Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

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armothe
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by armothe »

Well, I can see why it is easy to get excited about new Castle sets, but I'm not going to pretend that these are extraordinary. Yup, another Gate, Blacksmith Shop and Carriage. The Farm/Windmill is at least useful. The screen printed elements are the saving grace - wonderfully done.

The new weapons were created for the Heroica game and are thus undersized. I have always appreciated that LEGO accessories are designed proportionally larger. However, I do think the bow that came with the collectible Elf is a tad too large. No doubt there is a skill in getting such proportions 'just right'. I get the feeling that TLG is beginning to lose consistency with the way they have been designing their accessories and animals.

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elondisc
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by elondisc »

I love that there are so many dragon knights and so few crownies in these. The crownies will finally have something to sharpen there swords on.
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by Blueandwhite »

domboy wrote:Why all the hate on the printed horses?? :? If you want plain white horses there are scads of other sets that have them. I think it's nice to see something different for a change, especially a gray paint. Sure it narrows their use, but so what? Just use them to draw carriages. I think they're cool, but I guess I like the Indian horses too (though I don't have any). Shucks, most Lego horses have bridles printed on them... guess what? That limits their use too... can't be wild horses. :wink: Ok, I'll stop now... not sure why this is bugging me so much. If that's the worst complaint with regard to these new sets then I have to conclude that Lego has done a fine job at designing these sets! :)
As you've observed, the complaint about the horse has nothing to do with its colour and everything to do with the blinders which make the horse a very single-purpose element. Considering that AFOLs have waited over 20 years for a horse that isn't white, brown or black it seems like a perfectly valid observation. I just hope we'll see more horses in different colours in the future.
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by BiggerJim »

I am very impressed by these sets.
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by Highwayman »

Wow, I don't check General Lego for a time and I miss out!

Those sets are amazing. I can absolutely not wait to get my hands on the mill. I missed out on the pitchforks so I'll be glad to have two of the new ones. I'm really glad to see the representation of the peasantry in these. It really helps to round out the castle line because, well, the medieval world wasn't all castles and knights.

The new weapons look great and I love the dragon knight horse barding and that new shield. The peasant torsos in the Mill Village Raid set are great and I'd definitely like to have a few of those. And I must say I actually like the goat. ^__^

These sets along with a few of the new pirate sets will definitely keep me busy (and financially drained)!
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by jdarlack »

Time to sell more books books books! and convert them into bricks bricks bricks !http://www.mocpages.com/home.php/13936 I've gt my first large involved moc in planning stage,these sets will fit in nicely with my current collection.

I'm lovin the ladders, the pitchforks, and the buckets. Awesome. I'm also loving the advent of different non-MMV civilian torsoes.

Between these sets and other themes (POTC/HP) there will be quite a bit added to the castle building repetoire.

Woo hoo!
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by Elbadar »

I saw this thread a few days ago and decided I needed more time to summarize my thoughts. After a cumulative three hours of gawking over the course of three days :o I think I'm ready.

The Farm and Windmill: Everything anyone could possibly say wasn't in the MMV regarding castle civillian life is in here now. Pitchfork! It needed a sentance all it's own :tasty: . Three peaseant figs with printed torsos (two with hoods) three dragon soldiers (tied for most in any non battlepack set) are a great selection for minifigs. I don't see anyone else having noticed this, so I'd like to call attention to the new face on the peasant woman. I like the new goats, the chickens are great (it always bugged me having chickens half the height of a minifig), and the horse, although printed, is abundantly useful for anyone at all who has a cart to attach it to. I also took the time to look over the run of the mill (pun intended) bricks and was pleseantly surprised. It is mostly made up of small bricks in dark tan, brown, and dark grey, all of which are endlessly to me. The appearance of the new shutters, the bucket, the new doors, and the printed pig definitely stamp this set in my must have multiples list. I only hope it's a $50 set so I can die and go to a room full of legos.9.99/10 for sure.

