factions. It has been a topic of much discussion here and elsewhere. A human vs. human faction has been something a number of AFOLs have been requesting and after three years of Crownies and monsters it sounds like a much needed change is on the doorstep.

It sounds like this line is going to be very similar to the 2009 Pirates theme; a modern reinterpretation of the classic theme from the 80s-early 90s. I get the feeling that this line is really trying to target AFOLs who weren't completely satisfied with the current fantasy spin on Castle (i.e. fantasy creatures vs. humans). It may be a very short-lived line, but I will probably love every minute of it. Hopefully we see some pictures in the next month or so.

Unthought Known by Pearl Jam. Yes, there are still some Pearl Jam fans left in this silly world.

Glad to see we're finally getting a second corner building. I'm not sure about the colour scheme (yellow, black and grey sounds a bit dull) but I'm sure it will look stellar when it's finally revealed. It's nice that we're not getting a police station or some other typical town fare. The fire station was wonderful, but I really like having non-descript small town shops and buildings. Kudos to LEGO for keeping the modular city sets real.

I know there are folks who are hoping for a Vikings line, as well as people looking to see the return of the Wild West theme. That being said; neither of these themes is really castle. If what LEGO says is true and Castle is going to be a recurring theme, I very much doubt that we'll see Western or Roman LEGO as the next Castle line. It's akin to saying that Pirates is Castle as well.

"Limited" or "exclusive"? In the US there are a number of Toys R Us exlcusive sets but I'm not sure if these would qualify as being a limited edition. My understanding is that a limited edition is something that has a limited product run and is marketed accordingly. Essentially; as I understand things limited edition is really just a marketing strategy to target a smaller focus group enticing them with the knowledge that the general availability of the product may be limited (I say may because many limited edition products end up having a second or third wave essentially negating anything that would be limited about them).

I'm guessing that the word you're looking for is "barracks" but I could be mistaken. What time period are your troops from? Is this going to be a modern MOC or is it going to be set in the 1700s/1800s? In any case, I look forward to seeing the final product.

Well, the Captain's daughter will probably command an obscene price on Bricklink (I'm thinking $25+). This certainly is a nice way to cap off the line.

In the 80s, Castle was a fairly permanent fixture in LEGO's product line. I can only speak for myself, but as somebody who grew up with Castle it was comforting to know that the theme I purchased one year would continue in some way into the next. This sense of continuity really died in the 90s when LEGO started to expand into short-lived one-shot themes. By 2000 Castle was essentially dead. KKI was a one-year theme that disappeared in 2000. Fans waited for several years (2001-2003) until Castle returned in 2004 with KKII; a theme that bore little resemblance to anything medieval. For those of us who are Castle-first; the four years between KKI and KKII was anything but pleasant. As you undoubtedly know, KKII wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms by many AFOLs. Flash forward to the anouncement that Pirates was to be cancelled by mid-2010. Apparently, Steve Witt mentioned that LEGO would continue to focus on what it considered to be it's three 'constant' themes; Town, Space and Castle. Now Space and Castle fans both know that their themes have been anything but constant. We've seen our beloved themes devalued and phased out on several occasions. The fact that a LEGO spokesperson had made a comment that LEGO apparently views these themes as being something of importance was a bit of a surprise. That being said; actions speak louder than words. Castle as a theme is not Vikings. It is not Ninja. It is not anything but Castle. Sticking the theme with a more generic label may open the way for themes like Romans or any number of other wonderful varriants but none of these things will ever be Castle. Small changes may not matter to some people, but for those of us who are obsessed with the Castle line (a medieval European Castle theme with or without fantasy elements) a shift away from the name most associated with this theme seems a great deal like the first of many steps until Castle yet again goes on hiatus. As a Castle fan I am concerned that with a few strokes of marketing genius Castle may follow Pirates into the sunset. I don't want a name that moves Castle even slightly away from its roots. This is the theme I have been collecting for 28 years. I really don't want it to die again.

