Brickset Bouts: semi-final results
Posted by Huw,
Last week we conducted the semi-final contests in our quest to determine the set released in the last five years that you, our readers, think is the best.
The results in both bouts were very close: just 16 votes separated the contenders in one of them, causing a major upset.
Find out if the sets you voted for prevailed after the break.
Bout 1
A total of 3,642 votes were cast.
Winner
10497 Galaxy Explorer
Bout 2
A total of 3,440 votes were cast.
- 10305 Lion Knights' Castle, 1728 votes, (50.23%)
- 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell, 1712 votes (49.77%)
Winner
10305 Lion Knights' Castle
The finals
The two sets will now go head-to-head in the final.
If you'd like to advocate for one of them, please get in touch via the contact form. Thank you!
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97 comments on this article
Very close!
Have to say it's taken a long time to get to this boring point of not picking the best set but picking our favourite theme!
Wow! I didn't expect the results to be this close.
Whaaaaaaaaat?
Space Mafia vs Castle Mafia!
It'll be hard to choose. Surprised Rivendell didn't win its bout.
I can live with the results.
Wow 10497 has gotten the most votes of all 4 sets.
Love that the first bout was rounded to the nearest whole number—no problem. Second bout? Rounded to the hundredths to show how close it really is.
Big upset of Rivendell, huh?
Let's see which nostalgia is stronger.
Very close indeed! I already know which to vote for the final round.
Mike Psiaki vs Mike Psiaki!
I feel like this was always the given outcome.
A long roundabout way of getting here, would have liked to see these go head to head early to see what else would have come up through the ranks
Finally, 10497 faces a worthy opponent.
Best set in my eyes also includes affordability. Too many amazing sets are beyond my price point so I'll never come close to sniffing them. To me super expensive sets are flawed inheritently. I voted for the less expensive ser nearly every time and will again.
Galaxy Explorer isn't just nostalgia. It is quality, fun, replayability, interactive and nostalgic. All things lego should be. And it is affordable to everyone from big bank rollers to the 10 year old saving chore money for a year to get it.
Sad to see Rivendell losing by 16 votes, but I'm happy for the LKC, it is also a great set.
It is beyond absurd that the galaxy explorer has made it this far.
Might as well have just put out one poll weeks ago that asks "Which classic 80s nostalgia remake do middle aged lego fans like the most?" Good sets but Rivendell clears easily in my opinion
Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!
@shedjed said:
"Best set in my eyes also includes affordability. Too many amazing sets are beyond my price point so I'll never come close to sniffing them. To me super expensive sets are flawed inheritently. I voted for the less expensive ser nearly every time and will again.
Galaxy Explorer isn't just nostalgia. It is quality, fun, replayability, interactive and nostalgic. All things lego should be. And it is affordable to everyone from big bank rollers to the 10 year old saving chore money for a year to get it."
Also includes several potential builds of vintage sets. It appears the alt instructions aren't on Lego's site anymore (why not?) but I see articles referencing their existence.
Seems like you've discovered the age range of most of your voters as it is Classic Space v Classic Castle in the final.
The fact that both of these are 90th anniversary nostalgia remakes of old sets says a lot about this website.
Battle between two sets released for the same occasion!
I had my favorite back when both sets were announced, and that hasn't changed since....
I for one am happy that my favorites prevailed. No matter which set wins in the end, both are worthy of the title.
What surprised me was how close the bout between the Galaxy Explorer and the Blacksmith ended. Going by the comments section I would have predicted a landslide victory for the spaceship. Then again, the Blacksmith is a great set too.
@Username28 said:
"The fact that both of these are 90th anniversary nostalgia remakes of old sets says a lot about this website."
While they are both inspired by older sets, none of them are "remakes". The Lion Knights Castle even less than the Galaxy Explorer, which is much closer to the Classic Space set than the LKC is to any Castle that came before.
@CommanderR3x said:
"It is beyond absurd that the galaxy explorer has made it this far. "
Read what @shedjed has said above to understand why it is absolutely not absurd in the slightest.
And he didn't even mention that it's an official 3 in 1 set.
I am FLOORED Rivendell was defeated!! I had them down as the final winner from day 1!
Yes! My vote will be for Galaxy Explorer but I'll be happy with either of these winning.
