Future Castle Sets?

[Dannylonglegs]

BTW, does anyone know why the last castle theme was a one off thing? Was it planned that way or was it because it didn't sell well?

I think it was planned that way. It was just a "cover the basics" type deal like the current Pirates wave (although the current pirates wave is superior in my opinion.)

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[Dr.Cogg]

I would really like a theme, that's a combination of Dragon Masters, Fright Knights and Monster Fighters, just image a group of medieval hunters VS. a Vampire Lord and his minions, with the main villains castle being a cross between these 2 castles, but in dark bley

[Aanchir]

Personally I've got no problem with Nexo Knights, and I can't even say for sure whether I'd have any interest in a "traditional" Castle theme — not with more interesting themes like Ninjago eating up so much of my budget.

But looking at what I'd like in Castle sets, if I were still collecting them? First and foremost, I'd want a castle people could live in. Other than some versions of Hogwarts, most LEGO castles have been pretty meager in this regard. Interior-wise, you get a dungeon, a throne room, a treasury, a gatehouse, and maybe an armory or smithy. That's all well and good, but it's only a start. What about a master bedroom for the king, with a grand four-poster bed? What about a library where the kingdom's knowledge is stored? What about a banquet hall for royal gatherings, and a kitchen where food for those gatherings can be prepared? Maybe stables for horses?

When I was a kid, one of the books I most enjoyed consulting when building LEGO Castle creations was Castle by David Macaulay. And it made it clear to me that a castle wasn't just a military stronghold or seat of government, it was a home. And yet official LEGO castles never really reflected that. The closest I ever got to that in an actual toy was this admittedly awful Mega Bloks "Lion's Kingdom" set, which had giant prefab walls that folded into a storage case.

And yet, at the same time, I have little doubt that LEGO could release a castle with these kinds of amenities if they would be willing to break it up into sections, as they've done with gatehouse sets in the past. A regular $100 castle would be much improved if there were also a $40 or $50 keep sold separately, with living space for the castle's inhabitants. Or they could even bump the price up from the typical Castle price of $100 to a more liberating $120–200 price point.

And ironically, as much as some Castle fans hate them, Ninjago, Elves, and Nexo Knights have come closer to this vision than any other non-licensed castle themes that I know of. Battle for Ninjago City was able to include a cot and kitchenette, despite some of the price being eaten up by a giant walking siege engine. Skyra's Mysterious Sky Castle has a dining area, a lava-powered oven, and a spa/master bath. It's not clear whether Fortrex is hiding any extra amenities (the chefbot suggests a kitchen but that might be too much to hope for), but instead of an extra gatehouse its expansion unit is said to be a library. A library! Even if it is just a six-stud-wide tower with a couple bookshelves, that's better than any previous LEGO castle not named Hogwarts.

I'm not a traditionalist at heart. I respect the LEGO brand's roots, but the sets of my own childhood were not so great in hindsight, and while the sets that came before them often had more building value, they were usually even further from my vision of what makes a great LEGO set than those I had a chance to own. The beloved Black Monarch's Castle didn't even have a throne room! But my ideals for what a great LEGO Castle should include are rooted in reality. So surely you can understand my disappointment when decidedly unrealistic themes like Ninjago deliver on these ideals better than any supposedly "realistic" Castle theme has ever been able to muster. If given the choice between a traditional LEGO Castle theme that fits firmly in some real or imagined period of history, and an exciting "big bang" theme that can convince me its characters have actual lives beyond the battlefield, I'll much sooner choose the latter.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Aanchir

[BrickJagger]

^ Great post. Agree with everything you said. A lot of the Castle fans who grew up on Forestmen, Black Knights, Crusaders, etc. tend to be blind by nostalgia and forget how basic the old sets were. The brand has evolved over time, and had they kept making endless generic Space, Pirates Castle and Town they would have faded into irrelevance or gone out of business altogether. New generations mean new toys. Kids these days like things that go boom and things they can swoosh. Lego delivers. Lego makes money. Rinse and repeat.

Since the design team themselves said they they read these threads, I think that they take our criticism seriously. They did the best they could be incorporate Castle elements into the storyline handed down to them from the higher powers, and I applaud them for that. Also, remember that Lego's strategy with big bang themes is to make them darker as their original target age group gets older, making it easier to win them over to buy more sets because it still fits their interests and they have nostalgia from when the theme first launched.

