LEGO Elves 2018

[Hythonia]

Lumia can also transform into a wolf (as seen in this "trailer" for this year's storyline). How much you wanna bet we'll get a brick-built wolf later this year?

[Fenghuang0296]

Just now, Hythonia said:

Lumia can also transform into a wolf (as seen in this "trailer" for this year's storyline). How much you wanna bet we'll get a brick-built wolf later this year?

I did already say that. And I'll bet the sum total price of every Elves set for the year. Because I know I'm gonna be dropping that much anyway. XD

[TheGlynreaper]

if all 5 are available to buy on Monday from my local LEGOLAND discovery centre then that means ill be bringing home 20 new 2018 sets with me

[Sephron13]

On 1/2/2018 at 6:23 PM, Feng-huang0296 said:

Ooh, take pictures of the back and underside of Azari's lion. I want to know what I have to do in order to attach the Fire Chariot from last year to it, and if I'll have to make it larger. I'm probably gonna attach a ball joint to the end of the black harness part to make sure it's flexible. (I don't like single-part moulded horses like the one that came with that chariot. The moveable wings make it a little better, but not much. It's gonna look so much cooler with a brick-built, poseable lion with flaming wings pulling it!)

Also, are those actually wings on the lion or I see it just a weird sort of mane? I can't tell, and a closer look would be greatly appreciated. :)

@Feng-huang0296 Here you go, hope this helps.  The chariot appears to need a good bit of reconfiguring I think, as Rowan is much taller.  Also included a shot of the back of his head; he does have some fire “wings” as part of his mane.  

https://imgur.com/gallery/iuLlG

[Fenghuang0296]

1 hour ago, Sephron13 said:

@Feng-huang0296 Here you go, hope this helps.  The chariot appears to need a good bit of reconfiguring I think, as Rowan is much taller.  Also included a shot of the back of his head; he does have some fire “wings” as part of his mane.  

https://imgur.com/gallery/iuLlG

Awesome, thanks so much. :) And nope, this'll be easier than I thought. That is a white 2x2x2/3 inverse curved tile under the tail, right? Because I was always planning to use a spare ball joint (same ones as used for the lion's legs) for the connection to maximise posability. It doesn't need to be straight or anything. All I'll have to do is take that off, put the joint and a standard white 2x2 plate in its place (maybe an inverted round 2x2? I'm sure I have a couple of those lying around), and then attach the other half of the joint to the harness with a couple of extra plates. After that it's just a matter of keeping the lion's tail curved to the side so it doesn't whip in Azari's face. XD

Huh, so they are wings. Weird . . . oh, oh oh oooh. I get it now! Just like Liska the 'fox' is actually a kitsune, and Cyclo the 'dragon' is actually a wyvern, Rowan the 'lion' is actually a sphinx! . . Now I'm wondering if I need to brush up on my cryptozoology and figure out if Cory the turtle is also actually some kind of mythical creature. 

I'll have to turn them into proper wings, then, not just those flame wings. Probably using the flame yellowish orange wings off that Fire Chariot Pegasus. (Plus I need those pearl gold 1x1s with bars to make Lumia's eagle form's legs match the show better - the box art clearly shows that her legs are white and claws are gold, but those colours are reversed in the model. I won't stand for it.)

Edited January 7, 2018 by Feng-huang0296
Wings

[FortNerd]

So am I the only one who builds and mods the sets in LDD after instructions come out?

[Sephron13]

Just now, Feng-huang0296 said:

Awesome, thanks so much. :) And nope, this'll be easier than I thought. That is a white 2x2x2/3 inverse curved tile under the tail, right? Because I was always planning to use a spare ball joint (same ones as used for the lion's legs) for the connection to maximise posability. It doesn't need to be straight or anything. All I'll have to do is take that off, put the joint and a standard white 2x2 plate in its place (maybe an inverted round 2x2? I'm sure I have a couple of those lying around), and then attach the other half of the joint to the harness with a couple of extra plates. After that it's just a matter of keeping the lion's tail curved to the side so it doesn't whip in Azari's face. XD

Huh, so they are wings. Weird . . . oh, oh oh oooh. I get it now! Just like Liska the 'fox' is actually a kitsune, and Cyclo the 'dragon' is actually a wyvern, Rowan the 'lion' is actually a sphinx! . . Now I'm wondering if I need to brush up on my cryptozoology and figure out if Cory the turtle is also actually some kind of mythical creature. 

