blueandwhite

Nice article. The one thing I have a bit of difficulty with is the identification of the "Crusaders" as a new faction. I mean, the crusaders are essentially the lion knights. They weren't even identified as crusaders until 1992 when the US and Canadian catalogues labeled them as such. All of the crusaders sets were actually released a year earlier without being identified as such. The same could also be said of the Black Knights who first appeared with 6085. While they got fancy armour, plumes and shields in 1992, they were certainly on the scene before that. For me, the big difference between the older lines was that there was some level of continuity between 1986 and 1992 with figures and themes carrying over for several years. It's one of the things I really appreciate about the current castle line. The Crownies and their foes have been around for three years. It's that continuity that really drives a line (along with the introduction of fresh ideas). I hope we see another one of these articles from you in the future.

I like my minifigs yellow. For me, the yellow minifig is a major selling point. I've amassed hundreds of yellow figs and I don't intend to switch over to something 'less yellow' simply because LEGO felt the need to be ethnically correct. The great thing about yellow figs was that they represented anybody and everybody without regard to race (and in the case of the smiley; gender). I'll leave the fleshies to folks who supported the 2004 colour change.

When it comes down to it, I find most fantasy themes to be just as cliche as their non-fantasy counterparts. Something being based in fantasy doesn't make it original or unique. Don't get me wrong; I very much like LOTR and other fantasy fare. I just don't find it to be that exciting when it comes to LEGO. The thing that bothers me most is that recent castle lines (KKI, KKII and the current line) have been focused almost solely on conflict. All three lines have a clearly defined set of heroes and villians. This seems even more pronounced with the introduction of fantasy creatures (monstrous skeletons, hideous trolls vs. heroic dwarves and men. I miss the ambiguity and open-ended themes of long ago. I'm not going to pretend that a pack of bandits is more original than a band of elves (neither is particularly unique). I simply have a preference for the former over the latter just as some people love history just as others love science or math. My indifference to fantasy figures is simply a matter of personal preference.

I miss alternate models. That being said there is a perfect solution here. I would love to see a Taj Mahal-sized set featuring the various Disney park castles as alternate models (Sleeping Beauty's, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty's other castle), and Cinderella's castle). The Sleeping Beauty castle and Cinderella castles are in two parks while the second Sleeping Beauty castle is unique to Paris. Given the ornate appearance of each and the similar colour-schemes, this would make for an amazing Creator set. I don't mind licences but many seem to simply come and go. Given the significant history of the Disney animation studio and its theme parks I would love to see a set that pays proper homage.

I really hate the way MOC is being thrown around as a derogetory in this thread. Everytime says something looks "MOCish" it openly implies mediocrity. Alot of the techniques/details that we have come to expect from LEGO were as a direct result of the many very talented MOCers in the community, yet any time the term is used to describe something from LEGO it is essentially an insult. Wasn't it the larger scale and elaborate detailing of AFOL creations that lead to the whole CC in the first place? Why has MOCing suddenly become an insult? For all intents and purposes, this set is no more MOCish than any of the other CC sets.

I'm not particularly interested in another year of fantasy, so the sets would really have to provide alot of useful non-fantasy fare to hold my interest. I know that this particular point of view seems to offend the majority here but I find fantasy themes somewhat dull. I would rather see a new generation of theives, bandits or forestmen thrown in the castle mix (which I'm sure the majority don't want either). That being said, I don't think we'll ever see another non-fantasy castle line so if your big into fantasy I wouldn't really worry about it.

It looks fine to me. This certainly wasn't what I hoped for, but it looks to be a nice set. IT also seems like alot of people take this sort of thing very personally. I'm sorry, but the Corner Cafe and GG don't look all that European or American to me. In fact, thus far all of the buildings have been fairly generic. So much so that it's very easy to envision them in several cities around the globe without too much difficulty. If anything, my biggest beef with this set is that it really doesn't go anywhere new. The Cafe Corner was outdone by the Green Grocer with it's incredible interior and beautiful exterior details. In comparison, the fire hall doesn't really add anything new. Ironically, I actually feel it fits well with the other sets. I just don't think it has the same initial pop that the previous CC-style sets do. It's really unfortunate that for some individuals this ends up being another US vs Europe contest. Luckily I'm Canadian so both sides have me beat .

I don't mind named minifigs so long as they are reasonably versatile. Slyowl mentioned KKI. To me, this is a perfect example. Despite giving a number of figures names, the figures themselves were actually quite diverse and could be mixed, matched and integrated with amazing diversity. Conversely, KKII the figures were too specific. At the onset we had five coloured knights and a henchman. What the line initially lacked was a supporting cast. You ended up getting multiples of each Knight and none of the rich diversity that KKI (or most of the other castle lines) had. Simply put; I don't have a preference either way so long as the figure in question is versatile.

It's a very nice mid-sized castle. I love the sally port on the back of the castle. It's a nice touch that adds a bit of character to an already nice castle. The front towers are also quite attractive. The only thing I'm not fussy about is the mixture of grey & bley. On their own each colour looks fine, but I'm not a fan of mixing the two. Old grey looks dirty/warn out against the newer grey and new grey (bley) comes across as a bit too metalic IMO. It's a wonderful castle nonetheless with a warm and cozy feel.

Were Jacobites really that medieval? I love the whole Braveheart thing, but from what I remember the costuming in that movie wasn't exactly historically accurate (Mel looks more like a Jacobite from the 1700s). I guess they could be shoehorned into the castle line but I'm inclined to think elves or forestmen would be more fitting.

