blueandwhite

Thank you for the critique. I'm always interested in constructive criticism and yours was very helpful. I intend to consider some of the things you said when constructing the second great hall in my castle. I agree that the sand green and blue don't necessarily go together particularly well, so I'll try to avoid the combination in the future. Building vignettes is fairly new to me so your comments were very useful. The cylinders on the back wall are actually a repeating pattern of dark/light blue. I suspect that the effect is diminished by the crowded nature of the vignette. Perhaps the pattern should have been sand green/tan instead. Hopefully my next work turns out a bit better .

With so many amazing entries already pouring in I couldn't help but feel a bit out of the loop. Well, there's a remedy for everything. My first entry is a Vignette. A Crown Knight finds himself outmatched by a trio of primate invaders. Feedback is appreciated.

I'll always be a fan of brick-built walls so this piece doesn't really interest me all that much. I can definitely understand the price advantages in these sorts of pieces, but I've never liked the paper-thin appearance of wall pieces. I suppose that this piece is probably easier to work though.

Honestly, it's taken a few years for Castle to crawl back to anything close to its former glory. Give the new Pirate line a few years to pick up steam. I mean, comparing the new line to sets like the BSB is setting the bar pretty darned high. Personally, I don't see alot of difference between the new Pirate line and the Castle line when it comes to set quality. Perhaps in a couple of years we'll end up seeing a UCS-style ship. I mean, how many of us saw the Market Village coming? Anyways, a great review. As a castle fan I've been waiting a lifetime for a set like this!

These sorts of comments always seem to come back to haunt us . Seriously, it's an incredible piece of art. Some people have the skill; others the brick. Very rarely are we priviledged enough to see a MOC by a builder who has both. And in all honesty, building a MOC this large isn't as expensive as you may think. Looking at that ship, It looks like there's probably only $3000 or so in bricks there (give or take). Alot of people spend more than that on home entertainment in a year. Personally, I'd rather have my money tied up in LEGO as opposed to TiVo and Videogames. Heck, on a decent salary it's not unreasonable to have both.

For me the most exciting feature is the printing on the torsos. It seems that LEGO is doing double-sided prints on alot of their figs this year. In my mind, this is the single biggest development as it means that a minifig can be posed in a variety of ways and still have the torso print showing. I'm not too fussy about the ship myself. It's quite expensive and it simply doesn't look that impressive. It's the smaller sets that really appeal to me. Unfortunately, the governor's daughter (who would fit in well in my castle universe) is only available with the pirate ship which means she'll be fetching $10+ on bricklink.

I'm a big picture person. The only catch is that I don't know how I'm going to get to the end result. In other words; I know what I want to do, but I don't plan it out in exacting detail. The basics of my designs are usually set quite early (angles, scale etc.), but the finer details only develop as I start to build. I certainly don't go to alot of effort drawing out plans for my designs or any other such nonsense. I simply get an idea and roll with it.

I like any of the generic sails. They are easily used on any ship (pirate, imperial, etc.). That being said, if given a choice between the red and white or blue and white sails, I would probably take the carribbean clipper sails. They just look better to me.

While I've never been fussy about the overuse of studless design, I don't think 'cheating' is the right word to describe it. Every builder has their own unique style. For me, the mark of a great MOC isn't the specific techniques the builder applies but the appearance of the MOC itself. With the trend towards Studless design in all themes, I actually like seeing a well-constructed MOC that isn't afraid to show its studs. At the same time, there are some stunning studless wonders out there. Advanced techniques are definitely an asset when trying to create a great work (a large vocabulary of techniques never hurts), but a combination of great techniques can still come together to produce a lackluster work. At the end of the day, a fantastic MOC is always cohesive. This castle definitely has the early earmarks of such a work. In my opinion, this castle is coming along nicely. It has it's own feel, and it stands out from the crowd. That being said, I don't think the presence or absence of studs automatically makes a work better or worse. Personally, I quite like the tower roof the way it is. I'm not fussy on the mottling quite yet, but the tower roof is incredibly beautiful and the overall structure looks like it's going to be quite intriguing. This is definitely going to be nice when it is finished.

