Lego Icons 10332 Medieval Town Square Discussion Thread

[Mopasali]

31 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

I know that some people (even some Castle fans) really didn't care for the Lion Knights' Castle due to its abundance of flat, gray walls, so this may be closer to the sort of set that could appeal to buyers with similar tastes.

I would put myself in that category.  No fault to Lego, but castles have a lot of solid stone at their base, and I can't bring myself to spend $50-$100 on gray bricks.  I wouldn't want raised baseplates to return.  I don't have a solution except that I put Creator Castle in the background so it looks imposing from a distance and a fun build. 

I agree that some people may buy MTS just for the buildings, and Lego put their focus on buildings (and so many new prints for Minifigures!).  These buildings work for any older European town for pretty much any historical era and all the way up to modern times.  I find myself tempted to buy sets at times because I like the architecture rather than the idea of the set, and Friends Botanical Garden, Reunion Mansion, and Twilight Ideas house seem to have that in mind. 

[Black Falcon]

1 hour ago, GeoBrick said:

And I'll have the LKC, MF, and MTS for the former two to squabble over in 6 months. 

MF?

1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

LEGO did have a dedicated "modern" shutter mold for 1x4x3 windows up until a couple years ago (https://brickset.com/parts/design-60800), but sadly even if that one were still in use, it wouldn't be as effective here — the shutters are larger and a full stud wider on either side when opened, due to the hinge placement being half a stud away from the window frame on either side instead of flush with the edge of the window frame.

For that matter, I can't imagine them bringing back an integrated "frame + shutter hinge" mold like the old 80s/90s ones since the offset shutter hinges on those were really prone to breakage. Not really sure what the best solution for hinged shutters like that would be in the modern era…

Yeah well, none of the old ones really would fit to the set, that´s why I would love to see them designed like the stickers. If they would need to make new frames aswell though I can see why they didn´t do it though. Anyways I would already have been happy if they just used the tiles they used but with prints since you could just reuse that part in other themes like for the Winter Village set or Harry Potter etc.

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Hopefully if this sells well, we might get future medieval sets that focus more on "farm life"… perhaps with features like a barn, windmill, chicken coop, plow, haystack, and even a larger fields of grain/veggies (as opposed to this set's small vegetable garden).

I  would love to get a set similar to the Mill Village Raid with a barn, windmill and maybe other buildings too, and ofc many different animals. 

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Moreover, we gotta keep in mind that there are a lot of adult LEGO buyers who don't follow news or rumors about future sets at all, or at least not to the degree those of us here on Eurobricks often do. These sorts of buyers might not even realize a set like this exists until they see it in a display case or window display at the LEGO store, or see a post about it on social media. So they are a lot less likely to judge these sorts of sets based on how well they compare to earlier sets or earlier stages in their development.

I feel like this is particularly relevant to LEGO Ideas, where it is the norm for us to see an "earlier version" of the set long before the final set is unveiled or released. A lot of new Ideas set announcements get intense negative feedback on AFOL sites like this one for deviating from the expectations people had about the original project proposal, but then end up a lot more positively received among general audiences on social media and/or once they hit store shelves.

I think there are many people who would buy the set which won´t see the set at all, since just a minority of those who buy lego actually visit their website or stores I think. I agree on how the sets seem less great when you have certain expectations of them, such as it was the case with this set. I often like Lego´s Set better than the fan model though, but ofc it sometimes is also the other way around.

1 hour ago, kuzyabricks said:

off topic but can someone please link me to the thread for the new D&D set, I can't find it. Images just leaked

There seems to not have been one so I created one. Actually surprising  given that it seems to be a quite popular set people are waiting for too. Then again, I think we talked about it a few times in this thread and likely also in others in this subforum.

Anyways here you go: 

 

Edited February 11, 2024 by Black Falcon

[Cyprinus]

34 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

MF?

Bricklink's Mountain Fortress. Despite all of its flaws I'd love to have that set, but I ducked up, and the paycheck came in less than 24 hours too late...

[Yoggington]

For anyone willing to drop €50 extra to add some animals, the 60346 Barn & farm is still pretty widely available in non-Lego stores. I've even seen it as low as €30.

I prefer this at a €230 price point. I've a tub full of horses & sheep & cows & pigs already.

 

This thread has such a weird vibe. When I watched the same interview with the designer I though his answer were political to appease the stereotypical AFOL complaints. "How many stickers in the set?" "Oh too many, no doubt, haha"

[RichardGoring]

I really like the set. It looks great, and has some lovely variety. I think it gives us the new elements you need from LEGO, specifically torso prints, to make up more castle stuff, and, assuming they will all be on PAB at some point, it's great that there aren't duplicates in the set.

