Which sets to get?

[Citembe]

I have always considered myself a Technic- or Modelteam-head, but lately I have wanted to get into minifig-scale building.

The Castle-theme is definately one of the themes that speaks most to my imagination, so my question is:

If I want to move into the Castle-theme, which sets should I get, considering both how good the sets are themselves, but also the availability at decent prices?

I already have the Blacksmiths shop, the reissued Guarded Inn and the 6066 Camouflaged Outpost.

Any advice?

[Troy]

I was going to suggest that you get the K10039 LEGO Legends Castle Collection, as this is a great way to "jump start" a castle collection. The sets it includes are all great on their own, and you end up with a wide range of useful parts for making your own creations.

As you already have two of the sets in this collections (the Blacksmith Shop and the Guarded Inn), I would recommend getting the remaining set, the Black Falcon's Fortress. Depending on your budget, you may wish to go ahead and get the kit anyways though, as it is a great deal and you would end up with even more cool parts for your own creations.

Troy

[Citembe]

I didn't even know about the K10039 kit, but I was planning on buying a few more Blacksmith Shops and the Black Falcon's Fortress. So I might go for the K10039.

I will probably try and build some civilian houses in the half-timbered style.

BTW here is a great ressource for some inspiration on half-timbered houses:
http://www.dengamleby.dk/buildings.htm
Click on any of the buildings to see the real pictures.

It is a museum with a collection of urban buildings from the last 500 years or so, collected from various places in Denmark. All the building have been carefully taken down from their original site and rebuild here.
http://www.dengamleby.dk/english.htm

Martin

[architect]

Thank you for the link to the half timbered buildings. I briefly studied this museum in an architecture class. I would like to go there one day. It is too bad that the buildings had to be moved from their original locations.

I agree with Troy, BFF is a definite set to own. Blacksmith Shop has 622 pieces so it is great for building castle moc's. Many castle builders own several of these.
I hope you enjoy building "castle" related creations!

Ben E.

[Citembe]

I would like to go there one day.

Actually, it is not far from Billund, so who knows?

How about older sets, are there some particular good ones, perhaps some underrated ones, that can be recommendet to go and look for?

I hope you enjoy building "castle" related creations!

He he, I sure will , I have just spend a few hours figuring out the corners of my first partly SNOT-build, half-timbered MOC-house.

Martin

[Glencaer]

"How about older sets, are there some particular good ones, perhaps some underrated ones, that can be recommendet to go and look for?"

To me, buying older sets for parts is a waste of money. You can go to bulk suppliers (like Troy's Surplus - link on the main page) and buy as much grey brick as you can. I find that most other detail parts (arches, windows, etc) can be spread out thinly and still look good if you got a giant pile of grey. Anthony's Stonebarrow Keep prooves that.

I've found that buying grey bulk from Bricklink sellers (like Troy's Surplus - link on the main page) is the best, cheapest way to get it (aside from bargain sales, etc).

-Lenny

[ratmfan]

hi! i think that you might be better or buying in bulk than buying older sets for parts. the only advantage to sets it that you get the men also. i have built a few castles, and i actually bought in bulk from lego shop at home. sometimes it is more expensive than brickshelf, but not in my personal experience. also, you dont have to go to multiple sellers to find all the parts you need. finally, all the parts are brand new and SHINEY!!! i hate having the odd faded yellowy/grey part show up in my castle walls! that is how i got my parts, and i was quite happy with the outcome.

if, however, you are interested in older sets, i must say that the Black Falcons Fortress is the best bang for your buck. the price is low vs the volume of grey part and men you get. hope that helps!

steve

[rogue27]

Buy in multiples depending on your budget. Anyway, here are things I'd suggest getting:

The Legend Castle Collection... over 1000 parts for $90, and it's $15 cheaper than buying the three sets separately and you get a good assortment of minifigs, parts, and equipment.

32x32 Green Baseplates for making things that conform to the CCC standard.

Some bulk parts in black, and grey. Also get green if you want to do some terrain.

Some roof slopes in different colors.

The "Tree" kit for $2.50 in the seasonal section. Useful parts for building custom foliage and terrain.

The minifig headgear kit... because in a real medieval town, every single person is not wearing a helmet. About half of the parts are hair in different colors and styles, and it comes in handy. I find that you can still get good money if you sell off the rest of the hats if you don't need them.

The castle minifig equipment kit can be useful to get some parts you can't get in any current offerings, like the maiden cone hat and other things.

All of this stuff is available on Lego Shop@Home.

I wouldn't recommend buying old sets for parts, because you pay too much to get them on ebay or wherever. However, old sets like Armor Shop are still good to add to a display you build.