Does the lack of shields in the 2008 sets disturb you?

[DaleDVM]

Don't get me wrong overall I really like the 2008 sets. However, I find that there are relatively few shields for the dwarves and especially the trolls.

The knight = 1 fig - 1 shield
Troll Warrior = 1 fig - 0 shields
Skelton chariot = 1 fig - 0 shields
Knight and catapult = 1 fig - 0 shileds
Crownie battlepack = 5 figs - 4 shields
Skeleton battlepack = 5 figs - 4 shields
Dwarf mine defender = 1 dwarf, 2 trolls - 0 shields
Tower raid = 2 crownies, 3 trolls - 1 crown shield, 1 troll shield
Troll assault wagon = 2 crownies, 1 troll, 1 big troll - 0 shields
Troll battle wheel = 3 crownies, 3 trolls - 1 crown shield, 0 troll shields
Troll Warship = 6 trolls, 1 big troll, 1 crownie, 1 dwarf - 4 troll shields, 1 crown shield
2008 Chess set = ? but it looks like enough shields to arm all of the figs and maybe a few extra.
Castle advent calendar = ? one crown shield pictured

For the sake of arguement on availability of shields...
2007 Dwarf mine = 4 dwarves, 2 trolls, 1 big troll - 3 dwarf shields, 1 troll shield

In total including the dwarf mine but not the chess or advent calendars for the trolls and dwarves...

18 troll minifigs - 6 troll shields
6 dwarf minifigs - 3 dwarf shields
There seems to be no real shortage of crown/skeleton shields...

The most disturbing thing to me is the lack of any shields for either the dwarves or trolls in the cheapest sets. These are obviously the most commonly owned sets. The troll impulse, mine defender, and troll assault wagon have no shields whatsoever. Right now on bricklink only 2 stores have troll shields at all and those are going for over $2.00 each. The dwarf shield situation is not as bad as the dwarf mine is very popular. Most of the troll shields appear in the warship set and that set is not very cost effective for arming guys bought in the cheaper sets. Even that set doesn't have enough for the 6 trolls included. The chess set is a good answer to the problem but have you seen the pricetag?

If you want your orc/trolls to travel in a horde. (and isn't that how they always travel?) How are you gonna arm them?

[davor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB-vzI21 ... re=related

reg. orc shileds.
if there are some shields well..cool... if not...who cares...its the number that counts.

[Count Blacktron]

My solution is to arm them with two-handed weapons. Or weapons in two hands. Or weapon in one hand, plunder in the other.

[Athos]

Yes. As a possible solution you could use barrell lids (round 2x2 plates) as crude wooden shields.

Steve

[principe azul]

While I think the shields for the trolls are pretty cool looking and would love to see more of them, the way I see it trolls are probably not very disciplined warriors and shields would not be a major concern. I guess as long as there are enough shields to cover the front line of attackers against a cavalry charge its ok. You can always buy lots of those ugly KK2 octagon shields and sticker them too.

[Heir of Black Falcon]

I want more for sure. I wish PaB would sell a wide variety.... even blank ones better than nothing. Maybe blanks of each design?

R

[Aliencat]

I don't think the trolls really need many shields. They always seem to me like an unorganized bunch. I have four troll shields from the Warship but a lot more trolls, but it looks pretty cool to have only a few hold shields. The rest, as already suggested, can hold two-handed weapons, or even two weapons.

[Dwarf King]

I guess the lack of Troll gear doesn't bother me because I'm not really collecting them right now. Also Trolls to me seem like the type to just to attack without thinking and using whatever is around them as a weapon.

Dwarves on the under hand - I'm upset at the lack of gear and minifigs available. If LEGO was going to release a new type of minifigs they should at least put them in more than just two sets.

Just my thoughts,
Tyler

[Count Blacktron]

I guess the lack of Troll gear doesn't bother me because I'm not really collecting them right now. Also Trolls to me seem like the type to just to attack without thinking and using whatever is around them as a weapon.

Dwarves on the under hand - I'm upset at the lack of gear and minifigs available. If LEGO was going to release a new type of minifigs they should at least put them in more than just two sets.

Just my thoughts,
Tyler

Three sets now, with two more by Christmas time.

Personally, I find the gear issue no problem at all as I prefer to "civilianize" my LEGO world and as for war-gear, well I have a lot of extras to call upon and then there is the Bricklink.Com experience.

I'm more upset by the helm and beard choices in the lower priced sets, and that the Viking helms simply are not constructed to work with the new beards. Form over function yesno?

[burkey42]

In the orc army I'm building, there are few leaders with the brains to use a shield. The remainder have either a sword and spear combo, or a two handed battle axe. In the end, the lack of shields doesn't really bother me.

[dragonblade24]

um lets see........ well it does bother me a bit. your very true the lack of shields isn't good. The crownies have a decent amout but other than that there not very easy to come by.

[Tower of Iron Will]

No or little shields is kind of lame. We should have the option of deciding weather the Orcs in our world are disiplined to have shields or not. LEGO is just trying to make a quick extra few cents per set by not adding them. But this has always been a problem. There have been sets before with no or too few shields per figure. Luckily KKI had the accessory pack for the Lions and the Bulls with extra shields.

I just know that when I buy Orcs through Bricklink I have to make sure that I have one shield per Orc with a few extra just incase.
-Tower

[davestadel]

I think that its regular for there to be more figs than shields,because they could be a melee' master, or a 2h master. Also, it could be that the blacksmith'sshop went out of buisiness

[Foxglove]

I guess i'm the lucky one, then. I've got nearly 40 Trolls/Orcs, and almost all of mine have been equipped with shields. I don't see Orcs as an unruly, motley crew of misfits charging with whatever's at hand; I see them as a war-loving military state at the very least. Strictly disciplined, but often falling prey to bloodlust.

I had a Bricklink order a few months back where I picked up roughly 25 of the shields for $0.80 each. I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy more at this price when I had the chance, but the order was $100+ and I didn't want to spend too much more at that point.

Oh well, c'est la vie.

Edited for spelling.

[The Architect]

I'm certainly bothered by the lack of shields and other weapons. As I was either too young or not alive for the earlier waves of castle I have always struggled with a lack of equipment for my humble armies, and in my eyes this castle line has few downfalls, with this issue probably the foremost.

I would prefer my infantry to have larger shields so that they have the option of forming a shield wall, but the crown sets are lacking large amounts of these shields and bricklink is just too expensive for me.

The trolls I feel should have at least about a 3:5 ratio of shielded warriors to nonshielded, with both types mixed randomly into the horde, but today I picked up my first set with a troll shield in it (the Tower Raid), which brings my "army" up to a grand 1:5 (yeah, yeah, it's small, I'm workin' on it)

I don't really mind the lack of shields for the dwarves, but that's probably just because my belief is that the dwarves are warriors who use primarily two-handed weapons

Frankly,skeletons are something I don't really think about

If Lego offered weapons and shields in PaB I wouldn't be so irritated, but they don't so I am