Classic-Castle.com

I'm definately an advocate of the alternate models. No instructions, just the regular old 'picture on the back of the box'.

I'd love to have a set of pictures of the back of boxes from the 80's castle to have a play around building some of the alternates. I have all the old instruction leaflets, but none of the boxes.

Matt

Thanks for that, some of those I remember, but many are new to me.

I like the look of the siege tower alternates, but the guarded inn looks better as the original.

Matt

Long live the alternates hail hail hail.
I would really like to see some alternates on the new Lego sets

One of my biggest issues with the current line is the lack of alternate design possibilities with the sets. Sets used to be built primarily of bricks and it was easy to make something else from it. Sets now are made mostly of plates, technic and "special" pieces, and it is less easy to build other structures from them.

To me, alternate models are LEGO. The entire point of a LEGO set is that it's not just one toy - you can make more than one thing with it! (In theory...) That's why I'd not only advocate putting pictures of alternate models back on the back of the boxes, I'd ask LEGO to put instructions for them on their website, as well. (Or through LDD, a la Hobby Train, but on their website is prefered, as, judging by lego.com's Hobby Train reviews, many people can't get LDD 2.0 to work.) That way, people who want to try building the set from just the picture would be able to, but if those people get stumped, they can always turn to lego.com. It would cost next to nothing to put the instructions there, and it would drive traffic (and thus, sales) to lego.com.

However, I agree with evilnailman - the use of "special" parts (Big Ugly Castle Pieces?) reduces the amount of possibilites. That's why, like Bruce N H, I realize that this has more to do with the philosophy of LEGO more than anything. There is a balance between "construction" and "play," and I agree that LEGO has probably shifted to far over to "play." But if I (or a child) just wanted something to play with, I could easily buy something that wasn't made of small pieces - it'd be more durable, more "realistic," etc. LEGO's packaging now promises "Better Building, More Fun," but I ain't seeing it.

Wow I had not noticed that the new ones actually lacked that. I agree with most that I found a great deal of ideas from these. It would be sad if leg went completely over to play over imagine.

I hope that this is just a short lived trend....

R

well i think some are pretty good, but a lot of sets after building them i take apart and use to improve my castle

also i would rather see what i am getting from different angles. So i know that i am not getting a two by two, half falling apart ,wall.

I love alternate models! They always inspired the mind and lended to creativity. I really miss them now that they're gone...