I like the range of buildings. They look good from the outside, and nicely done when they're together. Not entirely convinced by different rooms connecting inside when they're closed up, but it's a minor niggle that is the compromise needed to make the set what it is.

I'm really pleased that they've specifically scaled it with the castle, rather than trying to make it larger and more detailed.

[Artanis I]

13 hours ago, Cyprinus said:

Bricklink's Mountain Fortress. Despite all of its flaws I'd love to have that set, but I ducked up, and the paycheck came in less than 24 hours too late...

You don't need the money until they are sent out. You set up the payment details when you pre-order, and they bill you later. (Sorry to rub salt into the wounds!)

[Cyprinus]

4 minutes ago, Artanis I said:

You don't need the money until they are sent out. You set up the payment details when you pre-order, and they bill you later. (Sorry to rub salt into the wounds!)

The preorder didn't go through cause the site kept telling me I have insufficient funds. Apparently they took the money, sent it back and people will be properly charged when it ships.

[Artanis I]

Strange. I used Paypal, which is just a proxy for my bank account, and nothing went in or out. Maybe it is payment-type related, or maybe the Lego subsite for each region has its own approach of doing the payment set-up.

[Cyprinus]

Could be. I tried both Paypal and the card, both got refused. A moment I wished I'd set up a debit. On the other hand, may be for the best I don't :D

[Ixen Darastrix]

2 hours ago, Artanis I said:

Strange. I used Paypal, which is just a proxy for my bank account, and nothing went in or out. Maybe it is payment-type related, or maybe the Lego subsite for each region has its own approach of doing the payment set-up.

I placed two BDP orders in total due to site issues, I used paypal for one of the orders and they took the money and so far have not returned it, used a debit mastercard for second and same thing, seems fairly regional and payment type specific

[HotdogBricks]

I ordered the fortress and used a bofa debit card for it. It deducted the money from the account but it says processing: “Your available balance has been increased or decreased to reflect this transaction. The amount may change when the transaction is finalized. For example: A restaurant may not include the gratuity that is included in the final complete transaction. Final amounts may take up to 5 business days to post to your account.” 
 

So it definitely looks like they charge you right away.

[sonofasubmariner]

On 2/10/2024 at 6:56 PM, Aanchir said:

Well, stud.io on my laptop REALLY starts chugging when I have that many bricks are on screen at once.  So it'll be easier to test all possible layouts when I have the sets in real life (they don't physically connect together, so they can essentially be arranged any way you like). But since you asked, I did throw together one very simple layout with both a standard screenshot and a top-down screenshot showing one way the sets could be arranged and how much space they'd take up this way. This specific layout is probably too deep for the shelf I currently have the castle displayed on, so I might personally have to go with more of a side-by-side layout.

The base dimensions of the buildings with hinges removed (counting the full bases, including grassy areas) are as follows:

• Inn: 20x10 studs
• Shieldsmith + guard tower: 24x12 studs
• Weaver's workshop: 12x24 studs
• Carpenter's workshop: 8x24 studs
• Farmhouse: 16x26 studs

And when actually connected together by their hinges, as in the official build, the base dimensions are:

• Inn + shieldsmith + guard tower:
  • 24x22 studs when fully closed
  • 44x12 studs when fully opened
• Weaver's workshop + carpenter's workshop + farmhouse:
  • 36x29 studs when fully closed
  • 50x40 studs when fully opened (but this makes an odd T-shape with huge empty spaces between the open sides of the buildings, so is not an ideal layout for long-term display)

Thank you for these! I have a bookshelf I'm building my medieval town on that's 88 studs x 38, so this is extremely helpful for planning purposes.

[Artanis I]

20 hours ago, Ixen Darastrix said:

I placed two BDP orders in total due to site issues, I used paypal for one of the orders and they took the money and so far have not returned it, used a debit mastercard for second and same thing, seems fairly regional and payment type specific

16 hours ago, HotdogBricks said:

I ordered the fortress and used a bofa debit card for it. It deducted the money from the account but it says processing: “Your available balance has been increased or decreased to reflect this transaction. The amount may change when the transaction is finalized. For example: A restaurant may not include the gratuity that is included in the final complete transaction. Final amounts may take up to 5 business days to post to your account.” 
 

So it definitely looks like they charge you right away.

 

It shouldn't have. From the BDP site, when you click on "Payment and shipping (?)" on the project's page:

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Payment and Shipping Info

You will only be charged if this project is funded (receives at least 3,000 pre-orders) and once the product is shipped to you.

...

We will send out an email before we ship the set and charge your card. Please make sure that the card you originally entered when you pre-ordered this project has not expired. You may go to lego.com to update your payment method.