The Carriage Ambush: Definitely the weak link of the line for me, but I feel it's weak like iron compared to steel, weaker, but not incomparable. I love the printed horses, both as carriage horses or potentially as ornate war horses. I also like the chance to get the king in a smaller set (even without his euro armor). The carriage itself is nice, but not especially original. It is a great size and shape for a royal coach, but the roof is poorly done and the single gaurd is just not right. The trees are actually a redeeming factor for me, as it's hard to get allot of foliage in sets, and for dark green thats the only place to get it. At the very least I'd say this is better than the royal chariot from 2009. 7.5/10, it will most likely be bought, but multiples are unlikely.

The Wall: Okay okay, we've all seen this before. A modular wall with four gaurds, a poorly made siege engine, a horse, and a prison cell. It's not original, but I'm glad to see that this one comes with a knight with a unique helm, shield, and horse barding is a pretty nice set exclusive. Whats more, I'll wager this is the $20 set of the line, and at that price you are close to the battlepacks in terms of fig value, pluss you got the unique stuff, the horse, and the wall itself (which does not contain allot of large prefab wall parts). I'll give this set an 8.5, multiples likely, but not gaurenteed.

The Blacksmith Shop. We have definitely had a disproportionate number of blacksmiths compared to any other peasants, and this guys sshop is nothing special, but if this set is $10 or less then thats an offer I can't refuse. Firstly there is the simple fact that this is the second civillian set in the line. This in itself speaks volumes about the fact that lego is considering our opinions (or coincidentally agreeing with them) more than ever before. Second is the fact that we get a peseant complete with black hood and printed torso in a small set. We also get a great helm and the new blank pearl grey euro armor in a set that can well be considered army builder size. The chicken and the buchet are deal sweeteners as well. The heroica weapons seem to be somewhat controvercial because of their small size and faint resemblance to MBs, but since they have yet to replace anything else they are just fine with me. the bow is ugly, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it when I get it. The other weapons will all most likely go to the dwarves, for whome this will be a godsend considering their short legs. I'm actually excited about the appearance of a real dagger razther than a cooking knife, so heroica is good with me. Blacksmith Shop gets 9.5 and must buy multiples status from me, but I'm a generous judge.

This year is giving us over a dozen new elements, most of which have been sorely wanted for some time. It comes with a generous assortment of earthy colors and small bricks, and its the first ever castle lineup to focus more on the civillian life than the military. 9/10, and a great day for AFOLs in my opinion.
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Halberd777
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by Halberd777 »

I really did not like the first kingdoms realease however I can't think of one of these sets that I don't like.

The mill add's more medieval civilians plus three dragon knights.

The tower although small looking comes with a dragon knight always a plus.

The blacksmith adds a good amount of new weapons which although do not match the lego bland weapons appear to spice things up with more detail. The black smith shop is also alot smaller than the others and looks like it is trying to go back to the original blacksmith shop.

I really do like the king's carriage because to me lego is trying to capture an adventure from this set instead of just the actual carriage. The have two trees set for an ambush. I like the extra touch considering most people have not liked the carriages from earlier sets.

All in all I am really excited about lego's release. I think unlike previous periods before, lego is trying to please both sets of lego buyers, the adult collectors as well as children. I think as long as they are succesful they will continue to keep a good castle series continuing.
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by ezehogan »

Maybe I am in the minority but I don't understand why having more detailed and appropriately scaled weapons is a bad thing. Most people have a plethora of the existing weapons anyway so these provide something fresh.

I hope these sets do well at retail, specifically the Mill Village Raid set. If it does not appeal to today"s children I imagine all of the large castle sets of the future will be castle or fortress style buildings loaded with catapults.
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by davee123 »

ezehogan wrote:I don't understand why having more detailed and appropriately scaled weapons is a bad thing.
It's the difference between "iconic" and "realistic". The more realistic you make something, the more of a clash you're going to get with a design style that's iconic. LEGO's initial foray into minifigures in the late 70's and early 80's was VERY iconic. And they've slowly been making their products more realistic. Some people think it's gone too far, some people think it hasn't gone far enough. If you're in the iconic camp, you probably wouldn't want to use the newer weapons because they clash too much with the iconic style-- you'd prefer either an older weapon style, or a less detailed, more iconic version of a new weapon.

