cynw32618 Posted January 8 Posted January 8 (edited) Lego Castle feels like a perennial favourite for Lego fans, where even if we don’t get a new set every year it feels like one of the main ‘pillars’ of Lego alongside City, Space and possibly Pirates in terms of longevity? With that in mind, we’ve had a Space Series of CMF, the new Wolfpack Beastmaster is a runaway success in CMF Series 27 while Basil the Batlord seems to be in everyone’s Top 5 Minifigs from last year (plus D&D is a big get for some Castle fans) - Do you think we could ever get a Castle Minifigure Series, and what would you like it to contain? I think obviously Majisto and a 90s Dragon Knight feel the most obvious fan additions, plus Willa the Witch from Fright Knights? A Royal Knight from the latest additions, maybe a Prince Charming? (With shining armour for the knight himself!) I’m sure there’d be some fantasy monsters like the recent Orcs, maybe something historically accurate like an updated archer? Sorry if this has been debated at length, but I’ve just got back into Lego again after a little while & after the Wolfpack Beastmaster I’m itching for more! Edited January 8 by cynw32618 Quote
williejm Posted January 10 Posted January 10 It’s an interesting one, and for sure they could do one that would be very popular - both with old school fans and current kids. That said, there have already been *so many* Castle type figures dotted throughout CMFs over the years. They are individually often very popular and may well be a big draw to the ‘random’ series too. I wonder if it makes more sense for Lego to just keep dropping them in normal series. Off the top of my head, we have had from CMF - King, Queen, Jester, Forestman, Forest maiden, Bard, BatLord, Beastmaster, Princess, 3 ‘hero’ Knights, Evil Knight, Fright Knight, Wizard, 2 Witches, evil Wizard, Rogue, Orc, Falconer, 2 Elves, 2 Dwarf warriors, Goblin, and one kid dressed as a knight, as well as 3 vikings, one Braveheart type warrior, 2 Forest sprite things, fortune teller, some barbarians and an Arabian Knight. That’s about 3 solid series worth already! Quote
Lion King Posted January 10 Posted January 10 I would love to see a baby figure in knight armor! 16 minutes ago, williejm said: It’s an interesting one, and for sure they could do one that would be very popular - both with old school fans and current kids. That said, there have already been *so many* Castle type figures dotted throughout CMFs over the years. They are individually often very popular and may well be a big draw to the ‘random’ series too. I wonder if it makes more sense for Lego to just keep dropping them in normal series. Off the top of my head, we have had from CMF - King, Queen, Jester, Forestman, Forest maiden, Bard, BatLord, Beastmaster, Princess, 3 ‘hero’ Knights, Evil Knight, Fright Knight, Wizard, 2 Witches, evil Wizard, Rogue, Orc, Falconer, 2 Elves, 2 Dwarf warriors, Goblin, and one kid dressed as a knight, as well as 3 vikings, one Braveheart type warrior, 2 Forest sprite things, fortune teller, some barbarians and an Arabian Knight. That’s about 3 solid series worth already! You forgot to include goat herder…. GOAT Quote
williejm Posted January 10 Posted January 10 5 minutes ago, Lion King said: I would love to see a baby figure in knight armor! You forgot to include goat herder…. GOAT He’s from the Goat Theme. That’s separate 😜 Quote
Lion King Posted January 10 Posted January 10 Fit’s really interesting to see Vapire Knight and Goadherder in the same CMF serie last year. Quote
CloneCommando99 Posted January 10 Posted January 10 I would love both a Pirates and Castle CMF. For castle i would want a Joan of Arc inspired female knight, a warrior king and a forest man with leather armour. Maybe if Lego ever does a History year we might get one. Quote
Renny The Spaceman Posted January 10 Posted January 10 1 hour ago, CloneCommando99 said: I would love both a Pirates and Castle CMF. For castle i would want a Joan of Arc inspired female knight, a warrior king and a forest man with leather armour. Maybe if Lego ever does a History year we might get one. What we really need is a City one! Just think, we could have a new Police Officer, Firefighter, Crook. It'd be what we all need. In all seriousness I think LEGO's leaving money on the table if they don't do a castle one, Lego castle army builders are insane and the closest a LEGO original IP will get to the insane dedication and, on the other hand, scalping of the clone bros. If it does happen it'd be the most annoying series to complete though for obvious reasons. Pirates would be cool too but Idk, I don't think LEGO's as confident in it Quote
