Request: older castle/kingdoms minifigs side-by-side with LotR ones

[Artifex]

Hi there!

Can anyone please post some pics of older Castle/Kingdoms minifigs side-by-side with the new LotR ones?

I still haven't got any LotR sets and it will be a month before I get one... But I'm curious to know how they interact -- if mixing torsos, helmets and legs looks nice or not.

I know mixing skin colored figs with yellow ones doesn't work, but I'm curious about the general mix-and-match of all the rest.

Thanks in advance!

[SheepEater]

I am looking forward to that as well. But I can't help you. Prior to the advent of Lego LotR, I never owned any castle sets. Unless you count 3739 Blacksmith Shop, which I bought to incorporate into my city because there were essentially 0 houses/buildings back in 2002. But now that I have the green grocer, hillside house, log cabin... I guess this house can be my starting point for a LotR human medieval village.

[Aragorn8713]

Today I bought 2 uruk-hai army sets, but that was my first lego purches in a couple of months and the oher sets I got before were the Ninjago Blacksmith's Shop and series 7 minifigures. My friend has a bunch castle/kingdom minifigs that I can possibly take some pictures of and post here.

[legomonk]

I am looking forward to that as well. But I can't help you. Prior to the advent of Lego LotR, I never owned any castle sets. Unless you count 3739 Blacksmith Shop, which I bought to incorporate into my city because there were essentially 0 houses/buildings back in 2002. But now that I have the green grocer, hillside house, log cabin... I guess this house can be my starting point for a LotR human medieval village.

you lucky to have that blacksmith shop I would kill for it

[SheepEater]

you lucky to have that blacksmith shop I would kill for it

Not really luck, unless you consider "waking up" from my dark ages in 2002, just in time to buy it directly from Lego S@H, luck.

There's tons of sets that I could have bought MSRP in 2002-2003 and would be worth a fortune now. But hey, hindsight is always 20/20...

[SirBlake]

Here are a couple pics. Apologies for the quality, but it's what I've got.

I picked some generic chain/scale mail type figs, since I figure Kingdoms quarters or classic crossed axes or something like that wasn't a good candidate for this. I also included a couple Kingdoms Lion Archer torsos that I switched up and fleshified to fill out the Rohirrim ranks at Helms Deep.

If there's anything specific you'd like to see, I have most of the castle figs since the 80's, so I should be able to snap that pic.

[Artifex]

Nice, thank you! :thumbup:

Do you have any of the "labeled" minifigs of old? Lion Knights, Black Falcons, forestmen? Can you please take a pic of them side by side with any of the "good guys" from LotR?

[SirBlake]

Nice, thank you! :thumbup:

Do you have any of the "labeled" minifigs of old? Lion Knights, Black Falcons, forestmen? Can you please take a pic of them side by side with any of the "good guys" from LotR?

Not a problem. I don't think they hold up as well as the Fantasy Castle/Kindoms stuff does though.

[Artifex]

Wow, thanks a lot! They all do seem like toys from different times and ages.

I still love both, even if they don't mix that well together.

It's curious though: I don't think the skin like colors of licensed minifigs would go well with the old printed patterns (maybe with Kingdoms, but not with Castle). And I feel the opposite is true too. I'm not asking to post pics of it, it's just a comment (I know I've bothered too much already ). Interesting how time goes by and the way things change -- and even if they remain the same (the yellow minifigs) they are still great!

Thanks for all the pics, SirBlake! Appreciated! :thumbup:

[Captain Settle]

There seems to be to much detail on the lotr compared to the old one's. I still think they could mix once you had removed the flesh hands and head.

[SirBlake]

I don't know, I think if we hadn't grown up with classic yellow, fleshie wouldn't bother anybody one bit. The flesh head/hands only look out of place on the classic figs (and they do look out of place) because that's what we're used to.

Personally, I like both for different reasons. I wouldn't mix them together for display or convert LotR to yellow or LEGO Castle to fleshie, but both work quite well for me on their own.