I don't think LEGO sees anybody that way. Most non-US regions pay just as much or more for LEGO than Europe. While the price discrepencies certainly feel unfair and can lead to frustration (I feel it too), it's important to remember that the US is a unique entity for LEGO pricing. Most other regions pay as much or more than you do in Europe.

I'm something of an 'accidental' army builder. More specifically; I have amassed a pretty impressive collection of castle figures but I never had an interest in collecting figs. This of course is a side-effect of collecting castle and castle-related LEGO accessories for 25 years. I've never been a fan of lining up hundreds of the same figure on a baseplate though as medieval armies of the 1300 and 1400s were anything but uniform. I respect those of you who have a passion for army building, however it isn't my cup of tea. My figs need a place to live.

This topic has been discussed to death and the discussion often ends up a bit intense. It's just one of those things that AFOLs have come to accept. It certainly isn't a phenomenon unique to LEGO . Build and be happy .

I'm not really keen on either line, but given the choice I'd rather see a Roman theme. I figure if such a line were to come about, chances are Castle would be put into hiatus again. As a child I was able to collect multiple themes however I've come to realize that as an adult I can only stretch my money so far. The prospect of either theme sends chills down my spine as I don't want to see Castle retired again. I suspect that I'm in the minority on this one but given the choice I'd rather see Castle go on for another few years with new factions and sets. I've always viewed Castle to be one of LEGO's core brands along with Town and Space.

I agree completely. I suppose the only concern is the possible danger you impose upon yourself by intervening. When I see a possible theft I'll inform the nearest store representative but I'm not going to confront the offending party. A person who has no qualms stealing may have no issue with messing me about either. I'm not sure about the situation with a vandalized package though. I wouldn't want to be blamed for the unlawful deeds of another.

Everybody has their own opinion. Personally I think that everything that needs to be said in the prequel timeline has pretty much been said. The second series always felt hollow to me simply because it was so unnecessary. Then again, I wasn't a huge fan of the prequel films to begin with. Right now I'm of the opinion that Star Wars needs to distance itself from the two trilogies. I'd love to see a new series set well into the future; far beyond any of the films or novels. It would give the writers the much needed flexability to weave a new tale that is both exciting and relevant to the Star Wars universe.

Hopefully the writers take this clue and wrap everything up in the third season because I don't think that Chuck is coming back for a fourth one .

People like this really cheese me off. The worst thing is that you know that he was going to take these sets straight to Bricklink or Ebay, possibly leaving a bunch of innocent purchasers on the hook for his misdeeds. As to how he pulled this off; I'd wager he simply made a sticker sheet of barcodes from a cheaper Star Wars set and slapped them on the box. I'm not sure what a Wal Mart register reads when you scan a bar code but I'd guess the clerk simply saw something like "LEGO ST WRS $9.98" making it difficult for the clerk to pick up on the thief's actions. What a jerk!

I'm curious about the legal doctrine under which bootleggers get caught. I assume that it's the common law doctrine of "passing off" but I haven't actually read any of the case law. For those who don't know, passing off is a trademark violation where the offender effectively markets and packages their product in a way that would fundamentally confuse consumers as to the origin of the product (similar logos, branding etc.). Alot of the Chinese clone sets look remarkably like their LEGO counterparts on first glance. Does anybody have any information on this?

About as much effect as it has on future space sets? While I don't think LEGO will likely bring back lines like WW or Ninja in the near future, I don't see the licence being a major issue here. It's not like Star Wars where the entire theme is space related. Even in the case of Star Wars LEGO has produced a couple of Space lines so I don't think there's much of an issue.

The Castle line is more akin to the town theme where there is no single figure that truly represents the line. Classic space is a bit different simply because there was only one figure available (in 5 colours mind you) making it easy to pick a representative for that line. The Pirates theme with its strong emphasis on the captain figure made him an easy choice as the line's mascot. In many ways, the pirate captain is not unlike Harry Potter; a figure who showed up in countless sets when you really didn't need that many. The castle line with its wide range of factions and figures never really had a designated hero. Ironically, while most AFOLs seem to gravitate towards the Black Falcons the original Lion Knights seem to be the faction that LEGO favoured back in the mid-80s with the larger castles and greater variety of torsos. In the late 80s the Black Knights and the Forestmen came onto the scene. After that we had DM, Royal Knights, Fright Knights, KKI, KKII, and now the new Castle line. Picking a figure to represent the castle line simply doesn't make sense.

I've had a softness for massive MOCs ever since I was a little kid. For me, there's nothing quite as impressive. The best thing here is that the Tantive IV actually has a fully realized interior. Most MOCs built at this scale are simply exterior shells. To actually go so far as to build the interior corridors makes this absolutely stunning!

With 12 of them stuck together it looks a bit... unnatural. Variety is the spice of life. Seeing so many of the same buildings side-by-side looks too a bit too modern for my tastes. The market village is a great starting point for a village but the combination of 12 villages doesn't look quite right (IMO of course).

Lovely. You are truly one of the best builders out there. Your combination of detail and decent size MOCing is absolutely perfect. I'm looking forward to the seige. Is there any chance we'll see a present-day version of the castle or possibly a moonbase version of it in the future? It really has turned into an incredible project.

This is a nice little MOC. It's rather busy with alot of stuff going on. My biggest criticism is the apparent lack of a focal point. There simply isn't any one single part of the MOC that jumps out at you. It's nice but it needs a bit more punch.