williejm Posted January 10 Posted January 10 Would be fun for folks to suggest their line up for 12 castle characters…. Quote
Karalora Posted January 11 Posted January 11 (edited) I tend to think the D&D wave is, functionally, a Castle wave (and I look forward to the prospect of a follow-up). But for something more akin to classic Castle as we usually think of it, I think we'd need: King Queen Princess Knight Captain Pikeman Archer Wizard Peasant Man Peasant Woman Peasant Child Outlaw/Rogue Blacksmith You'll notice only one formal faction is implied here, plus a handful of relatively neutral parties. I thought about representing two opposing factions the way Castle usually does, but with only 12 slots there wasn't room for much variety. As for colors...maybe blue/white? With a red/yellow faction in a second wave? I would want to avoid any impression that one side is "good" and the other is "evil." Edited January 11 by Karalora Quote
Black Falcon Posted January 11 Posted January 11 With how well the D&D series went and and the fact we got a space themed series last year and a F1 Themed (although not CMF)-Series this year, it doesn´t seem like a unlikely thing to happen that they will make a castle themed one too - though they seem to accompany product lines and a castle Line seems kinda unlikely to me - so it could depend on if they want to make a themed series over multiple themes now every year, or not. Eitherway, I also could see them doing it for 50 years of Lego castle, but that would mean we would have to wait three more years for it and IMO with how popular castle figures are in like every series they hopefully do it sooner than that. A second D&D series also seems fairly likely to happen given that the one we just had was probably the best going so far. Quote
Lion King Posted January 11 Posted January 11 1.) Dad with a knight baby for Halloween 2.) Medieval Joker 3.) Medieval Witch with a. New cauldron 4.) Archeolgoist with a rusted helmet or sword 5.) Streampunk or Cyborg Knight 6.) Peasant Kid with a goat kid 7.) Faire Visistor 8.) Friendly Troll 9.) Dragon Maser Captian 10.) Dragon Tamer with a new dragon baby 11.) Maiden with a new hairdress 12.) Evil King with a new crown Quote
hikouki Posted January 11 Posted January 11 I would really love to see a Castle CMF, and perhaps represent all the factions? And yes, we also NEED a Pirates and a City CMF!!! Quote
williejm Posted January 11 Posted January 11 13 minutes ago, hikouki said: I would really love to see a Castle CMF, and perhaps represent all the factions? And yes, we also NEED a Pirates and a City CMF!!! Representing all the existing factions would be akin to how the Space series referenced themes, and how they have been appearing in CMFs Side note - didn’t Lego recently do a poll on what Castle factions to bring back / add? Whatever happened to that? Quote
Lion King Posted January 11 Posted January 11 1 hour ago, hikouki said: I would really love to see a Castle CMF, and perhaps represent all the factions? And yes, we also NEED a Pirates and a City CMF!!! I doubt about City CMF since we have bunch of City minifigures since 2010. Plus Space Series 26 has one or two City minifigures (Spacewalking Astroanut and Alien Tourist (even tho the tourist is not exaclty “city” but it would be hilarious to see him in City)). To be realistic, Castle and Pirate might be mixture of historical, City, and fantasy just like Space Sereis 26 - a mix of sci-fi, City/realism, etc. Quote
cynw32618 Posted January 11 Author Posted January 11 These are all great suggestions! I feel like after the choice & success of the Wolfpack Beastmaster in the latest Minifig Series, Dragon Knights / Dragon Masters are probably the next ‘big’ Castle faction to bring back. The same year 1993 gave us Ice Planet 2002 in the Space line, who just had an amazing Minifig in the last CMF Series, and we had a Majisto GwP Workshop last year. Both Majisto & the Dragon Knight would be pretty popular, and you could even change do a PaB figure variant later changing the Dragon Knight colours to give us another faction in the 80s / early 90s Black Knights. An archaeologist is a great shout for a bit of variation (going great with the Natural History Museum!), and I’d love a few fantasy characters as well as the usual army builders. A squire would probably go well, and I’d LOVE a Castle baby to go with the Space baby we have! Quote
Lion King Posted January 11 Posted January 11 Oh i will like to throw an elf minifigure with an unicorn foal into my ideal Castle CMF series! Quote
