[OFFICIAL] 10320 Eldorado Fortress - Retiring SOON!

[jodawill]

I haven't seen anyone mention the New Elementary review. I was wondering why people weren't discussing the new parts, so I checked to see if they had reviewed it yet. It turns out there's not much new here that isn't immediately obvious. But it's interesting that they point out the purpose of that line of round plates is to hold the ramp in place. Apparently it just fits perfectly under the rim of that piece!

By the way, does anyone know what the string on the soldier torso is supposed to represent? It kind of annoys me, but maybe I'll appreciate it if I know what it is.

[F1stzz]

1 hour ago, jodawill said:

I think the bottom line is that everything about making Lego products is difficult. It's hard to make quality parts, hard to design good sets...

At least it's easy to slap some fine pricetags on what's suddenly become too difficult to do properly these days 

[Aanchir]

54 minutes ago, jodawill said:

By the way, does anyone know what the string on the soldier torso is supposed to represent? It kind of annoys me, but maybe I'll appreciate it if I know what it is.

After a bit of reading I think it's a fourragère, but if somebody who knows more about military uniforms can either confirm this or provide the correct information I'd greatly appreciate that as well!

Wikipedia mentions that they are granted to entire military units rather than individuals, which would explain why they're being worn by all the fort's soldiers. This also means that folks who own bluecoat soldier minifigs from the 2015 sets can continue using them in the same layout as these ones to represent soldiers from a different unit.

[Akbalder]

Are the sails made using the same fabric as those of Pirates of Barracuda?

[jodawill]

1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

After a bit of reading I think it's a fourragère, but if somebody who knows more about military uniforms can either confirm this or provide the correct information I'd greatly appreciate that as well!

Wikipedia mentions that they are granted to entire military units rather than individuals, which would explain why they're being worn by all the fort's soldiers. This also means that folks who own bluecoat soldier minifigs from the 2015 sets can continue using them in the same layout as these ones to represent soldiers from a different unit.

Hmm. I'm still not a fan. That makes them too specific. I also think it contradicts the idea that Broadside and his men were incompetent. I wish I still had my 2015 torsos. I bought a bunch of them from B&P back then. I actually got them before the sets were even released. I sold them a few years ago and now I'm kicking myself for it. I guess they were looking for some minor detail to make them different from the old ones. They probably should have just reused the 2015 torsos.

[Jack Sassy]

2 hours ago, Akbalder said:

Are the sails made using the same fabric as those of Pirates of Barracuda?

Should be, unless they have changed material again.

[LegoAUT]

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

After a bit of reading I think it's a fourragère,

Yes, that‘s it. We also had them in the Austrian Guard unit where I served my military duty. 

[brimbolet]

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

After a bit of reading I think it's a fourragère, 

Very interesting, but instead on changing or adding (too many?) details to torso prints etc., I'd prefer Lego would focus on quality. I've been looking carefully at the various pictures from different reviews and the printing of the white belts/shirts on the blue torso needs an immediate improvement! 2015 bluecoats were not perfect but available at least in cheap (discounted) sets. Just recently I've found the musketeer torso from CMF series 4 in a BAM tower and the white on blue print is superb. Or the falcons knights, everything perfect. And after seeing my favorite bluecoats now this... Now I'm even more uncertain what to do... 

[DonQuixote]

55 minutes ago, brimbolet said:

Very interesting, but instead on changing or adding (too many?) details to torso prints etc., I'd prefer Lego would focus on quality. I've been looking carefully at the various pictures from different reviews and the printing of the white belts/shirts on the blue torso needs an immediate improvement! 2015 bluecoats were not perfect but available at least in cheap (discounted) sets. Just recently I've found the musketeer torso from CMF series 4 in a BAM tower and the white on blue print is superb. Or the falcons knights, everything perfect. And after seeing my favorite bluecoats now this... Now I'm even more uncertain what to do... 

Yes the quality of CMF is superior to regular minifigs. The musketeer is a good one. I have 6 of them. Currently they are the crew of my Black Seas barracuda which is now transformed in a French tradeship. 

[F1stzz]

2 hours ago, jodawill said:

They probably should have just reused the 2015 torsos.

Just wait a few years until we actually see how the brand-new prints would impact the aftermarket prices for both designs   I bet most of us will be repeating to ourselves this exact quote of yours for a long time 

Quote

I also think it contradicts the idea that Broadside and his men were incompetent.

Except we have no Broadside nor his men in the new set :>

Edited June 25, 2023 by F1stzz

[LegoAUT]

So to get back to the topic, I personally do not care about the lore. It was before I was even born and I am not a child anymore that really intends to play with it or gives anything about „who“ the minifigs „are/ represent“. To me it‘s a generic officer/ commander of the fortress and that‘s totally fine. Same with officers etc. I care about good quality minifigs though, so nice design etc. I think in this regard the set is fine (other than the mentioned printing issued). 
 

I admit that I also think the new crane looks more realistic than the old one that looked like it would not be able to lift anything significant. Of course it sucks that minifigs have no space to actually use the handles haha. However, the general design is improved imo and I deem it also rather realistic. A heavy duty crane has to have thick beams. 
 

Still unsure if I will get this, but leaning to yes. I am sure that besides all this critique, the set‘s price will increase after this goes EOL, similary to almost any Lego set, especially those in niche categories that are in fact very sought after. 

[Roebuck]

 

 

[jodawill]

He had the opportunity to ask the designer any question and he chose to ask why Eldorado Fortress focuses on the soldiers instead of the pirates? Really?

