Brickset Bouts: 21325 Medieval Blacksmith vs. 75313 AT-AT
Posted by Huw,
We're back with the sixth face-off in the first round of our competition to find what Brickset readers think is the best set released in the last five years.
Today, one of the best Ideas sets, 21325 Medieval Blacksmith, meets one of the biggest Star Wars sets, 75313 AT-AT.
Read what Echo_bricks has to say about the Middle Ages building, and IgniK about the four-legged walker after the break, then cast your vote.
21325 Medieval Blacksmith
After years of waiting, Castle was finally back in the LEGO line-up!
This LEGO ideas blacksmith set was right up there as being one of the best sets of 2021. It’s playability was great with a horse & cart a dog and 4 figures (all unique to this set), so you could create some really nice scenes.
You also have the ability to lift off the levels and see all the great details inside, like the living area, kitchen and workshop. The set even came with a light brick for the furnace: a great touch there by LEGO.
The colour palette on this set is gorgeous from the blue roof with the moss growing on it to the wooden frame and brickwork. LEGO was definitely starting to push boundaries with the design of their sets, like the way they use small backplates to make an interesting shape for the model to sit on.
This was definitely a pioneering set. You really get a sense of it being built a long time ago. The apple tree was complex but really added to the set alongside all the other little details on the outside. This set looks great from every angle.
So, in summary, an awesome complex building with lots of great prints and parts and a welcome addition to the castle theme, What’s not to love!
75313 AT-AT
A great big set chock-full of screen and lore, accurate details, as well as innovative functions.
Perfect for both display with its commanding presence at nearly minifigure scale and for play with its spacious interior.
Built-in ingenious mechanisms allow for all four legs to be bent with a provided elegant tool, while remaining stable, the neck smoothly moves from side to side, either manually, or by turning the lever on the inside to lock the head in position, and finally the recoiling chin cannons are sure to make your mouth emit an audible *phew-phew* sound, while toying with it or even just simply passing by!
Removable side panels offer a cross-section artwork-like view of the interior and reveal all the essential items like fuel cells (powered by Octan), speeders, the command deck, and 40 seats to be filled with troops.
The UCS AT-AT is certainly a great centrepiece for any Star Wars or general sci-fi collection!
Cast your vote!
Having read the above, which of these two sets do you think should go through to the quarter-final for a chance to be crowned "best set of the last five years" ?
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99 comments on this article
While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object.
Blacksmith though is just the perfect starting point for the new wave of castle sets. And so much better than the new medieval village, being closed on all sides, exceptional detail and nice color scheme. Only downside is that the timber frame should not have curved parts, but I guess diagonal is challenging with Lego brick at this scale.
The Blacksmith is awesome but I also love Star Wars. Why are you making me choose!
The medieval blacksmith is a generational set, still one of the best things Lego has made years after its release.
The Medieval Blacksmith is a great set, but I think 10 years from now this massive UCS AT-AT will still be talked about while the Medieval Blacksmith will have faded in a lot of memories by then.
No, a set isn't great simply because it's big ("Judge me by my size, do you?"), but this set is a marvel of engineering and design to reach that size. I've had mine on display for nearly two years, and everyone who sees it is impressed by it.
Space maffia vs Medieval maffia... Finally worthy opponents!
Honestly, voting has been surprisingly difficult for me throughout these bouts. The advocates (as well as the comments below) can almost always sway me in any direction.
Thank you Brickset for organizing this tournament! It's certainly fun?
@inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
What?! What, what, what, WHAT??!!!
Any kid of a certain age can NOT call an AT-AT "a quite drab object."
Were Hannibal's elephants drab? Was Tolkien/Jackson's Oliphant charge drab?
Empire Strikes Back brought walkers to the South Ridge and a chill up the spine of those of us who lived through that day.
Lego SW composed a symphony of size, play functions, engineering, stability, and realism to what is probably the best set ever. I say that as one of their loudest critics.
A drab object, indeed!!
