Page 1 of 5

Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:20 am
by timber_wolf899
All;

With the highlander claymore now showing up in main system LOTR sets, and the gladius showing up in two minifig series it seems safe to say that we have two new members of the lego sword family. I'm interested to know your thoughts on these swords.

For myself, while I like the blade design the hilts just do not 'do it' for me. For some reason the new swords seem 'cheap' next to the classic short swords. Do you agree or is that just me?

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:48 am
by lord_of_orks
I haven't gotten any of the LotR sets so I can't judge the swords that come in them, but I do feel that way about the CMF highland warriors sword. on the other hand the gladiators sword is quite the opposite, I think its one of the best lego's made.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:15 am
by Medieval Guy
Anything to add some variety to the arsenal! They're both fairly realistic, and I think they look great.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:25 am
by Count Blacktron
They are nice, but they do not have the multiple angle versatility of the classic sword. A minifigure could not only hold the classic sword by the handle, but also the cross-guard. Another unique feature of the classic sword is the round "pommel" that could clutch in the minifigure hand and allow a simulated thrust of the blade. Sure it was oversized, but it had more options for use and fits perfectly in so many slots and spaces within many LEGO elements.

Nice though the new ones are. :wink:

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 10:09 am
by OverLoad
On top of that, we also have the new LOTR exclusive (at this point) Sting sword, found in the Weathertop set.

And I love new additions to the range of a minifig's arsenal! Now that LEGO is really starting to branch out with weapons, maybe we'll see some newer armor in the actual Castle theme... *cough*sallet*cough* :lol:

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 10:56 am
by Dubbadgrim
Those swords from the collectable minifigs were pretty good, but I wasn't impressed with the small grey weapons from the kingdoms blacksmith set.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:30 pm
by mitah
Dubbadgrim wrote:Those swords from the collectable minifigs were pretty good, but I wasn't impressed with the small grey weapons from the kingdoms blacksmith set.
I agree wholeheartedly - they looked/felt cheap and somewhat out of place in the Lego world... I wonder, has anyone had any use for the small bow/arrow combo? I can't think of any way to incorporate them (maybe as some kind of railing, but not as a weapon)

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 5:18 pm
by krzyzak
As with lord of orks, I don't have any sets. Still, those pictures that show the swords make them look awesome. To me, the swords are more interesting than the classic one.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:15 pm
by Quickblade22
I think the 2 swords being referenced in this topic are not bad. They look way better than the Zwords in my opinion, but do sort of make the classic short sword seem out of place. Being a user of customized swords form BrickForge, I don't have a hard time incorporating them into my collection. If I were a purist, I think I'd be happy with this new selection. Those smaller weapons that appear in the Blacksmith set and the Heroica games are best used as play toys for minifig children. Except for the daggers, that's what I use them for. :wink:

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:57 pm
by Elderon
The new swords are awesome! As a purist they were like a gift from the gods :D I have collected quite the armory as of now, and am glad to see they are becoming the new standard-ish sword (well at least in the new Lord of the Rings sets), Not that there is anything wrong with the old ones, it's just that they look so blunt... The new weapons look more like real weapons than the old ones.

The weapons from Heroica and the blacksmith are indeed not to be used as real weapons. I use them as ornaments in houses or on buildings, but not as a weapon.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 12:01 pm
by andhe
I love the new swords (both the highlander and gladius). Especially as they are now coming in more colours. The gladius is a cool sword for assasins, mercenaries and the like, as it looks a lot more aggresive than the classic short sword. The new highlander sword, in my opinion, is a great replacement for the chromed 'greatsword' as that always felt a bit too large, and should be reserved for royalty or ceremonial use etc.

The Heroica weapons primaty function was to be used in the game, and fit on the hero pack, with minifg use as a secondary function I guess. Whilst the bow does look silly, the axe, sword, daggers and staffs are all usable for handheld accessories. Sometimes the quality has been a bit off, but I guess they are cheap to produce in one pack, so would explain its usage in the Blacksmiths set, rather than putting in various individual weapons that would increase the price of the set.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 4:29 pm
by mencot
I like them both, the gladius is exellent. They could make a short sword version of the new long sword, like the classic sword but with a pointy edge.

The historica weapons, hmm the daggers are good and like the old ones. But the sword and axe are way to small in size, they are good weapons for hobbits :D.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 3:23 am
by Athos
I prefer the original swords. Its probably mostly nostalgia, but they seem more Lego-like to me.

The new swords are great designs, but they make the old ones look cartoony and childish. So I don't think they go well together. And when I have to pick between old and new, I'm going with old most every time.

Steve

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 11:22 pm
by Frank_Lloyd_Knight
I think the new swords are great for the figures they've been paired with, but I wouldn't dream of putting one in the hands of any of my classic figures. For putting together unique minifigs to represent a certain historical period, it's nice to have a variety to choose from.

Re: Opinions on the new swords

Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 2:57 pm
by Tria
I really like this greatsword found in evil knight, in highland battler and in almost every lotr set... I agree with Athos that new greatswords make the old swords childish and cartoony...but I dont see a compatibility problem though... maybe there is a problem when having the old greatsword next to the new one..

But I also like all the swords from companies which manufacture accessories for lego minifigs like brickforge etc.. I dont know what the opinion of Lego is on that, but I really like what they offer... great variety in shapes, colors, models! You can find anything.. from realistic swords to fictive weapons..
For my main army I use lego swords since they are sooo cheaper and therefore easier to acquire... Also you can have many different colors (grey, pearl dark grey, light pearl gray etc...) but for the "protagonists" in every army I mainly use swords from other companies and from LEGO only the new greatsword from LEGO...