I saw a topic like this in the Sci-fi forum for Alien Conquest and thought we could do the same here. Do you think that Kingdoms lives up to Castle expectations? I a Mod could add a poll that would be great. Credits to johnnyvgoode for the idea.

Definitely. Although I liked the fantasy Crownies that preceded it, I think Kingdoms is a step in the right direction for LEGO, with more civilian sets (Mill Raid) and better constructions.

The sets are much more solidly built and realistic, and for once with a proper gatehouse where the portcullis doesn't stick above the wall. The modular style hearkens back to the interconnectivity of classic sets, which I love. However I think LEGO missed an opportunity with this, sets like the Blacksmith Attack (IMO) should've been built with a "CC Standard" wall so you could add it to the castle.

The factions are nice as well, much better than the jellybean knights . I can't say I like Kingdom's figs more than Crownies, but they definitely win over the skeletons. The Lion Knights are slightly generic but the Dragon Knights very well done and original with a beautiful colourscheme in dark green. This theme also introduced the great helm (), which is now my favorite along with the beaked helm (I don't know what it's really called).

However I did not like the shift to the smaller 4 by 5 wall panels, the King's Castle is significantly smaller than it's Crownie counterpart.

I saw a topic like this in the Sci-fi forum for Alien Conquest and thought we could do the same here. Do you think that Kingdoms lives up to Castle expectations? I a Mod could add a poll that would be great. Credits to johnnyvgoode for the idea.

I was in my Dark Ages for the last few rounds of Castle, but other than Fantasy, it doesn't look like I missed much since the mid '90's. I would say Kingdoms DEFINITELY lived up to expectations, especially in two regards.

1.) The addition of peasant based, civilian sets.

2.) New, molded animals (goats, chickens, new pig, new horse, etc)

I think so. It's very similar to some classic Castle themes, and the main difference is that it is a two-faction theme (rather than a single-faction theme like many classic Castle sets), that the factions are clearly defined as "good guys" or "bad guys", and that of course the set designs are modernized.

All in all, it's a lot closer to the classics than really any Castle theme in the past decade, in that there are no obvious fantasy elements. The sole exception is the baby dragon in the wizard impulse, but since the same dragons are used merely as architectural details in Kingdoms and even Ninjago (a theme where real dragons do exist), it's easy enough to assume that this baby dragon is a taxidermied fake, a sculpture, or even an ornate paperweight. A good charlatan wizard would settle for no less!

While obviously there are large panels just like in all the Castle themes within my lifetime, the design of the castles is fairly substantial, with walkways of a decent width and besides the occasional colorful accents the castles and other buildings are very realistic. Functional elements also maintain a good deal of realism, besides set 7188 with a tree-mounted "flaming arrow" flick fire and a giant hammer, neither of which would have likely been seen in a classic theme.

Additionally, from a story perspective, Kingdoms is much more traditional than most LEGO themes. There are no named characters-- any descriptions just give a generic identification of their role. The title "Kingdoms" allows for civilian locations like this year's Mill Village Raid,

Overall, I want to see LEGO Kingdoms continue just because of how it reduces LEGO Castle to its raw essence. It gets me nostalgic for the classic days of Castle sets, which makes no sense considering that my first Castle theme was Dragon Masters. Perhaps it's just that I can't shake the feeling of how much has yet to appear in sets-- there is no joust set yet, for instance, and there can never be too many castles! I haven't bought many sets, but I think the theme has demonstrated how designers today can still create modern sets that appeal to classic-minded sensibilities and values.

Edited August 22, 201113 yr by Aanchir

Hmm...

Well I like Kingdoms, but I don't think it's as good as the previous Castle theme.

But given more time, and with some new Factions, Kingdoms could become my favorite theme.

Because it wasn't the fantasy element that I really liked about Castle, it was all of the different factions, and the potential for even more in the future.

I really hope Kingdoms continues for a few more waves. They could make all of the factions unique, I'd love to see a Navel-based kingdom.

I saw a topic like this in the Sci-fi forum for Alien Conquest and thought we could do the same here. Do you think that Kingdoms lives up to Castle expectations? I a Mod could add a poll that would be great. Credits to johnnyvgoode for the idea.

Hehehe, I'm glad I helped. I also wanted the other thread to have a poll...

Sorry I can't give an opinion here, as I'm not much of a Castle fan. I will say, though, that I love the figs. Sorry to repeat that

I think it´s great! The best castle-line since 1995 according to me.