Glad I could help!  These sets are so great.  Really happy to have the whole wave already.  They look amazing together, just like the Goblin waves.  

[Fenghuang0296]

Just now, Sephron13 said:

Glad I could help!  These sets are so great.  Really happy to have the whole wave already.  They look amazing together, just like the Goblin waves.  

Jealous, they won't show up on around here for a couple of weeks yet. -.- I can hardly wait. 

[Hythonia]

Now that I've seen her in person, I have to say... Noctura is probably my favorite mini-doll so far. I love her hair and the details on her dress.

[Sephron13]

13 hours ago, Hythonia said:

Now that I've seen her in person, I have to say... Noctura is probably my favorite mini-doll so far. I love her hair and the details on her dress.

I felt the same way; Noctura is gorgeous.  Having both her and Lumia in hand, though, it’s hard to pick a favorite as Lumia is also a very beautiful figure.  

[FortNerd]

Since I'm bored and trying to turn my focus away from being impatient to see Toy Fair pics....

....in your personal opinion, of all Elves sets released since 2015, which one was the best, and which one the worst (cough Dragon School)?

[x105Black]

I liked the original tree house set (The Elves’ Treetop Hideaway - 41075).  So for a quick off the cuff answer, that's the one I'd say is my favorite.

[Lordofdragonss]

On 7.01.2018 at 11:02 AM, Feng-huang0296 said:

Huh, so they are wings. Weird . . . oh, oh oh oooh. I get it now! Just like Liska the 'fox' is actually a kitsune, and Cyclo the 'dragon' is actually a wyvern, Rowan the 'lion' is actually a sphinx! . . Now I'm wondering if I need to brush up on my cryptozoology and figure out if Cory the turtle is also actually some kind of mythical creature.

According to wiki:
 

Quote

. According to the chineese "Book of ceremonies", the white tiger, phoenix, tortoise, and dragon are the four entities that possess spirit.

 

Edited January 12, 2018 by Lordofdragonss

[Velouria]

That one is still my favourite too. Also, loved Ragana's castle. It was fabulous!

I like architecture builds- and animals and vehicles less. What they have been doing in many sets of the last two years- include a dragon or other animal, and a small  building does not work for me. Also I loved the colors in the first wave, but hated that sickly lime green they used in the goblin sets.

[Fenghuang0296]

1 hour ago, Lordofdragonss said:

According to wiki:
 

According to the chineese "Book of ceremonies", the white tiger, phoenix, tortoise, and dragon are the four entities that possess spirit.

How is that relevant? If that were what they were going for, the lion should have stripes and there should be an Earth Phoenix, not an Earth Fox - not that there actually is an Earth Fox, but the point stands.

Edited January 12, 2018 by Feng-huang0296

[White Phoenix of the Crown]

15 hours ago, FortNerd said:

...in your personal opinion, of all Elves sets released since 2015, which one was the best, and which one the worst (cough Dragon School)?

The best, in my opinion, the Castle of Shadows Ragana.

 

[rodiziorobs]

Best I'd go for the Starlight Inn. It's a little small but charming, Sira has one of the best character designs, and it has the second best baby dragon. (Also, it brought my wife around to appreciating having more bricks around the house, which can't be understated.) It stays up all year; in winter I replace the roof and leaves with white pieces. In close second place is Ragana's castle.

Worst I'd say is the Crystal mine. Disclaimer: I never got it (I'm not a completionist that way) but it has never appealed to me, even when I found one for 40% off. I would, like @FortNerd, put the Dragon school near the bottom, save for having Tidus. New characters are enough of a rarity that having him makes up for it.

[FortNerd]

9 minutes ago, rodiziorobs said:

Best I'd go for the Starlight Inn. It's a little small but charming, Sira has one of the best character designs, and it has the second best baby dragon. (Also, it brought my wife around to appreciating having more bricks around the house, which can't be understated.) It stays up all year; in winter I replace the roof and leaves with white pieces. In close second place is Ragana's castle.

Worst I'd say is the Crystal mine. Disclaimer: I never got it (I'm not a completionist that way) but it has never appealed to me, even when I found one for 40% off. I would, like @FortNerd, put the Dragon school near the bottom, save for having Tidus. New characters are enough of a rarity that having him makes up for it.

Starlight Inn has a very cute and cozy look but the interior is very meh. They should have given it more room and some interior decor instead of that silly cellar door.

