Best parts pack? Helm`s Deep or the new King`s Castle?

[Artifex]

Title pretty much says it all.

Also, throw in Uruk-hai Army and Gatehouse Raid/Forest Ambush as side/complimentary and parts/army building sets (imagine you are buying Uruk-hai Army along Helm`s Deep, for example).

[TeufelHund]

_{I don't have the new castle but from what I've read it is fairly typical of recent castles in that it is constructed with a lot of big panel pieces. I do have Helm's deep and the Urak-Hai Army pack and they are almost exclusively brick built (save for a few panels in the feast hall attached to Helm's Deep) and include some nice sand green bricks for variety, so overall I'd say they are better parts packs if minifigs are not an issue.}

_{I just got the Gatehouse Raid yesterday and that has no panels so is quite nice for parts too. Forest Ambush is mainly an Army Builder set but it does come with a few nice foresty bits as well as a bit of treasure.}

Edited September 5, 2013 by Ecclesiastes
changed font size

[jonwil]

Helms deep is definatly the better parts pack.

[Lordofdragonss]

Let's see:

Helm/s DeepUS$129.99

Price per piece 9.502c

8 Minifigs

King's castle

US$99.99

Price per piece 10.039c

7 Minifigs

Yup, Helm's Deep is better. And you can always keep the minifigs and then sell with profit.

[Mutant Orc]

Helms deep has much nicer figures that can be sold for more and has a great range of proper "brick" castle pieces.

[ZCerberus]

Not even close. Helm's Deep. Get in on clearance at major retailers right now if you can find it. Got one at a Target in the US for 85USD. A total steal.

[Jorrith]

I've purchased both for parts, and i think helm's deep has the most usefull bricks in both sets. The only reason why i got the castle was for the gate, and some doors, but there are also other usefull pieces in the set aswell. The castle has lots of big panels, if that is what you are looking for, then go for it. Helm's deep has alot of bricks, and a few panels. Minifig wise, both are nice, but i really don't care about them because i bought both sets to build a vampire castle.

[Ludzik]

got 2 Helm's Deep Sets for $65 each and it's a parts heaven! Very few panels (unlike the castle set), plenty various size bricks - great for building :)

[Artifex]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I think Helm's Deep is indeed the best of the two sets for parts. As for the figs, I guess it all comes down to what you like. The LotR ones are awesome. I do like the colours of the new Lion Knights, although I think the heraldry is just too j-u-n-i-o-r-i-z-e-d for my taste (while the previous was just perfect!).

Did anyone get the Kingdoms Joust for parts and pieces? I guess the joust's battlepack is the Kingdoms chess set ;)

[Sigolf Brimabane]

Parts-wise there's no competition, Helm's Deep is the superiour set. Minifig-wise I am not sure, I mean, I have two Helm's Deep, and I don't want any more Haldirs and Theodens (despite their being great figures)... and certainly no more Aragorns or Gimlis... The Uruk Hai are nice but I have enough now, I think. The King's Castle on the other hand has more generic minifigs that can be used in armies, and I am more fond of strictly medieval stuff really (don't get me wrong, I'm a huge LotR fan, but I don't build LotR stuff)... So the King's Castle for me has better figs (seeing as I already have double of the Helm's Deep ones) :) I have just ordered a King's Castle, and I won't be getting more. I missed a chance to get Helm's Deep for £70 which I kind of regret...

EDIT: Aye, I got a second Kingdom's Joust a while back for parts and for the Falcon shields :) It is a great parts pack.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Sigolf Brimabane

[NiL_FisK_Urd]

I just got Helms Deep and Uruk-hai army for 105€

[Faefrost]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I think Helm's Deep is indeed the best of the two sets for parts. As for the figs, I guess it all comes down to what you like. The LotR ones are awesome. I do like the colours of the new Lion Knights, although I think the heraldry is just too j-u-n-i-o-r-i-z-e-d for my taste (while the previous was just perfect!).

Did anyone get the Kingdoms Joust for parts and pieces? I guess the joust's battlepack is the Kingdoms chess set ;)

Joust might actually almost be a better parts pack then Helm's Deep, depending on what you are going for. like HD it is all brick built, but it has a greater variety of colors and useful specialty things like windows etc.

[SirBlake]

I recently picked up my second Helms Deep for parts ($85!) and yeah, there is no comparison. Especially if you consider selling off the extra figs that are quite expensive on the secondary market.