The fantasy line was really blah! Orcs, skeletons and dwarfs was not something for me (don´t really count mmv into fantasy line). In Kingdoms two humans factions with some great colour scheme is fighting each other! Two civilian setsPrety much like the crusaders vs black falcons in the beginning.

I really hope they continue with Kingdoms next year and that they maybe as said before introduce a new human faction. (I would love something like the wolfpacks)

Personally, I think Kingdoms is a definitive step in the right direction as it is essentially taking Castle back to its roots. Even if the Kingdoms line doesn't last much longer, the human vs. human conflict should, as it gives LEGO more options. I mean, this may sound like a crazy idea from way out of left field and I'm probably the first person to bring it up in over a decade, but how about a Forestmen revival?

I was too young to enjoy Castle in the era of the Black Falcons, the Wolfpack, the Crusaders, etc., so I'm liking this a lot.

After KK2 and the fantasy elements of Castle, I think Kingdoms is definitely an improvement for most fans who prefer the realistic older lines. (other than that one dragon wizard, but he's not a major character) Only time will tell if other human factions are introduced and a storyline created, but for now I think for most of us it's another step in the right direction. To me, the only Castle set that can be considered much better than any Kingdoms set is the MMV, and that was a D2C set. So did it surpass what I was expecting to replace Castle? Yes. Is it where I want the castle theme as a whole to be? No. I'd like to see castle return to at least two peaceful factions, so TLG could concentrate more on the everyday life aspects and less on the battles. But I guess that's not what appeals to the target audience.

(note that I use 'Castle' capitalized, to refer to the Crownie subtheme and 'castle' in all-lowercase to refer to the castle theme as a whole)

I would say Kingdoms is the appropriate next step since they did the whole fantasy element. I was in the dark ages since the mid-90s so I had no clue as to what happened between then and now. I only recently (May 2011) got back into castle and legos in general, so I missed out on a lot of other themes.

I will agree it is a good step for the new molds of animals and the whole civilian/peasant idea. They definitely need more of that instead of just battles (yet another good point that was already brought up). Of course, any kingdom needs an army, but other things happen also. At first glance, I was not interested in the fantasy theme, and I'm still not to some degree, but the idea of it is appealing the more I think about it. Do I wish lego to return to fantasy? Not necessarily. I think human vs human with peasants is a good direction to take for now.

And I will again agree that a forestmen revival would be spectacular! For whatever reason, my favorites as a kid were forestmen and wolfpack renegades. I guess because it added another dimension to the whole battle/army building idea. Not true civilian, but not true castle either.

Does it live up to my Castle expectations? Short answer, yes. I can't wait to see what they have in store for the future.

Well... as a castle oriented, I love new types of bricks, animals and accessories for minifigs, but on the other hand, I do miss fantasy elements

I would love to see new armor and helmet designs, and some "fantasy" weapons (like the new dragon-katana in ninjago)

besides that, this could be one of the best castle themes until now (except forestmen, because I've never had dark ages, and when they came, it was so much joy and happiness, more then with kingdoms) :)

I think I'd actually prefer it if the Forestmen didn't come back. Keep them classically designed and special. I like my original Forestmen so much better than my CMF S1 Forestman. A return to the original basic ideas would be great, but I think I'd like it better if they were new factions.

I have mixed emotions about Kingdoms, I think it's a step in the right direction with a more classic feel to it. Yet, I don't actually like many of the sets I like the figures but, the sets are what I don't like. They don't have the charm of classic Castle; I'm not sure what to say actually. I actually wished I had bought more of Fantasy Castle, I liked its sets more.

I think I'd actually prefer it if the Forestmen didn't come back. Keep them classically designed and special. I like my original Forestmen so much better than my CMF S1 Forestman. A return to the original basic ideas would be great, but I think I'd like it better if they were new factions.

Well, I will agree with this statement. I didn't much care for CMF S1 Forestman personally. So if they made them all like that, then no I wouldn't want a new forestman theme. I currently don't own a S1 minifig forestman, but I didn't have any desire to get one either. I will agree also that other new factions could be good. In all of history, there were more than any 2 kingdoms at any given time, so the more the merrier (no robin hood pun intended).

