10305 Lion Knight's castle.

[Formendacil]

I think the "mid-level AFOL build at best" (paraphrasing) critique is an interesting one, if only because I think part of the reason I might like this as much as I do is BECAUSE it has a very old school "big grey wall syndrome" simplicity to it. If made far more textured/detailed/SNOTed/etc, it could very well be a better MOC, but I'm not sure it'd be a better set, especially since it's a set built on "80s catalogue images nostalgia." Something that looked more like a CCC winner or a TBB front page article might not hit those notes as well.

It's certainly subjective--for me, this hits the exact right note between complexity and straightforward.

But buying a second one? I've gotta figure out how I'm buying the first!

[AK_Brickster]

I definitely think that they made a deliberate decision to keep it simple and reflect ye olde classic castles of yesteryear, but even so, I think that they could have done a *little* more to get away from the BGW syndrome. For example, classic sets used those panels with the stone prints. I'm glad they didn't use printed panels, but they could have added some snot dark bley tiles to replicate / call back to the stone pattern we're all so very familiar with.

[img]https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/PN/9/2345pb05.png[/img]

If this were built in the same aesthetic as the recent blacksmith set, addressed my complaints with the figs/accessories/animals, and come in at the $349 price point, I'd be way more on board with a 9/10-type ranking.

(PS - Wondering if we'll ever move to the 21st century and allow images greater than 500 pixels? I spent 5 mins looking for an example image that fit that archaic limit)

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

I believe that part is the same part used on the Eqyptan warrior in the Collectable Minifigure line. [url]https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... =1#T=P&C=1[/url]

EKnight

I think you’re right. That does look like the piece.

Another small detail I notice is the little boy playing with a miniature toy yellow castle up in his room.

[Elephant Knight]

I believe that part is the same part used on the Eqyptan warrior in the Collectable Minifigure line. [url]https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... =1#T=P&C=1[/url]

EKnight

I think you’re right. That does look like the piece.

Another small detail I notice is the little boy playing with a miniature toy yellow castle up in his room.

And three of the four shields used in the Yellow Castle get used in this set. The chevron, the club, and the crown, though the crown does get a update with a rim around it.

EKnight

[DaleDVM]

My first question would be, when exactly did we start judging official sets vs AFOL MOCs? I'm a MOC expert and do not want official LEGO sets to wander fully into that territory. That said this set is more of MOC quality than any other except the medieval blacksmith which is literally a MOC.

My take on the set.
The encumbered squire, the yellow classic castle box art, and the kids playing with the tiny yellow castle are just sweet additions that don't affect the build at all, but still touch me in the feels. Very nostalgic overall.

Pros

- The design of the castle is absolutely brilliant! The secret passages, that folding bridge walkway, the defensibility, the interiors, the grain mill, the arrow slits, the rounded battlements, the thatched roofs... It is like 75% a play set and a 75% a display piece. That is a 150% perfect balance of awesomeness IMHO!
- Shields. OMG, all of those shields! So useful. I hope somehow we could get them in numbers. The Queens shield in particular is just plain fantastic. I have faith that they will be printed.
- Barding. While not the best barding prints ever made, they are pretty darn nice.
- Minifigs. The maid is just incredible. I will need dozens of her hat. The farmers torso is generic enough that it could be incredibly versatile just by changing the arms to other colors. I hope his torso is available on B&P. The lion soldiers prints are very nice as are the forestmen, and black falcons. I can't wait to see the queen's torso.
-Animals. Those that are included are quite nice.
-Cloth. The cape is absolutely gorgeous. The two different flags are exactly what I wanted in this set. Great heraldry to add to the flags from the classic Lions era.
-Helmets, Armor, Weapons. There is a nice variety of helms, armor, and weapons included. For those new to the theme, welcome to the world of visors. Not sure how I feel about the gold visor until I see it in person. However, I welcome the variety for sure!
-Parts. That new 1x4x3 arch is just incredible! Not enough can be said about how parts like this can change the way people MOC altogether! I can't wait until it is made in reddish brown for better tree construction! The 1x4x5 arch always left a strange gap in tree branches where this one will blend right in with the trunk! The new inverted round support piece is baller as well! The dark green spruce trees are pure love. Almost all of the parts in this set are very useful for castle MOCing. Impressive menu of parts.