 

I think maybe you guys should contact Lego customer support. (Unless you are happy to pay this early)

[Ixen Darastrix]

3 hours ago, Artanis I said:

 

It shouldn't have. From the BDP site, when you click on "Payment and shipping (?)" on the project's page:

I think maybe you guys should contact Lego customer support. (Unless you are happy to pay this early)

Was just being patient knowing sometimes these things are slow, funds returned to my account today as expected, i mentioned my story simply to highlight the reality that depending on location, payment method and bank things varied

[RichardGoring]

I watched the Just2Good designer interview video. My goodness the camera work in that is terrible! Please, a $10 tripod and fixed angle would have made it so much better. Just2Good is great on LEGO knowledge, but needs to recognize that YouTube is a video platform, so you do need to see what the content is occasionally. It's not some hidden camera show! /rant

Anyway, good interview and I thought some pretty decent questions and answers back.

I wonder if one of the reasons they had a brown kitten instead of a white one, and printed shields instead of plain ones was as a leak tracing device? If descriptions or photos of the set with either of those things came out, they'd have a better idea of where they came from? Or is that the tinfoil hat talking?

[Captain_SoyBeard]

On 2/9/2024 at 6:41 PM, danth said:

You know what would be better than a shield painting shop? An armor shop with fully printed shields.

I half jokingly posit that the painter shop was included specifically to cheap out on printed shields.

Omg! Yeah why didn't they put an armor shop instead of a bloody painter? They are so cheap I cannot believe it.

That decreases my will to consooom this set. They cheaped out on the animals and also the shields. The minifigs are the only redeeming quality of this set, from my perspective. I already have the bricks. I need unique stuff.

[Khargeust]

Listen what the designer says during this interview after the question at 18.05. Is he teasing new characters, so minifigs, that would be included in a new set ? Maybe a joust with the inclusion of the jester that disappeared from the initial leak ?

 

[GeoBrick]

4 hours ago, Captain_SoyBeard said:

That decreases my will to consooom this set. They cheaped out on the animals and also the shields. The minifigs are the only redeeming quality of this set, from my perspective. I already have the bricks. I need unique stuff.

There is unique stuff in this set. The 'Queen's Shield' and the new door-with-lattice-window come to mind.

[Black Falcon]

1 hour ago, Khargeust said:

Listen what the designer says during this interview after the question at 18.05. Is he teasing new characters, so minifigs, that would be included in a new set ? Maybe a joust with the inclusion of the jester that disappeared from the initial leak ?

It can basically mean anything. Maybe they already have plans for something, maybe he is just hoping for more or he is just referring to a GWP.

[Aanchir]

Honestly I'm kind of glad the shieldsmith's workshop focuses more on decorating and finishing shields than forging brand new ones, since that helps the shop itself stands out more from the sort of equipment, materials, and subject matter we already saw in the Medieval Blacksmith. Also, having taken a couple art history classes, I love that the workshop shows the shieldsmith making her own gesso and paint.

I don't mean this as a defense of set's lack of printed shields — after all, the Viking Village set included a blank shield and paintbrush in addition to four printed shields. And if anything, a shop specifically focused on shield painting has more reason to include printed and/or stickered shields than the Medieval Blacksmith did, since that set focused primarily on the forging process and not the decoration process.

But regardless, a lot of the charm of this set for me is its portrayal of different medieval trades (shield painting, tapestry weaving, cheesemaking, etc) than we've seen in past sets. Whereas I think a standard blacksmith or armor shop (with or without new printed elements) would feel sort of "been there, done that" by comparison.

2 hours ago, GeoBrick said:

There is unique stuff in this set. The 'Queen's Shield' and the new door-with-lattice-window come to mind.

Also some very useful new recolors (1x2x3 lattice windows in Brick Yellow, 2x3x⅔ rock plates in Brick Yellow, 1x1x1⅔ brick with side studs in Olive Green, 135-degree stepped horn/tail pieces in Reddish Brown, etc). Plus a new hat mold on the farmer child.

At the same time, I also understand how a lot of those parts might be less exciting to see in this set in particular, since most of them are parts that could hypothetically been introduced in non-medieval sets, rather than ones that only a medieval set like this could feasibly introduce.

8 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

I wonder if one of the reasons they had a brown kitten instead of a white one, and printed shields instead of plain ones was as a leak tracing device? If descriptions or photos of the set with either of those things came out, they'd have a better idea of where they came from? Or is that the tinfoil hat talking? 

Nah, I think a lot of specific color choices genuinely did change over the course of development. Even in some of the hands-on videos from LEGO Fan Media days last September, certain parts are colored differently than in the final set: for example, the back gate of the farmhouse/dairy was Black instead of Reddish Brown; the top of the table the carpenter is working on was Medium Nougat instead of Reddish Brown; the barrel on the tax collector's cart was Medium Nougat instead of Dark Brown; and the spools of thread in the weaver's workshop were White instead of Brick Yellow.