Indeed! I suppose leaks are bound to happen when your focus group is comprised of children.

Honestly, the 'heads-up' about the line's demise sometime next year is a bit of a mixed blessing. Yes, it does mean that the line is defunct. On the other hand, it gives people plenty of time to stock up on Pirates sets and figs while they still can. Everybody is looking forward, but I suspect that a lot of fans will regret not buying up what they can while they can. If you pass on those forts, let's not forget that they won't be around when you need/want them. I feel for you Pirates fans, but I wouldn't disregard the fact that this could very well be the last opportunity to stock up on Pirates sets and bricks at a good price for a very long time. If your MOCing a larger vessel or port town those figs may prove invaluable in the future.

I'm a huge fan of the MMV, but I wonder how well this Shop@Home exclusive would do with younger children. I think that villagers certainly have a place within the Castle theme, however even I can accept that the Market Village was a set that wasn't really built with LEGO's young audience in mind. I don't like most of the new fantasy line either, but I appreciate that themes like this are quite popular with children. At the end of the day, I would rather have some conventional medieval fare mixed in with the fantasy stuff (which I do not care for) than no castle at all. I hope that Castle continues into the future, but I very much doubt we will see another castle line without a fairly heavy emphasis on fantasy folk and fantastic creatures. As long as the line provides me with enough human minifigs and parts I'll remain reasonably content. The MMV is already more than I could have ever hoped for as an AFOL.

Very true. I honestly think that LEGO really needs to rethink its approach to marketing sub-themes. It's almost as if the LEGO brand is suffering from some sort of ADHD. Slapping a new label on the box every few years seems like a good way to dilute the value of the brand. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Steve Witt recently state that City, Castle and Space were LEGO's three mainstays? If this is the case, why change the name of the theme to something that is far more ambiguous? I actually liked UsernameMDM's suggestion of sticking to the Castle label with a sub-title to differentiate between different Castle lines (very much akin to the way many of us AFOLs currently operate). I sincerely hope that LEGO appreciates that what is inside the box is just as important as the label they slap on the front of it. Interesting sets (both in build and variety) really go a long way.

Sheesh. LEGO Kingdoms?!! Are you serious? These choices (other than LEGO Castle) are terrible. Castle is a nice encompassing word that pretty much covers the theme. Even if other non-European cultures had their own castles and feudal systems, castles are pretty much synoynmous with the middle ages. Kingdoms is just beyond generic. It could be used to describe practically anything. I am in utter disbelief that this is actually leading this poll. (I guess this is what happens when you hand off your marketing to children) Still, it sounds like LEGO is moving away from the current fantasy theme to something a bit different. I can only imagine a name change would be necessary if LEGO is re-imaging the Castle line. Having said that, I still find the idea of renaming the theme to be utterly ridiculous (particularly when Castle fans don't even know what future products look like). It's not like they rename City every 2-3 years.

I honestly think that's a pretty valid criticism. LEGO in the 80s and early 90s was pretty consistent with their themes which meant amassing town/space/castle figures and sets was relatively easy back then. Since the mid-90s, LEGO themes have had little or no longevity making it difficult to expect any theme to carry over into the next year. If you're going to collect LEGO today, it seems you need to be prepared for the line to vanish as suddenly as it appeared. I imagine that with videogames and other distractions, many kids just aren't prepared to invest the same kind of dedication to a single theme. Even if Pirates should one day return (there's a big "if" in there), it would seem that holding out for a long-term Pirates theme isn't likely in the cards. One year was an awefully short run. As somebody who is primarily into Castle I can only hope that LEGO doesn't give us the short end of the stick as well.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with this one ! Most fans will accept your approach to the hobby even if they don't abide by the same set of rules. I haven't seen too many people put down a builder for using clone brands or custom accessories or stickers. It's unfortunate that there are always a few who make mountains out of mole hills on issues like this.