Cons

- Design. Nothing is perfect and any complaints I have would be nitpicking. I will leave it at that.
-Shields. Just one forestman shield would have been wonderful.
- Minifigs. All Lion knights, forestmen, and the black falcons have a singular torso/leg design. While those designs are kewl as Megablocks, I would have liked a pair of torsos for some variety in each faction. The baker and the prince are repeat torsos and I was really hoping for as many new civilians as possible. This hurts the most for me personally. Majisto is as plain, as plain can be. A mistake in such an awesome set. An opportunity missed for a robed torso that could be used for civilians, nobles, merchants. Very unfortunate.
- Animals. Another horse or two wouldn't have hurt to match old sets that have 4 in sets 25% the cost of this one.
-Helmets, Armor, Weapons. One or two of those shoulder armor pieces from the "medieval blacksmith" on the BFs would have been kind of nice to include here just for some variety and to make the BFs stand out. It would have given the squire guy something really heavy to trudge around as well. Muahaha
-Parts. The cart could have been done in a more neutral color (Blue rhymes with eww). Like many have said, I prefer trees in brown, and would like the pieces in that color. The giant tiles used for the drawbridge are not very useful to me. Not a fan of POOPs.
The cons are pretty small in comparison.

Overall
As I expected... this set by far surpasses any offering TLG has ever given us in the castle theme. However, it also surpassed my expectations by even further yet. Previously, I thought MMV was the best castle themed set because of just how groundbreaking it was in 2009. IMHO this takes castles beyond the level MMV took civilian sets. And after all, the castle theme is about castles right? IMHO, this set didn't need a goat because it is the GOAT!

I will buy in multiples for the parts and as a serious castle collector of course. Surprisingly, I will also build this set, which is really saying something! Sad to say, I haven't built a non-Christmas set in over a decade now. In fact, I think the Kingdom's joust was the last (non-Christmas) set I actually built? And then... will this castle be the only set I have on display at my house? I am approaching 2 million parts at home and it takes up a LOT of space. I don't have room to display sets as well. However, I still say it is very possible that I may have to make room for this! Why? Simply for inspiration to build more often!

Thank you to TLG! I have bitched at you for years because of the way you put my favorite theme on the back burner. In this instance, you went a long way to making up for that, and I commend you for this incredible set! Looking forward to seeing it in person.

Well played LEGO!... or is it play well?

[INTENSS]

I just have to say (besides how great it is to get a 4500 piece castle with 22 minifigs, new prints, barding, flags, etc, etc) that it is so awesome to just be this excited again like I was when I was younger and saw the new castles for the first time each year in catalogs and getting antsy to finally see them in person and build them. And that box art brings the feels. On day one I’ll be ordering one online and driving to my local Lego store when it opens to get another.

[Formendacil]

- Shields. OMG, all of those shields! So useful. I hope somehow we could get them in numbers. The Queens shield in particular is just plain fantastic. I have faith that they will be printed.
- Barding. While not the best barding prints ever made, they are pretty darn nice.

Honestly, I'm quite impressed that we're getting not just the NEW Lion shield (just like we got THE new Falcon shield), but that it is one of three, on top of the remake yellow shield and the remade blue shield. I don't think anyone would have been shocked if they had just made the Queen shield and used it everywhere, but this is so much better.

I agree that the barding print doesn't seem quite up to the level of the 90s bardings, but I want to see it in person too. I had a similar feeling with the '13 bardings, and I wonder if it might just be a shape thing brought on by the necessitated new mould.

[Kurojaki]

-Parts. The cart could have been done in a more neutral color (Blue rhymes with eww). Like many have said, I prefer trees in brown, and would like the pieces in that color.

I prefer neutral colors too for that use, but could be it's a reference to something like 1680 Crusader's Cart". Also if I saw it correctly, it looked like there was a hidden entrance to the Forestman hideout in this castle which made me think of 6066 Camouflaged Outpost


Overall I like the design of this castle, it's probably better than I expected. The best thing? Pretty much everything that is printed. If something bothers me, it's the ramp leading to the castle. Looks nice from the side with those arches, but the use of gray slopes... not so nice. Honestly think it could have been better with some plate with studs. Don't really want to comment the interior design too much before I've seen it closer, but at least appears to be filled with lots of good stuff.

[Bluesecrets]

I waited to spend time thinking about this before I replied. To be honest, this thrills me more than the MMV...now wait...do not panic, freak out or think I am losing my mind. Remember I don't build in grey. While the MMV was hands down the most epic castle set I can mention (yeah I did not like the giant Joust set at all), it wasn't a castle. It was super great. I guess they aren't really comparable. The only complaint I have is the cost...which is a dumb complaint because I would pay that amount, if my LEGO budget had room. (what LEGO budget? The cost of gas has killed it.) It's good. It just is really really good.