I don't quite know what "castle expectations" might be, but i personally love the Kingdoms line. I came out of my dark ages in the middle of last year, so i only caught the tail end of the fantasy line - Kingdoms has been my first chance to amass a decent number of a couple of factions. And i haven't been disappointed - wonderful minifigs, great horse barding (and i love the new unicorn horse helmets, so much better than the old angular ones), new animals, a large civilian set (with pitchforks!) and solid, realistic looking structures with a modular component; what more could you ask for?

Well, since you ask - where i would like to see the castle theme go next is the introduction of a new faction or two... just a hint, elves would be great! I'd love to see more visor shapes than just the pointed one as well - maybe animal head shapes like a wolf or eagle. Oh, and while we are on a wishlist, more sets with a decent amount of large foliage parts please - not just 2 or 3 leaves, but 8-12!

Yes, I certainly think the Kingdoms line lives up to castle expectations. The designs of the sets, though definitely 'modern', do have certain "classic" feel to them. The current King's Castle is even more "classic-like" than the castle we had in the fantasy Castle line. The inclusion of civilian orientated sets also put this line above previous ones, IMO.

I don't really count the Castle line as that seperate from the Kingdoms one. Set and minifig design are somewhat the same, so they can perfectly fit together. But, I do think Kingoms is slightly better then (fantasy) Castle. I do love the fantasy element, but I like the all-human factions more. Set design for Kingdoms is also slightly better. It is as if the Castle sets were a testing ground for the designers to get back into real castle-mode (and not those ugly KKII things), and then used their newfound inspiration to create the Kingdoms line.

In terms of minifigs, I think the new lines certainly outclass the old, classic ones. Minifig designs are much better and each minifig gets its own character through the many different prints available. Kingdoms even brought us the great helm, so we definitely have nothing to complain about in terms of minifigs .

This new line is doing everything right, sure they havn't made the best sets (yet) but alot of them are very nice, the dragon prison and mill raid being particular highlights for me, the inclusion of regular civilain sets, the helm, the return of the pitchfork, a jester thats readily available (or was) and the cool dragon design are all positives.

Its hard to fully judge because the line hasn't ended yet, we are comparing a fully finished line (and a little bit of nostalga) with a line thats halfway through.

I think when we finally recieve all the sets for Kingdoms they will be just as good as Fantasy, it will just depend on your preference, Historical sets or Fansty sets.

Personally I prefere the Historical ones

I would have to agree with a number of the previous posters, that though I don't think the individual sets are great, the figures and new moulds/pieces are what have made this theme stand out to me.

I felt the Fantasy era was a return to form for castle, and probably paved the way for a new large kingdoms line, but I do miss the fantasy element, dwarves etc.

While I'm in agreement that the forestmen should be left as classic, there may be room to introduce a small range of 'robber type' sets to fill the wolfpack/forestmen renegade void. Though the dragon knights seem to be doing plenty of raiding of their own!

I can't say much about the structures since I only have recent sets and am only interested in the minfigures.

For the minifigures at first I thought the newer ones are so cool with the fancy printing. But now that I have over 200 of various older castle factions. I have learned to appreciate the older ones. The great helm is amazing. And dark pearl gray is a great color for equipment. And the new armor pieces are great, both minifig and horse. But I also miss the old chin guard and that classic visor piece(5+ dollars each on bricklink = no way I am getting any soon) was pretty cool.

Newer minfigures have more armor, more elaborate printing, and a more uniform look to the minifigures and equipment. Older minfigures have a more simple yet still awesome printing (I have to get more Black Falcons!), less armor and less organized look.

It's like the castle minifigures are evolving over time like real life history (loosely of course) with the adaptation of newer equipment, more organized uniforms, and more emphasis on armor.

Wow! I didn't think this thread would be this popular! maybe I should have titled it Castle standards. I guess I'll share my own opinions.

Personally, I definitely think that Kingdoms lives up to Castle expectations and standards. The minifigs are great, as is the variety, pieces, and designs. The detail in the minifigs really puts the old ones to shame with their symbol printed in the middle of their torso. As someone pointed out, these guys introduced the great helm! That's just plain awesome.

One thing that makes this line great is that it's basically ad revived version of classic castle. It was nice to get this after three years of heavy fantasy. The variety in minifigs is also great. So yes, I think Kingdoms definitely lives up to castle expectations.

I've sort of got mixed feelings on the Kingdoms line. When Fantasy was around I didn't have the money to get all the sets I wanted. I did manage to get a dwarven Mine and a troll mountain fortress, but then, instead of continuing it one more year and giving us elves they came out with kingdoms.

