Castle sets 2008/2009

[Klaus-Dieter]

Thank you very much for the pics, KimT!

It seems as if the advent calendar comes with some very nice stuff - even though some elements (like this strange castle piece - or what should that be?) are a bit . But I think that the most of us - me included - surely will buy the calendar mainly because of the medieval maiden, the witch, the dwarf and the jester.

Klaus-Dieter

[legobear]

I think it is surely appropriate to write to TLG and ask about whether or not we are getting 4 dwarves. It would likely get a response if the German Amazon site is pointed out, since all the pictures are there anyways. If it is something that could come off as "false advertisement" TLG will be quick to solve the issue and let consumers know. Afterall, it is being pre-ordered.....right now.

[KimT]

Looks like some of the links in the first post are "dead".

I'll fix that tonight, so that we've got a fine overview of the 2008 sets already released and the few to come.

- or is that only one (advent calendar)

[DJ Force]

I know this sounds wicked, but I love the witch!

I

Edited September 3, 2008 by DJ Force

[KDog]

There's a discussion going on at the Classic-Castle forum about how the Castle Advent calendar will not be sold through S@H to customers in the U.S. and Canada! Is this true? How could Lego do this?! I was on board to buy two of these; now I can't get any!

http://www.classic-castle.com/forum/viewto...sc&start=15

Edited September 3, 2008 by KDog

[KimT]

Pheeew.

I'm done updating the first post.

Now before you go: "You missed this pic of the 7036 Dwarves Mine", then please check the link to my brickshelf folder.

I can't put every pic there (s@h has around 5 pics per set). And deeplinking all of them would cause slow page loads.

Enjoy

[WhiteFang]

Pheeew.

I'm done updating the first post.

Now before you go: "You missed this pic of the 7036 Dwarves Mine", then please check the link to my brickshelf folder.

I can't put every pic there (s@h has around 5 pics per set). And deeplinking all of them would cause slow page loads.

Enjoy

KimT, thanks for the update! It's nice to see hi-quality castle pictures in the first page. The only thing we are looking forward to, is the Castle Advent Calender, which is the first of its kind in Castle history. Now, we will have to wait patiently until someone leaked 2009 pictures for Castle. From the look of it, I have a strong feeling that Castle 2009 might be releasing mid of next year. Well, this point is off topic.

[iamded]

Does anyone know if that witch�s head is available in any other set?

That head is also used for Claw-Dette in the Agents Volcano set.

And thanks KimT for updating the first post.

~Peace

[I Scream Clone]

It up, Its up, Its up! wooohooo!

Linky

Im off to order some now

[Sandy]

It up, Its up, Its up! wooohooo!

Linky

Im off to order some now

Waah! I tried to order it, but the stupid LEGO Shop didn't approve my Visa Electron (which should work like Visa in most online shops)! I guess I have to wait for it to appear on store shelves...

[iamded]

Woohoo! Erm, I thought I was told it would be $40. I knew that sounded strange. Anyway, 50 bucks is a reasonable price, although I would like to see a review first.

~Peace

[Dragonator]

Woohoo! Erm, I thought I was told it would be $40. I knew that sounded strange. Anyway, 50 bucks is a reasonable price, although I would like to see a review first.

~Peace

Interesting, I pre-ordered mine for only $40 through the NZ Lego Club...

[iamded]

Interesting, I pre-ordered mine for only $40 through the NZ Lego Club...

Huh. Well, now I am confused...

I still want a review though.

~Peace

[DJ Force]

um... you´re still talkig about the advent calendar set, aren´t you? 40 to 50 bucks sounds REALLY expensive!

[I Scream Clone]

um... you´re still talkig about the advent calendar set, aren´t you? 40 to 50 bucks sounds REALLY expensive!

Well if you clicked my link from about 5 posts ago and changed it to Germany its only 16.99 Euro

that sound better

ISC (currency converter man )

[baby]

The Castle Advent Calender already been released & it cost NZD50.

[DJ Force]

Well if you clicked my link from about 5 posts ago and changed it to Germany its only 16.99 Euro

that sound better

ISC (currency converter man )

Yeah, >I< know. that´s why I was so confused when I read 40 bucks.

[dj2005]

I've checked several rumor threads and still haven't obtained a sure answer concerning a question of mine. Has TLC made any announcement of them continuing the current Fantasy Era castle line? I mean, it'd be a shame to have this current theme only run for one year (late 2007->mid/late 2008). Hell, many of the 2008 sets were either impulse or average in terms of design/value compared to what the 2007 sets introduced.

Since there hasn't been any confirmed answers so far, I suppose the answer would be a resounding no?

[Sandy]

Hell, many of the 2008 sets were either impulse or average in terms of design/value compared to what the 2007 sets introduced.

