Vikings gone for good or on hiatus?

[Pluto]

The Vikings are dead, Long live the Vikings!

The irony of that statement just kills me.


Tom

A popular statement when mourning the passing of a ruler:

The King is dead, long live the King.


The long live part both referring to the new king and the memory of the old king.

[Hewkiril]

It's too bad, I really liked Vikings [it was the line that got me into system Lego, before then I was just another Bionicle fan] and got every set but the longboat, fortress and chess set. That double catapult was my favorite.

[siabur]

I use the vikings from my chess set, the first non p.a.b. purchase I made in a very long time, as a peasant army after i began to pick up castle sets. Nothing like a 3rd faction to cause trouble in my world.

[Sir Vincent]

the Viking line didn't sell too well

That's strange, it's the line I bought the most of.

[Sir Kohran]

the Viking line didn't sell too well

That's strange, it's the line I bought the most of.

Well, I doubt you alone represent the majority of Lego's potential customers

[Formendacil]

Well, I doubt you alone represent the majority of Lego's potential customers

Perhaps he doesn't... but I think Sir Vincent is right to question your assertion anyway. Granted, the Viking sets probably weren't Star Wars in their sales, but they were extended out of Europe to North America on the presumed strength of demand, and although some of the second year sets continue to linger in local TRUs, I seem to recall the first batch moving fast, so I see no empirical evidence, anyway, that the Viking line did poorly.

[Sir Kohran]

Perhaps he doesn't... but I think Sir Vincent is right to question your assertion anyway.

It was never an assertion. Look at my original post:

Apparently, for all its merits, the Viking line didn't sell too well

I said 'apparently', to make sure people knew I wasn't stating it as an outright fact, it was just something that I thought could be true. However Sir Vincent didn't include this word when he quoted me, so it now looks like I am asserting something when I wasn't, at all.


Anyway, whilst I can't offer any official evidence that the Viking line didn't sell that well, there was one old post by Chrislad77 that offers a possible explanation:

Being in the Lego store alot, and knowing employes it seems to me that the Viking line was not very sucessful. People like minifigures, and the viking sets weren't exactly short of them but I think the technic stuff turned off parents and kids alike. If you want technic you tend to buy it in a Technic set, no body is interested in a brick/technic mix. The lack of an enemy hurt the brand. Customers who want a medieval era set, want a castle , they want to bulid castle-ish things, I don't think TLG did a good job of presenting the Vikings as appealing.

[siabur]

Vikings would make a great sub set of castle. A few small sets, minifig battle packs.

[MarioDAlessio]

I would think it’s safe to speculate that the Vikings have gone the way of the ninjas, samurais, fright knights, etc & etc.

Remember to enjoy the undead, dwarfs and orcs as they will go the same way.

On another positive thought heres some links to an Australian Lego Viking Ship from 1983 at a local museum;

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collect ... ges=&c=&s=

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collect ... &img=27300

As you can see by this and other sets like the 6049 Viking Voyager, the idea of Lego Viking should always exist while the Danes continue to build Castle Lego.

http://www.classic-castle.com/sets/archives/6049.html

regards
Mario

[Sir Vincent]

the Viking line didn't sell too well

That's strange, it's the line I bought the most of.

Well, I doubt you alone represent the majority of Lego's potential customers

I do not speak for one man, but rather for all of us that power bought Viking sets. I mean at Toys R Us they had this buy two get one free sale, that's like 1 fortress, 1 ship, and another ship free! How could they not sell well! Is it because they were overshadowed by the so called greatest castle of all time? Maybe it wasn't Vladek's fault...maybe kids are just too dumb to construct the dragons...

[CastleLord]

I LOVED the vikings line. But now it's gone.

[Lord Tyler II]

I'm sure they are gone, but I really wish they weren't! I found the Viking sets to be well made, as well as fun to play with! At least TLG kept the Viking boat parts around in the Troll Warship!

[natelite]

i think the vikings would sell well if tlc has cast them as the bad guys. bad meanie rough vikings attacking helpless villagers, while the noble knights fend off these invaders. unfortunately human vs human combat would go against tlc's ethos. and as sir kohran said, big gigantic monsters aren't little kids' cuppa.

don't want to go off topic too much but i think a giant spider (constructed, not from a singular piece) would be a great addition to the trolls/skeletons faction! perhaps it could come as a mount for the troll chieftain.

[Crusader]

It may not be gone for good. Aquazone is gone, but Aquaraiders was the same basic recycled idea. Maybe in ten years our horned-helm friends will once again return to pillage and plunder for another year or two.

If the designers were stumped for ideas then the best thing we can do is make our own MOCs to inpire them. If cultural sensitivity is an issue now, it may not be so important to TLG in another ten years. Philosophies change.

[Ben the lego king]

It may not be gone for good. Aquazone is gone, but Aquaraiders was the same basic recycled idea. Maybe in ten years our horned-helm friends will once again return to pillage and plunder for another year or two.

If the designers were stumped for ideas then the best thing we can do is make our own MOCs to inpire them. If cultural sensitivity is an issue now, it may not be so important to TLG in another ten years. Philosophies change.

but the aquaraiders are gone now and I think tlc has learnd its leason