@dimc said:
"Also includes several potential builds of vintage sets. It appears the alt instructions aren't on Lego's site anymore (why not?) but I see articles referencing their existence. "
Still available via BrickSet database link to Lego.com but not via the normal Lego.com Building Instruction link.
Crazy how much nostalgia influences people. As with almost all Lego votes, the most neutral, nostalgia bait wins. Still, congrats to the designers of these sets!
Starry Night will always be the winner in my heart!
@dimc said:
" @shedjed said:
"Best set in my eyes also includes affordability. Too many amazing sets are beyond my price point so I'll never come close to sniffing them. To me super expensive sets are flawed inheritently. I voted for the less expensive ser nearly every time and will again.
Galaxy Explorer isn't just nostalgia. It is quality, fun, replayability, interactive and nostalgic. All things lego should be. And it is affordable to everyone from big bank rollers to the 10 year old saving chore money for a year to get it."
Also includes several potential builds of vintage sets. It appears the alt instructions aren't on Lego's site anymore (why not?) but I see articles referencing their existence. "
I see that the alt instructions are indeed not found when I search for 10497 on the Lego site. But you can still download them if you go to the set's page here on Brickset.
Kinda saw that coming that Rivendell wouldn't win with the people voting against it simply so it wouldn't win, but didn't expect there to be all of 16 votes in it.
But a SPACESHIP!!! vs Castle final? Well that'll be a very close call too... hope you've got some really good advocates to hype both of them.
@Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
Happy to advocate for the Galaxy Explorer. I own LKC too though, if you need someone for that.
Everyone knows in their heart of hearts that Rivendell is clearly the best set. I'm excited though that I get to vote for 10487 for the win!
@Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
I’m not sure which one to pick given how much I love both, but I’d advocate for the Lion Knights Castle of no one else has.
In future such contests, it might be worth considering two or three price-point categories, similar to what is done with the Christmas recommendations offered by Brickset team members. It doesn't quite seem reasonable to compare sets of such great disparity in price, size, figs, and detail, especially when they could both be terrific sets within their own range.
Happy to advocate for LKC if you still need someone!
@paulvdb said:
" @dimc said:
" @shedjed said:
"Best set in my eyes also includes affordability. Too many amazing sets are beyond my price point so I'll never come close to sniffing them. To me super expensive sets are flawed inheritently. I voted for the less expensive ser nearly every time and will again.
Galaxy Explorer isn't just nostalgia. It is quality, fun, replayability, interactive and nostalgic. All things lego should be. And it is affordable to everyone from big bank rollers to the 10 year old saving chore money for a year to get it."
Also includes several potential builds of vintage sets. It appears the alt instructions aren't on Lego's site anymore (why not?) but I see articles referencing their existence. "
I see that the alt instructions are indeed not found when I search for 10497 on the Lego site. But you can still download them if you go to the set's page here on Brickset."
Thank you! Looks like Lego orphaned them but the assets are still there. Downloaded copies just in case!
Isn't it surprising that both sets are from the Lego anniversary release? I'll answer that myself - No, it's not. Lego, really did a good job celebrating its old, slightly forgotten, core values - both finalists are nearly perfect in ticking all the boxes of play, interesting building techniques, and wall presence. And both are also affordably priced when compared to their respective size, being a proof that Lego can still produce amazing sets, if it wants. One is more swooshable, the other triggers my kids' imagination more. Whoever wins, will be a worthy winner!
Surprised by both of these outcomes! I figured Rivendell was going to cruise to an easy victory overall. Lion Knight's Castle is one of those sets I've eyeballed and wondered if I would enjoy, but haven't been able to pull the trigger due to the price (not that it isn't worth it, just that I can't justify such a large Lego purchase at present). This bracket is making me rethink that decision!
Honestly, I kind of figured it would end up with these two in the finals. Both are such iconic sets. I have both and they are both some of the best sets I have, but if I had to pick, it would have to go to the castle. There's just more detail and functions to it.
Ahem... https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScrewYouElves No, seriously, while I agree that Rivendell is a beautiful set (and would definitely have it if I had the space), there's a part of me that's perversely glad to see it fall to LKC. Now, we see which mafia is more powerful, Space or Castle?
