Dear Castle Designers [Updated]

[Fenneke-Jose]

I really liked reading about Lego this way and I got confirmed what I was thinking. I am really pleased the Castle line will be continued with other release end of this year (the minifigure's sets) and the sets for next year (trolls and dwarves).

Keep up the good work! En hopely we will see you back with the 2009 Castle line

Greetings,

José

[Adam]

how did you create the design for the trolls?

[DARKspawn]

Wow, thanks to Matthew Ashton & his fellow Castle designers for answering our questions, what a great insight into the background and creative process that brought us this fantastic line! I am really sad about there never being classic plumes again though *sniff, lets hope you guys can come up with an even better design for the new plumes

This is where LEGO Factory and/or a new sort of "Idea Book" would work very well. They could release "virtual" sets using LEGO Factory by adding a few parts to the palette perhaps even creating a section like Modular Houses for castle.

I had the same thought, I would love to see that.

[Mr.Bump]

Mr.Bump thanks the designers for responding.
Mr Bump thinks that was a great article, but thinks that the best part of the ols sets was being able to build more thank one thing with the pieces they gave you, and hope TLC takes that into consideration with the new instructions.

Bump.

[timber_wolf899]

The full walled castle problem.

Noticing the remarks on the airy towers I wonder if lego designers have considered a hinged fortress such as 6080. In a set like this you can photograph it as a huge impressive wall with all features on display, then us fans can close it to make a walled castle.

Have you guys looked into this concept for future castles?

I know as a kid i loved the opening castles. It was like having two forts in one!. <is it a fort, or a wall across a mountain pass, etc>

[LORD DOOM]

This has been an incredible read. It's so comforting to know that the Castle designers have such a solid and practical mindset when putting together the theme that will no doubt shape this entire portion of the AFOL community for some time to come. It was really cool reading about how, the design team would love to do what we'd all love to see, 1000's of bricks, hundreds of figs and yet give us such an understandable explanation as to why they don't or rather, they just can't and it makes perfect sense. Despite limitations we have one of the best most true to CC line of products that they can put together It's more than obvious to me that they are paying very close attention to our suggestions and requests and that they've got insanely vivid wild imaginations which spur them to creating the incredible concepts that have become this newest line of LEGO© products.

I'm very happy with this years line and I look forward to next years.

[Gumby]

Great read! Thanks for making such an article possible: Ambassadors, Matthew Ashton & company.

I only have one comment/question: Where (as in what countries) do the "kid-testing sessions" take place?

I wonder if the kids need to sign NDAs?

As a side note, I'm now very curious as to what the design/marketing approach was like back in the 80s...

[The Blue Knight]

I missed the "Q" but really enjoyed the "A." This article confirmed many of my guesses. I have a 95% approval rating up from 7.36% with KK 1 or II. The veiled hints about the future are reminencent of the 80s and 90s. Too bad about the plumes, I'm glad I still have so many. But, "you can never go home," as the saying goes. But the future should be very bright indeed. Kudos to Matt and the team, here's hoping for more of the same success in 2008 and beyond. Thanks for listening to us TLC, and a thanks to Ben and the others for so ably representing our castle AFOL postion with TLC.

Richard

[Spongey]

Thanks to the LEGO designers for taking the time to answer our questions. I'm really looking forward to Castle '08. With regards to the special item, I would love to see a big castle exclusive, but my current guess is a LEGO Castle Video Game, along the lines of LEGO SW.

[Paradosis]

Very much enjoyed the article, I appreciate the willingness to share

[The_Vanquished]

Yes, I also enjoyed that article. Speaking of way back when I got a large set, I would dump all the bags together, and search and search and search for the piece, and when I finally gave up, it would be sitting right in front of me. Good times.

The only time I actually was missing a piece was back when the first X-Wing came out, and I didn't get a flat tile. I found one in my own collection(of a different color!) later.

To Matthew Ashton and all the other designers, I thank you for the work you put into this year's line.

[Odysseus]

Yes, thank you for putting so much into this year's sets: time, thought, consumer opinion, etc. I have not purchased a Lego castle set since 1994ish. I had not built since then, either (with the exception of a few Star Wars sets). I was at Toys R Us with my daughter and she nearly lost me when I spotted the new castle line. I couldn't believe what I saw and I knew I just had to get back into building. The new line actually led me to visit and join this site, so thanks!

Jonathan

[Quickblade22]

A very interesting and much appriciated article. Thanks for the insight and behind scenes view of the development process. It's good to see that this communities input is being heard. Keep the good work coming.

[The_Vanquished]

I was at Toys R Us with my daughter and she nearly lost me when I spotted the new castle line.

Isn't it usually the other way around?

[Odysseus]

I was at Toys R Us with my daughter and she nearly lost me when I spotted the new castle line.

Isn't it usually the other way around?

Is should be!