Is there a chance the Viking line isn't real?

Tedward · Post by **Tedward** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 5:47 pm

Blueandwhite wrote:Fake? How can these be fake? And more to the point, why would anybody assume that these are fake?.

Actually they look very fake to me for two key reasons:

1. Title Font - The "Vikings" label is in an uncial style font totally inconsistent with any known LEGO commercial release. It IS however consistent with known fakes.

2. Sets - While everyone has commented on the PLAYMOBIL "feel" has anyone noticed that it very closely mimics the complete PLAYMOBIL Viking line? It seems to match set for set the current offerings from PLAYMOBIL and while some duplication is inevitable (ie longship) the inclusion of a fortress/longhouse and the fishing boat set seem more than coincidental.

Think of this self-abuse as a form of "knocking on wood". Maybe if we really think it might still be a fake we can ensure it is real.

Fry_slayer · Post by **Fry_slayer** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:48 pm

My analysis goes as follow:

1) Concept: Cool, really cool and it is about time TLC show some (dare i say?) indirect response to MEGABLOCK's Dragon line. All these sounds really convincing. -SCORE

2) The images: Really with the advance of technology at neck breaking speed any one with resource n intention can come up with them, and the "Viking" ward is really fishy looking

Then there is the unfinished look but like some of u guys said, may be it is all conceptual art on rough stage, but why do the images come to view to the public 8 months+ before release is mind boggling, isn't stuff like this strictly confidential? In business point of view unless u monopolies this is extremely important and potentially lethal, what say if, MEGABLOCKS sees it and say,"hey we will do something like that also, introducing-- DRAGON VIKINGS!!" Just six months after the Viking release because they start now, have little to lose since their blocks are cheap. Then the Viking line will lost its "first strike" & uniqueness in record time, bad for business.

3) The new combination: Standard lego with bionicle-like creatures?
Make sense in the light they try to make standard lego users/players to get a taste of bionicle stuff, not to mention to make use of some excess parts they have (maybe). But all in all is logical -SCORE

4) The details in shown set: Among all the sets the Viking ship is the center of my attention, the serpent in the sail is too polished to be a bad hoax, really really fine work. But nine figs in a box of this size is a little too "generous" from TLC pass record, but then again i may be wrong. -SCORE

3 score out of 4 and why do i still keep my fingers crossed? Well all the years of certain let down starting from Fright knights line has indeed build up certain barrier of personal high hopes and my experience in life says a little sceptism keeps u going a long way when things dont turn up right.

LEGO God willing let me restore my faith

Blueandwhite · Post by **Blueandwhite** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:09 pm

Tedward wrote:
Blueandwhite wrote:Fake? How can these be fake? And more to the point, why would anybody assume that these are fake?.
Actually they look very fake to me for two key reasons:

1. Title Font - The "Vikings" label is in an uncial style font totally inconsistent with any known LEGO commercial release. It IS however consistent with known fakes.

2. Sets - While everyone has commented on the PLAYMOBIL "feel" has anyone noticed that it very closely mimics the complete PLAYMOBIL Viking line? It seems to match set for set the current offerings from PLAYMOBIL and while some duplication is inevitable (ie longship) the inclusion of a fortress/longhouse and the fishing boat set seem more than coincidental.

Think of this self-abuse as a form of "knocking on wood". Maybe if we really think it might still be a fake we can ensure it is real.

I appreciate that some people are skeptical, but I was wondering what previous fakes you were speeking of? I really can't remember anything like this being faked before. Also, can you elaborate on the font a bit more. What is it that makes this font consistent with previous forgeries?

I'm not trying to be negative, but it seems that alot of people are really trying to establish that this line is a hoax. I mean, if Jake came out and confirmed that this line was real, nobody would question it, but when confirmation comes from his European counterpart Jan Beyer, its not valid?

To me, this thread seems rediculous! I mean who would invest 20+ hours to photoshop this? The time and effort involved are hardly worth it.

Sir Drake · Post by **Sir Drake** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 8:27 pm

Nah, I don't think it's fake, it looks pretty real to me. I HOPE it's REAL. I don't think that some guy would mold an entire new boat piece.

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 9:21 pm

Tedward wrote:
Blueandwhite wrote:Fake? How can these be fake? And more to the point, why would anybody assume that these are fake?.
Actually they look very fake to me for two key reasons:

1. Title Font - The "Vikings" label is in an uncial style font totally inconsistent with any known LEGO commercial release. It IS however consistent with known fakes.

I'm not sure how using a new type face (consistent with the period, though for Viking victims rather than Vikings themselves) for a new theme qualifies it as "fake", much less "very fake".

2. Sets - While everyone has commented on the PLAYMOBIL "feel" has anyone noticed that it very closely mimics the complete PLAYMOBIL Viking line? It seems to match set for set the current offerings from PLAYMOBIL and while some duplication is inevitable (ie longship) the inclusion of a fortress/longhouse and the fishing boat set seem more than coincidental.