Down the road, maybe around Nexo's third year, I suspect that the designers will start to move the theme closer to regular Castle and tone down on the wacky vehicles. Just because you start out not liking Nexo doesn't mean that it won't eventually appeal to you down the road.

Personally I've got no problem with Nexo Knights, and I can't even say for sure whether I'd have any interest in a "traditional" Castle theme — not with more interesting themes like Ninjago eating up so much of my budget.

You say this a lot, but I would like to remind you that Ninjago is probably only getting one fairly small wave next year. There are Anacondri and Ghost waves sets are literally clogging the shelves around here, and Lego looks like they're giving the Ninja a breather so Nexo can get off and running. Personally, that's why I think the movie got pushed back.

[Aanchir]

You say this a lot, but I would like to remind you that Ninjago is probably only getting one fairly small wave next year. There are Anacondri and Ghost waves sets are literally clogging the shelves around here, and Lego looks like they're giving the Ninja a breather so Nexo can get off and running. Personally, that's why I think the movie got pushed back.

Hmmm, perhaps I will have an opportunity to expand the themes I collect next year, then. I guess we'll see. Currently I don't have an actual job, though, and LEGO is an expensive hobby. Reviewing sets for New Elementary (as I've been doing as a guest for the past couple years) can take some of the bite out of the cost of that hobby, but perhaps the best way to take advantage of having fewer Ninjago sets to collect would be to not fill the gap with additional sets, and instead focus on MOCing and other things that will help spice up my creative portfolio. After all, becoming a LEGO designer is still my ultimate career aspiration, and I came closer than ever before to that goal this February when I was invited to a designer recruitment workshop, but I haven't done nearly as much MOCing since then as I had hoped in the beginning of the year.

[Ardelon]

Personally I've got no problem with Nexo Knights, and I can't even say for sure whether I'd have any interest in a "traditional" Castle theme — not with more interesting themes like Ninjago eating up so much of my budget.

But looking at what I'd like in Castle sets, if I were still collecting them? First and foremost, I'd want a castle people could live in. Other than some versions of Hogwarts, most LEGO castles have been pretty meager in this regard. Interior-wise, you get a dungeon, a throne room, a treasury, a gatehouse, and maybe an armory or smithy. That's all well and good, but it's only a start. What about a master bedroom for the king, with a grand four-poster bed? What about a library where the kingdom's knowledge is stored? What about a banquet hall for royal gatherings, and a kitchen where food for those gatherings can be prepared? Maybe stables for horses?

When I was a kid, one of the books I most enjoyed consulting when building LEGO Castle creations was Castle by David Macaulay. And it made it clear to me that a castle wasn't just a military stronghold or seat of government, it was a home. And yet official LEGO castles never really reflected that. The closest I ever got to that in an actual toy was this admittedly awful Mega Bloks "Lion's Kingdom" set, which had giant prefab walls that folded into a storage case.

And yet, at the same time, I have little doubt that LEGO could release a castle with these kinds of amenities if they would be willing to break it up into sections, as they've done with gatehouse sets in the past. A regular $100 castle would be much improved if there were also a $40 or $50 keep sold separately, with living space for the castle's inhabitants. Or they could even bump the price up from the typical Castle price of $100 to a more liberating $120–200 price point.

And ironically, as much as some Castle fans hate them, Ninjago, Elves, and Nexo Knights have come closer to this vision than any other non-licensed castle themes that I know of. Battle for Ninjago City was able to include a cot and kitchenette, despite some of the price being eaten up by a giant walking siege engine. Skyra's Mysterious Sky Castle has a dining area, a lava-powered oven, and a spa/master bath. It's not clear whether Fortrex is hiding any extra amenities (the chefbot suggests a kitchen but that might be too much to hope for), but instead of an extra gatehouse its expansion unit is said to be a library. A library! Even if it is just a six-stud-wide tower with a couple bookshelves, that's better than any previous LEGO castle not named Hogwarts.

I'm not a traditionalist at heart. I respect the LEGO brand's roots, but the sets of my own childhood were not so great in hindsight, and while the sets that came before them often had more building value, they were usually even further from my vision of what makes a great LEGO set than those I had a chance to own. The beloved Black Monarch's Castle didn't even have a throne room! But my ideals for what a great LEGO Castle should include are rooted in reality. So surely you can understand my disappointment when decidedly unrealistic themes like Ninjago deliver on these ideals better than any supposedly "realistic" Castle theme has ever been able to muster. If given the choice between a traditional LEGO Castle theme that fits firmly in some real or imagined period of history, and an exciting "big bang" theme that can convince me its characters have actual lives beyond the battlefield, I'll much sooner choose the latter.