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Sir Prog
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by Sir Prog »

Nah, I mean, these fan manips look good and all but I still don't buy it as "official news". :wink:

J/K, in all honesty, how can we not look at these sets and think about how closely they resemble the fantasy sets that we spent so much time proposing and discussing!? TLG really came through this time, and even though there are a few elements of redundancy, this is the freshest batch of original ideas in years. The Mill is a brilliant centre piece and will continue to gain momentum and support all year. There isn't a bad thing going for it, unless they jack the price up due to the high number or new/original pieces. The prison wall is great b/c of the abundance of more Dragon Knights at what we assume to be a reasonable price so bravo there. The chariot is more along the lines of a redux that we've seen often, but the trees/trap element deserves a standing applause for authenticity and diversity for breaking the mold once again instead of another catapult or horse ambush element. Finally, there is no doubt the blacksmith is a wink and <3 to the fans. Again, it may borrow too heavily from the MMV shop, and we did just get a Blacksmith in MMV AND the Advent, but come on, Blacksmiths were like, the number one trade of the Medieval era. Weapons = Wealth and Power and EVERY camp needs their own BS in order to keep the troops supplied. At only four sets, there is not a real weak link here. At least, not when compared to other second waves. Sure, there's room for improvement and expansion, but not any time soon. This is a line that should be celebrated and TLG should be thanked for coming through for the fans. Then later, we can open negotiations again. :eyebrows:
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by domboy »

Blueandwhite wrote: As you've observed, the complaint about the horse has nothing to do with its colour and everything to do with the blinders which make the horse a very single-purpose element. Considering that AFOLs have waited over 20 years for a horse that isn't white, brown or black it seems like a perfectly valid observation. I just hope we'll see more horses in different colours in the future.
Oh, ok, I think I understand a bit better... the complaint is mainly about the gray horse having printed blinders, not about the printed white horses. Still, a gray horse with or without blinders is a nice addition... maybe they'll do a blinder-less version in the future.
Halberd777 wrote:I really did not like the first kingdoms realease however I can't think of one of these sets that I don't like.
Same here, I only got the smallest sets to get some of the minifigs, which were the only thing about the first wave I really liked. This second wave is much better. I will be getting the mill at least. Fantastic. Good addition to the MMV if nothing else.
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Halberd777
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by Halberd777 »

I love these sets and am hoping that they are not too close the same for the long-time lego collectors and not to far away from kids wants that they will not meet the mark.

One thing is for sure we need to encourage any semi-lego enthusiast to enjoy the current kingdoms line. I am very happy that lego has adopted a less kid oriented take on the current line. Not to get to involved with my ideas on when lego castle started getting to far away from there roots, but to me I started disliking the lego line when they tried to make legos into a lego version of a popular kids toy. I for one want lego to know that they can have a successful castle line that does not have to be filled with the latest "cater to kids ideas" that's what there special lines are for such as "Ninjago". I believe they have created that line now we as lego enthusiasts need to encourage those of a lesser crazyness to hope on the bandwagon so we do not see another swing of the pendulum again.
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by theboywarrior »

Talk about less kid-oriented, I haven't looked at the 'sets' section in a while, but I don't think they've had an antagonist faction attacking defenceless peasants since the 80's/90's, if ever. Gotta loooove that evil! :twisted: however, kinda wierd how the Trolls never stooped to such levels before... :?
And yes, I know the peasants have pitchforks, but in terms of military weapons, they're pretty much dead meat.
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Re: Nuremberg Toy Fair: 2011 Kingdoms Set Pictures

Post by dyntar »

I think the old grey mare in the mill set is a great idea. These are supposed to be poor peasants who have a old horse. Why would they own the same horse as the king or knights? It would have looked strange with one of the regular stallions pulling the cart.
This gives us a nice variation for the horses and probably means that we will get a plain grey horse at some time. If they are using the horse mold using grey plastic it shouldn't be too hard for Lego to put different print on them.
It was probably a cheaper option than creating a whole new donkey mold.... [If anyone from Lego is reading can we have a donkey ...please] :D
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