blueandwhite

I've gone totally village this year! With all the skeletons and orcs of previous years, I'm looking forward to some good ol' village life for my medieval world.

Amazing set! Even better is the fantastic pricing. At $149.99 CDN, that's less than 10 cents-per-brick. What is even more exciting is that unlike the Cafe Corner and Green Grocer, this set features a large number of new minifigs (original torso prints). We're getting another female peasant, a new male peasant (x3), and a blacksmith all of which have never been seen before. The two cows only sweeten the deal. Given this insane price (even moreso in the US), it would be almost impossible to pass on this set for even the most casual castle freak. One other thing. Does anybody know about the other figs that have appeared in brickshelf galleries? It seems that tehre is a new queen figure. Any idea where this is from? I recognize the first figure as being Willie from Indiana Jones, but the identity of the second figure escapes me.

Great work. It's almost there! The landscaping is excellent however the divide between the water and the bank is decidedly mechanical (it's a straight line). I would suggest building up the bank of the moat and building some parts over top of the water's edge to create the illusion that the moat curves around the castle. Make the edge of the moat a bit more organic (if that makes sense). The landscape is great but the transition between the water and the edge of the landscape still needs a bit of work. Still, an awesome effort that really stands out!

Awesome stuff. This year's calender looks phenomenal. It's too bad that it's going to be such a challenge for me to pick one of these up as I live in Canada. Even worse is that the Bricklink prices are going to be completely insane. Right now, a Joker has listed for $25.00!! To pick up a few of those working ladies and a Joker could end up costing nearly $100 for those of us without any European connections.

Of course, in Canada we're extra lucky. We get higher prices like the rest of the world and the added bonus of missing out !

I'm quite aware of the Dino Attack/Dino 2010 lines. That being said, the original 89 cannons were modified and gradually evloved into the non-firing version seen in later sets. From what I understand, US safety laws are quite strict on these sorts of things. Reissued toys often have larger projectiles (presumably to comply with US safety standards). The projectiles for the technique launchers are considerably larger the small 1x1 cylinders that are used with the cannons. Given that the cannons are spring loaded, I am very curious as to whether they would satisfy child safety laws in North America. I mean, wasn't that the reason they were changed in the first place? Also, when LEGO first announced Dino Attack/Vikings, didn't they initially intend for the two lines to be market specific (Dino Attack for the US and Vikings for Europe). Who's to say that LEGO might not re-attempt something like this? I hope I'm wrong (I really want a couple of those ships without having to import) but given that we haven't had any official announcement on this line I don't want to be disappointed as I was with the Advant Calender.

I'm getting a bit uneasy but I have a sneaking suspicion that this line will never see the light of day in North America. Given that the Castle Advant Calender is not coming here, it wouldn't surprise me to hear that this line is a European exclusive. The firing cannons are now making me a bit uneasy given that they were once considered too dangerous fort he North American market. Could it be that LEGO is actually going to make some of its lines exclusive to Europe given the weak US dollar? Perhaps I'm just being too paranoid.

Very disappointing indeed. Given that this is one of the few sets I was actually considering buying this year. Oh well, I'll simply pick up the maiden and Jester via Bricklink. I'm not really that put off by the markups given that those two figures are the only things in the set that genuinely intrigue me. I guess that LEGO still sees the North American consumer as being considerably less sophisticated than his/her European or Asian counterpart. Then again, I drive a Buick so maybe they're right . Oh well.

For me this isn't even a contest. The BSB is far and away the best ship LEGO has ever produced. The SES may have more gunports but the aesthetic of the BSB is simply impossible to beat. Long before the ornate beauty of the Cafe Corner or Green Grocer, LEGO produced a wonderful ship that had a highly ornate aft castle and a colour scheme that would make any sailor proud. As an added bonus; the colour scheme is such that it can easily be converted to an Imperial scheme and you have a real winner. For me this is a situation where biggest isn't always the best. BSB for life !!!

