Future Castle Sets?

[SirBlake]

And this also implies that people liked the 2013 Castle line. Who are we kidding? When the set pictures came out the people here ripped the them to shreds and then abandoned thread.

Now that NK is out, people *here* hate it and talk about the "Good old days" , which includes Castle 2013, and say how much better it is.

The same thing happened on this forum for themes we consider "Classics" today, such as Kingdoms and Fantasy Era.

2013 was... Uninspired. It's also not offensive.

I'll admit to being hard on that theme because I felt spoiled by the high quality of kingdoms/middle earth.

I'm choosing to adopt a positive attitude and wait. In the mean time we seem to be getting really nice CMF minifigs and who knows what else might pop up. Maybe the sequel to the Lego movie will spend more time in Middle Zealand and provide some cool new stuff.

[Wodanis]

There are plenty of Castle 2013 parts available on bricklink for reasonable prices so your final sentence is quite exaggerated.

When one can't purchase parts from TLG, stocks on bricklink won't last indefinitely. I had resort to purchasing what I needed from bricklink. It was costly.

2013 was... Uninspired. It's also not offensive.

I'll admit to being hard on that theme because I felt spoiled by the high quality of kingdoms/middle earth.

I'm choosing to adopt a positive attitude and wait. In the mean time we seem to be getting really nice CMF minifigs and who knows what else might pop up. Maybe the sequel to the Lego movie will spend more time in Middle Zealand and provide some cool new stuff.

I hear you. I didn't care for the 2013 sets but I do like the Mini-figures. The new Lego movie sequel won't be out till 2018 I think but that is something I had not thought of.

[x105Black]

And this also implies that people liked the 2013 Castle line. Who are we kidding? When the set pictures came out the people here ripped the them to shreds and then abandoned thread.

Now that NK is out, people *here* hate it and talk about the "Good old days" , which includes Castle 2013, and say how much better it is.

Castle 2013 may not have been great, but it's much better than Nexo Knights for Castle fans.

I hear you. I didn't care for the 2013 sets but I do like the Mini-figures. The new Lego movie sequel won't be out till 2018 I think but that is something I had not thought of.

I also like the minifigures. Well, actually I like the Dragon Knights, and I swap out their red arms for dark red or black, but I do like their pieces. I also would have preferred them without the Dragon logo on their chests.

A few of the sets are weak, but a few are pretty good. Forest Ambush was a decent parts and minifigures set. Gold Getaway was a nice carriage. Gatehouse Raid was an enjoyable set, although I would have preferred something larger. Dragon Mountain was the only design I didn't really like, and I would have preferred a black or dark red Dragon. It would have been much better with less pieces spent on the siege engine. King's Castle is a pretty nice castle. Also, there were Battle Packs to get the minifigures.

I'm choosing to adopt a positive attitude and wait. In the mean time we seem to be getting really nice CMF minifigs and who knows what else might pop up. Maybe the sequel to the Lego movie will spend more time in Middle Zealand and provide some cool new stuff.

The Collectible Minifigures in the Castle theme have been good. I recently picked up a bunch of the new Knight from series 15, a better minifigure than an Nexo Knight or 2013 minifigure. I do hope they continue to give us good quality Castle minifigures. And I'm also very hopeful for more Middle Zealand in the next LEGO Movie. I really enjoyed the Castle Cavalry set. It was one of my first purchases out of my Dark Ages, and I loved the design. Always wanted more representation of Castle in the LEGO Movie sets.

Also, 2018 is the LEGO Movie sequel and the 40th Anniversary of Castle. Too bad they couldn't just release a LEGO Castle Movie! But hopefully both of these things will come together in a pleasing way for us Castle fans.

Edited February 5, 2016 by x105Black

[BrickJagger]

It's quite possible that they will put out a new 2013-stye theme to use for Middle Zealand in 2018. That year would also line up with when the Nexo Knights presumably go underwater, meaning that it's far away enough from a traditional Castle theme to warrant a "regular" one.

[x105Black]

I was actually hoping that "Middle Zealand" was going to be a new Castle theme after the LEGO Movie, but I was naive at the time, just emerging from my Dark Ages. Essentially, Castle 2013 was Middle Zealand (as those are the same styled minifigures).

I think that 2018 would be a great time to make revamped versions of old iconic favorites, like the 1978 Castle.