[Deathleech]

Parts-wise there's no competition, Helm's Deep is the superiour set. Minifig-wise I am not sure, I mean, I have two Helm's Deep, and I don't want any more Haldirs and Theodens (despite their being great figures)... and certainly no more Aragorns or Gimlis... The Uruk Hai are nice but I have enough now, I think. The King's Castle on the other hand has more generic minifigs that can be used in armies, and I am more fond of strictly medieval stuff really (don't get me wrong, I'm a huge LotR fan, but I don't build LotR stuff)... So the King's Castle for me has better figs (seeing as I already have double of the Helm's Deep ones) :) I have just ordered a King's Castle, and I won't be getting more. I missed a chance to get Helm's Deep for £70 which I kind of regret...

That's true, but the Castle set is made up of figures you can get in the other cheaper sets if you are wanting to army build. Only the King is unique. While that may make the King's Castle more appealing all around for multiple purchases (parts pack AND army builder), keep in mind the minifigures from Helm's Deep still are selling extremely well. You can get $7-8 each for King Theoden, Haldir, and Legolas alone. That's over $25 just for those three minifigs, or 1/4 the cost back of the set. Then add in the Uruk-hai Berzerker and Aragorn, each fetching almost $4, Gimli and the other 3 Uruk-hai at roughly $2.50 a piece and you are up to over $40 from selling all the minifigures. If you get the set on sale for 80-100 that's almost half the price recouped. In contrast the only minifigure from the King's Castle fetching over $3 is the King at $8, all the rest of the minifigures are under $3 with many even being under $2 each now.

[MKJoshA]

I've found that The Mines of Moria set to be a nice parts park. I've got two copies, one with minifigs and one without for cheap off ebay. The one without minifigs was $25 and it has a lot of the new brick facade bricks in bley. Plus a ton of other great castle colors and pieces. Not so great for army building though.

[Infernum]

Does anyone remember the name of that site mentioned awhile back? Where you can buy sets without the minifigures? That'd be a good way to gets these parts-pack sets, but I don't remember the name. Can anyone help me out?

[Darth Caedus]

Does anyone remember the name of that site mentioned awhile back? Where you can buy sets without the minifigures? That'd be a good way to gets these parts-pack sets, but I don't remember the name. Can anyone help me out?

Just use ebay. Lots of auctions have sets sold without minifigs.

[gotoAndLego]

It depends on if you like to build with those big wall panels or mostly bricks.

[Infernum]

Just use ebay. Lots of auctions have sets sold without minifigs.

That would work too, but I remember there was a specific store. I really hope somebody remembers it...

[Niku]

Helms Deep all the way, it has more useful colors and more pieces.

[Wardancer]

I've found that The Mines of Moria set to be a nice parts park. I've got two copies, one with minifigs and one without for cheap off ebay.

I just bought 2 copies as well. Without figs. If you are after dark bley, this set is awesome. So many tiny tiles and cheeseslopes and what not. Also lot of stickers, which can be nice for some.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Wardancer

[Redhead1982]

As others have said, go for Helm's Deep. It has less panels, and a nice selection of greys. And if you're not interested in the minifigs, you can always sell them. What I don't like about the new castle, are the blue decorations, and panels.

[Artifex]

Thank you all for the tips. I ended up buying Helm's Deep and Uruk-hai Army (on the side: John Lewis is THE place to buy Lego in London! It's got the BEST prices!).

I just finished building Helm's Deep and it looks absolutely FANTASTIC! It's not only one of the best parts pack there is, but it's also a great set in and on itself. Adding the Uruk-hai Army set just makes it even better. And Uruk-hai Army is a great set on itself too!

[mpoh98]

Helm's Deep beats it by a BIG margin! Way better than King's Castle in my opinion.

[rriggs]

I bought both sets and have combined them into a single large castle. I like both but the standard LEGO castles are always a bit 2D, too square and too symmetrical compared to real castles. Helms Deep is better in this respect but is quite small. The combo has allowed for a castle about 1.5 times the footprint of the kings castle with less symmetry, more ramparts and a keep.

Basically, the kings castle and the wall segments from LOTR sets form the outer walls with the door and throne room from Helms Deep making up the keep. This in turn is built onto the raised plate from the 1980s Mountain Castle. The gatehouse is direct from the kings castle and the tower from Helms Deep is at one of the back corners. I don't mind the large panels to quickly build the outer walls. There are plenty of pieces and techniques to disguise these. The flags and heraldry of the castle as mostly as they came out of the box as I don't mind them. I am in the process of changing the blue rampart toppers from blue to grey but otherwise the colour scheme is predominantly from the kings castle.

This all might sound a bit messy but that was kind of the idea to try and give the castle a more organic look.

I have kept all the minifigs from both sets and also got the Kingdoms chess set yesterday to bump the minifig numbers up. I don't mind the mix of heraldry as I look at this as different noblemen at the castle having their own troops and/or different specialisms of troop. The LoTR minifigs have either become knights, officers or otherwise elite specialists in the army. They all look pretty good together IMO.

Cheers

Rog