Karalora Posted January 11 Posted January 11 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Lion King said: Oh i will like to throw an elf minifigure with an unicorn foal into my ideal Castle CMF series! Yes please, I'll take six! I realize that the list I posted earlier looks more like the minifigures you'd get in an actual Castle set theme focusing on inter-faction battle scenarios. I'd actually prefer a wider variety of medieval/Renaissace and fantasy/fairy tale archetypes. Edited January 11 by Karalora Quote
Breakspear Posted January 12 Posted January 12 (edited) Based on the exploding popularity of Castle-adjacent figures in recent CMF series (think Wolfpack Beastmaster, Dragonborn Paladin and the Tournament Knight) It seems entirely plausible that the Lego Group could release a Castle themed CMF series. In addition to the precedent of the recent Space CMF series, possible reasons in a favour of a Castle CMF series include: Lego have a proven track-record of responding to market demand for new Castle figures including: the relaunch of various retro Castle factions, the return of the goat mould (specifically, in a Castle/CMF context), and its fan poll on factions to include in the upcoming Lego IDEAS Minifigure Prize Machine set. A Castle CMF series might have broad appeal to both adults and kids A Castle CMF series would be consistent with the Lego Group's current strategy of delivering Castle products via other existing themes (Creator 3-in-1, Icons etc) instead of re-launching Castle as its own theme. A Castle CMF series could be an efficient way to satisfy AFOL demands for the re-introduction of Castle battle-packs, while avoiding the need to re-launch Castle as its own theme (see Point 3 above). A wish to disrupt the various hording/scalping activity that currently occurs for Castle CMFs. However, there are also several reasons the Lego Group might be holding back: A Castle-themed series could be seen as too similar to recent D&D series Lego might believe that single-theme non-IP CMF series sell worse then generic non-IP CMF series or IP CMF series (NB: I have no idea if this is true, but I assume Lego will examine the performance of the Space CMF series closely to draw any conclusions) There have already been a lot of Castle and Castle adjacent (i.e historical and fantasy) themed figures released as past of past CMF series, meaning there is less justification for a dedicated Castle-themed CMF series. In comparison, the number of Space-themed CMFs or Horror-themed CMF figures included in past CMF series were comparatively low before Lego released the dedicated Space and Horror themed CMF series (Series 26 and Series 14 respectively). Unlike Space, there are fewer pop-culture Castle tropes to exploit then Space tropes. The Lego CMF design team may wish to conserve its designs for Castle figures/retro re-makes to drip feed into each new non-IP series (i.e. what they are doing currently). The fear that a Castle-CMF series might actually exacerbate the current hording/scalping activity for Castle-themed CMFs, resulting in a much wider customer backlash. i.e. it might be too popular (???). Lego may already have a full calendar of future CMF releases planned meaning there may be no space to add a Castle CMF series in the immediate future, irrespective of how popular it could be (??). Of these reasons for holding back, #5 (a desire to drip feed retro-Castle figs into regular CMF series) feels the most credible to me. However, I do think this would be a mistake, and that Lego would be leaving money on the table if it took this approach. There appears to be sufficient demand for new Castle figures to support the release of a Castle-themed CMF series AND the ongoing inclusion of Castle figures in future regular un-themed CMF series. What might a Castle CMF series would look like? I think the posts above by @Lion King are a very good indication of what to expect: 3 or 4 classic/redux figures, supported by a range of other fantasy figures and funny/silly cross-over figures (e.g. an archeologist, Cyborg knight etc) My own ideas would be: Black Knight Redux WIlla the Witch Redux Credric the Bull Redux Royal Herald Astrologer or Alchemist Peasant Farmer Fantasy Elf King Fantasy Prince Charming Fantasy Ghostly King Chess Rook Costume Cowardly Knight with 'Chicken' Shield (Sir Robin Monty Python Tribute) Wicked Sheriff (Robin Hood Tribute) Edited January 12 by Breakspear Quote