Honestly, I'm not particularly fond of the red bricks at the base of your wall (I assume those are dark red and not brown). I find that mottling works best when the difference between colours isn't too dramatic. That's why sand colours and light grey work well together. In this situation the red is far too different so it jumps out at you immediately. In a way, the red bricks make it look as if somebody has painted the bottom of the castle. Ironically, I found that the sand coloured blue was quite striking and I miss it in this new iteration. Unlike the dark red which seems to clash, the sand blue actually mixed well with the grey walls adding a bit of richness to the wall itself. Sand red, tan, sand green and sand blue are all quite appealing to me when mixed properly (though not all together). The muted tones work well together. It's the dark colours that I find more difficult to mix. The MOC itself is still looking quite impressive. Actually, the front facade looks quite similar to Bodiam Castle in England.

I'd prefer townsfolk. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of fantasy (at least when it comes to LEGO) so Elves don't really interest me. Conversely, I've been waiting for over 20 years for a genuine batch of townsfolk. I'm really excited to see that LEGO has finally designed a cow mold but I'm still waitint to see a variety of townsfolk to occupy my kingdom. A kingdom full of nothing but soldiers and Knights seems a bit dull. I want the civilian side of life to balance things out.

It almost seems like LEGO needs a line or two to go on clearance each year. I'm not going to lie; this line sounds very dull to me. I still don't understand LEGO's obsession with these obscure themes that inevitably fail to attract buyer interest. Whether it's Time Cruisers, Dino Attack, or any number of short-lived themes, why does LEGO continue trying these things if they alway fail?

This is a phenomenal piece you're working on. As others mentioned, I too feel that the original stern section looks better than version 2. I do have one question though. As you build the ship, will the interior holds still be visible? I've always had a fondness for interiors (on MOCs of all shapes and sizes), so I was wondering if you are designing the Victory to be opened in a way that would alow a viewer to see those interior details on completion. Awesome work so far!

While the sets themselves don't look the greatest (I actually find them akin to the new Castle line which is nice but not nearly as wonderful as the late 80s/early 90s stuff), the parts and figs look utterly amazing. I'm thrilled to see the firing cannons make their return; or at the very least making their return in the early photos. I'm also surprised that LEGO actually decided to resurrect the old-school cannons. It's also nice to see that the Imperial Soldiers match up with their 90s counterparts making this line quite compatable with the previous one. I've seen a few complaints about this line, but for me it's nice to have Pirates back. I will definitely pick up a few of these when they arrive. Hopefully this line will thrive, carrying forward for a few years. Good stuff.

I'm not sure I'd call it 'realistic', but I do know what you mean. That being said, I don't like the change. Essentially it has created a divide between licenced and non-licenced themes. I understand that this became an issue with the introduction of different ethnicities in the Star Wars Universe however I always felt that LEGO figs should be yellow irrespective of their ethnicity. We've had a variety of lines like the North American Indians, Japanese Ninjas, and the Islanders yet they were treated exactly the same as any other minifig. I think bringing ethnicity to the table was a real letdown. As for the firearms; we've had similar firearms in the Pirates and Western line so I don't really see the blaster issue being particularly significant. The newer blasters don't really strike me as being particularly significant when you consider that LEGO has already produced guns and cannons for previous lines. Personally, I don't see the connection between the blasters and the fleshies. The blasters are simply the lastest in a long tradition of minifig weapons that goes as back as the late 70s with the Yellow Castle. The fleshies create a divide that makes licenced and non-licenced figs essentially incompatible.

Don't forget that both China and India have more than one language (with over a billion people, is it any surprise). That being said, how many people of European descent speak Hindi, Arabic, Mandarin or Cantanese? Given that this forum's focus is on the European LEGO community I'd say that English makes sense as it is spoken by many people throughout Europe and the rest of the world. English may not be the most (or even second most) spoken language but there certainly are quite a few people who make use of it.

The builder is Chris Malloy also known as porschecm2 over at Classic Castle. I'm not sure if he's registered here but he is a regular over there. This MOC has actually been frontpaged over at Forbbiden Cove. I've always been a fan of this set overhall concept as I think it's a great way to pay homage to a classic set. This is a real beauty that really brings back memories. It captures everything great about the original while taking it to a new level. The barrel with the gun and elastic bands is really inventive. I also like the grey tooth that has been used as a shark's fin. The best part is that the MOC is about the same size as the original, yet it manages to take it to an entirely different level. It truly is a nice piece of work.

