Infernum Posted May 29, 2013 Posted May 29, 2013 I picked up that second one at the Lego store... Someone had returned it, and I got it for half price! Petty good deal for $10! Quote
Aanchir Posted May 29, 2013 Posted May 29, 2013 yeh Artanis I except that the 2nd set is 10000x better than the new one Why so? I find the new one a lot more interesting myself. It's modular, it can be combined with the King's Castle, it has one tower and some nice brown roofs instead of just an arch and two half-towers, its color scheme is organized more sensibly, and even if the catapult's nothing to write home about I think it's way better than that rudimentary flick-fire ballista. In addition, it has two knights in full armor rather than just one. Overall, that previous gatehouse was a decent set, but I don't see much redeeming value in it except as an army builder and a half-decent parts pack, whereas the new one feels a whole lot more solid and substantial. Of course, it's not exactly a fair comparison since you're paying ten dollars more for the new one. Quote
Gremer Posted May 29, 2013 Posted May 29, 2013 (edited) I can't decide on whether to get the Gatehouse Raid or not. I like it and I love the horse barding ( I believe that's it's name ) but I don't know if it's worth $30-40. Edited May 29, 2013 by Gremer Quote
Leo604 Posted May 29, 2013 Posted May 29, 2013 I can't decide on whether to get the Gatehouse Raid or not. I like it and I love the horse barding ( I believe that's it's name ) but I don't know if it's worth $30-40. Same here; price is upwards of $40 here in Canada, and the main reason I want it is for the minifigures. Quote
TeufelHund Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 yeh Artanis I except that the 2nd set is 10000x better than the new one I wouldn't go that far - the only real selling point of the Kingdoms Dragon Prison was the Dragon Knight, armour, shield and barding IMO. The little model itself is pretty ordinary as are the rest of the minifigs. As a building, I far prefer the new Gatehouse. Quote
Artanis I Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 TLG fixed what we complained about the previous one: the mounted knight doesn't have to get off his horse to go through the gate! Well done, TLG - listening to the fans. Quote
Alcarin Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Why so? I find the new one a lot more interesting myself. It's modular, it can be combined with the King's Castle, it has one tower and some nice brown roofs instead of just an arch and two half-towers, its color scheme is organized more sensibly, and even if the catapult's nothing to write home about I think it's way better than that rudimentary flick-fire ballista. In addition, it has two knights in full armor rather than just one. Overall, that previous gatehouse was a decent set, but I don't see much redeeming value in it except as an army builder and a half-decent parts pack, whereas the new one feels a whole lot more solid and substantial. Of course, it's not exactly a fair comparison since you're paying ten dollars more for the new one. the old gatehouse colors > new gatehouse colors... not to mention ANNOYING blue... Quote
Aanchir Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 the old gatehouse colors > new gatehouse colors... not to mention ANNOYING blue... I'm quite fond of brighter colors, but that may be partly because six years of BIONICLE sets using bolder colors like Dark Red, Earth Green, and Earth Blue gave me a new appreciation for the classic, vibrant LEGO colors. Bright primary colors stand out really nicely on a shelf, and give models a really strong sense of playfulness, not to mention a sense of nostalgia. The Dragon Knights' color schemes from Kingdoms were nice, but I just don't feel they were all that well-organized on that particular set. Several parts are brown or gray that seem like they should be black, and other parts are black that seem like they should be brown. Quote
Alcarin Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 I'm quite fond of brighter colors, but that may be partly because six years of BIONICLE sets using bolder colors like Dark Red, Earth Green, and Earth Blue gave me a new appreciation for the classic, vibrant LEGO colors. Bright primary colors stand out really nicely on a shelf, and give models a really strong sense of playfulness, not to mention a sense of nostalgia. The Dragon Knights' color schemes from Kingdoms were nice, but I just don't feel they were all that well-organized on that particular set. Several parts are brown or gray that seem like they should be black, and other parts are black that seem like they should be brown. Problem I have with bright colors is, that they do not fit in Medieval MOC of villages, castles, terrain (like forest, lakes) Quote
pup Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 I just picked up a couple of Forest Ambush sets and a Gatehouse set -- the latter primarily for the horse barding and the two knights' breastplate armor. Very happy with both breastplates -- slightly disappointed with the horse barding. It's so very, very, vibrantly red, expecially when combined with the oversized horse helmet. It's like a Medieval Darth Maul. That said, the look improves greatly when you remove the horse helmet. It improves even more when you replace the knight's bright red arms with black or dark grey/bley, and replace his red plume with a black one. After changing out the arms of all six of my new dragon knights, they looked great, and fit in nicely with my Kingdoms Dragon knights. The blue guys look OK. I don't understand the Crownie/Royal Knight pastiche. Not a single blue guy has a lion on his torso -- they all have crowns, either as belt buckles, or as plate armor. Yet, the breastplates, shields and flags have lion heads? I'd prefer they stick with one of the other. Nonetheless, they fit in well with Crownie troops. The Gatehouse is a nice build -- completely modular, so you can switch it around how you like and mix and match it in with other sets. And the mounted knight can easily ride through the gate -- hurrah!! However, it does seem a tad pricey, at $30. The Forest Ambush is well worth the money: four minifigs, a dog, extra weapons, and a clever little ambush site with the falling tree. These are nice little sets -- I hope they release a peasant set later in the year! Quote
Fives Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 I seriously considered buying the Gatehouse, but I eventually realized that the set is best for expanding the castle, but only does that we'll if you buy two Gatehouse sets. The Castle and Gatehouse go hand in hand, I feel, so one without the other is at worth it. Quote
Ardelon Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 It just occured to me that it seems strange that the designers didnt incorporate the new gothic arches from the LotR theme into these sets. I would have thought TLG would want to spread new molds across as many sets and themes as possible, to recoup the costs of the new mold. Just a thought. Quote