The early kingdom sets were heavy on the nostalgia factor, but I decided against them because of color and not wanting to collect another faction. I don't think the red of the lion knights looks good and I try not to collect new colors like the dark green of the dragon knights.

The newer, civilian based sets are the best though. These sets can be added to just about any castle collection (Well, any European castle collection, ie not ninja) and add a lot more variety than the Castle/jousting/siege engine rut that castle can sometimes fall into.

The real question is, what about next year? Will the civilian line continue? My guess is that kingdoms will be replaced or go back to sets similar to it's first year. I've heard a few rumors of a Heroica castle line, but I sort of doubt this. Actually the funny thing is now I expect TLG to only continue a line for 2 or 3 years. I'd like to see longer runs in lego and have the kingdoms line around another couple of years, possibly with a new faction.

Great topic! Here's my 2cents:

Kingdoms is the best thing to happen to Castle since KK2 was terminated. While I am obvoiusley a lover of all things fntasy, I really love having 2 human factions to compete and populate the world of Lego. Here is the breakdown of how I see Kingdoms:

Minifigures: Some of the best looking armor, printing, shield art, and horse barding of all time. Very true to actual Middle Ages coats of arms and not in any way cartoony. The introduction of the bucket helm really moved castle mini's into a new light; the early middle ages as opposed to the late, and with it came a ton of useful accessories like printed armor plates and matching body printing. The civilian mini's are also an incredible addition to any castle fan's collection. Without them all we had was MMV torsos.

Buildings: A much more-realistic and true to life design that matched the earlier classic castle in architecture, but made use of earth tones and gorgeous subdued colors. This is the major improvement in my opinion; sets that look realistic and presentable.

Setting/story: Very open-ended and light-hearted setting. The background art is always sunny and very romanticized, as opposed to dark and ominous. Kingdoms projects an aura of happiness and a spring-like warmth, which in my opinion makes for a far greater story-telling atmosphere. The title itself suggests a story of ongoing struggles and I personally would love to see this theme continue with at least one more wave.

Castle is a 'Core' theme for LEGO for a reason, it does have a passionate following, it may not get the fancy TV commercials these days but still does well, I'll shop a store and they have a nice supply of Kingdoms and the next visit their shelf will be empty.

Kingdoms is fantastic overall, it is better than the jellybean knights for sure....

I like the fact that Kingdom's has a modern yet classic vibe to it. The new minifigs while a bit busier on the prints are nice, and having some non military variety is key to me. I've had a few other priorities for my LEGO budget so far (clearance sales!) so haven't picked up all the new line yet, but I will be doing so. The Kings Carriage Ambush is one that I feel is a bit high for what it is, but I'll still get at least one, I've already got multiples of the 2 smaller sets from this years Kingdom's release.

I'm a big fan of fantasy-oriented Castle sets so I'm already a little biased against Kingdoms, especially since I missed out on most of the Fantasy Era sets since I was in my dark ages at the time. I wish they had continued that and done elves and centaurs and more fantasy creatures. Hopefully they will someday.

However, having said that, I do like Kingdoms for all the new elements it introduces and for the civilian sets they made, even though those civilian sets still have attack features. I love the new bucket, the reissuing of the pitchfork and the new printed animals. I also love the peasant minifigures and the dragon knights, but the lion knights are blah to me.

I do hope they do new factions next year. I'm kinda hoping it's forest-men, but I'm also worried that they'll mess it up. I didn't like the collectible minifigure version, but I'm hoping they'll do a new forestwoman.

I still wish they'd do female knights/warriors, but I know this is a boys market so I'll take what I can get.

I'm a big fan of fantasy-oriented Castle sets so I'm already a little biased against Kingdoms, especially since I missed out on most of the Fantasy Era sets since I was in my dark ages at the time. I wish they had continued that and done elves and centaurs and more fantasy creatures. Hopefully they will someday.

However, having said that, I do like Kingdoms for all the new elements it introduces and for the civilian sets they made, even though those civilian sets still have attack features. I love the new bucket, the reissuing of the pitchfork and the new printed animals. I also love the peasant minifigures and the dragon knights, but the lion knights are blah to me.

I do hope they do new factions next year. I'm kinda hoping it's forest-men, but I'm also worried that they'll mess it up. I didn't like the collectible minifigure version, but I'm hoping they'll do a new forestwoman.

I still wish they'd do female knights/warriors, but I know this is a boys market so I'll take what I can get.

An amazon type faction would be great.