[Jiesdeo]

2 minutes ago, jodawill said:

He had the opportunity to ask the designer any question and he chose to ask why Eldorado Fortress focuses on the soldiers instead of the pirates? Really?

What an absolutely moronic question.

[F1stzz]

30 minutes ago, jodawill said:

He had the opportunity to ask the designer any question and he chose to ask why Eldorado Fortress focuses on the soldiers instead of the pirates? Really?

Gotta say it straight — unfortunately, this interview turned out to be a waste of time, except for a question about the whole "skeleton reaching the letter in a crate" gimmick. And I find the answer to that one pretty underwhelming really, as it turns out these features are not even "easter eggs" as some were guessing. The crate with a letter, the whole canal or tunnel, whatever, underneath the Fortress & the skeleton that's stuck in it are all just there for the sake of being there. Such a waste, imo. Take out the skeleton and the pointless "letter in a crate" gimmick — and you'll have the whole tunnel's space to turn into a dungeon or a storage of some sort filled with goodies. All that's needed is to throw some gray plates on top of the azure ones to establish the floor and replace the inner rocky structure with some caged walls or arches to make the space visually & physically accessible. But hey, what do we know about designing 200+ bucks products efficiently anyway :>

[jodawill]

I'll say though that it was interesting that this set has more 2x4 bricks than any other set. I think he said it was 63.

[F1stzz]

9 minutes ago, jodawill said:

I'll say though that it was interesting that this set has more 2x4 bricks than any other set. I think he said it was 63.

At least we're gonna pay €215 for their efforts to set this record, aye 

[eldiano]

Wait, quick question, looking at the imperial trading post and seeing how they mixed in new red roof updated elements with this one, and considering how the new baseplate styled bricks, would you buy two or three to make it possible? Less than a week for its release!!! 

Edited June 26, 2023 by eldiano

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, eldiano said:

Wait, quick question, looking at the imperial trading post and seeing how they mixed in new red roof updated elements with this one, and considering how the new baseplate styled bricks, would you buy two or three to make it possible? Less than a week for its release!!! 

I figure the parts from one Eldorado Fortress set would give you a good solid start on an Imperial Trading Post, since that would give you pretty much all the bricks you need for the raised foundation, and probably enough of the parts you'd need for the cranes and most of the stone walls. And black plates to build the Imperial Trading Post's docks are common enough that you might have a good supply of those in your collection already.

However, I think you might be better off turning to BrickLink and Bricks & Pieces for whichever parts you find yourself needing after that. Besides needing more bright red/dark red roof shingles than you could get even from two or three copies of Eldorado Fortress, Imperial Trading Post has wooden arched doors on two of its buildings, and I'm not sure the substitutions used for Eldorado Fortress's doors would be quite as fitting for either of those buildings.

Plus, Imperial Trading Post has that one warehouse roof that hinges open, and you'd have to figure out what sort of parts and techniques you want to use for that — if you used the same thick, staggered shingle design as Eldorado Fortress's awnings, it'd potentially both obstruct the hinged portions from opening and eat up a lot of the attic space, so it may take some ingenuity if you want to keep the roof designs consistent.

Thankfully, the roof shingle parts that Eldorado Fortress uses are already fairly common in both of the necessary colors (43202 The Madrigal House is perhaps the best "parts pack" for them so far, with least 30 in each color).

[Roebuck]

12 hours ago, jodawill said:

I'll say though that it was interesting that this set has more 2x4 bricks than any other set. I think he said it was 63.

Yes, but that is not a good sale point to me since they are the most common and boring parts to me, however I guess they could be useful for people building big mocs

[Alexandrina]

17 hours ago, jodawill said:

I'll say though that it was interesting that this set has more 2x4 bricks than any other set. I think he said it was 63.

I don't know if this is accurate to sets on the market currently but it's certainly not the record. Even discounting Dacta and Basic sets, there are 117 Light Bluish Grey in 10241, 114 in 21137, 83 in black in 10018, etc.

4 hours ago, Roebuck said:

Yes, but that is not a good sale point to me since they are the most common and boring parts to me, however I guess they could be useful for people building big mocs

I didn't take it as being a selling point of the set, more a bit of trivia about it. I certainly don't think the designers were thinking "how many 2x4 bricks can we fit into this model?"

[Piraten]

On 6/15/2023 at 10:13 PM, PxChris said:

I'm with you on that point.

We must make one by our self.  I'm so ready for the 4th July. will pick one up when the stores open. :) Any maybe should I make a live build in the evening :) 

[Khargeust]

I love it, the modular aspect is cool but above all it's an invitation to (re)create all kinds of imperial buildings, first and foremost the Imperial Trading Post thanks to the integration of the commercial boat.

Regarding the negatives, some little things :

- I don't like the brick door, I would have preferred a molded door;
- we could have had more exclusive pirate miniatures;
- the prints of the figurines' torsos are a little pale, they could have pushed the detail to the point of adding black boots to the soldiers and coloring the shako like those of 2009 and 2015.

I will take my time but I want to take 3 to 5 copies during its availability (I only buy these classic retro sets since I get back into LEGO with the release of 21322 PoBB).

What a blessing to live this period of reboots of classic sets. I hope this will last. I hope that the medieval village will be followed by a reinterpretation of Fort Legoredo, a Mega Core Magnetizer, a monorail set or even an Imperial Flagship.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Khargeust

[Akbalder]

No news about the majisto GWP. Will have to wait before buying the fortress. 

[DonQuixote]

19 hours ago, Akbalder said:

No news about the majisto GWP. Will have to wait before buying the fortress. 

Me too. I really want the Majisto GWP. The Dragon Masters were my last castle theme in 1993 before my dark ages.