Lego Prototypes (castle)

[Kev]

REally really love the look of the more "urban" medieval town, with the thick-walled town gate, and more city-like medieval structures. Revisiting this type of set in the future would be an awesome follow up to the MMV.

[Shadowviking]

I would just like to say that I prefer this Dwarfs Mine to the new, produced one in the overall look: it actually looks like a mine. The new one barely has any rocks. :,C

[Dr.Cogg]

One of the village sets looks like something from Assassins Creed Brotherhood .I think if Lock Nes , Color was changed and the set was fixed up and some modern parts were used , it would make a nice Elf Fortress.

[6086ftw]

I might try to rebuild the prototype castle from the pictures, doesn't seem that hard , it would just be awesome if someone could manage to make decals for those dragon shields and 1 for the black crusader barding.

[Halberd777]

I would just like to say that I prefer this Dwarfs Mine to the new, produced one in the overall look: it actually looks like a mine. The new one barely has any rocks. :,C

I fully aggree, to me the dwarven mine that lego release is more of a processing plant and not a mine. It is almost like lego should have released another set the Dwarven mountain to attach the dwarven mine/processing plant and blacksmith too.

At least that is the way I feel, that is why I am building an actual mine to attach lego's dwarven mine too.

[Papy.G]

I might try to rebuild the prototype castle from the pictures, doesn't seem that hard , it would just be awesome if someone could manage to make decals for those dragon shields and 1 for the black crusader barding.

With acetone, the halberd can easily be achieved, but not sure about the foreground horse, with specific forelegs.
The building itself is interesting, less airy than the 6090 to wich it ressembles, and with two impressive gatehouses.

In the loch ness, we can see three iterations of a helmet that seem very close to the great helm we got recently.

Don't be mistaken about the 80's, most of the pics we have there aren't so old, they are probably much likely to be from the 90's, building techniques, such as burps, snot and plate roofs are here to testify it.

The turret half-octagonal 3x6 part with window would have been welcome in final sets, instead of the 2x4 one we got.

The tudor wall panel in grey and white has a never seen before pattern also the 2x1x2 tudor brick could have been handy too.

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

I keep wondering about the date when these might have been created. I believe that the black castle, at least, must have been made prior to 1988. The Dragon Knights (or Black Knights) were originally released in 1988. The barding on the horses in the black U-castle appears to be the final (or near final) version which appears in the Black Monarch's Castle (#6085). The dragon emblems on the shields are identical to the dragons on the barding, but are different than the final Dragon Knight heraldry on the triangular and ovoid shields. I would imagine that if printed Dragon shields had been in production at the time this model was made, the designer would have used them -- or at least the same artwork from them. So I'm guessing it must date sometime before '88.

If this was made before '88, then some of the prototypical pieces which hadn't been released would include:
the visored helms on the knights (1990?)
the ovoid shields (1992?)
the 7x7 turret crenelations (1993?)
the raised baseplate (1989?)
the red Tower roof elements (1993)
And the double-headed axes never saw the light of day as far as I know.

In trying to observe all these minutiae, I noticed that the printing on the black corner wall panels is upside down from the examples of those pieces in Bricklink and Peeron. However, it is the same side up as shown in the construction plans in Peeron for #6085.

[Athos]

That Castle prototype clearly became the Dungeon Master's Castle.

I really like the direction the Loch Ness monster set was headed. Too bad they didn't use it.

Steve

[OrangeBlooded31]

Seeing those pictures really makes you wonder what plans, or other ideas were thrown about that we are just now seeing. The skelaton horse, and dwarve mine were being thought about 20 some years so, and we just now are seeing them. Makes you wonder what prototypes are on the table now, and what possible great idea (Lock Ness) will never see the light of a toy store shelf.

[Throndor]

If you mean 4 years ago by just now, then yeah, we are.

[dyntar]

These pictures are great so many sets that could have been. thank you to the posters,, I never knew these existed,
Not too thrilled about the bearded queen though lol

Lego.. if you are reading ... please use some of these prototype hair, beard, hats and puffy sleeve pieces in sets or in the collectible minifig series

[Username]

Lego.. if you are reading ... please use some of these prototype hair, beard, hats and puffy sleeve pieces in sets or in the collectible minifig series

Forget collectible minifigs! I'd love to see a late Middle Ages/Renaissance era castle theme.

[wallgorn]

Those prototype pictures looked really cool. Very interesting to see a Crusader knight with ovoid shield and those looked like great helms on the knights in the Loch Ness Castle set.