Are you saying someone manufactured a horde of new parts and designed new sets just to produce a fake?

Tedward · Post by **Tedward** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 9:28 pm

Blueandwhite wrote:
I appreciate that some people are skeptical, but I was wondering what previous fakes you were speeking of? ... I mean who would invest 20+ hours to photoshop this? The time and effort involved are hardly worth it.

First re: Photoshop - other than building the models it would take less than half the 20+ hours you suggest for anyone competant to create these images. I dabble in photoshop and could probably come up with similar small grainy pictures in about 1.5 hours per image total.

Second: Fakes - I knew you would ask. Well there are the actual rip-offs like http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=520778 which are obvious but the really good ones I cannot point out because I don't collect those sort of links. There was the grey/castle bin a while back and I saw someone else doing their own "line" of LEGO sets on Brickshelf last year that included box art using a similar font. They had made the triangular logos and everything.

Look, I am 99.9% sure they are real. I WANT them to be real. I just think that until someone I trust (like Jake) says they are real then I will not commit myself nor jinx it by admitting it!

Dragon Master · Post by **Dragon Master** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:43 pm

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=520778

LMAO! Silly Shifty, fakes are for kids!

Jojo · Post by **Jojo** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:35 pm

Hello!

I can understand very well that many people think those Viking sets are not real. This way if it turns out they are really not real the disappointment and frustration won't be as bad. Don't have high hopes and they cannot get shattered to pieces.

Tedward wrote:Look, I am 99.9% sure they are real. I WANT them to be real. I just think that until someone I trust (like Jake) says they are real then I will not commit myself nor jinx it by admitting it!

I'm sorry and I wholeheartedly excuse for Germany not having a Jake McKee. We only have some else LEGO empoyee for community liaison whose name is Jan Beyer. He assured me that there will be Viking sets in August that deal with Norse mythology. By the way, Jan is working in Billund, the place where LEGO is made. So I guess he knows pretty well what's upcoming.

Bye
Jojo

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:36 am

Tedward wrote:Look, I am 99.9% sure they are real. I WANT them to be real. I just think that until someone I trust (like Jake) says they are real then I will not commit myself nor jinx it by admitting it!

Actually they look very fake to me for two key reasons:

Okay, which is it: "very fake" or "99.9% sure they are real"?

Post by **JoshWedin** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:53 am

Jojo wrote:He assured me that there will be Viking sets in August that deal with Norse mythology. By the way, Jan is working in Billund, the place where LEGO is made. So I guess he knows pretty well what's upcoming.

Bye
Jojo

This is my main reason for thinking these are real. Jan Beyer would know and he confirmed it. However, it seems to me that this thread is going in circles. The same arguements are going around and around. Can we just want until August (or whenever) and see what happens?

Josh

Blueandwhite · Post by **Blueandwhite** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:13 am

Tedward wrote:
Blueandwhite wrote:
I appreciate that some people are skeptical, but I was wondering what previous fakes you were speeking of? ... I mean who would invest 20+ hours to photoshop this? The time and effort involved are hardly worth it.
First re: Photoshop - other than building the models it would take less than half the 20+ hours you suggest for anyone competant to create these images. I dabble in photoshop and could probably come up with similar small grainy pictures in about 1.5 hours per image total.

Second: Fakes - I knew you would ask. Well there are the actual rip-offs like http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=520778 which are obvious but the really good ones I cannot point out because I don't collect those sort of links. There was the grey/castle bin a while back and I saw someone else doing their own "line" of LEGO sets on Brickshelf last year that included box art using a similar font. They had made the triangular logos and everything.

Look, I am 99.9% sure they are real. I WANT them to be real. I just think that until someone I trust (like Jake) says they are real then I will not commit myself nor jinx it by admitting it!

I am well aware of Shifty Bricks. One of the major distinction between Shifty Bricks and this Viking line is that all of the Bricks sold by Shifty are simply ripped from pre-existing molds. Perhaps the "line" you are referring to is this one. Again, the obvious difference between these examples and the Viking line is that this new Viking line has a number of elements that are simply unavailable at this time.

With the greatest of respect for your photoshop skills, I don't think its just the image editing that makes a great forgery. What about the production of new elements or bricks for this line? To build these models, and create these elements (whether with some form of graphic editor, or physically) would take considerable time. If this was a fake, the effort exerted by the forger is astounding!!

Finally, while some people are reluctant to believe anything that doesn't come from Jake, I trust Jojo, and I also trust Jan Beyer. The thought of a lego representative lying on this subject is just too absurd to debate any further.

Tedward · Post by **Tedward** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:20 pm

OK, guys, how many smilies do I have to put in a post before you see them?

I am not really arguing that they are fake. I am just doing the online equivalent of "knocking on wood" (A colloquial expression in English speaking countries in case anyone has not heard of it before.)

Sheesh, maybe we can lock this silly thread now.