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
I remember how much excitement there was for Blacksmith’s release - there was finally a true medieval-themed set! This was before Lion Knights Castle, Creator 3 in 1 castle, and the updated Medieval Market. And it was before Bricklink pumped out new castle options every few months. Even just 4 years later getting a castle/medieval set doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was big in 2021. You could probably argue that many of those later sets had a chance to exist because Blacksmith showed how much AFOLs still love this theme.
I don’t think Blacksmith is the best set from the past 5 years (several others in this tournament beat it imo), but it does stand out to me as a set that really represents a moment from the past few years.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
Barley McGrew Cuthbert Dibble Grub
@StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
What?! What, what, what, WHAT??!!!
Any kid of a certain age can NOT call an AT-AT "a quite drab object."
Were Hannibal's elephants drab? Was Tolkien/Jackson's Oliphant charge drab?
Empire Strikes Back brought walkers to the South Ridge and a chill up the spine of those of us who lived through that day.
Lego SW composed a symphony of size, play functions, engineering, stability, and realism to what is probably the best set ever. I say that as one of their loudest critics.
A drab object, indeed!!
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
And to you, good sir, I say thank you for this acute, accurate and highly needed response.
I actually own the Blacksmith, so feel that sort of hints at where my vote goes
All the other contests have had an easy choice. This one was really difficult for me. But the Blacksmith won out.
@inversion said:
"Blacksmith though is just the perfect starting point for the new wave of castle sets."
I did vote for Blacksmith as I’m much more of a Castle fan than a SW enthusiast, but don’t agree that Blacksmith is a good starting point. There have been two Castle scales running in parallel for a few years. On the one hand, you have Blacksmith, Lion Knight Castle and Medieval Town Square and on the other there’s Medieval Castle (31120), Viking Village
and the recently released Horse Knight Castle. They’re both designed to work with minifigures, but the respective sizes aren’t compatible. Blacksmith, for example, looks disproportionately large compared to 31120. So Blacksmith may be a good intro to the larger scale, display orientated Castle sets, but not the smaller scale, more play focused ones.
Beautifully crafted set that's just as good for play as for display, versus massively overpriced lump of grey.
Easiest decision yet.
This is the hardest so far for me. The Blacksmith is beautiful, reasonably sized, playable, great detail in and out. The AT-AT is a marvel of Lego-engineering, actually holding together at that huge scale, and just look at all those pieces mounted at different angles! I don't have any of them, but it's been close with one. Which is better as a set, though? Ahrgh, I'm not actually sure I can decide.
@Belboz said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
Barley McGrew Cuthbert Dibble Grub"
Imperial troops have entered Camberwick Green. Imperial troops have entered.....(static).
@The_Cellarer said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
What?! What, what, what, WHAT??!!!
Any kid of a certain age can NOT call an AT-AT "a quite drab object."
Were Hannibal's elephants drab? Was Tolkien/Jackson's Oliphant charge drab?
Empire Strikes Back brought walkers to the South Ridge and a chill up the spine of those of us who lived through that day.
Lego SW composed a symphony of size, play functions, engineering, stability, and realism to what is probably the best set ever. I say that as one of their loudest critics.
A drab object, indeed!!
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
And to you, good sir, I say thank you for this acute, accurate and highly needed response."
(Doffs cap)
While both the LEGO 21325 Medieval Blacksmith and 75313 AT-AT are impressive display sets with dedicated fanbases, the Medieval Blacksmith stands out as a better overall build for several key reasons—especially for those who value creativity, storytelling, and timeless design over size and spectacle.
First and foremost, the Medieval Blacksmith excels in its attention to detail and artistic craftsmanship. Unlike the repetitive and mechanical nature of the AT-AT build, the Blacksmith shop offers an immersive building experience full of clever techniques. From its intricately tiled roof and working forge to the cozy interior furnishings, every section feels handcrafted and organic. It tells a story as you build, evoking a lived-in medieval world that appeals to fans of LEGO Castle, fantasy, and historic builds alike. It’s not just a model—it’s a miniature diorama rich with atmosphere and personality.