I also hope that they have a greater focus on Middle Zealand in the 2018 LEGO Movie sequel, but I'm not expecting it. I'm actually imagining a focus on Friends or Duplo, considering how the first movie ended. But if they do another Middle Zealand at all, it would be cool to have even a small, new Castle wave to correspond with it.

I think that new Castle sets would be distanced enough from Nexo Knights as it is, but especially after Nexo Knights has been around for 2 years and is focusing on other concepts.

Edited February 5, 2016 by x105Black

[BrickJagger]

I think that 2018 would be a great time to make revamped versions of old iconic favorites, like the 1978 Castle.

Would it still be yellow?

The color is what made the set iconic, but I can't see Lego doing that in this day and age.

[Actor Builder]

Would it still be yellow?

The color is what made the set iconic, but I can't see Lego doing that in this day and age.

It could be Keetongu Orange-Yellow.

That would sell.

[Artanis I]

Or it could be blue & trans orange. Be careful what you wish for, people.

[x105Black]

Would it still be yellow?

The color is what made the set iconic, but I can't see Lego doing that in this day and age.

I would hope they would update the castle, and that would include the color. Yellow details would likely remain.

Or it could be blue & trans orange. Be careful what you wish for, people.

I'm certainly not wishing for Nexo sets. I'm wishing for Castle sets.

[Actor Builder]

Or it could be blue & trans orange.

Seems likely.

[Dr_Chronos]

With Nexo Knights taking up the more European setting I'd like to see if the next historic Castle theme focuses on other civilizations, like Greeco Rome or perhaps Mesoamerica.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Dr_Chronos

[Lego Dino 500]

Whatever it is, I just hope we get a decent sized castle and a village building or two. The past few castles besides Helm's Deep have just been messes of wall panels, assorted bricks, and randomly scattered rooms and play features.

[BrickJagger]

Whatever it is, I just hope we get a decent sized castle and a village building or two. The past few castles besides Helm's Deep have just been messes of wall panels, assorted bricks, and randomly scattered rooms and play features.

In a sense, that's Castle as a whole in a nutshell

[Forresto]

A theme where the Mongol Hordes are the heroes and most of the sets involve nomadic camps, lots of cavalry, and the bad guys are in fortifications and cities.

An Aztec theme would be fantastic as well! The first wave would focus on Aztec civilization and their fights with other tribes and more castle whereas the second or third wave could be the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors

[Aanchir]

In a sense, that's Castle as a whole in a nutshell

Gotta agree here. If there's anything that was wrong with the latest King's Castle, it's that it was too ordinary compared to past LEGO castles, not that it somehow didn't meet all the qualifications for a LEGO Castle. Structurally, it wasn't too unlike the beloved Black Monarch's Castle, just with one of the towers moved to the front rather than the back and expandable via modular wall sections instead of hinges. In terms of the interior it had most of the LEGO Castle essentials — a throne room, a dungeon, and a treasury. Of course, it still falls short of a lot of what I'd personally like to see in a LEGO Castle, but that's par for the course.

On that note, now that Toy Fair has happened, I've been impressed to see how "livable" some of this year's "non-Castle" castles are.

has a bedroom, washroom, and grand entry hall in addition to some of the typical Castle features like a throne room and dungeon. Of course, in a girl-oriented theme these kinds of details aren't quite so surprising. So what really surprised me is that

from LEGO Nexo Knights has a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom! It makes me feel good to see this, because while they might not look the most historically authentic, it really does show that even in a boy-oriented theme there's a place for these kinds of details.

Hopefully the next flagship LEGO Castle from the actual Castle theme will be able to live up to this standard, because it's now quite apparent that "livable detail" and "action play" don't have to be an either/or situation. You can have a dungeon with a hidden escape route, and a catapult, and a siege engine, and a trap door, and all kinds of other gimmicks, yet still have plenty of room for the kinds of details that make a castle a home and not just a stronghold.

[x105Black]

A theme where the Mongol Hordes are the heroes and most of the sets involve nomadic camps, lots of cavalry, and the bad guys are in fortifications and cities.

An Aztec theme would be fantastic as well! The first wave would focus on Aztec civilization and their fights with other tribes and more castle whereas the second or third wave could be the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors

As much as I would love both of these, I think that these types of Ideas are more in the vein of "Historic" sets than "Castle" sets.

Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that Castle has gone through phases like these before (like the old Ninja sub-theme), and I am a huge fan of the styles, stories, and architecture of many different cultures, but I always envision Castle as being based on medieval European fantasy.

[Forresto]

As much as I would love both of these, I think that these types of Ideas are more in the vein of "Historic" sets than "Castle" sets.

Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that Castle has gone through phases like these before (like the old Ninja sub-theme), and I am a huge fan of the styles, stories, and architecture of many different cultures, but I always envision Castle as being based on medieval European fantasy.

Perhaps but the Mongols were only stopped when they reached medieval Europe and fought the teutons so I think they still count.

That's fair but if that's the area they're keeping it in then they need to get their butts on diversifying it more. I don't just mean ethnically, I mean culturally. They could pull more from celtic mythos or set a year in Moorish Spain. The vikings for instance were awesome, the year with the trolls and dwarves was awesome. The regular medieval stuff was fun and generally pretty cool but its now been done and I personally don't think needs to be redone for another few years when we get a slew of new parts. What about a theme set in the late medieval period with Gothic German Knights and the like? Medieval Italy like venice with all the crazy Italian armors?

I guess my point is i'm tired of seeing yet another wave of castle sets that look and are based in middle ages England.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Forresto

[x105Black]

Perhaps but the Mongols were only stopped when they reached medieval Europe and fought the teutons so I think they still count.

That's fair but if that's the area they're keeping it in then they need to get their butts on diversifying it more. I don't just mean ethnically, I mean culturally. They could pull more from celtic mythos or set a year in Moorish Spain. The vikings for instance were awesome, the year with the trolls and dwarves was awesome. The regular medieval stuff was fun and generally pretty cool but its now been done and I personally don't think needs to be redone for another few years when we get a slew of new parts. What about a theme set in the late medieval period with Gothic German Knights and the like? Medieval Italy like venice with all the crazy Italian armors?

I guess my point is i'm tired of seeing yet another wave of castle sets that look and are based in middle ages England.

I think that these all make for great sub-theme ideas.

[BrickJagger]

Interesting article published by Brickset today reflecting on this century's Castle sets.

For those who haven't see it before, here's part one, reflecting on the "Golden Age" of Castle.

Edited February 18, 2016 by BrickJagger

[AmperZand]

It'd be cool to see a high fantasy story focused take on the next Castle theme, almost like Bionicle or old school Dungeons and Dragons.

Completely agree

I wouldn't resent NK so much if it didn't make me suspect that TLG views it as meeting most of the demand for any kind of Castle or Fantasy Era line. I have a bad feeling that we won't see a new Castle or classic fantasy range until NK has run its course.

That said, I have to admit to having a couple of NK minifigures. The villains work quite well as fantasy devils. See the back two in this picture:

[samtung]

With Nexo Knights taking up the more European setting I'd like to see if the next historic Castle theme focuses on other civilizations, like Greeco Rome or perhaps Mesoamerica.

This seems possible to me -- we've seen some Greek, Roman, and Aztek minifigures in the CMF lines, and there have obviously been non-Castle historically-themed waves in the past, like Vikings or the original Ninja.

FWIW, I like 2013 Castle as it's when I came out of my dark ages. I understand that it's a bit "on-the-nose" in terms of good guys and bad guys, but overall the minifigures and faction colors are pretty cool. It would be nice if the next actual Castle wave contains new factions and more civilian life, though.

[Lego Dino 500]

This may seem ironic, but I found an idea for the perfect Lego castle in Megabloks. This set, Draigar's Keep seems to be an amazing design.

Something like that with a couple of good towers, some landscaping, and a main building would be awesome. Maybe have 2-3 towers of varying sizes, a central building and gate, and a tall wizard's tower would be really cool. And provided it used BURPs and plates for the base, 1 wide bricks for the walls and such, have an open back like a dollhouse, something like that could easily be within larger castle territory around $100-$150.

[SirBlake]

Man, if that were rendered in Lego bricks it'd go down in history as a legendary castle.

[The_Cook]

This set, Draigar's Keep seems to be an amazing design.

Mega Bloks have a tendency to use large pre-mounded pieces; I hunted down the instructions and that whole set is about 60 piece total.

Recreating it in Lego firm wouldn't be impossible; there's hints of 8877 Vladeks Dark fortress about it; albeit with more towers than Vladek. Clever and careful use of BURPs and panels could get you the bulk with a minimal part count but you'd draw the wrath of the AFOL historic community that insist on making everything from 1x1 round plates ;-)

Edited March 12, 2016 by The_Cook

[gedren_y]

Additionally, Megabloks uses inferior plastic with weaker clutch power, which degrades with continued use. That's how they can make these large sets affordable.