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
I’m not sure which one to pick given how much I love both, but I’d advocate for the Lion Knights Castle of no one else has."
I know I don't have any say in the matter, but I think it'd be great if you could do write-ups for both. That would accomplish two things. One: Neither write-up would put down the other set, which has been known to happen in previous rounds. Two: Either way, you'd get bragging rights for having advocated for the winner.
The elves got theirs in the end, lol. RIP hive of scum and villainy.
All 4 are deserving. But apparently I’m only saying that because I’m a middle aged AFOL with nostalgia clickbait.
@TheOtherMike said:
"Ahem... https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScrewYouElves No, seriously, while I agree that Rivendell is a beautiful set (and would definitely have it if I had the space), there's a part of me that's perversely glad to see it fall to LKC. Now, we see which mafia is more powerful, Space or Castle?
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
I’m not sure which one to pick given how much I love both, but I’d advocate for the Lion Knights Castle of no one else has."
I know I don't have any say in the matter, but I think it'd be great if you could do write-ups for both. That would accomplish two things. One: Neither write-up would put down the other set, which has been known to happen in previous rounds. Two: Either way, you'd get bragging rights for having advocated for the winner."
If I have time, I’d love to! Is there a deadline or something? But yeah, if @Huw lets me, I could go for it!
While I personally prefer Lion Knight's Castle and am typically not a fan of space sets, I think I'll be voting for the Galaxy Explorer. The accessibility of the set is important. That $100 price tag is major contributor to "best". Official 3-in-1 (sadly only digital though) directions are a good bonus, even if they're all roughly the same. Both have great display and play potential... But Galaxy's size makes both "easier" to get either going.
Yeah. I'll be voting for the one I never got for myself.
What interesting close brexit.. I mean Brickset results and wonderful final entries.
(At least Elven tears taste good, num num… )
I kinda like that the final winner won't have made it on the strength of an outside IP.
A hundred and ninety-nine laps and baby, it all comes down to this!
Wow this is gonna be close. Space vs. Castle. The never-ending debate. The Coke vs Pepsi of the LEGO world.
In the end, all parts are Space parts, but I have to give it to the Castle guys. When they arrange space bricks in a Castle shape, it almost looks... natural.
@Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
To change it up a bit, maybe this time the aim could be to trash the opposing set in stead of lauding the favorite. We've already heard the (deserving) praises 3 times over for each one of the finalists.
If this vote-fixing isn't proof that Sauron actually survived and is still lurking somewhere I do not know what is. Finally destroying Rivendell's chances must be so satisfying for the ex-Lord of the Earth.
I can't tell you how shocked and disappointed I am that Rivendell got eliminated! Oh well, at least the two finalists are worthy sets.
Rivendell will always be the best LEGO set of the past five years for me, no matter what the results of this competition are.
It's a very high standard so I'm not surprised. I think what it came to a lot of these were a) value for money and b) the prices themselves. c) availability was probably also a deciding factor. Oh and definitely d) playability too!!
@GrizBe said:
"Kinda saw that coming that Rivendell wouldn't win with the people voting against it simply so it wouldn't win, …"
That’s sadly the inevitable side effect when people vote for something they prefer.
But if you saw why they voted, I must be using half the functions on BS.
@Elcascador said:
" @Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
To change it up a bit, maybe this time the aim could be to trash the opposing set in stead of lauding the favorite. We've already heard the (deserving) praises 3 times over for each one of the finalists."
This. Best trash talk gets my vote.
I mean, LKC isn’t even yellow and where’s my crater baseplate you cheapsters. Does Mike ever get PTO?
@Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
Happy to write an paragraph or three on the Lion Knights Castle.
People still into this?
Oh boy.
I’m writing in Temple of the Golden Idol! ;)
Riiiight, so apparently we're all just blinded by nostalgia and didn't vote for these sets because Mike Psiaki and Carl Merriam are deign geniuses.
Sure, whatever you guys say.
It's a popularity vote, so the outcome is of course just fine.
I can say that these are not my personal favorite sets of the last 5 years, but also that is perfectly ok.
Are the remaining two (or even four) the 'best sets' of the past five years? Well, I guess that depends how you define 'best' (always a tricky word to use in such contexts). But popularity, see above.
