For me "classic" has two meanings:
Firstly ... from 1984 till 1992 there was a continuous line of different factions that interacted with each other ...
Secondly "classic" for me always has the meaning "yellow Castle and surrounding sets"...
Well yes and no.
"yellow Castle and surrounding sets" are not even a castle theme. They like an add-on under city back then or something, something that TLC was testing.
I have to agree with the other assumption that from 1984-1990 (or 1992 if you insist) is probably more classic. Castles looks like real castles, the symbols are much more accurate and sets fitstogether with what came before them.
I said 1990 and not 1992 cause 1990 is thh last LEGOLAND year while 1992 is the first system year which obviously changed everything. 1991/2 are prehaps the transition years from one to another.
I voted for until 1992.
I think we could consider 1984-1992 sets as classic too. Classic is usually refering to 1978-1983 sets, as jojo said, but I think we could include 1984-1992 now. They became classics.
Something become classic, when people constantly refering to them as the good days. That's exactly what we do. And now that 6067 and 6074(both 1986) were released as Legend, I think the classic label is justified.
I voted 1992. I like the Dragon Masters. I actually had them as leaders in my army for a while, though right now they aren't being used except for in the jousting ring.
However, I think of "classic" castle as the era where almost all the faces were the basic Smiley (I include Wolfpack in there too).
The Classic Era was the Yellow Castle. This is not to say that good time weren't to come. The Classic Age was part of the Golden Age in my opinion that was to end in 1990. Since then, Lego has had to appeal to a youth weaned on video games and 24 hour news. I am hopeful Lego can come back to products that stir imagination rather than cater to a attention-deficit clientel. Harry Potter sets are the best castle sets available to us today, from there we must supply the fire. This is a great community, and I'm proud to be a part. How does it go?; "Leg Got" Play On! Do it to it.
Men who lie, merely hide the truth; but men who tell half-lies, have forgotten where they put it--Samuel Clemens
I'm not allowed to buy Harry Potter sets, so right now Ebay and Bricklink are my only sources of LEGOs. They NEED to come out with more castle Legends.