What are you talking about?! Sure, we didn't get another castle, but there were certainly many wonderful sets released this year, and most of them compare directly to what 2007 had to offer.

Let's have a list for comparison:

2007 - 2008

King's Castle Siege - Dwarves' Mine

Skeleton Ship Attack - Troll Warship

Skeleton Tower - Tower Raid

Skeleton's Prison Carriage - Troll Assault Wagon

Knight's Catapult Defense - Troll Battlewheel

Catapult Defense - Dwarves' Mine Defender

The Final Joust - n/a

Battle Packs - Impulses

Normal Chessboard - Huge Chessboard

n/a - Advent Calendar

In my opinion 2008 wins hands down, even though all these sets belong to the same theme, and thus should be looked as a whole.

Oh, and to answer your question: yes, the castle line has been confirmed to continue on a list that had all the recently revealed sets (Pirates etc.) plus many more. The list has been deleted from these boards, but it said that there would be three bigger castle sets plus an impulse coming some time next year.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Sandy

[Manta]

What are you talking about?! Sure, we didn't get another castle, but there were certainly many wonderful sets released this year, and most of them compare directly to what 2007 had to offer.

Let's have a list for comparison:

2007 - 2008

King's Castle Siege - Dwarves' Mine

Skeleton Ship Attack - Troll Warship

Skeleton Tower - Tower Raid

Skeleton's Prison Carriage - Troll Assault Wagon

Knight's Catapult Defense - Troll Battlewheel

Catapult Defense - Dwarves' Mine Defender

The Final Joust - n/a

Battle Packs - Impulses

Normal Chessboard - Huge Chessboard

n/a - Advent Calendar

In my opinion 2008 wins hands down, even though all these sets belong to the same theme, and thus should be looked as a whole.

Oh, and to answer your question: yes, the castle line has been confirmed to continue on a list that had all the recently revealed sets (Pirates etc.) plus many more. The list has been deleted from these boards, but it said that there would be three bigger castle sets plus an impulse coming some time next year.

Agreed.

[dj2005]

<snipped to save thread space>

Thank you for the reply, Sandy.

I used Brickset's 2007 and 2008 castle categories to form what sets came out on which dates. They state that the Dwarves' Mine was released during Oct. 2007, which is the same date for most 2007 castle sets.

On to why I think the 2008 sets didn't compare (like your post, this is all in my opinion):

King's Castle Siege - Dwarves' Mine = both were released during 2007 so both are 2007 sets. Because of this factor, 2008 has no large base sets. Not to mention, both of these sets are wonderful. I have yet to see anything in 2008 compare to these two sets.

Skeleton Ship Attack - Troll Warship = The Troll Warship set is a mere 500 pieces, yet costs $80 USD. I just feel it is overpriced and am not a fan of flick fire missiles. No base for the ship to attack either, just a knight on a &lt;insert that tiresome argument&gt; dragon.

Skeleton Tower - Tower Raid = I agree! Tower Raid is a great set. I think it would've been very nice if the tower itself was a separate set, as well as the siege tower. This way the tower wouldn't look like the wind could blow it down (which it probably could).

Skeleton's Prison Carriage - Troll Assault Wagon = The Skeleton's Carriage does bring along atmosphere and can create some good role-playing. It also has a good selection of knights and skeletons (along with accessories). The Troll Wagon just isn't fleshed out. It holds a regular troll and a couple of flick fire missile (already stated my opinion on those) and that's about it. The giant troll is nice, however. 161 pieces for $20 is really pushing it, especially when it isn't even in a licensed theme.

Knight's Catapult Defense - Troll Battle Wheel = Bit hard to compare a $10 set to a $40 set. I feel the plausibility lacks in this set. To go into more detail, I am a bit confused as to how it actually functions. From what I can assume, the wheels roll from the feet of the two regular trolls hanging on for their lives (hope they have good health insurance). How would it even turn? Have one of the trolls grind their feet on a wheel to provide friction, thus, making a turn? Considering their size compared to a wheel, I think not. On the bright side, I can't help but chuckle imagining this thing rolling down a hill at full speed and slamming into a castle's wall (ouch). And yes, I know LEGO allows the imagination to run wild. Still, at least make it somewhat realistic.

Knight's Catapult Defense - Dwarves' Mine Defender = Okay, now this is a fair match. The Defense comes with two knights and two skeletons (one being black, the other white). Both sides have their designated areas - knights have the catapult and the skeletons with their small blockade/fort. All troops are armed and set comes with four shields that can be picked up during the heat of battle. The Defender set comes with a very nice dwarf and two trolls. The trolls have absolutely nothing to use other than a sword. The dwarf has no weapons other than his catapult, of which the blades have trouble working like they should due to not having enough friction on the wheels. In the end, the Defender is quite lacking compared to the Defense and the only true appealing factor is the dwarf and perhaps accumulating more trolls. Giving the dwarf a copper battle axe and the trolls another weapon and even a shield or two would've made this set much better.