Secondly, the Medieval Blacksmith is far more accessible, both in price and display practicality. The AT-AT, while massive and impressive, is prohibitively expensive and physically dominates any room it’s placed in. The Blacksmith manages to be shelf-friendly while still offering a premium, intricate experience. It doesn’t need to overwhelm with scale to impress—it wins through warmth and charm.
Lastly, longevity matters. The Blacksmith set fits into a timeless medieval theme that continues to inspire generations of builders, whereas the AT-AT, though iconic, is tied to a single IP and moment in a single film. The Medieval Blacksmith is a love letter to classic LEGO, inviting builders to imagine their own stories, expand their castles, and keep the spirit of LEGO creativity alive—brick by brick.
I've went for the Blacksmith because at its core the AT-AT mainly has its size going for it. And supersized sets are plentiful now. And although the engineering is impressive, it also brought us the first set that required a public statement from lego over it not being able to be disassembled, where they stated something along the lines of 'just shake it' or 'get your nail in there'.
I haven't forgotten that debacle.
The AT-AT is a huge display piece at an almost comically large scale, that is the epitome of 'you only build ut once'.
A build where 1/3rd of the build us the repetition of the four legs btw. I own the 2010 AT-AT. I find those legs more then enough, so imagine the UCS version's repetition!
I'd take the Blacksmith over that any day. It's a beautiful set, was of an economic size and scale, and it's a lot more building focussed by default.
I'm like Star Wars but no need to be a fanboy here. Regardless of figure count, Blacksmith looks more colorful and fun, for sure.
I never liked the scaling of the blacksmiths building. Its completely out of proportion next to the town square and the castle itself. It has to stand alone or with other MOCs.
This prevented me from getting it ....
As much as I love Star Wars, I have to give it to the Medieval Blacksmith. It makes such good use of every inch of space, and I really like the colours they chose on the final model. I know some people preferred the darker tones of the original submission, but I think the brighter colours are more eye-catching while still looking natural.
I've to say that the AT-AT is an object of desire for me. But it is mainly due because it is an bright icon of a saga I love, not because it really is a great set.
Without doubts, my vote goes to the superb medieval blacksmith.
I love star wars, but sorry I can't vote for the giant dust collector
@Binnekamp said:
"I've went for the Blacksmith because at its core the AT-AT mainly has its size going for it. And supersized sets are plentiful now. And although the engineering is impressive, it also brought us the first set that required a public statement from lego over it not being able to be disassembled, where they stated something along the lines of 'just shake it' or 'get your nail in there'.
I haven't forgotten that debacle.
The AT-AT is a huge display piece at an almost comically large scale, that is the epitome of 'you only build ut once'.
A build where 1/3rd of the build us the repetition of the four legs btw. I own the 2010 AT-AT. I find those legs more then enough, so imagine the UCS version's repetition!
I'd take the Blacksmith over that any day. It's a beautiful set, was of an economic size and scale, and it's a lot more building focussed by default."
You have won me over to the Blacksmith.
A set that can't be properly disassembled is NOT deserving of the title of 'best set'
I had forgotten about that whole mess!
AT-AT and it isn't even close
Can't help it, man. That AT-AT just looks like the slab of terrain on which the blacksmith ought to be built. If all we had was grey, the AT-AT would be a triumph - but as it stands, it's just so soulcrushingly boring.
Although I own the blacksmith and not the AT-AT I had to vote for the latter, I've seen it on display and it's a superb combination of accurate model and cool Lego playset....
@WolfpackBricks63 said:
"AT-AT and it isn't even close "
Username *doesn't* check out.
I LOVE Star Wars! I saw the original trilogy in the theater on its first run. I own a bunch of Star Wars Lego sets… but General Veers (and Veers Watch on Bluesky) would be disappointed in me. I voted for the blacksmith. I think it’s a more fun build and the finished product is a nice looking shop while the AT AT would give me anxiety that it’s in a constant state of almost-falling-over and smashing into thousands of gray pieces.