I guess thats because of Castle sets being geared to younger sets, as you wrote elsewhere. Im surprised that is the case though, I would think a Castle theme would skew older than a zany colorful Action theme.

Good luck with your LEGO ambitions. If it works out, dont forget to feed us plenty of leaks!

Down the road, maybe around Nexo's third year, I suspect that the designers will start to move the theme closer to regular Castle and tone down on the wacky vehicles. Just because you start out not liking Nexo doesn't mean that it won't eventually appeal to you down the road.

We can hope.

[x105Black]

Down the road, maybe around Nexo's third year, I suspect that the designers will start to move the theme closer to regular Castle and tone down on the wacky vehicles. Just because you start out not liking Nexo doesn't mean that it won't eventually appeal to you down the road.

I'm hoping that Jestro wins, and knocks out their tech, leaving it an actual medieval fantasy Castle theme. Wishful thinking, to be sure.

[Schreeuwwitje]

When it comes to Romans vs Celts, the Romans were the bad guys; conquest and supplanting the culture.

I would think a line of Classical Tales would be best, and wouldn't step on Nexo Knights territory. The Labors of Herakles, Jason and the Argonauts, Icarus, Caesar, Attila the Hun, Boudicca, Beowulf, and a host of other legendary and historical figures. These would include lots of wooded areas and ancient buildings. Many of the needed parts have already come through CMFs.

Germanics vs Romans as well. Would love to see that instead of Nexo Knights...

[_Oceanblue_]

Germanics vs Romans as well. Would love to see that instead of Nexo Knights...

What about the almighty Bulgarians against Byzantia?

[Eggyslav]

What about the almighty Bulgarians against Byzantia?

Please, Prussians and other Baltic People vs. Teutonic Knights, that would be cool, with Conrad of Masovia, and his polish knights, now THAT's what I would like to see...

Edited October 15, 2015 by Eggyslav

[Aanchir]

I guess thats because of Castle sets being geared to younger sets, as you wrote elsewhere. Im surprised that is the case though, I would think a Castle theme would skew older than a zany colorful Action theme.

Well, think about it this way: young kids are often interested in things based on their parents' recommendations. They make friends based on parental connections, they watch TV shows and movies based on their parents' approval, and in some cases they dream of growing up to be just like their parents. But after several years of this, kids who grow up in this more traditional environment will often want to branch out to things they haven't seen or experienced, things their parents might not entirely understand, sometimes even things that are a bit subversive. Their interests become a bit more fickle, and they're more likely to hop on "the latest trend". They're not quite the stereotype of the "rebellious teenager" who listens to music their parents hate and hangs out with friends their parents don't approve of, but they appear to be moving in that direction. I feel like LEGO themes like Ninjago help to give older kids something that doesn't feel as "old-fashioned" as the more traditional themes like Castle, Pirates, or City.

Bear in mind I'm not talking about kids vs. teenagers or anything like that. All these themes are geared chiefly towards preteens, it's just the difference between, say, six-year-olds and eight-year-olds. So perhaps some of these kids who eat up themes like Ninjago at age 7 or 8 might swing back to more "serious" interests by age 12 or 14 (whether or not those includes LEGO). LEGO hasn't been afraid to try and target that slightly older demographic. The Lord of the Rings sets were aimed at ages 8–14 even at their lowest ($13) price point, and The Battle of Helm's Deep was aimed at ages 10–14 (higher than any non-exclusive Ninjago or Chima set).

But the older kids are, the tougher it is to effectively market a toy to them. Their attention is liable to be even more divided than it was when they were in that 7–14 sweet spot. AFOLs and TFOLs are a dedicated audience, and one that can articulate its interests a lot better than the 7–14-year-olds who collect LEGO Ninjago or the 6–12-year-olds who buy LEGO City. But we're also a much smaller audience. Even with enjoying LEGO as an adult becoming a much more respectable pastime, we're still a niche subset of our particular age range, whereas I'd say the majority of six-year-olds and eight-year-olds can probably be viewed as potential LEGO fans. So it's understandable that there aren't nearly as many sets aimed at the serious-minded teenage or adult customer.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Aanchir

[Sven F]

I think you'll never get castle back without a license. Problem is all the medieval films and series have far too much inappropriate content for legos policy. Game of thrones is all the rage now, but thanks to american overprotective censorship laws, you'll never see that happening. Unlicensed themes with the exception of city all seem unprofitable in comparison because they target a single geek community, lego fans. Something that was considered sufficient once upon a time.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Sven F

[kabel]

I really wonder if there is any data available for the 2011 Kingdoms line. It was well designed, had a descent amount of sets and wouldn't have been in the way of LOTR at all, the way it's concept with a focus on the civilian side had been set up.

