The Search for the Greatest Castle Set of All Time: Vote Now

[Robin Hood]

Well, the time has come. The votes are in, polls are closed, and the tally is done.

The Greatest Castle Set of All Time, as nominated and voted by you, is:

#10193 Medieval Market Village



There you have it folks. While the number of votes was not near as big as I would have hoped, the numbers can still stand I think.

#10193 Medieval Market Village - Nominated by Ye Olde Republic - 30% of the votes.

#6080 King's Castle - Nominated by Athos - 25% of the votes.

#6086 Black Knight's Castle - Nominated by Aliencat - 20% of the votes.

#6067 Guarded Inn - Nominated by Jojo - 15% of the votes.

#6074 Black Falcon's Fortress - Nominated by Blueandwhite - 10% of the votes.

All the sets are truly great stuff, but isn't it interesting that a civilian set came out ahead of eight different castles, not to mention four other "military" sets? I can only hope Lego sees this and takes what it shows to heart. Amazing that a set released not even two years ago won. And yet, only four sets from the last ten years were nominated. It shows, I think, indisputably what this community wants to see from future sets.

Thanks to all who both nominated and voted. While I had hoped to have more discussion on the sets, I do believe this is a success, and hope some of you enjoyed this.

Dan

[Blueandwhite]

All the sets are truly great stuff, but isn't it interesting that a civilian set came out ahead of eight different castles, not to mention four other "military" sets? I can only hope Lego sees this and takes what it shows to heart. Amazing that a set released not even two years ago won. And yet, only four sets from the last ten years were nominated. It shows, I think, indisputably what this community wants to see from future sets.

Actually, I don't find the results particularly surprising. We as AFOLs have been starved of civilian sets for the thirty or so years we've enjoyed castle sets making the MMV very special to many of us. Moreover, as AFOLs the structures closely resemble many of the works we might produce. This poll would certainly have a different outcome if it was presented to children.

As an AFOL it is very difficult to find serious faults with the MMV. In many ways it gave fans something they could never buy previously. We've only had a handful of genuine civilian sets so the MMV really stands out for all the right reasons. I certainly hope we see another similar set in the future though.

Thank you again for running your poll Dan.

[Bluesecrets]

I am not surprised for an entirely different reason.

I don't know about the rest of you but when it comes to castle sets...well I find them lacking. I would much rather build my own castle and make it epic and complete than fall head over heals for a castle set that...well some are nice but are they as tasty as the MMV? I guess that would be an opinion, but taken even the most current castle line, Kingdoms. I find myself being all "meh" about the buildings and looking toward them as part packs and fig packs. Sure that could be very much because I build tan castles but even if I was a bley castle builder...I just see "meh." Now MMV does have some structural issues, but I can over look those. I got two really good buildings that I can use over and over. I got cows! I got cool figs, both male and female, AND I got a lot of good parts. AND! And this is a very important one to me...because I despise those big ugly wall and corner pieces...it is brick..not big ugly wall and corner pieces.

No my MMV's both sets, have not been torn down, maybe one will, but I think I doubt it will. They are just too useful in potential other builds.

[eilonwy77]

I love the Medieval Market Village set as well. I don't think it's surprising that it won. I think it being a recent set also works in its favor. The people voting on these castle sets are all current LEGO fans, so they are probably all fairly familiar with this set. But not all of the current fans will be familiar with the older sets. I have a few castle sets from 1990 or so, but then I had a long Dark Age where a bunch of stuff came out that I am not familiar with and would not have voted for, if that makes sense. It seems in a lot of these kind of polls, the results will skew in the direction of more recent entries.

[Count Blacktron]

That's a good point about how active your memory or ownership of the sets goes toward popularity. I have to say, a lot of the older sets do not have quite the detail or features that newer sets might have, but there was that whole unforgettable KK2 period where sets lacked any detail save action features. I have to say that a good building experience, a good play experience and a good display experience all factor toward what we vote for. That being said a castle is only as good as you find the parts and elements in your own experience. That Medieval Market Village is the experience many of us have been asking for since the 1980s.

[Blueandwhite]

After reading Bluesecrets' comments I think she has stated perfectly what makes the MMV so revered for AFOLs. I agree with her about the 'meh' factor of many castle sets which lack the detail and size we have come to expect as adults. The fact that the MMV is built predominantly with actual bricks and not with oversized pre-fab wall pieces certainly is refreshing.

Remember, this set is still available (if only for a very short time). Those of you who don't have it; get it while you can!

[Athos]

How can we conclude the MMV is the greatest, when 70% of the voters didn't think it was the greatest?



Steve

[RichardAM]

I didn't partake in this project for a number of reasons, but MMV as one of the better sets is definitely something I can get behind.

I find it interesting that despite being fans of the castle what most of us want is not a castle but a civilian set or diorama. That's not to low-blow MMV, because it is a fantastic set full of useful pieces, figs, parts and details. I'm pretty sure if TLG had a similar mindset in creating an actual castle set of a similar calibre we'd go gaga over that too.

That's not a hypothetical question, that's an order. Make it happen TLG!

[Bruce N H]

Hey,

I think one of the reasons behind the popularity of a particular civilian set is that there are so few truly civilian sets. I'm sure if LEGO put out 95% civilian village sets and only an occasional military set, we'd all be jumping up and down over the military set. But I definitely agree, I'd love to see them put out a castle built with the same level of detail and intricate construction as the MMV.

Bruce

[insurrection]

Remember, this set is still available (if only for a very short time). Those of you who don't have it; get it while you can!

Is there a date when it will go out of production or is it just speculations?
Thought exlusive/hard to find-sets usually stayed for 2 years (2011 in the case of MMV then).

And yeah, I think it's a fair winner, and among the finalists it's the one I would have voted for too.

[Blueandwhite]

Remember, this set is still available (if only for a very short time). Those of you who don't have it; get it while you can!

Is there a date when it will go out of production or is it just speculations?
Thought exlusive/hard to find-sets usually stayed for 2 years (2011 in the case of MMV then).

And yeah, I think it's a fair winner, and among the finalists it's the one I would have voted for too.

As a rule of thumb, most sets seem to stay around for about a year before being discontinued. With the Castle line now on the backburner and the new Kingdoms line firmly established in the LEGO lineup it's only a matter of time before the MMV disappears for good. While some exclusives stick around for a good run, others disappear rather quickly and are not reissued. The Giant Chess set for example was only available for a very short period of time.

It certainly is possible that the MMV might stick around for a while, if you wait you run the risk of having to hunt it down on the secondary market. I find that most items when they reach the "hard to find" listing over on shop@home don't seem to last too for much longer.

[Lord Insanity]

Is there a date when it will go out of production or is it just speculations?
Thought exlusive/hard to find-sets usually stayed for 2 years (2011 in the case of MMV then).

And yeah, I think it's a fair winner, and among the finalists it's the one I would have voted for too.

The MMV was introduced in January of 2009. 2010 is its second year, get it while you can.

Of the finalists I voted for the 6086 Black Knight's Castle, MMV would have been my second choice. I own both though.

[Elbadar]

All right the MMV won. I was behind it all the way . Great challenge BTW, I truly believe the best set won.

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

How can we conclude the MMV is the greatest, when 70% of the voters didn't think it was the greatest?



Steve

Great. I was looking forward to this finale, and wouldn't have given this a second thought. But now you've gone and pointed out the obvious question which is going to keep me awake at nights.

[J_MAN]

I vote for #6080 King's Castle. Defiantly the best castle set ever!