I have both, love both. I love the looks of the blacksmith, but the building experience of the AT-AT is something else. I had to rebuild most of it a few months ago after my son knock it off its shelf and I enjoyed the process very much. It does look very impressive too.
All of that to say I'm really not sure which one I'll vote for... They're both great.
This was a tough decision! I have both and both are awesome but I’m a Star Wars need ;-)
@AustinPowers said:
"Beautifully crafted set that's just as good for play as for display, versus massively overpriced lump of grey.
Easiest decision yet."
Yep, this is where I am. I'm SO bored by LEGO Star Wars in general and I think the AT-AT is somewhat representative of the worst LEGO excesses these days - needlessly large, extremely expensive, and overly reliant on IP. When the most impressive thing about a set is "IT DOESN'T FALL APART UNDER ITS OWN WEIGHT" then, to me, it feels like we've lost the plot a bit.
I remember looking up multiple reviews of the Blacksmith set. It's beautiful on the outside and inside.
I had actually forgotten about the flaw in the AT-AT. Thanks for the reminders. It didn't matter for my vote, but it was a funny flashback.
Medieval Blacksmith deserves to be at least in the semi-final.
It's an iconic comeback for the medieval theme, a great design, and was a pretty good value, unlike the Space Wars sets.
Those days are gone though. Judging from the recent releases, should we ever get a set like this again, its price will be upwards of 12-15c/piece.
I voted for the Medieval Blacksmith. As impressive as the AT-AT is, the Blacksmith is such a beautiful and charming set at a much lower price point.
OK... Star Wars fans have had their token bit of fun. Now back to the seriously good sets!
Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much
Once you get through all the unavoidable swathes of Star Wars/Lego Star Wars bias, you put on your builder's glasses and look at it as a general set as a whole. Can it be as fun to build and to vary all the time? The combinations of pieces and colours are varied enough to further more fun builds and variations? And visually, does it make you wonder? Can you integrate it with other (similar/non-theme) sets easily?
There's often a sense of hyperbole with SW Lego and recently it's become very rife with too much across multiple categories, not to mention overpricing on sets. AT-AT is ok to look at but a bit too niche and biased to be up there with the great in my opinion.
Medieval Blacksmith on its own does a tremendous amount for the Castle theme (far more so than Knights Kingdom) when it came out in 2021 and is the perfect example of a neat little sets that can truly often hours of contentment, both in build and play.
Knock it on the head with a hammer, it's clear who wins this one methinks ;)
Well the blacksmith set is fantastic of course, but this is the AT-AT from ESB! For me it can’t be close. Clearly one has more playability and is a far far more iconic design.
Sure the Blacksmith has some interes g colour variety the monochromatic splendor of the AT-AT emphasizes its imposing presence!
I am pretty sure AT-AT will lose but I hope it doesn’t.
ps I have neither set
@legoapprentice said:
"I remember how much excitement there was for Blacksmith’s release - there was finally a true medieval-themed set! This was before Lion Knights Castle, Creator 3 in 1 castle, and the updated Medieval Market. And it was before Bricklink pumped out new castle options every few months. Even just 4 years later getting a castle/medieval set doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was big in 2021. You could probably argue that many of those later sets had a chance to exist because Blacksmith showed how much AFOLs still love this theme.
I don’t think Blacksmith is the best set from the past 5 years (several others in this tournament beat it imo), but it does stand out to me as a set that really represents a moment from the past few years."
My thoughts exactly.
If anyone is interested in buying the Medieval Blacksmith, the price is usually not that much higher than original RRP. It’s such a fun set.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @Belboz said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
Barley McGrew Cuthbert Dibble Grub"
Imperial troops have entered Camberwick Green. Imperial troops have entered.....(static)."
Struth, I’ll brace myself!!
…my mistake, ‘wick’
Phew, phew!
@BJNemeth said:
"The Medieval Blacksmith is a great set, but I think 10 years from now this massive UCS AT-AT will still be talked about while the Medieval Blacksmith will have faded in a lot of memories by then.