I don't really care about the castle. We had plenty of castle back then, but between Space, City and that, it's always been my least favorite. The galaxy explorer is cool for what it is, and really well made. Between the two, this is what I would choose. Will I vote at all? Not sure yet.
As others said, it'll be interesting to see which fanboy faction is stronger :)
@Elcascador said:
" @Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"
To change it up a bit, maybe this time the aim could be to trash the opposing set in stead of lauding the favorite. We've already heard the (deserving) praises 3 times over for each one of the finalists."
I like that idea!
@TheOtherMike said:
"I know I don't have any say in the matter, but I think it'd be great if you could do write-ups for both. That would accomplish two things. One: Neither write-up would put down the other set, which has been known to happen in previous rounds. Two: Either way, you'd get bragging rights for having advocated for the winner."
I like that idea too!
They're both winners. That's my write up for you, @Huw. ;-)
Sad too see these results but I didn't expect anything different considering who the majority of people on Brickset are. Any people I would ask in real life wouldn't select either of these 2 sets as a contender for best Lego set of the past 10 years.
@Darth_Dee said:
"Everyone knows in their heart of hearts that Rivendell is clearly the best set. I'm excited though that I get to vote for 10487 for the win!"
Did you mean 10497 ?
Did you really mean ‘everyone’?
it's not what I expected. maybe I should have voted in the second bout, even though my vote alone still wouldn't make a difference. I wasn't really sure which one is the best. the final one will be easy to choose though
Knew this would be the result of this round
I kinda figured these would be the last two since the beginning. Such awesome sets. Galaxy Explorer is slightly more awesome. Cant swoosh a castle... or can you?
@LotRBrickfan196 said:
"Sad too see these results but I didn't expect anything different considering who the majority of people on Brickset are. Any people I would ask in real life wouldn't select either of these 2 sets as a contender for best Lego set of the past 10 years."
Ain’t we the woist?
I mean considering what the majority of us are… outside of… real life.
I will try going out and talking to people…lol
Shocked but happy to see Rivendell knocked out. It's pretty, for sure, but it's a $500 dollhouse, and an outside IP as well. I'm glad to see the classic themes prevail.
Woooo, Castle versus Space! Castle versus Space!
Embarrassing.
Lego have made all sorts of different sets for the past 40 years and all AFOLs want are constant remakes of their toys from the 1970s.
Where’s Rivendell?!?!?!?!?!
@BrickArchitect said:
"Mike Psiaki vs Mike Psiaki!"
Actually, 10305 is mostly Milan Madge with a dash of Mike Psiaki.
Well this makes the final round easy for me. If Rivendell had got through it would have been harder. Galaxy Explorer ftw. An excellent set with some outstanding build techniques.
Space vs. Castle. The more things change, the more they stay the same!
@SMC said:
"Have to say it's taken a long time to get to this boring point of not picking the best set but picking our favourite theme!"
I agree. At this point the drawn out results have made it pretty anticlimactic. Ah well, looks like the castle/space mafia have succeeded in ruining again.
On the back of elections here in Norway yesterday, can confirm that every vote counts.
Looking forward to the next bout!
IM NOT VOTING the good sets are all out already
It's hilarious to me to see people groan about nostalgia affecting the vote. Brickset is a website targeted at adult fans of a children's toy -- of course nostalgia is a factor!
And I hate to break it to you, but Rivendell is a set based on a 24-year-old movie that is based on a 71-year-old book that many people first read when they were teenagers. Nostalgia is also a factor in Rivendell's popularity, just as it was for the Blacksmith Shop.
This has been a popularity contest from the beginning, and we all bring our own criteria -- price, design, minifigs, rebuildability, or whatever. There are no wrong answers, because it's a pure opinion poll.
Neither of these were my first choices, but they are both definitely worthy of the title, and I respect that.
I'll be voting for the Galaxy Explorer, and a big part of the reason is the official instructions to rebuild it into the two smaller models as well. (Which is why I bought three of this set when it was on that great $50 sale at Walmart in the USA.)
@iwybs said:
" @BrickArchitect said:
"Mike Psiaki vs Mike Psiaki!"
Actually, 10305 is mostly Milan Madge with a dash of Mike Psiaki."
You are correct and I knew Milan also gets the credit. And should have said so… I just couldn’t resist.