The Final Joust - n/a = The Final Joust is only an average set for $8. Comes with two nice minifigs and horses, along with a good amount of accessories. $8 is a bit much for what one gets, though.

Battle Packs - Impulses = Good point as I forgot about the Battle Packs. In this case, the impulses win. The Knight is a great impulse set, the Troll Warrior is good for building up the forces of evil, and the Good Wizard is not available for us in the US (hehe).

Normal Chessboard - Huge Chessboard = Another good point as yet again I forgot about the chessboards (I'm too poor to afford one). 2008 wins again this round as the chessboard looks great.

n/a - Advent Calendar = Good for most of the world except the people who TLC decided to not sell to. I have no urge to pay marked up prices for one. Still, a win for 2008.

I should note that I'm glad people liked the 2008 lineup as that means for castle LEGO for all of us. I probably just have weird tastes.

Finally, I am glad to hear that TLC is continuing with the theme. I tried to read all of TLC's announcements and never saw a mention of castle (only saw just about every other theme). Three large sets and more impulses sounds fantastic to me.

Edited September 7, 2008 by dj2005

[iamded]

Oh, and to answer your question: yes, the castle line has been confirmed to continue on a list that had all the recently revealed sets (Pirates etc.) plus many more. The list has been deleted from these boards, but it said that there would be three bigger castle sets plus an impulse coming some time next year.

Um, not to mention confirmation by legomilk, a trusted source of information in the past, all the way back in January. See here for the thread.

~Peace

[brickzone]

As far as I'm concerned, the Dwarves Mine is clearly part of the '08 line-up, seeing as it has *dwarves* and orcs and apart from an early release in the US, was released in 2008 worldwide! Maybe you wouldn't call it literally a 2008 release, but it is certainly part of the "second wave" which we colloquially call "Castle 08".

I think the second wave has different strengths to the 07 line up. Dwarves and trolls/orcs are so cool, some set design elements are cool (siege tower, battle wheel), but perhaps in terms of set design they aren't as "perfect" as '07. Troll Warship I think could have been better (a bit sparse), yet because it *is* a troll warship (=awesome), I can't really say it was poorer than an 07 set. I haven't yet bought the Troll Battle Wheel, cause at €45 it is overpriced imo - despite the 6 minifigs. I would probably not have all the '07 sets but for the fantastic deal that the Complete Castle Collection was on S@H for Ireland (about €50 less than for Germany, and included the Skeleton Ship Attack).

Re: Castle Advent Calendar - it's €19.99 on S@H for Ireland. Also it is marked as *EXCLUSIVE* so it won't appear in stores (well, Lego stores I presume it will, but the nearest ones are in England, UK). I was hoping for €16.99. I guess they know people won't pass on it just because of €3 extra. Last year's city advent calendar was in shops here and after a week or two marked down from €16.99 to €14.99 (it sold like hot cakes).

Anyways, I'm off to order five of them for myself and various family members, once they have their PaB orders composed. Got to make the most of that €15 shipping! Still debating whether to get a second calendar so I can keep the witch and peasant as is from one, and use different faces etc. with them from the other (also extra knights, dwarf and troll would be welcome). Also debating about the Troll Battle Wheel - I'd like it but it's a bit silly to get it for completeness or just for extra trolls/knights.

[Sandy]

Glad to see my little spur-of-the-moment list got a proper reply!

As far as I'm concerned, the Dwarves Mine is clearly part of the '08 line-up, seeing as it has *dwarves* and orcs and apart from an early release in the US, was released in 2008 worldwide! Maybe you wouldn't call it literally a 2008 release, but it is certainly part of the "second wave" which we colloquially call "Castle 08".

That's right, the mine was released with the other 2008 sets here and in other countries besides the US, so it's not farfetched at all to group it together with the rest of them.

Re: Castle Advent Calendar - it's €19.99 on S@H for Ireland. Also it is marked as *EXCLUSIVE* so it won't appear in stores (well, Lego stores I presume it will, but the nearest ones are in England, UK).

But the Skeleton Ship Attack and the Troll Battle Wheel were both marked as exclusives too, yet they're sold in a toy store chain here.

[iamded]

But the Skeleton Ship Attack and the Troll Battle Wheel were both marked as exclusives too, yet they're sold in a toy store chain here.

You sure you're not getting 'Exclusive' confused with 'Special Edition'? Sets marked with 'Exclusive' on Shop at Home mean they're exclusive to Shop at Home.

~Peace