No, a set isn't great simply because it's big ("Judge me by my size, do you?"), but this set is a marvel of engineering and design to reach that size. I've had mine on display for nearly two years, and everyone who sees it is impressed by it."
I think you are spot on here. In 10 years time, the AT-AT will still be THE AT-AT to have if you are into big SW sets. Whereas the Medieval Blacksmith will be a MOC-style 18+ set that will have become all to common (but in a range of scales) through Icons, Ideas and BDP. Not that that is a bad thing, but I can see it being a bit like Cafe Corner, a not particularly good looking set when compared to others in a similar style done later.
The Medieval Blacksmith is what made me fall in love with Lego Castle. Now, Lego Castle rivals Star Wars for me every time with them being my two favorite themes. As much as I love Star Wars, I have zero connection to the UCS AT-AT. Is it really cool? Yes, but definitely not something I’ll ever buy. Second easiest choice of the series, but it’ll be third after the next bout…
It feels weird to vote against space.
As cool as the AT-AT is, I'm voting for the Medieval Blacksmith. That set is such a neat build (an enclosed building from all angles, I might add), the minifigs are great, and it does double duty as a great display piece and a fun playset.
"The colour palette on this set is gorgeous from the blue roof with the moss growing on it to the wooden frame and brickwork."
I seem to recall at the time there were complaints both here and on EB about LEGO brightening up the Medieval Blacksmith. Personally, I think LEGO did a good job on redesigning the roof as the original design was way too messy (too fragile and MOC-style) but I really don't like the sand green tiles on the roof. They look way better if replaced by a mixture of mainly dark blue and blue although I think all black or a mix of LBG and DBG greys look even better.
I like the colourful, attractive medieval village. By colour contrast, that 4 legged thing is all grey… ?? I won’t ever spend all that money on a Lego set that has one dull colour all over no matter how iconic it is.
@Andrusi said:
"It feels weird to vote against space."
Star Wars does not count as space.
@CCC said:
""The colour palette on this set is gorgeous from the blue roof with the moss growing on it to the wooden frame and brickwork."
I seem to recall at the time there were complaints both here and on EB about LEGO brightening up the Medieval Blacksmith. Personally, I think LEGO did a good job on redesigning the roof as the original design was way too messy (too fragile and MOC-style) but I really don't like the sand green tiles on the roof. They look way better if replaced by a mixture of mainly dark blue and blue although I think all black or a mix of LBG and DBG greys look even better."
I was just going to say this. There were so many complaints that it didn't look like the original Ideas submission. If we were able to post pictures, I would take a picture of the AT-AT stepping on the Blacksmith. Both are great builds, but the AT-AT is in a whole other league.
@ikke said:
" @Andrusi said:
"It feels weird to vote against space."
Star Wars does not count as space. "
And Ideas doesn't count as Castle!
I can't think about the AT-AT without thinking about the time some old family friends were visiting from Illinois. They knew somebody (might have been related to them, but I can't remember for sure) who had it. The husband couldn't remember what it was called for the life of him. "Was it AP-AD?" "Was it AC-AV?" and so on. Anyway, this is the first one I'm abstaining from, as neither of these were ever ones I wished I had the space or money for.
@ikke said:
" @Andrusi said:
"It feels weird to vote against space."
Star Wars does not count as space. "
Depends on what era of Star Wars. The first few years worth of sets wouldn't have looked all that out of place in a display of Space sets.
I think I'm going to abstain from voting this round. Neither set in my eyes should be the best set, nor do I really love either. I appreciate the AT-AT engineering, accuracy, and downright intimidating presence, but as I have already mentioned, I value colorful sets. This is a part of why I vastly prefer the prequel ships. The blacksmith looks nice, but in comparison doesn't stand up as well to more recent sets. I also always found the scaling to be weird for some reason.
Honestly, I feel a bit odd voting on this one without actually having bought or built the AT-AT (I own but did not build the Blacksmith-- my wife built that one!).