Black Falcon Posted January 12 Posted January 12 18 hours ago, williejm said: Representing all the existing factions would be akin to how the Space series referenced themes, and how they have been appearing in CMFs That is likely what they would do, yes. And I am actually not sure if I would prefer that - I mean we already got some of the older factions, and right now I don´t think I need any particular of those we didn´t get yet. I´d rather have a more generic series honestly. 18 hours ago, williejm said: Side note - didn’t Lego recently do a poll on what Castle factions to bring back / add? Whatever happened to that? Only for the price machine as far as I know, and we will see once that once gets the first leaks. 1 hour ago, Breakspear said: A wish to disrupt the various hording/scalping activity that currently occurs for Castle CMFs. I just don´t think that would work though, since there will always be one figure that is worth more than others - best example is the D&D series where we got a lot of great minifigures but the Dragonborn knight still is the one that most people tried to get. 1 hour ago, Breakspear said: A Castle-themed series could be seen as too similar to recent D&D series I don´t think that would be an issue, in the end, they surely wouldn´t make those two to close to each other, but we already know what we will get this year so the earliest we would see a castle series would be next year anyways, and they have done Marvel Series 2 two years after they did Series one also. However they could of course deceide to rather make a D&D Series two, than a Castle themed Series (in that case I would still have my hope for a Castle Series for the 50th anniversary of Lego Castle 2028. 1 hour ago, Breakspear said: Lego might believe that single-theme non-IP CMF series sell worse then generic non-IP CMF series or IP CMF series (NB: I have no idea if this is true, but I assume Lego will examine the performance of the Space CMF series closely to draw any conclusions) Space didn´t seem to go that well, yeah - and I have doubt the (non CMF)-F1 Series will do better (probably it will do worse) but they do know that Castle Figures are doing well, so I don´t think they will come to that conclusion. 1 hour ago, Breakspear said: There have already been a lot of Castle and Castle adjacent (i.e historical and fantasy) themed figures released as past of past CMF series, meaning there is less justification for a dedicated Castle-themed CMF series. In comparison, the number of Space-themed CMFs or Horror-themed CMF figures included in past CMF series were comparatively low before Lego released the dedicated Space and Horror themed CMF series (Series 26 and Series 14 respectively). The main justification they would need IMO is that it will sell well ;). 1 hour ago, Breakspear said: Unlike Space, there are fewer pop-culture Castle tropes to exploit then Space tropes. Maybe fewer, but in the end the series will consist of twelve figures so finding 2-3 surely wouldn´t be hard ;) Include a rabbit as a companion to a knight and you already got one ;). 1 hour ago, Breakspear said: Of these reasons for holding back, #5 (a desire to drip feed retro-Castle figs into regular CMF series) feels the most credible to me. However, I do think this would be a mistake, and that Lego would be leaving money on the table if it took this approach. There appears to be sufficient demand for new Castle figures to support the release of a Castle-themed CMF series AND the ongoing inclusion of Castle figures in future regular un-themed CMF series. Yeah I also do think, if that would be a reason, they could just do a Castle themed series without bringing back any of the older factions but just new stuff like they did in the past and make a mix of knights, rogues and peasants. Quote
Lyichir Posted January 12 Posted January 12 If they do a Castle series I fully expect it to opt for variety over "traditionalism" like the Space one did. I remember when the Space series was revealed there was a lot of complaining about it using slots for things like the Retro Space Heroine, Robot Butler, Alien Tourist, and Flying Saucer Costume instead of <insert classic faction XYZ>. I hope castle fans would be prepared for slots to be occupied not just by classic factions or historical subject matter but also more unusual subject matter that may be castle-related but not explicitly the same sorts of genres/subject matter that classic themes had—examples off the top of my head would be things like a sparkly fairytale character or a modern kid dressed in cardboard knight armor or other sorts of offbeat takes on the theme that push it in different directions and appeal to different sorts of audiences instead of all hewing to the narrow pre-established concepts of what "Lego castle" means. Quote