On a side note, my 6 year old daughter has plenty of both, and if she even notices the difference, she surely doesn't care one way or the other.

Crownie Archer / Yellow Frodo / Kingdoms Archer / Crusader Axeman

[Deathleech]

I don't know, I think if we hadn't grown up with classic yellow, fleshie wouldn't bother anybody one bit. The flesh head/hands only look out of place on the classic figs (and they do look out of place) because that's what we're used to.

I agree, I think it's just the fond memories people have of classic minifigures being yellow which makes them dislike the newer flesh colored ones. In your pic I think all the flesh colored figures, even on the really old knights, looks great. Personally I love them both and think both look fantastic (Frodo does look a little odd in yellow though! )

The level of detail now compared to 10 years ago is just incredible on the minifigures. It makes me wonder what they will look like in another 10-20 years. Who knows, maybe someday we will get detailed facial features like noses that stick out and contoures on the figure around the cheek and jaw.

[Huntleyfx]

The level of detail now compared to 10 years ago is just incredible on the minifigures. It makes me wonder what they will look like in another 10-20 years. Who knows, maybe someday we will get detailed facial features like noses that stick out and contoures on the figure around the cheek and jaw.

Technically the new features have started with the ears for Elves, Orcs, and Werewolves.

[Ferrik]

Mixning castle and LOTR minifigures is a great idea. Thanks to everyone who shared pictures with other members.

[SirBlake]

I agree, I think it's just the fond memories people have of classic minifigures being yellow which makes them dislike the newer flesh colored ones. In your pic I think all the flesh colored figures, even on the really old knights, looks great. Personally I love them both and think both look fantastic (Frodo does look a little odd in yellow though! )

Totally agree.

The level of detail now compared to 10 years ago is just incredible on the minifigures. It makes me wonder what they will look like in another 10-20 years. Who knows, maybe someday we will get detailed facial features like noses that stick out and contoures on the figure around the cheek and jaw.

On this part, I disagree. Their value and icon status is rooted in their simplicity. I would prefer that they aways be round barrel-heads. I dig the added detail in the printing, but the basic shape should always be the same.

[Faefrost]

I agree, I think it's just the fond memories people have of classic minifigures being yellow which makes them dislike the newer flesh colored ones. In your pic I think all the flesh colored figures, even on the really old knights, looks great. Personally I love them both and think both look fantastic (Frodo does look a little odd in yellow though! )

The level of detail now compared to 10 years ago is just incredible on the minifigures. It makes me wonder what they will look like in another 10-20 years. Who knows, maybe someday we will get detailed facial features like noses that stick out and contoures on the figure around the cheek and jaw.

Honestly some of it with the newer fleshies isn't just the change in head color, but the over detailing on the face, from trying to recreate a specific person, rather than the more traditional cartoony approach. It can sometimes be off putting. I think TLG has achieved their best looking heads and faces ever in their more current (2009 forward) non licensed lemonheads. The licensed ones are still sort of hit or miss, with the less detailed ones (or the ones that say more with fewer lines, such as Han Solo) looking better than some of the overly exaggerated cheek lines on others (Black Widow being a prime example of face detail overkill.)

As far as increased three dimensional detail? They have tried it 3 or 4 times at least now. And we have absolutely loathed it every time. Just look at the current hatred of the Friends Dolls. Jack Stone and Technics figures weren't well received either. And do we even want to think about Galidor? I am really hoping TLG has gotten that message.

[Deathleech]

On this part, I disagree. Their value and icon status is rooted in their simplicity. I would prefer that they aways be round barrel-heads. I dig the added detail in the printing, but the basic shape should always be the same.

Maybe you are right. Who knows though, maybe in the future the theme sets, rather than just having minifigs be flesh color, will also be more life like while the original theme sets are kept yellow and more simplistic. I mean they already sort of did this with the Friends line. I doubt it would ever be anything as drastic right from the start though, I see it as being an evolution with them adding small changes here and there every few years.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Deathleech