The Blacksmith is a really cool set, but I have to admit it hasn't made a lasting impression in my mind, especially with other recent sets like the Medieval Town Square and Viking Village, the other BrickLink sets, and various other castle sets like Red Dragon's Tale and Lion Knight's Castle. Even at the time of its release, I still had visions in my head of the 3739 Blacksmith Shop or 10193 Medieval Market Village.
But the AT-AT? It's the penultimate version of the AT-AT released by LEGO, and I still wish I had a copy, despite the huge price tag. Having designed a few MOCs of an AT-AT, having built a lot of the OTHER AT-AT sets, studying the reviews and instructions for the AT-AT, "being able to stand up" is actually REALLY hard for an AT-AT if you want its legs to bend. The word from Tim Saupe many years ago was that the very first round of Star Wars set designs was supposed to feature an AT-AT, but the leg joints weren't up to snuff for kids to play with. They had to hold off while they invented a totally new joint that was designed to fit the purpose.
I love the Blacksmith set, and it's a great representation of a modern castle set, but ... at the end of the day, for me this one goes to the AT-AT.
@CCC said:
" @ikke said:
" @Andrusi said:
"It feels weird to vote against space."
Star Wars does not count as space. "
And Ideas doesn't count as Castle!
"
But who can argue that the Black Falcons aren’t?
Voting for the Blacksmith not only because I think it's the better set, but I think that the resurgence of Castle-adjacent sets can be traced back to its success. If this had been a flop, I don't think we would have gotten the 3-in-1 castles, Lion Knights' Castle, or possibly even the D&D cross-promotion. This set showed Lego, in a tangible and financially demonstrable way, that there is a huge market for Castle/medieval/fantasy/etc sets. And, to their credit, they responded with sets in that style. I won't stop hoping for a full-blown Castle theme, but I think the Castle-ish sets we've gotten in the last 4-5 years can be directly traced back to the success of the Medieval Blacksmith.
Tough call. As someone who proudly owns both… I think the blacksmith fills me with a bit more delight.
Two sets I'd really like to have but missed because I had other priorities at the time. I do not collect SW (anymore) but back in the days, I had all the UCS. So the AT-AT has a special place for me (I wanted that toy so bad when I was young - from other manufacturers). That said, I realize that its size and static (but slightly modifiable) mechanism makes it solely a display model. The Blacksmith is a good but not great set (would have been great with a white goat!) but as mentioned above, it was huge at the time it was released. Despite one being a big block of grey and the other being quite colorful, I will still go with the AT-AT because of nostalgia and also because Space!
To me this is a low stakes bout because (1) unfortunately I do not own either sets and (2) I do not believe any of those will win the final prize. Still, it's fun to play along.
I know I'm in the minority but I never liked the Medieval Blacksmith. I always thought they butchered it compared to the original Ideas submission, which seems to happen somewhat frequently. I remember being excited when it was approved but very disappointed in the final product. It's far too colorful and I really don't like what they did to the tree. As others have noted, the scale is really off. I think they could've done a much better job, personally.
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @CCC said:
" @ikke said:
" @Andrusi said:
"It feels weird to vote against space."
Star Wars does not count as space. "
And Ideas doesn't count as Castle!
"
But who can argue that the Black Falcons aren’t?"
He's known as Captain America, these days. And he was originally just 'Falcon', don't make this weird.
@MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?
The Blacksmith is a good 35% of the reason I got back into Lego (the other 65% being “Brexit ruined Nanoblock imports”), and besides that my partner who had the og yellow castle as a kid (I grew up with “wow these jumble sales sure do sell big boxes of loose parts” so actual kits are an exciting adult development for me) would be horrified and betrayed if I didn’t pick it, so there aren’t many kits I’ve vote for above it regardless, but I’m also not a huge fan of UCS which made it pretty easy. They’re just so… big. I think that the AT-ATs legs being so posable despite it being humungous is pretty cool, though.