hikouki Posted January 12 Posted January 12 1 hour ago, Lyichir said: If they do a Castle series I fully expect it to opt for variety over "traditionalism" like the Space one did. I remember when the Space series was revealed there was a lot of complaining about it using slots for things like the Retro Space Heroine, Robot Butler, Alien Tourist, and Flying Saucer Costume instead of <insert classic faction XYZ>. I hope castle fans would be prepared for slots to be occupied not just by classic factions or historical subject matter but also more unusual subject matter that may be castle-related but not explicitly the same sorts of genres/subject matter that classic themes had—examples off the top of my head would be things like a sparkly fairytale character or a modern kid dressed in cardboard knight armor or other sorts of offbeat takes on the theme that push it in different directions and appeal to different sorts of audiences instead of all hewing to the narrow pre-established concepts of what "Lego castle" means. Many collectors see value in the CMF characters not as standalone characters but as belonging to the roster of minifigs previously released as CMF and/ or in previous sets. Many also see those CMFs for their useful parts. Quote
Black Falcon Posted January 12 Posted January 12 1 hour ago, Lyichir said: If they do a Castle series I fully expect it to opt for variety over "traditionalism" like the Space one did. I remember when the Space series was revealed there was a lot of complaining about it using slots for things like the Retro Space Heroine, Robot Butler, Alien Tourist, and Flying Saucer Costume instead of <insert classic faction XYZ>. I hope castle fans would be prepared for slots to be occupied not just by classic factions or historical subject matter but also more unusual subject matter that may be castle-related but not explicitly the same sorts of genres/subject matter that classic themes had—examples off the top of my head would be things like a sparkly fairytale character or a modern kid dressed in cardboard knight armor or other sorts of offbeat takes on the theme that push it in different directions and appeal to different sorts of audiences instead of all hewing to the narrow pre-established concepts of what "Lego castle" means. I don´t think people would expect the series to be full of retrofigures and the past has shown, that new figures work well without that. However soemthing like a Cartboard Knight is something I (and probably many others) wouldn´t be interested for sure. I mean space had some fun ideas with the orion figure and the saucer costume, but for castle there are just so many different things they can do with it that it would just seem like a wasted slot to me. I mean, they can include Knights, Rogues, Peasants, different professions, a Princess and if we expand in the fantasy theme, the things they can do are even more unlimited ;). In the end they shouldn´t have problems to fill several series with ideas if they would like to. In the end the more minifigures are included that can be used several times the better. Though of course there will always also be the ones you probably won´t need several of like the wizard, or the king etc. 5 minutes ago, hikouki said: Many collectors see value in the CMF characters not as standalone characters but as belonging to the roster of minifigs previously released as CMF and/ or in previous sets. Many also see those CMFs for their useful parts. Exactly. I would really hope for some more peasant minifigures, or other commoners to populate peoples castelworlds. Quote
zoth33 Posted January 12 Posted January 12 On 1/11/2025 at 1:34 PM, williejm said: Representing all the existing factions would be akin to how the Space series referenced themes, and how they have been appearing in CMFs Side note - didn’t Lego recently do a poll on what Castle factions to bring back / add? Whatever happened to that? That poll was for the Minifig gumball machine set. They won't announce a winner until they reveal images most likely. Quote
williejm Posted January 12 Posted January 12 So here’s my attempt at a Castle CMF line up. For me it’d be some way between the eclectic-ness of the Space CMF, and a full-on one of Castle add-on characters 1. Princess with new harp 2. Peasant with new ram 3. Sorceress 4. Plague Doctor 5. Herald with new long trumpet 6. Blacksmith 7. Alchemist 8. Elf child with new unicorn foal (thanks @Lion King) 9. Beefeater with raven 10. Jester 11. Castle costume fan (utilising the Brick body piece in yellow, and/or a new ‘turret’ headpiece as an homage to the OG yellow castle) 12. Knight costume kid (reusing the wearable horse pieces from the Series 18 ‘cowboy costume’ kid) Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.