We're now counting horses as figs then . I guess that's going to complicate things in the future. In all seriousness, I wasn't trying to be difficult. I appreciate that not everybody likes the older sets. Still, very few $20 sets give you more than five figs. I agree with you that the catapult is rather lackluster, however I still don't understand the problem with having 5 figs in a $20 set.

Honestly, I don't have an issue with it. I mean, how does one qualify what folders are "worthless" anyhow? Given the huge number of folders, it would be an incredibly difficult task to edit the so-called good from the bad. With 256,000+ folders how would anybody begin to edit any of it? At the end of the day, I'm just thankful that Brickshelf still is up and running.

As the title suggests; what do you do to celebrate Halloween. Do you dress up, or possibly carve a pumpkin or two? For me Halloween is all about turning a large orange fruit into a jack-o-lantern. So without taking up too much space; what is your thing for Halloween? Happy Pumpkin Day Eurobrickers! Share your Halloween thing!

I guess this could be a sensative issue, particularly when we've got pre-fab cats, dogs, rats, spiders, bats, ants, etc.; along with our new pre-fab cows and of course the horses. I can understand the disappointment felt by some fans about the brick-built poultry given LEGO's tendancy to create a mold for about every other critter under the sun. I like the brick built animals however I can see where some fans might take issue with them.

Battle at the Pass is a far larger set than the Knight's Stronghold. It cost twice as much and included twice as many figures. To expect 11 figures in a mid-sized set is probably pushing it (then or now). Now don't get me wrong; I don't think that this is a perfect set however I certainly don't think that for $20 bucks it suffered from a shortage of figs.

Well, given that LEGO is offering the Medieval Village via Shop@Home, I hope they take this one step further and consider a line of village accessories. In the History and Adventure forum Klaus-Dieter made this wonderful suggestion and I would love to reiterate it here. I am all for a medieval village theme that includes a wide range of professions and trades. Merchants, tailors, coopers, glassblowers, and artisans are all welcome. As I stated earlier in the thread, I'm more about expanding and enrichening existing themes rather than simply adding another flash-in-the-pan theme that is forgotten six weeks after it is released.

Do you honestly believe that LEGO doesn't pay close attention to the buying habits of its consumers? I know that many of us are unhappy about pricing, but in the end most of us still end up forking over our hard earned money for the beloved brick. The thing is, Europe is hardly alone when it comes to paying higher prices for LEGO. Many other regions pay just as much. Australia, New Zeland and Canada all pay prices which are comprable (sometimes a bit better, sometimes a bit worse) than Europe. We're used to it and as much as we complain, we still fork out. Just because the US sees incredible pricing doesn't mean that the rest of the world is being taken for a ride.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can search the entire database by price. That being said, it's simple enough to search mannually through stores that have high brick counts (usually 500,000+). These stores frequently have hundreds of hidden jems that can be had for a few cents making it very easy to pick up 3000 or more bricks for about $100. It's actually a really good way to get bricks you want (or can use) for cheap. That being said; beggars can't be choosers. This method of shopping isn't going to get you in-demand bricks. Still, a few years back I was able to acquire over 5000 1x2 grey bricks for just over $100 (that would never happen today). For people looking to build big, bricklink is still probably the cheapest source for large quantities of bricks as you get exactly what you want. Garage sales, online auctions, flea markets and second-hand shops are all fantastic buying ideas. Bricklink is simply another tool that if used effectively can net you a major haul. You may not get exactly what you want, but if your willing to be flexible you'll definitely pick up some good deals.

There are alot of ways to get alot of bricks for cheap. This article is pretty good as it touches on some basic brick-buying techinques. I think one of the overlooked benefit of buying second hand is that it is a good way to acquire rare or discontinued parts (pitchforks, classic-space, etc.). The one real omission here is Bricklink. While many people seem to shy away from Bricklink, I've found that it is one of the best ways to accumulate a large collection of valuable parts for a small cost. The key of course is to avoid in-demand items. Many useful bits on bricklink can be had for one or two cents a brick. These items are often overlooked as casual buyers look to purchase the most in-demand items from a set (a rare brick or minifig). It's the items that aren't in demand that can be had for a bargain. A savy Bricklink shopper should be able to acquire a huge haul for an absolute steal. Nice article with some good common sense. Thank you for posting it.