Plus Mike has stated “I think Milan and I placed every brick together” so who knows.
Either way. Not surprised.
@MegaBlocks said:
"Embarrassing.
Lego have made all sorts of different sets for the past 40 years and all AFOLs want are constant remakes of their toys from the 1970s."
LKC is an homage to a theme and not a remake of anything. And I think it's pretty clear that AFOLs are eating up almost everything that LEGO spits out these days.
Rivendell should have won that, through and through. Yes, the Lions Knights castle is stunning, but Rivendell blows it out of the water. It's nostalgia that got the Lion Knights castle over the line.
@alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
"IM NOT VOTING the good sets are all out already"
Of course they are. After all, this is not about the good sets, but about the best!
;-)
Rivendell not winning doesn't make sense with my fantasy.
Morpheus is fighting Neo!
Unbelievable. Nostalgia for the win.
It's kind of amusing that people keep claiming nostalgia for why Rivendell was knocked down, but ignore that the biggest intellectual properties, such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, are driven pretty much exclusively by nostalgia and brand recognition.
Personally, I think the Lion Knights' Castle and Galaxy Explorer are both superior sets simply because they actually ask you to have an imagination, which is kind of what Lego is all about.
Sure, neither the castle nor spaceship themselves are particularly imaginative (even if the castle actually is, being that it wasn't designed to mimic or mirror any specific previous model or movie scene), but neither are commercialized properties based on a series of books that are themselves massively "inspired" by stories found in Celtic & Norse mythologies, or in Star Wars' case, Flash Gordon & Japanese samurai films, with a movie score that's pretty much straight-up ripped off from classical music.
@BJNemeth said:
"And I hate to break it to you, but Rivendell is a set based on a 24-year-old movie that is based on a 71-year-old book that many people first read when they were teenagers. Nostalgia is also a factor in Rivendell's popularity, just as it was for the Blacksmith Shop."
I disagree, if we had 3 LOTR sets in the final 4 people could rightly complain it was about the IP more than the set. But Rivendell is simply the most beautiful set Lego has made, whereas the others are good but clearly not the best sets of the last 5 years, so they have rightly gone.
We ended up with 3 sets based on Castle or Space, the sets are good but not up there with Rivendell or the Titanic which both stood out as best in class, for mini figure scale and non mini figure scale sets.
And for the record I have the 4 semifinalists but not the Titanic because its not something I collect but I can still recognise a special set when I see one.
Okay. So you want us to write in favour of both sets, while also trashing both sets? That sounds like a challenge.
Defending 10497:
If you grew up poor in the eighties, this set is custom-tailored to you. It's Lego's bespoke loveletter not just to one of its most iconic sets, but also to all of the people who just didn't have enough money saved up for the original - which amounts to a lot of us. It's affordable, it's good-looking, it ticks all of the boxes of a proper, carefully crafted remake, while still improving on the original. It features similar techniques, the same look and feel, and - while you became bigger, so did this set. And even though life's gotten increasingly more expensive, this set manages to stay pretty affordable. You all but owe it to your younger self to get at least one copy of this set, perhaps more if you want to build the smaller-scaled versions as well. Do you really want to disappoint your past self even more than you already have? You just can't afford to.
Attacking 10497:
It's anybody's guess why this boring grey Dorito managed to make it to the finals, but if I had to hazard a guess, it's because droves of aging AFOLs will gladly fork over money hand over fist if it helps them feel young again, or indeed, feel _anything_ again. Anything at all to distract from the troubles of the world and the call of the grave. And while the rose-tinted glasses may have helped to sell many copies of this set, you really have to wonder if, and why, this set was ever worth it. It's a giant slab of grey and blue, and not even the right shade of grey, if we're honest. It doesn't look particularly good compared to more modern builds, and it's just way too bloated and bulky to have a house next to your precious Classic Space sets. This set manages to combine elements of the past and the present, somehow combining into something not quite as good as either. Take some cold comfort, knowing that by buying this set instead of the original, you've managed to find a new and exciting way to disappoint your past self.
(I wasn't really feeling it. I really like 10497.)
LKC winning is not a major upset. 16 votes indicates a close contest. A good reflection of the comments, although that wasn't always true for each round.