[LEGO_KNIGHT]

When I first heard the news of a new Castle set coming, I was feeling hopeful but not expecting much from LEGO. Afterall, Castle isnt the evergreen theme that it once was, on the LEGO palette. The last true full Castle line was nearly 10 years ago. But when I saw the pictures of this new 10305 Lion Knights Castle set! Wow! The box art itself brought back those 80's sets memories. There stood this large castle, the biggest that LEGO ever released so far! Suddenly, it felt the sun was rising again on LEGO Castle land after the LEGO Dark Ages.

The minifigs looks like nice with the updated prints except for the poor old Wizard. We are getting new bardings! Castle fans are always looking forward to a new barding print. My only gripe with the Castle design are those slopes in front of the drawbridge. Somehow, it feels like a failed attempt to replicate the 6081 King's Mountain Fortress raised baseplate.

Also, when I saw the price for this set, it really put me off.
Why does it feels that LEGO is somehow creating this scarcity on the LEGO Castle, much like how those luxury brands are doing. They know people will stil buy at this expensive price! But this set will somehow be out of reach for kids as most parents are unlikely to get such a set for them. I'm not sure if LEGO still has that old thinking that kids nowadays aren't interested in Castle?

[Bluesecrets]

Also, when I saw the price for this set, it really put me off.
Why does it feels that LEGO is somehow creating this scarcity on the LEGO Castle, much like how those luxury brands are doing. They know people will stil buy at this expensive price! But this set will somehow be out of reach for kids as most parents are unlikely to get such a set for them. I'm not sure if LEGO still has that old thinking that kids nowadays aren't interested in Castle?

Given what is in this set, the price is actually not horrible. I don't think it is over priced. I think it is a big epic castle set that has not been done before. I would be first in line to buy it, if my LEGO budget was allowing for it. AND I don't build grey castles...so for me to say I would get in line to build it is saying something.

I can not tell you what LEGO's mindset is for sets other than to get whatever hot license they can so they can capitalize on it.

But I can tell you that I do believe this set is meant for AFOL's and therefore, it is very well done.

[LEGO_KNIGHT]

Also, when I saw the price for this set, it really put me off.
Why does it feels that LEGO is somehow creating this scarcity on the LEGO Castle, much like how those luxury brands are doing. They know people will stil buy at this expensive price! But this set will somehow be out of reach for kids as most parents are unlikely to get such a set for them. I'm not sure if LEGO still has that old thinking that kids nowadays aren't interested in Castle?

Given what is in this set, the price is actually not horrible. I don't think it is over priced. I think it is a big epic castle set that has not been done before. I would be first in line to buy it, if my LEGO budget was allowing for it. AND I don't build grey castles...so for me to say I would get in line to build it is saying something.

I can not tell you what LEGO's mindset is for sets other than to get whatever hot license they can so they can capitalize on it.

But I can tell you that I do believe this set is meant for AFOL's and therefore, it is very well done.

It's true that the price isn't horrible but it isn't fantastic either. Also, it does not help that LEGO had to increase prices further due to global events. Oh well...

It's great to hear that you are excited to get this set. I will get it too if my budget allows it!

Let's hope more people will buy this set to send the message that Castle theme still has a special place in the LEGO product line.

[Elephant Knight]

Well I can tell you that myself, and three of my brothers are planning to get it.

I agree that the price isn't terrible nor great, but for 4500 parts, it's a decent PPP ratio, even if a number of elements are small. All the printed shields, the plethora of minifigs, the flags and bardings, and such. Yeah, pricey, but looks to be worth it.

EKnight

[DaleDVM]

I will get at least 3 and if I can get a free forestman hideout with each possibly up to 6. I don't really need all of the bricks but I do need a large number of minis and accessories to populate my large MOCs. That especially goes for the civilians. I hope they become available at some point on B&P. 25 of each new civilian torso would be desirable and an army of 100 lion knights to join the 100 or so of my classic lion knights would be awesome. Here is to hoping B&P delivers.

[mrcp6d]

So excited about this!
The horse barding is a little strange indeed. I get why they did it that way as the barding echoes the color layouts on the factions' shields, but it's odd to my eye.
"Majisto" is just..... sad. Especially given the current BAM wizard.

Everything else is total home run! I wish I had room in the Lego budget this year for multiples!