Jelly Bean Knights

[Sniezka]

I'm a newbie and I'm very inexperienced in castle matters but I don't get why nobody likes Jelly bean knights. They look cute and fun to play with. These where made for kids.

[AK_Brickster]

Well, true, they may have been made to appeal to little kids, but most of the people on this site aren't little kids, so we are less appreciative of the color scheme. Much like there's nothing wrong with Barbie dolls if you're a 4 yr old girl, but if you are a 34 year old man, you might not particularly care for them, lol.

Additionally, not only do people dislike the ridiculous color scheme of the KK2 knights, they also resent the fact that TLG was "wasting their time" producing these sets, when, in our eyes, they could have been pursuing more desirable pursuits.

Lastly, in my experience, the quality of the figs released at that time was pretty sub-par. Lots of sticker decals instead of actual printing. Another big no-no to adult/teen collectors.

[OverLoad]

If the visors and new chest designs had been released in more realistic colors, I'm sure the community would have appreciated them much more.

Furthermore, how often is one going to use a knight that is as red as red gets all over his body?

[lord_of_orks]

plus there helms looked like motorcycle helmets or something, not to mention the "castonicles" they brought with them

[sidewinderl]

I don't believe I would have liked KK2 at any point that I can remember playing with Lego as a kid, and I grew up on the original Power Rangers (and still like it...but only the original cast). I even watched Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog in high school. So I was certainly familiar with the "Jelly Bean" concept, but this was the face I made the instant I saw the first few KK2 sets and realized it wasn't a joke:

[captainamerica]

I don't hate them at all, but I realize I am in the minority. And I should say I bought most of these sets on closeout ( like the 8877 for $25). Of course, I don't think they're an especially great faction, but have a few tricks I use to keep them in the rotation of my MOCs population:

1) More knights in a crowd (melee, tourney, mob) is almost always a good thing.
2) All visors, even the silly ones, look about the same when open.

also, Jayko looks pretty good on a Harry Potter Griffin, if you like having a strong fantasy element.

[Count Blacktron]

Their floppy, flimsy, and way too colorful to be made of metal "Zwords" were horrid. I would have much rather had more of the classic short-sword or anything else. Could not see much purpose for those. The theme as a whole was not a bad idea, but the execution was bright to the point of being preschool and therefore comical more than you would expect. The sets also used a larger number of oversized parts and Bionicle elements that looked downright chunky. Another fact, LEGO kicked off the brighter grey and brown colors with this theme, making it even more exceedingly jolly and clown-like.

And then there were the hot-rod jousting "horse-bikes".
Holy-mother-of-spit those were terrible.

[Shadowviking]

I didn't really like the knight figures much myself, but just to play devil's advocate, painted armour doesn't seem all that outlandish.

[Eklund]

Their floppy, flimsy, and way too colorful to be made of metal "Zwords" were horrid.

I actually thought the swords that did come in metalic colors like gold and silver were pretty cool. This line actually got me into castle, I even loved the wheeled horses. That doesn't mean I think the same way about them now though. My favorite set from the line is the "8780 Citadel of Orlan", because even though it was poorly designed, it came with one of my all time favorite torsos, this one.

[Quickblade22]

AK Brickster pointed out the most common reasons why the majority on this site did not like them. I think 2 other big reasons were that 1, there was a story included among the theme that some felt told us how to play with our Lego and more importantly 2, this was the first theme after the biggest time gap in Castle history (3 years). The anticipation was so great that when the sets came, the disappointment was magnified. Also as Count Blacktron mentioned, this was when the color swap from classic gray to the new blueish gray was introduced. There seemed so many things wrong with this theme, that it just all added up to a huge failure in the eyes of most here. There has been some things that were well liked by some that have been pointed out. My favorites in particular include the newer faces (with pupil eyes), the Shadow Knight helmets, and the inclusion of the armor known widely as "Euro armor".

[JoshWedin]

There has been some things that were well liked by some that have been pointed out. My favorites in particular include the newer faces (with pupil eyes), the Shadow Knight helmets, and the inclusion of the armor known widely as "Euro armor".

I really liked the Shadow Knights. Still one of my favorite "evil" factions.

Josh

[Bluesecrets]

I really liked the Shadow Knights. Still one of my favorite "evil" factions.

Agreed. But to answer the initial question, I believe it is the colors that bother people. Unrealistic or not, some people just didn't like them. Me? I'm all about the Shadow Knights.

[athronieth]

I don't hate them at all, but I realize I am in the minority. And I should say I bought most of these sets on closeout ( like the 8877 for $25). Of course, I don't think they're an especially great faction, but have a few tricks I use to keep them in the rotation of my MOCs population:

1) More knights in a crowd (melee, tourney, mob) is almost always a good thing.
2) All visors, even the silly ones, look about the same when open.

also, Jayko looks pretty good on a Harry Potter Griffin, if you like having a strong fantasy element.

I am in the same minority as Captain America. I too think JB knights and sets were subpar and I bought the ones I did on the cheap, but some of the knights and even much despised pre-fab pieces (like wall moldings) and stickers have found places in Quelta the Emerald Isle, my Lego fantasy world.

[davee123]

For me, the colors weren't really a huge issue. The problems I had with them were:

1) There weren't really any "soldiers" or generic figures, other than the Shadow Knights (who were awesome). There was a tiny smattering in later sets, but none initially. And what does every LEGO castle fan love more than anything else? Army building! ... And KK2 offered almost none.

2) Juniorization was pretty high in these sets. I actually think it was slightly better than KK1 in that regard, but not by much. Compared to every other sub-theme of castle, KK1 and KK2 were the worst, in my opinion.

3) New colors were introduced that year. So for the first time, I didn't feel like there was ANY reason to stock up on the sets. At least in KK1, I thought "well, at least I can always use more light gray bricks!" Suddenly, I couldn't even do that. The only reason (for me) to stock up on KK2 stuff was to get more Shadow Knights.

The bright colors? They're alright-- but only in moderation. I don't mind seeing a single "red knight" on the field, or a single "blue knight", or what have you. But what am I going to do with a horde of them? They lose their distinctive aspect when ALL you have are colored knights (and no soldiers!)

DaveE

[lord_of_orks]

The bright colors? They're alright-- but only in moderation. I don't mind seeing a single "red knight" on the field, or a single "blue knight", or what have you. But what am I going to do with a horde of them? They lose their distinctive aspect when ALL you have are colored knights (and no soldiers!)

DaveE

I totally agree with this.It's like having a army of commanders, a few is good, but a army of them makes no sense and ruins there uniqueness.
BTW, if you want to see some of the good things about KK2 check out this thread.