So did it really sell so poorly that Lego doens't want to go back to it? What was the problem? I always thought it was a great wave. And why where they then picking up Castle again with the half heartedly designed 2013 wave which due to it's dragon stuff was in the way LOTR/Hobbit and consequently seemed to not sell well.

These were some really curious business decission I do not understand. But now the poor sales are used in order to justify Nexo Knights?

[Aanchir]

I really wonder if there is any data available for the 2011 Kingdoms line. It was well designed, had a descent amount of sets and wouldn't have been in the way of LOTR at all, the way it's concept with a focus on the civilian side had been set up.

So did it really sell so poorly that Lego doens't want to go back to it? What was the problem? I always thought it was a great wave. And why where they then picking up Castle again with the half heartedly designed 2013 wave which due to it's dragon stuff was in the way LOTR/Hobbit and consequently seemed to not sell well.

These were some really curious business decission I do not understand. But now the poor sales are used in order to justify Nexo Knights?

I don't know how much credence there is to the notion that Kingdoms was "cut short" to make way for the Lord of the Rings. The 2011 lineup was already much smaller than the 2010 lineup (four sets, down from 11), and that's often an indication of a theme that's already on its way out. Compare also the 2010 Power Miners lineup (four sets, down from 18) or the 2011 Atlantis lineup (five sets, down from 19). There's no reason to think refocusing on civilian medieval life was meant to extend the life of the theme. Yet at the same time, I don't think we can say the Kingdoms theme failed — if it had, it might not have gotten a second year of sets in the first place. Its performance just wasn't exceptional.

I also don't think there's any reason to assume Nexo Knights was motivated by poor castle sales. If anything, it seems to me that Nexo Knights was motivated by needing some new, novel concept to replace Chima and the designers deciding "Spastle" is that concept. 2016 is the perfect opportunity for them to launch such a theme, since there are currently no ongoing Castle or Space themes that it would be competing with. Plus, having a new "big bang" could just be a higher priority to them right now than having a traditional Castle theme. Considering that two of their recent "big bang" themes have gone evergreen (Friends and Ninjago), it's clear that the "big bang" has really become a big part of their business.

[x105Black]

Yeah, it almost feels like they set themselves up for that. "Let's make a lackluster Castle wave this time so that we can use it's poor sales to reinvent Caslte as science fiction." Of course, I highly doubt there was any malicious intent in either 2013 or Nexo Knights. I think they genuinely thought they were doing good.

Not that I really had a problem with 2013. A couple of sets could have been better (Dragon Mountain), the colors were bright, and it was too short lived with only 1 small wave, but it was a pretty decent theme. But coming after Kingdoms, it looked juvenile, like a backstep.

[gedren_y]

Kingdoms was as close to realism that the Castle theme had gotten. It was obviously geared towards older consumers. I think that LOTR/Hobbit was already in the works, but Lego needed a bridge theme to draw in some teen to adult consumers before the launch.

Castle 2013 was aimed at the consumers that were a little too young for the LOTR/Hobbit saga. It even got a follow up Juniors set for the even younger market.

Nexo Knights is obviously aimed at the tween market.

There is something that is highly unlikely, but what if Nexo Knights is so Sci-Fantasy because Lego has the rights to Disney's Alice in Wonderland and the upcoming sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass (May 27, 2016)? There were some rumors about some April/spring launch mixed in with the previous Castle rumors before we knew about Nexo Knights. Just wishful thinking at the moment, but it makes a weird kind of sense. A Johnny Depp Mad Hatter kind of sense.

[Aanchir]

Kingdoms was as close to realism that the Castle theme had gotten. It was obviously geared towards older consumers. I think that LOTR/Hobbit was already in the works, but Lego needed a bridge theme to draw in some teen to adult consumers before the launch.

Castle 2013 was aimed at the consumers that were a little too young for the LOTR/Hobbit saga. It even got a follow up Juniors set for the even younger market.

Nexo Knights is obviously aimed at the tween market.