It's an ok set, but it's extremely overpriced where I live. I simply couldn't justify paying $17.99 +tax for 5 minifigs. The fact that these figures are featured prominantly in other sets makes this set a difficult purchase. Given the price, I find it hard to look at this set with much enthusiasm.

Really? I still don't understand the appeal of having lines upon lines of identical soldiers. From a historical POV, itt isn't particularly realistic given that different lords and their supporters would have their own coats of arms. Perhaps somebody could explain to me why having baseplate upon baseplate of medievel clone soldiers is so appealing. I think one of the biggest draws from the earlier lines was that there were several distinct factions; each with their own heraldry and surcoats.

Honestly, I think it's a matter of context. I don't think LEGO would have an issue releasing a model of Notre Dame for example. On the other hand I can imagine several parents becoming upset by a church mixed in with a theme that incorporates orcs, witches, dwarves and the undead. It's not that a church is too political, but rather the fantasy context of the current castle line may not sit well with some individuals. Just my opinion mind you.

That's a pretty comprehensive list of village people you've got there . In all seriousness, I'm not sure that LEGO would consider some of these. In particular, the church and any other religious symbols might be an area of some sensitivity for LEGO. Personally, I would love to see a monk, priest or some nuns, however I suspect that all of these figs might be too political for LEGO (who may not wish to offend the religious sensibilities of some consumers). I would also question the production of a water mill given that the one is already included with the village. That being said, there are some pretty good ideas here. Personally, I'd like to see a windmill or a proper Inn however as I'm primarily a MOCer, the figs and specialty elements are my primary interest. In particular, I'd like to see more variety when it comes to accessories and minifigs. I don't need to see costuming tailored to a specific role, but I would love to see some torso prints in different colours. The new peasant torso would look perfect in brown, dark brown, or grey along with the tan version we've already seen. A more refined tunic for a merchant/tailor/etc. would also be nice. When building on a large scale, the repetition of torso prints can become quite apparent. I'm thrilled to see two distinct peasant females and I would love to see this expanded upon. Keep the torsos unique yet multi-purpose. As for accessories; I'm a big fan of the new cows so I wouldn't mind some sheep or pigs to go along side them. As much as I am a sucker for brick-built animals, they seem at odds with many of the pre-fab animals we see. I suppose the pitchfork would be a nice throwback, however I've got enough of them already. At any rate, I'm very happy with where LEGO is going with the village. That being said, I'm not sure if I would expect much more of this theme. I'm already stunned by just how complete the village set already is.

I'm all for variety. I actually like the third torso. It has a classic feel to it and helps integrate the new crownies well with earlier castle lines. Don't forget that for much of the middle ages surcoats (displaying a knight's coat-of-arms) were worn over top of any armour or chain mail. While I like the other torso prints as well, I don't see the problem with the newer ones (which actually look better IMO). If you have an issue with the new torsos, why not treat those figs as squires or heralds? I only wish we had some new (human) factions as the Crown knights are getting pretty repetitive on the whole.

So, am I correct in assuming that the new bar maid and the new pirate girl have the same torso? From the looks of things, the bar maid's torso print is incomplete (she's missing the bra straps that the pirate girl has). I suspect this might be a misprint as the fig in the prototype pics and the actual display has the aforementioned straps. If this is the case, this early fig might be a potentially rare misprint. Here's hoping that a few more of these figs end up surfacing on brickshelf in the coming days.

The governor's daughter looks like she would fit in fairly well with the castle theme as well. Her dress is fairly generic enough making her a definite bonus for Castle fans! 2009 is looking to be an incredible year (even if the economy is a tailspin)! It's about time that LEGO realized that AFOLs don't want their MOCs populated exclusively by male minifigs.