new castle factions

[Tower of Iron Will]

As much as I like having Lion factions, it does puzzle me why LEGO would go right back to another Lion and Dragon faction so close to 2010 Lion/Dragon factions. They should have continued on with the 2010 faction colors or, make entirely new factions. I seriously thought they would have brought back the Black Falcons. That would have been cool, because then they could have revamped the Forestmen faction.

Because of the new/current Red Dragons, I made the Green Dragon faction less evil and devious. I didn't want to have two Dragon factions both be the bad guy.

I do, however, like having new LEGO Castle in the store to buy which is better than none.
-Tower

[Ferretclaw]

Yes I think its great that they have a new castle, and it is a great theme so far. They have fantasy elements too, so hoping for some elves and dwarves here... I just think that a new symbol would be great for a new faction.

[Karalora]

This may be a dumb question, but why are people so eager to see the return of the Black Falcons? Is it just because the shield design was cool, or is there another reason?

Here's a thought: variety in the heraldry is another good reason to bring back Vikings! I love the giant shields that came with the longship set, with all those knotwork patterns and runes. And nary a lion in sight!

[Bluesecrets]

This may be a dumb question, but why are people so eager to see the return of the Black Falcons? Is it just because the shield design was cool, or is there another reason?

I think there are a variety of reasons. Nostalgia is one. They are clean, good figures. They were readily available for a long period of time so people have an okay army of them and would like more. Their color combination is nice, not busy. Anyone wanting to build a decent army is wanting to fill their army. Black falcons and the scorpion knights are my primarily factions and I'm good with that. Does it mean I need/want more black falcons? I kind of need shields and flags, but I'm willing to pay the price for them on bricklink rather than see a new version of them come out. Although, I am one of the few that wanted to see yellow black falcons to match the yellow shields that existed. (And to any of you who are going to tell me naked knights with a big black falcon tattooed on their chests would be dumb...how about you get your mind out of the whole nakedness and think about color coordination.)

But I don't think they will return. Like I have wondered many times, as everything that is over the age of the copy right has been getting a re-model, I can't see old factions coming back.

[Ferretclaw]

This may be a dumb question, but why are people so eager to see the return of the Black Falcons? Is it just because the shield design was cool, or is there another reason?

I think there are a variety of reasons. Nostalgia is one. They are clean, good figures. They were readily available for a long period of time so people have an okay army of them and would like more. Their color combination is nice, not busy. Anyone wanting to build a decent army is wanting to fill their army. Black falcons and the scorpion knights are my primarily factions and I'm good with that. Does it mean I need/want more black falcons? I kind of need shields and flags, but I'm willing to pay the price for them on bricklink rather than see a new version of them come out. Although, I am one of the few that wanted to see yellow black falcons to match the yellow shields that existed. (And to any of you who are going to tell me naked knights with a big black falcon tattooed on their chests would be dumb...how about you get your mind out of the whole nakedness and think about color coordination.)

But I don't think they will return. Like I have wondered many times, as everything that is over the age of the copy right has been getting a re-model, I can't see old factions coming back.

I kinda think that the knight in kingdoms knights joust set counts as a falcon... He has the shield (although slightly different) and the colors... Only thing is he has a dark green plume in his helmet instead of a white or black one.

[Bluesecrets]

I kinda think that the knight in kingdoms knights joust set counts as a falcon... He has the shield (although slightly different) and the colors... Only thing is he has a dark green plume in his helmet instead of a white or black one.

It is a redesign. Therefore it doesn't count in the black falcon's of old. Also, he has a different color scheme.

[Mr. President]

Agreed. Personally, I refer to the Falcon Knight from the Joust as "The Steel Raven" - I feel it fits his color scheme and the way his shield looks (very noticeably metallic, &c). I don't own any older Falcons, so that of course has something to do with it.

Redundant though it might seem at this point, I would add my support for more and varied castle faction heraldry. There's an idea among some elements of the fan community right now that Castle is an "introductory" theme to the more "mature" Lord of the Rings, but even if that were true, I doubt that lions and dragons would be the only emblems that would serve that purpose.