If we look at the target age ranges for non-exclusive $100 Castle sets, they actually stay fairly consistent aside from the upper limit:

7094 King's Castle Siege | 2007 | 7–12

7097 Trolls' Mountain Fortress | 2009 | 7–14

7946 King's Castle | 2010 | 7–14

70404 King's Castle | 2013 | 7–12

The recommended age ranges on smaller sets don't follow the same pattern, though. At the $10–12 price point, 6918 Blacksmith Attack, 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue, and 70400 Forest Ambush are all aimed at ages 5–12, but the similarly priced 7091 Knights' Catapult Defense and 7040 Dwarves' Mine Defender from Fantasy Era are aimed at ages 6–12.

Likewise, at an intermediate $50–60 price point, 7947 Prison Tower Rescue and 70403 Dragon Mountain are both aimed at ages 6–12, but 7093 Skeleton Tower is aimed at ages 7–12 and 7036 Dwarves Mine is aimed at ages 7–14. So at these price points, the 2010 and 2013 Castle sets were aimed at about the same age range, but Fantasy Era sets were aimed at a higher age range.

The target age range for Nexo Knights jumps ahead of even Fantasy Era, judging from what we've seen. The $100 70317 Fortrex is aimed at ages 9–14, and the $60 70316 Jestro's Evil Mobile is aimed at ages 8–14. This is part of why I feel like it's more of a replacement for Chima than a replacement for Castle. Themes like Chima and Ninjago regularly hit these price points, while non-exclusive Castle sets haven't hit the 8–14 age range in many years. The last non-exclusive Castle set I know of to hit this price point was 8877 Vladek's Dark Fortress. I don't know if any non-exclusive Castle set has ever hit the 9–14 age range.

Note that I'm careful to specify "non-exclusive". Obviously, sets like 10193 Medieval Market Village and 10223 Kingdoms Joust are unmistakeably aimed at teens and adults. I don't expect Nexo Knights to get a big exclusive set like this for a few years, if at all. Look how long it took Ninjago to get one (though I'd say the Temple of Airjitzu was worth the wait). And even moreso than Fantasy Era Castle or Ninjago, I have to wonder whether LEGO would even be able to create a Nexo Knights set that has the "groundedness" AFOLs tend to expect from a display model.

Oh, and I don't think the Juniors Knights' Castle really says anything about the audience for the 2013 Castle range. It reuses that theme's heraldry, but has a much different color scheme that makes much more use of Bright Yellow and Dark Azur than Bright Blue and Reddish Brown. Not to mention, there have already been Juniors sets based on Super Heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, City, and Pirates, and next year there will be Juniors sets based on Disney Princess and Ninjago. Needless to say, the Juniors sets are not reflective of those System themes' overall age range, any more than Duplo sets based on any of those themes would be.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Aanchir

[MAB]

I'm not too sure about the age brackets. I cannot really see 14 year olds wanting to have Nexo Knights. It may be the target build age, but most 13-14 year olds I know of want to feel more grown up than what this appears to be.

[x105Black]

I'm not too sure about the age brackets. I cannot really see 14 year olds wanting to have Nexo Knights. It may be the target build age, but most 13-14 year olds I know of want to feel more grown up than what this appears to be.

I agree. There seems to be a discrepancy between the recommended ages on the box and the age the content seems to be aimed at. The show looks like it would appeal to a much younger crowd than Ninjago, but the sets are targeted at roughly the same age group.

[Isundir]

Personally I've got no problem with Nexo Knights, and I can't even say for sure whether I'd have any interest in a "traditional" Castle theme — not with more interesting themes like Ninjago eating up so much of my budget.

But looking at what I'd like in Castle sets, if I were still collecting them? First and foremost, I'd want a castle people could live in. Other than some versions of Hogwarts, most LEGO castles have been pretty meager in this regard. Interior-wise, you get a dungeon, a throne room, a treasury, a gatehouse, and maybe an armory or smithy. That's all well and good, but it's only a start. What about a master bedroom for the king, with a grand four-poster bed? What about a library where the kingdom's knowledge is stored? What about a banquet hall for royal gatherings, and a kitchen where food for those gatherings can be prepared? Maybe stables for horses?

When I was a kid, one of the books I most enjoyed consulting when building LEGO Castle creations was Castle by David Macaulay. And it made it clear to me that a castle wasn't just a military stronghold or seat of government, it was a home. And yet official LEGO castles never really reflected that. The closest I ever got to that in an actual toy was this admittedly awful Mega Bloks "Lion's Kingdom" set, which had giant prefab walls that folded into a storage case.