It really depends on what is more valuable to you. Personally I love the castle theme, but I also have a fondess for other themes like Pirates, Star Wars, Batman or Indy. That being said, my serious LEGO $$$ is reserved for all things castle. If you prefer Star Wars, then the fact that Star Wars sets are a bit more pricey shouldn't really be an issue. A smaller Star Wars set for a Star Wars fan is probably worth more than a large castle set. The same works in reverse for fans of other themes.

Isn't this simply conventional supply and demand pricing? As prices rise, consumer interest falls. That being said, in markets where consumers are used to better prices (on most if not all goods), it is difficult to raise prices to match the higher prices of other markets. Americans are simply used to having the best prices on everything. For American pricing to match the pricing in other markets would require an increase of about 40% (give or take). In your respective market, if LEGO prices suddenly spiked by 40% what do you suppose would happen to consumer interest? The same is true of any market. Americans are simply used to having greater purchasing power than consumers in other nations. A dramatic increase in pricing stings no matter where you live. I would love Canadian prices to fall in line with the US but I understand that it will never happen. LEGO knows that I'm used to paying more than my American counterparts and accordingly they can charge me more (they know that I will begrudgingly pay the higher price). It's not that the rest of the world loves LEGO more; it's simply that the US is used to paying less and given the relative size of the US market LEGO doesn't seem to want to risk stirring the pot by dramatically raising prices.

Thanks . The set is average. It's useful for picking up a few knights, but I'm not really partial to the skeleton. The idea of a knight and a skeleton tilting just strikes me as being odd. My biggest issue with the current castle line is that most sets force you to purchase a mixture of skeletons/knights orcs/knights orcs/dwarves etc.. This is fine for those of you who love your fantasy, however it makes the line a bit underwhelming for the rest of us. Still, as mentioned earlier the set does have an upside so it is worth a purchase. The review on the other hand is aces with great photos and a detailed description of the set and its contents. Nice work.

I'm not a huge fan of this set but it is a great way to nab a fully mounted knight complete with a very attractive barding. Given that in prior years it wasn't possible to get a barded horse in such a small set, this set is actually a decent way to build a mounted cavalry for your kingdom. Looking at bricklink, it would probably cost as much to buy the Knight, horse and weapons separately, and that doesn't take into account the skeleton or the extra bricks. Despite my indifference to this set, I actually have purchased four of them in the past year simply because there isn't a cheaper way to acquire a mounted knight. (A quick question about the poll: are we voting on the quality of the set, or the quality of the review?) Later.

Happy b-day. Hope your getting lottsa cake, beer and LEGO today! Drink first, build later... post the results on Brickshelf!!

I always miss these B day announcements so happy-slightly-belated-birthday .

Thanks for posting this. It's good to know that LEGO has done better than expected given the current nature of the marketplace. I for one have been worried that the increase in oil costs might have had an adverse effect on LEGO's profits. Sometimes it's nice to have a bad hunch. I'm also glad to see that Indy has done well (big fan of the franchise). Maybe that means we'll see a Sallah Brody or Shortround figure in the future.

Perhaps the difference is that you are a regular here, whereas over at Classic-Castle your reputation hasn't really been established. At Eurobricks, when you post people pay attention. You have established yourself as being an excellent builder and an insightful poster. That kind of reputation isn't easy to establish. If you stop posting here at Eurobricks, people would immediately take notice. Conversely, if a less established member such as myself were to stop posting it makes no dent on the Eurobricks community. Here you have over 4000 posts, whereas at Classic-Castle you have under 100. Isn't comparing your experiences at the two sites like comparing apples to oranges? While I definitely agree with you that Eurobricks is an amazing site, I wouldn't be so hard on Classic-Castle. The site has done alot for castle fans and I don't think it's as unfriendly as you're suggesting.