Good set for Classic-Castle beginners?

[Qwuff]

I'll make this short- I never really had any good castle sets during my childhood, or after, and I was wondering what you guys and girls thought would be the best, um, starter set? I don't have a whole lot of money, so the Yellow Castle is kind of out of the question.

Thanks in advance.

[Jojo]

Hello!

I'll make this short- I never really had any good castle sets during my childhood, or after, and I was wondering what you guys and girls thought would be the best, um, starter set? I don't have a whole lot of money, so the Yellow Castle is kind of out of the question.

That depends on how "classic" it shall be. If you are speaking about the periode of time between 1978 and 1983 I'd go for the yellow Castle anyway, because it is the classic castle, in comparison to the Knights' Tournament it is relativly cheap and you get 14 figs in 4 factions. The Knights' Procession set is probably easier to obtain, at least single figs of that faction are not that rare and often sold even in bigger amounts on eBay.

If speaking of classic Castle in general, until 1992, I'd suggest to get your hands on the King's Castle 6080. It's the best source of grey pieces ever and it comes with 12 beautiful figures. Also the Battering Ranm 6062 is great for a beginner because it comes with a small wall section and 6 figs of 2 different factions (Falcons and Lions).

In any case you shouldn't expect to get MISB sets. For a start used sets are what you should be searching for.


Bye
Jojo

[Jyp]

It depends on what you expect!

If you want a real collection, based on earlier sets, try to find the most complete -- even small -- ones you find on eBay or elsewere. The best is before 1984 (as Jojo said, the 677 Knight's Procession is cheap enough for you), but until 1990 it is still very "classic".

If you want a nice and realistic collection, buy whatever you like depending on the design!

If you want to live again your child emotions, you may buy separate parts or cheaper sets...

[TwoTonic Knight]

I'll make this short- I never really had any good castle sets during my childhood, or after, and I was wondering what you guys and girls thought would be the best, um, starter set? I don't have a whole lot of money, so the Yellow Castle is kind of out of the question.

Thanks in advance.

As a "starter set", the Yellow Castle is only really valuable for its figs, unless you really don't mind expanding a castle in bright yellow.

I'd recommend the Black Falcon's Fortress (BFF), either the original 6074 version or the newer 10039 version. There are a fair number of them out there due to the re-release and can be found for reasonable prices. 424 pieces, old gray in either version, no baseplate, capable of expansion and uses the early module wall expansion plug system (get two BFFs and you can swing them open and plug 'em together). Lots of good building material for design-your-own, six of the popular Black Falcon figs. It's a small castle, but it has proved very popular for it's excellent design and good parts selection (one of the very best Castle builders, Robert Carney, specifically mentions it as a favorite).

There are a number of very good earlier castles, the trouble is that they are usually expensive and you can, in general, get two (or more!) BFFs for the same price:

6080: Big, gray, a bit plain in comparison to 6074, but one of the most realistic castles.

6086: depends on how you feel about baseplates and black castles, but a very impressive castle with a great fig selection. It's my favorite as a single castle considered by itself, but not as straightforward in ease of expansion.

6085: Kind of a black version of 6080 - not precisely, but spiritually.

Edit in: Just wanted to second everything Ben says immediately below this mesage. All his suggestions are especially good for expanding a 6074 or 6080 castle.

[architect]

Everyone has given good suggestions. If you like carts and siege weapons, I recommend 6030 Catapult, 6022 Horse Cart, and 6012 Siege Cart. All have excellent figures and basic pieces while being relatively affordable prices (all under $10 if you are patient on ebay).

Wall sections are great too. 6062 Battering Ram is a fantastic set. 6061 Siege Tower has some of the best alternate models of any LEGOLAND castle set (in my opinion ). However, these sets will be fought over on ebay.

Do not forget shops also. 6040 Blacksmith Shop and 6041 Armor Shop have good figs, great accessories, and a variety of good submodels.

Basically I would only shy away from sets that are slightly rare and more expensive such as 6011, 6023, 6055, 6060, and 6071 until you build up your collection. King's Castle is the best value of all in terms of pieces and figures.

Ben

[The Hordesman]

Any old non-black old castle. Black castles are not very historically correct and they look... Gloomy. Black Falcons and Lion Knights got plenty of nice grey structures. Guarded Inn is a very general building since its both a civilian and military building, and is very nice and kind of easy(not super easy) to find now after the re-release.

[Norro]

Hello!


If speaking of classic Castle in general, until 1992, I'd suggest to get your hands on the King's Castle 6080. It's the best source of grey pieces ever and it comes with 12 beautiful figures. Also the Battering Ranm 6062 is great for a beginner because it comes with a small wall section and 6 figs of 2 different factions (Falcons and Lions).

In any case you shouldn't expect to get MISB sets. For a start used sets are what you should be searching for.


Bye
Jojo

I'm going to have to second this... Although a 6066 for around $40 is not only the best set ever (my humble opinion) but also a great source of parts...

God Bless,

Nathan

[sperman508]

one of my favorites and my 1st as a kid was 6071 - Forestmen's Crossing. its isnt so much a castle but i love it...

[ottoatm]

I'd suggest to get your hands on the King's Castle 6080

This is my suggestion, although I may be a bit biased because it was both my 1st and 2nd set (I bought 2 by accident... the perfect excuse ).

If that turns out to be too hard to find or $$, I would then suggest the Black Falcons fortress or the other one there... the black falcon castle with the red around the gate... sorry, I'm too lazy to look it up.

If the castles are too expensive for now, then you should go for the smaller sets in that time-frame - try to stay with Black Falcons or Crusaders in the beginning - - best brick selection, most figs, and coolest designs.

[thebusnamedgak]

I would suggest one of the two Black Falcon Fortresses. Those are medium-small, they've got lots of greys, and 6 minifigs each. I would also suggest the sets battering ram and Knight's Stronghold. Although I don't have it (I've bid on them a total of 9 times and lost every time), they are greats sets (because) they come with figs, a machine (catapult or battering ram), and a side of a castle.

Good Luck!!!

[timber_wolf899]

6081 kings mountain fortress is also good.
It doesnt have quite as many parts as the black falcon sets, but has the large brown doors, plus a few suits of armor and a nice lion barding.

alternatively the forestman's river fortress is wonderful if you want to build trees and such.

[Webrain]

I short I would have suggested you to start with 6067(10000) and 6074 (10039) cause both were easy to get till recently for reletvly cheap. Anyway both of those 2 sets have such great potential and have some rare pieces that are not avialble elsewhere and a lot of alternate models that are not less good then the original model. Even buying a few of each if you can. My regret is that I didn't bought 20 of each when they were LEGENDs. After those 2 if you want the best castle ever as a set I'd go with 6080. You can buy some medium size models from "LEGOLAND" period 1984-1990. Some that comes to mind for decent prices are 6066, 6054, 6061 and 6062 (all great sets). Small ones I think 6022, 6023, 6040 and 6041.

[dunamis]

I just bought my first castle set a few weeks ago (6085) and I'm a regular poster over at fbtb.net (mostly a Star Wars Lego site.) I was looking for a good Lego Castle site and someone recommended this site to another poster. Boy am I glad I followed the link, you guys (and gals) are great!

This topic has been a wealth of information for me and I now have some direction on how to expand my castle collection.

Thank you for all the great information!

[Morgan19]

...and someone recommended this site to another poster.

m19

[boses]

I agree, this is the premier site for LEGO castle and fantasy building.............

BTW I think I read the same link that lead me here and the rest is well.........