And yet, at the same time, I have little doubt that LEGO could release a castle with these kinds of amenities if they would be willing to break it up into sections, as they've done with gatehouse sets in the past. A regular $100 castle would be much improved if there were also a $40 or $50 keep sold separately, with living space for the castle's inhabitants. Or they could even bump the price up from the typical Castle price of $100 to a more liberating $120–200 price point.

And ironically, as much as some Castle fans hate them, Ninjago, Elves, and Nexo Knights have come closer to this vision than any other non-licensed castle themes that I know of. Battle for Ninjago City was able to include a cot and kitchenette, despite some of the price being eaten up by a giant walking siege engine. Skyra's Mysterious Sky Castle has a dining area, a lava-powered oven, and a spa/master bath. It's not clear whether Fortrex is hiding any extra amenities (the chefbot suggests a kitchen but that might be too much to hope for), but instead of an extra gatehouse its expansion unit is said to be a library. A library! Even if it is just a six-stud-wide tower with a couple bookshelves, that's better than any previous LEGO castle not named Hogwarts.

I'm not a traditionalist at heart. I respect the LEGO brand's roots, but the sets of my own childhood were not so great in hindsight, and while the sets that came before them often had more building value, they were usually even further from my vision of what makes a great LEGO set than those I had a chance to own. The beloved Black Monarch's Castle didn't even have a throne room! But my ideals for what a great LEGO Castle should include are rooted in reality. So surely you can understand my disappointment when decidedly unrealistic themes like Ninjago deliver on these ideals better than any supposedly "realistic" Castle theme has ever been able to muster. If given the choice between a traditional LEGO Castle theme that fits firmly in some real or imagined period of history, and an exciting "big bang" theme that can convince me its characters have actual lives beyond the battlefield, I'll much sooner choose the latter.

And that's why I want Modular Historical Expert Creator type sets!

I'm not too sure about the age brackets. I cannot really see 14 year olds wanting to have Nexo Knights. It may be the target build age, but most 13-14 year olds I know of want to feel more grown up than what this appears to be.

Yeah Nexo feels closer to 6-12.

[gedren_y]

I wasn't referring to the box suggested age range, which varies by set. I was referring to marketing appeal.

The most probable non-licensed theme we could get while Nexo Knights is running would have to be Classical Tales. Pre-Roman Celtic, Ancient Egyptian, Grecian, and Roman tales could mostly be done with existing molds, but Sumerian and Babylonian would need a more than few.

[Aanchir]

I'm not too sure about the age brackets. I cannot really see 14 year olds wanting to have Nexo Knights. It may be the target build age, but most 13-14 year olds I know of want to feel more grown up than what this appears to be.

Well, 14-year-olds are on the tail end of the recommended age range for these sets. They're not expected to be the theme's core audience any more than twelve-year-olds are expected to be LEGO City's core audience. But for what it's worth, when I was 14 I was enjoying plenty of silly cartoon series.

I agree. There seems to be a discrepancy between the recommended ages on the box and the age the content seems to be aimed at. The show looks like it would appeal to a much younger crowd than Ninjago, but the sets are targeted at roughly the same age group.

All we've seen of the story so far are teasers: just one or two trailers and a few character videos poking fun at how Nexo Knights differs from traditional LEGO Castle. I don't know if those would be a really good reflection of what the actual show would be like. It's not unheard of for teasers of kids' series to focus on the sillier parts of the series. I mean, just looking back, the Ninjago teaser site back in 2010 was utterly ridiculous, full of trivia about "famous ninja" with names like "Yello Beez" and "Hiz Shadoh", not to mention quizzes like "Is Your Mother a Ninja?". I don't think many people looking at the upcoming Ninjago sets and story teasers back in 2010 would have really expected it to be something 14-year-olds would take seriously.

[SerenityInFire]

I just hope Nexo Knights opens the door for more historic/fantasy castle themes.

[The_Cook]

I'm always surprised that they've never reprised the Forestmen and the "Robin Hood" storyline; I'd have thought that the storyline is well enough known internationally (mostly through cartoons!) in order to be recognisable. It's also a clear good-vs-bad scenario which appeals to children rather than the more ambiguous storylines that AFOLs concoct for themselves.

[Dr.Cogg]

I would like it if TLG would take old groups like, Fright Knights, Wolf Pack, Black Falcons and Forest men, update the figures and make their sets have the same level of detail as LotR.