I see the more likely choice in 2011 to be "PotC or nothing". As much as I would like to see Pirates return for 2011, I don't think that such an event is very likely. At this point, the 2009 line seems like it was very much a "for the fans" product. While the minifigs were arguably some of the best we've ever seen, many of the sets were just ho-hum (at least IMO). I get the distinct feeling that with a lot of LEGO themes we AFOLs have the ol' rum goggles on and we just can't get around the fact that kids today don't share our interests. What sold like hot-cakes in 1989 may not be that popular today. If handled properly, a PotC line could provide a range of useful bricks for Pirate fans. Even the minifigs could be useful so long as the torsos aren't contaminated by unsightly fleshie areas. I've always seen licenced sets as being glorified parts packs (since the days of Harry Potter), so this isn't anything new to me. A possible PotC line is far better than no Pirates at all.

I think the market has changed significantly since I many of us were kids. Heck, even as a child I know I longed for a Star Wars theme. Licences obviously have a limited shelf life but I don't think that really matters given that most of LEGO's in-house products don't last for more than 3 years either (City being the obvious exception). While many AFOLs would love to see some continuity in LEGO's products, I suspect that casual consumers feel differently. I don't know what spurred the change from continuous lines like Space, Castle, and Town to short-lived themes like Rock Raiders, Ninja, and Alpha Team but it seems like that the continuity of the 80s was no longer marketable. The comment about children lacking imagination seems a bit derogatory to me. I certainly don't think that children themselves are any less imaginative than they were 25 years ago. As children we made due with what we had, but given a licenced alternative I firmly believe that many kids who were playing with G.I. Joe or Transformers in the 1980s would have also had a larger interest in the plastic bricks that we AFOLs still know and love. Do you really think that LEGO Star Wars wouldn't have the same impact in the 80s as it does now? Children today really aren't that different; they simply have a larger selection of consumable merchandise to choose from.

I just don't know about that Mini. It seems that BMW is really milking the Mini brand for all it is worth and the image is really starting to wear thin. VW got it right with the Scirocco but this Mini really doesn't work for me.

This is one of those situations where I'll need to see the sets first to form an opinion as I know nothing about the movie or the characters and the set names don't really tell us very much. Ostrich races has obvious potential, but then again it's too early to pick a clear-cut winner here.

At this point a PotC line is pure speculation. There are no concrete rumours from any official source. Most of the speculation is drawn from the fact that LEGO has picked up the Disney licence and the fact that Pirates 4 was recently announced as a 2011 film. There's nothing wrong with a bit of speculation so long as we fans don't start to confuse speculations with rumours or facts. In all honesty, this is one bit of speculation that actually seems very plausible to me. The notion PotC line seems to fitin line with the Indy/Johnny Thunder scenario where a licence is used to push an otherwise moderately popular theme. If this is the case, fans will at least have a series of pirate accessories for the future.

This is a very loaded response and quite the blow to Pirate fans. Steve's comment could probably be taken as positive news for Castle and Space fans as the likelihood of both returning next summer seems pretty good going by these comments. From Steve's comments it sounds like LEGO is going to try and keep both Space and Castle in their annual rotation instead of phasing them out for a few years. Conversely, for Pirates fans this is a huge blow. The fact that LEGO doesn't consider Pirates to be a primary theme is disappointing. As a fan of both Castle and Pirates, I don't no whether to be happy or sad. As a Castle fan I'm thrilled to hear LEGO's continued enthusiasm for the line (in whatever form it may take), but as a Pirate fan I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. That being said, at least I have a theme to fall back on as Castle is still my theme of choice. I feel really bad for you folks who are exclusively Pirates fans.

I guess that answers that question .

I'm all for the continuation of the Pirates line. While Pirates in 2010 seems to be a longshot, I'd love to see the theme make a quick recovery as opposed to another decade-long wait. Signed.