@Crux said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @CCC said:
" @ikke said:
" @Andrusi said:
"It feels weird to vote against space."
Star Wars does not count as space. "
And Ideas doesn't count as Castle!
"
But who can argue that the Black Falcons aren’t?"
He's known as Captain America, these days. And he was originally just 'Falcon', don't make this weird."
Well then, explain the second falconer, eh?
There are people here who don’t understand why the AT-AT is an all time great vehicle and LEGO set, and those are people I just don’t understand at all. It’s magnificent.
I love Lego and I love Star Wars but for some reason I never really got into Lego Star Wars sets. So it's an easy decision to vote for the Blacksmith in this round.
The Medieval Blacksmith is an amazing set, but I like the AT-AT far more, so it gets my vote.
@CamberbrickGreen said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Belboz said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
Barley McGrew Cuthbert Dibble Grub"
Imperial troops have entered Camberwick Green. Imperial troops have entered.....(static)."
Struth, I’ll brace myself!!
…my mistake, ‘wick’
Phew, phew!"
I want him, ALIVE!!
@StyleCounselor said:
" @CamberbrickGreen said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Belboz said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
Barley McGrew Cuthbert Dibble Grub"
Imperial troops have entered Camberwick Green. Imperial troops have entered.....(static)."
Struth, I’ll brace myself!!
…my mistake, ‘wick’
Phew, phew!"
I want him, ALIVE!!"
He's no good to me dead.
@yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned.
@PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw , I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
And Brickset Forum culture moments like the white rangefinder and little Timmy. There's also Red 5 Standing By. :o)
I'm still discovering new tidbits all the time here....like issues with the 79104 Shellraiser?
Oh, and the Brittle Brown Years?
@StyleCounselor said:
" @CamberbrickGreen said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Belboz said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
Barley McGrew Cuthbert Dibble Grub"
Imperial troops have entered Camberwick Green. Imperial troops have entered.....(static)."
Struth, I’ll brace myself!!
…my mistake, ‘wick’
Phew, phew!"
I want him, ALIVE!!"
VEERS: Distance to power generators?
PILOT: One-seven, decimal two-eight.
VEERS: Target. Maximum firepower!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBcVcq5RzPI
@inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object.
Blacksmith though is just the perfect starting point for the new wave of castle sets. And so much better than the new medieval village, being closed on all sides, exceptional detail and nice color scheme. Only downside is that the timber frame should not have curved parts, but I guess diagonal is challenging with Lego brick at this scale."
Respectfully, one person's drab is another person's wildest dream. The AT-AT is essentially a hulking metal elephantine vehicle. It's impractical as much as it's a tool of terror in-universe. It's not supposed to be flashy, anymore than an M-1 Abrams is flashy. It's supposed to be scary and lethal.
The Blacksmith is just another castle set in an already drab line.
Although the AT-AT is excellent, the blacksmith shop was a game-changer.
There have been many blacksmith shops in castle, but we see now, especially in the Bricklink design program and with the alchemy shop, the strong influence on most designs from that great set. It's probably not my favorite blacksmith shop though. it's kind of too pretty.
I love Blacksmith, it is a beautiful set.
But the AT-AT is extraordinary, in building techniques, engineering, play features, sheer impressive scale and detail. It sets both my childhood and adult heart racing with memories and takes pride of place. It's simply glorious.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @CamberbrickGreen said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Belboz said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @inversion said:
"While AT-AT was a response to a long time request, it is just a big build of a quite drab object."
To you, good sir, I say, "Pew, pew!"
"
Barley McGrew Cuthbert Dibble Grub"
Imperial troops have entered Camberwick Green. Imperial troops have entered.....(static)."
Struth, I’ll brace myself!!
…my mistake, ‘wick’
Phew, phew!"
I want him, ALIVE!!"
No disintegrations. (Oh, wrong scene. Right movie, though...)
@yellowcastle said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw , I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
And Brickset Forum culture moments like the white rangefinder and little Timmy. There's also Red 5 Standing By. :o)
I'm still discovering new tidbits all the time here....like issues with the 79104 Shellraiser?