Speaking of rounds, plenty of good arguments were given for LKC and the Galaxy Explorer during those. Somehow a lot of Rivendell supports couldn't get further than: It's the best! It's so beautiful! It has to win or nothing makes sense to me!
Perhaps instead of blaming nostalgia, take some time to reflect and realize that you only needed to persuade 16 people with just a few good arguments to get Rivendell into the final round. Sauron and the Nostalgia Mafia didn't cause the fall of Rivendell. It was you!
Really surprised (in a good way) by the results! I thought Galaxy Explorer would win easily, and that Rivendell would knock out the LKC.
Some people see nostalgia, but to me it just shows how passionate people are about these two sets!
I’ll be voting for GE in the final — partly because it’s more affordable, and also because LKC already won Set of the Year here in 2022. Time to let it have its turn ;-)
@LotRBrickfan196 said:
"Sad too see these results but I didn't expect anything different considering who the majority of people on Brickset are. Any people I would ask in real life wouldn't select either of these 2 sets as a contender for best Lego set of the past 10 years."
Agreed. The actual "best" ones -- like Bonsai (or various botanicals ones) didn't make it in, even though they've SERIOUSLY charged Lego in the public consciousness. That's why I'd nominated sets like those.
I would've preferred the Medieval Blacksmith to win, but Space vs. Castle seems like a classic way to end the voting.
Wow…. Just wow. I figured 10497 would win but Lion Knights Castle winning over Rivendell? I mean everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but I genuinely don’t understand how someone could choose LKC over Rivendell (assuming you’ve seen both and vote unbiased and not out of spite). I guess nostalgia wins again…
I can see many sore Rivendell supporters asking how LKC could win (and saying we are entitled to our opinions but they don't get it blah, blah, blah nostalgia, castle mafia, etc...) I am sorry to disappoint here but Capo di tutti capi of the castle mafia said to vote with our hearts and brains and to ignore nostalgia and yet LKC won. Why? It is completely subjective, but let me use the following to try to paint the picture. I have multiple criteria with three main ones: build techniques, frequency with which my kids ask for the set to play, and how good and cohesive the set looks. Rivendell scored 8,1, and 8 (a cap for the building without a back in my book), LKC scored 7, 10, and 8, so we have Rivendell 8x1x8=64, LKC 7x10x8=560 - not even close) LKC is therefore a superior set for me. Also it being completely subjective - I just like it more and it is as good argument as any, so please accept the fact that if you like Rivendell more, I don't. Case closed ;)
@Feroz said:"LKC winning is not a major upset. 16 votes indicates a close contest. A good reflection of the comments, although that wasn't always true for each round."
Yeah, I know I said earlier that I was perversely glad that it got knocked out, but I'm also glad that it put up a good fight before doing so.
@peterlmorris said:
"In the end, all parts are Space parts, but I have to give it to the Castle guys. When they arrange space bricks in a Castle shape, it almost looks... natural."
Castle parts can look natural in Space sets, too. Just look at how 6894 used those corner panels that were used in so many Castle sets.
@CamberbrickGreen said:" @Darth_Dee said:"Everyone knows in their heart of hearts that Rivendell is clearly the best set. I'm excited though that I get to vote for 10487 for the win!"
Did you mean 10497 ?
Did you really mean ‘everyone’?"
It's another case of "Only the people who agree with me matter."
@legomaniac said:"I kinda figured these would be the last two since the beginning. Such awesome sets. Galaxy Explorer is slightly more awesome. Cant swoosh a castle... or can you? "
Any model can be swooshed... once.
At last! Something to get mad about!
Yes, I'm surprised, and disappointed, that Rivendell was knocked out. At the same time, I can see why anyone who had, or wanted to have, a flagship set from the age of Classic Castle, finds LKC utterly awesome. It isn't a matter of pure nostalgia; LKC manages to imbue a large but well-thought-out modern design with the essence of childhood's imagination and wonder that made its smaller forerunners so beloved. Very few toy companies are in a position to accomplish this remarkable feat.
At the moment, I'm honestly not sure which way I'll vote. Do I let the sheer size and complexity of LKC blow me away--or do I vote for the set which transcends questions of size and complexity by being simply perfect?
This is a weighty question indeed!