Some of the color changes might have been budget related (e.g. the kitten using a color already in production from LEGO City instead of a new recolor), while others could have been new opportunities arising thanks to recolors introduced in other themes (like how LEGO Friends introduced reddish brown stable doors just last summer).

Edited February 13, 2024 by Aanchir

[Lego Nostalgia]

How likely is it that we could get a follow up set to the Town Square like more village stuff or something ?

Edited February 13, 2024 by Lego Nostalgia

[zoth33]

3 minutes ago, Lego Nostalgia said:

How likely is it that we could get a follow up set to the Town Square like more village stuff or something ?

If the set sells well, we could see more.  Or they could have more in the pipeline already.  It's really anyones guess at this point.  The 90th anniversary sold well as did the blacksmith and the 3in1 castle.  But that doesn't mean we will keep getting sets either.  All we can hope for is more sets and leaks that tell us we are getting sets.  

[Cyprinus]

6 minutes ago, Lego Nostalgia said:

How likely is it that we could get a follow up set to the Town Square like more village stuff or something ?

Wouldn't hold my breath,

[Aanchir]

16 minutes ago, Lego Nostalgia said:

How likely is it that we could get a follow up set to the Town Square like more village stuff or something.

If you mean other big sets like this one, I think it's very plausible. It probably still won't be a yearly thing like Modular Buildings or Winter Village sets, but I could definitely imagine getting other big medieval sets on a more irregular basis like with the Fairground or Ninjago City sets.

That said, I also feel like for variety's sake, a follow-up set could potentially end up shifting more toward farm/countryside type buildings and scenery than town center type buildings and scenery. That would allow for many different sorts of subject matter like a chicken coop, barn/stable, windmill, plow, etc.

If you mean smaller companion/add-on sets, though, I think that sort of thing is most likely to come in the form of a gift-with-purchase, and I wouldn't count on getting one of those to tie in with the village specifically. After all, we already got a castle GWP this year, and by next year I think any new medieval GWP is more likely to be another stand-alone model than one specifically designed to accompany the village.
 

On another note, i just pulled up the earlier leaked image from the survey to compare it with the finished set in case that might offer any ideas of what dropped subject matter might show up in a hypothetical follow-up set. And truth be told, it kind of surprises me to realize how similar the two versions of the set are in size!

The model in the survey certainly had more animals, brick-built trees, and side builds (for example, the beehives were an entire side build of their own, rather than having just one beehive sharing space with the vegetable garden next to the weaver's workshop). But the biggest changes to the actual buildings I see are that the farmhouse was reduced by one floor, and the farmhouse and carpenter's workshop both got simpler, less parts-intensive roofs.

All in all, I'm pretty content with those choices. Most of the brick-built tree designs in the leaked image (with the exception of the conifer tree) didn't really seem as interesting to me as the one in the final set. I guess we'll never know what sort of interior details had to be removed from the farmhouse to fit everything on one floor, but presumably anything that was there could just as easily be included in a separate building in future sets and MOCs.

Meanwhile, most of the omitted characters and animals from the preliminary version of the setcould feel just as "at home" in a future medieval set as they would have felt in the town square. The biggest loss among those, from my perspective, are the two sheep, since they could have created a nice narrative connection between the pasture, farmhouse, and weaver's workshop in this set — showing the full process of how wool is sheared, scoured, dyed, and spun into yarn before finally being woven into tapestries.
 

Thinking about my own display situation, I will definitely be moving the lamb, ox, and ox-cart from the Lion Knights' Castle to the town square, since none of them really have a "home" or place to display them inside the castle itself, and are currently staged somewhat awkwardly in front or to the side. I will probably also have to pack up the Ninjago sets that currently share a shelf with my medieval stuff (or find a different shelf for them), but that particular shelf was overdue to be reorganized/de-cluttered a bit anyhow. That ought to free up more than enough space for the town square, though it'll probably be easier to figure out a specific arrangement for it and my other medieval sets once I have the set in hand.

[Mopasali]

4 hours ago, Khargeust said:

Maybe a joust with the inclusion of the jester that disappeared from the initial leak ?

I was so surprised by that comment too!  The CMF Troubadour is too old for it to be the subject, but perhaps the CMF goat herder?  I do want a joust set, so I'm settling for a MOC of Creator Castle in the meantime.

Harry Potter (owlery, carriage, great hall), Lord of the Rings, Disney (Snow White Cottage), D&D (tower and inn), and even Friends are getting medieval-style sets this year, so it could be referring to anything.  The designer may not even know if it's in different themes.