jFox Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 The blue guys look OK. I don't understand the Crownie/Royal Knight pastiche. Not a single blue guy has a lion on his torso -- they all have crowns, either as belt buckles, or as plate armor. Yet, the breastplates, shields and flags have lion heads? I'd prefer they stick with one of the other. Nonetheless, they fit in well with Crownie troops. Exactly my issue with them as well. Heck, the gatehouse even comes with crown stickers for banners, yet a lion shield is place on the top of the gate! I was very iffy on the figures from early pictures, but once I gave in and got a set, I really like them. I kind of like the bright blue to set them apart from the Crownies that I already have; it's like they're a different section of the king's troops. The printing is really nice on them as well, especially the torso with the breastplate printing. The lion armor looks really nice too, as do the shields... I just don't know what I'm going to do with them. Quote
Haltiamieli Posted May 31, 2013 Posted May 31, 2013 It just occured to me that it seems strange that the designers didnt incorporate the new gothic arches from the LotR theme into these sets. I would have thought TLG would want to spread new molds across as many sets and themes as possible, to recoup the costs of the new mold. Just a thought. Well, I don't think the recouping will be hard for that part - it can be used for years to come in a multitude of themes. TLC doesn't necessarily have any need to hurry. Maybe they just thought that the gothic arches don't fit to the visual style, maybe the part wasn't yet available when this theme was in the decisive design stages, who knows. But AFOLs might appreciate this line quite a bit more with some bley or dark bley gothic arches scattered around, that's for sure. Quote
Faefrost Posted May 31, 2013 Posted May 31, 2013 It just occured to me that it seems strange that the designers didnt incorporate the new gothic arches from the LotR theme into these sets. I would have thought TLG would want to spread new molds across as many sets and themes as possible, to recoup the costs of the new mold. Just a thought. It's probably a matter of production scheduling. How many pieces can they generate in what colors etc. It always seems like it takes a release cycle or two before we start seeing a variety of colors in new pieces. Quote
SkaForHire Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 I really like the Crownies / Lions, but I too wish they would have gone one or the other! I like the Blue / white pattern, and really wish we would see a different color than bright red and black as the bad guys... maybe next time we can get some royal purple or yellow? (Not the arms or pants though!!! ) Quote
CM4Sci Posted June 2, 2013 Author Posted June 2, 2013 (edited) The full site is up! The Princess`s bio says Queen. Hint? -Sci Edited June 2, 2013 by CM4S Quote
Aanchir Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 The full site is up! The Princess`s bio says Queen. Hint? -Sci Seems more like an indication that they were going to call her the queen but test audiences and focus groups preferred to think of her as a princess. It wouldn't surprise me. In My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, we see something similar: the ruling monarchs of Equestria are "princesses" because thanks to Disney, girls tend to think of princesses as heroines and queens as haughty oppressors. Quote
GRogall Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 I have added tons of HR images for the new Castle line here! A mod should move all the pics and links to the first post of this thread..... Thanks. Quote
Aanchir Posted June 2, 2013 Posted June 2, 2013 I have added tons of HR images for the new Castle line here! A mod should move all the pics and links to the first post of this thread..... Thanks. Thanks so much! I was worried we'd never see more official pics of the King's Castle. It sure is a beautiful set. Quote
Lordofdragonss Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Thank you! I just noticed there is a single coin lying near opened doors on the tower. Cute and random. Quote
kermit Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 It seems that this castle theme was a bit rushed ........They are just a rehash of the kingdoms and previous castle themes. Given that Lord of the Rings sets are currently available it would of been much wiser to put this theme on hold till a later date. A vikings theme would of been a much better choice given that it has been a long time since we got one and wouldnt clash too much with the Lord of the rings sets. After much thought and looking at the reviews out there I still think that the forest ambush/battle pack is the best of of the line and really packs a punch for the price. Quote
Hive Posted June 4, 2013 Posted June 4, 2013 Given that Lord of the Rings sets are currently available it would of been much wiser to put this theme on hold till a later date. Yeah I must admit that I don't understand why they release another, sub-par theme with wizards and dragons when one so much better is already out there. To me, this theme looks more than anything like a combination of rejected ideas from the last two Castle lines. But eh, the bricks and new faces are useful. And another dragon and wizard is always nice. Quote
Rogue Angel Posted June 6, 2013 Posted June 6, 2013 Yeah I must admit that I don't understand why they release another, sub-par theme with wizards and dragons when one so much better is already out there. To me, this theme looks more than anything like a combination of rejected ideas from the last two Castle lines. But eh, the bricks and new faces are useful. And another dragon and wizard is always nice. You have to realize that most kids could care less about LotR. They would much prefer castle over LotR. Kids don't even look at LotR sets at my Lego store. It's only adults. Quote
Faefrost Posted June 6, 2013 Posted June 6, 2013 Yeah I must admit that I don't understand why they release another, sub-par theme with wizards and dragons when one so much better is already out there. To me, this theme looks more than anything like a combination of rejected ideas from the last two Castle lines. But eh, the bricks and new faces are useful. And another dragon and wizard is always nice. You're not 9. LotR's are really targeted at older kids and AFOLs. Castle is targeted at the kids. I know I have said it before, but LotR's is not a licensed replacement for the Castle IP. It never has been ( and it differed from PotC vs Classic Pirates in this regard.) LotR and The Hobbit are replacing the Harry Potter theme and it's target audience. Quote
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