Weird thing is, when 2016 Toy Fair pics surfaced, I thought the Crystal Mine was a must have - I ended up skipping it and just got the egg and dragon baby instead.

Ragana's castle is probably somewhere in the top 5 and a very strong candidate.

My personal faves are: Naida's ship, Aira's ship, maybe Secret Marketplace. I have a serious lack of buildings in my collection, so new Wind Dragon set with its music school + Elvenstar Tree will be the cherry on top. 

[Fenghuang0296]

Well, I've only been following Elves as a theme since the Goblin King stuff in 2017, but I did get Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle and the School of Dragons so that I could repurpose them for MOCs (stripping out some of the lilac at the base of the Castle and adding a couple of extra storeys made it into a brilliant Tower of Darkness, plus while the School itself was a little weak (and was scrapped for parts) the dragon was very useful indeed.) so they both hold special places in my heart. 

[Lyichir]

On 1/11/2018 at 7:15 PM, FortNerd said:

Since I'm bored and trying to turn my focus away from being impatient to see Toy Fair pics....

....in your personal opinion, of all Elves sets released since 2015, which one was the best, and which one the worst (cough Dragon School)?

I would actually buck the trend of choosing the Shadow Castle as best and instead opt for the Queen Dragon's Rescue. It features some similar architecture and great play features as well as an amazing, huge dragon—possibly one of the best ones Lego's ever made.

As for worst? I disagree about School of Dragons (since even though I passed on it due to both of the characters being available elsewhere, it's still a perfectly decent set with some nice details and features). I'd sooner pick Aira's Workshop from 2015—it's small, doesn't really represent a full scene, and its most interesting feature is a somewhat cumbersome wing pack. It does feature a unique character (Pluma), but honestly I'd even consider Pluma to be one of the weaker animal designs in the theme.

[x105Black]

Having seen my niece's Naida's Epic Adventure Ship (41073), I'd say that it is definitely a nice set.  It has an interesting building style and color scheme.  That would be one of my top Elves sets.

[Fenghuang0296]

22 minutes ago, x105Black said:

Having seen my niece's Naida's Epic Adventure Ship (41073), I'd say that it is definitely a nice set.  It has an interesting building style and color scheme.  That would be one of my top Elves sets.

Yeah, I regret the fact that, at the time, I couldn't look past the mini-dolls to see that ship for the excellent set it was, or I would have got it. Fingers crossed for a re-design at some point, like how the Elvenstar Tree is a sequel to the first year's Treetop Hideaway.

[Sephron13]

On 1/11/2018 at 2:15 PM, FortNerd said:

Since I'm bored and trying to turn my focus away from being impatient to see Toy Fair pics....

....in your personal opinion, of all Elves sets released since 2015, which one was the best, and which one the worst (cough Dragon School)?

I've been giving this a lot of thought.  Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle is quite sublime, as is the accompanying Queen Dragon's Rescue.  I'm really partial to some of this year's sets already; Noctura's Tower & The Song of the Wind Dragon are both excellent sets w/ creative builds and fun features (plus, they have the most stunning Elves to date: Noctura and Lumia). 

Overall, however, I think I have to give my top vote to the Magic Rescue From the Goblin Village.  That set really has a lot going for it, for me.  It actually feels like a village.  The houses are different but retain the same style.  There are lots of great, fun play features.  Great selection of figures.  I mean, really, you could just get this one set and have quite an adventure.  Plus, at the time, I bought this at full price and it was the most I'd paid for an Elves set (I got both of Ragana's sets very nicely discounted at Wal-Mart).  Having said that, I feel it's more than worth it.  2 weeks ago, I found a new set on eBay for $30 USD, shipped and I won, so now I have 2.  I haven't opened the new set yet, but someday, I'd like to use it to expand the village out.  

[x105Black]

57 minutes ago, Feng-huang0296 said:

Yeah, I regret the fact that, at the time, I couldn't look past the mini-dolls to see that ship for the excellent set it was, or I would have got it.

I certainly don't look past the minidolls, and have yet to purchase an Elves set.  That said, if I find this one at a good value it might be worth the purchase, and I'll just give the minidolls to my niece.

[DungeonsAndFlagons]

Does anyone know where the complete back story so far is for Elves? I am interested in being able to ‘join the dots’ on how all the sets hang together in Elvendale. I have watch almost all of the Episodes (8) for the TV show but there feels like gaps missing. Like where is Ragana and Nocturna in this story so far....?