Oh, and the Brittle Brown Years?"
Oh the big brown crack is showing for sure…………………..on some of my sets.
If any Star Wars set were to have a chance winning, it’s probably this.
Still, I like the Blacksmith more
@PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before…
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before… "
You'll have your chance. It comes back from time to time - Huwbot makes sure of that!
@HOBBES said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before… "
You'll have your chance. It comes back from time to time - Huwbot makes sure of that!
"
I’m sure I will!
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before… "
I still regret that I didn't post anything on that article. It's the most commented on RSotD, and I expect it to hold that title for a good time to come. Although 41706 gave us not only Dreadflipper, but the Pride Pony and the Shrine of the Holy Hot Dog, so who knows what will happen if and when that one gets picked. Can't happen for another seven years, though, so those memes may have been somewhat forgotten by that point.
@HOBBES: A set can only be RSotD more than once if it was released under more than one number, and 3220 was released under only the one number. The figure (https://brickset.com/minifigs/x30/scala-doll-male-adult-(christian)), however, can be RMotD. I already know what I'm going to post if that ever happens.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before… "
I still regret that I didn't post anything on that article. It's the most commented on RSotD, and I expect it to hold that title for a good time to come. Although 41706 gave us not only Dreadflipper, but the Pride Pony and the Shrine of the Holy Hot Dog, so who knows what will happen if and when that one gets picked. Can't happen for another seven years, though, so those memes may have been somewhat forgotten by that point.
@HOBBES: A set can only be RSotD more than once if it was released under more than one number, and 3220 was released under only the one number. The figure (https://brickset.com/minifigs/x30/scala-doll-male-adult-(christian)), however, can be RMotD. I already know what I'm going to post if that ever happens."
That’d be a day to remember for sure…
I own and have built both sets. I'm personally going to give the nod to the AT-AT. At the time it was released, the Blacksmith set was like nothing we'd ever seen, save for perhaps the Medieval Market Village or Kingdoms Joust sets. But this arguably was even better. Not only was it the first real Castle set we'd seen in many years, but it revived the classic Black Falcons faction. And it was an incredible, innovative, and detailed build thanks to modern pieces and building techniques. But then, a few short years later, we had the Lion Knight's Castle, which frankly blew it out of the water. I'd even argue the Medieval Town Square, while not as popular, might be a better set. And we also have massive, beautiful Castle designs coming out of the Bricklink Designer Program. It's an excellent time to be a fan of Castle, and the Medieval Blacksmith set kicked Castle's resurgence off, but as great as it is, I think it pales in comparison to many of the sets that have released since.
The AT-AT on the other hand, was a long awaited release that most fans thought might never happen. We heard stability issues were the reason such a model could not work at the UCS scale. But thanks to some truly incredible engineering, the LEGO Star Wars designers were finally able to make it happen. And not only is it a truly amazing display model, it has plenty of fun play features, and a fully detailed interior. Detractors may point out the fact that it's just a big gray vehicle. But that description doesn't do the set justice and isn't really fair. It's one of the most iconic vehicles in Star Wars, its size is truly something to behold, and the features it packs in it are nothing short of incredible.
Both sets were a lot of fun to build. I didn't pick the AT-AT just because of the size, but because of everything else it offers. There are some other sets in the running that I think are better than the AT-AT. But the Medieval Blacksmith, as wonderful as it is, doesn't quite have what it takes for me to like it more than the incredible AT-AT.
@yellowcastle said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw , I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
And Brickset Forum culture moments like the white rangefinder and little Timmy. There's also Red 5 Standing By. :o)
I'm still discovering new tidbits all the time here....like issues with the 79104 Shellraiser?
Oh, and the Brittle Brown Years?"
Or that day when everyone's passwords were blasted into space and if you didn't have access to your originally used email address, you had to start a new profile.
Personally, I still miss @TigerMoth ...
@legoapprentice said:
"I remember how much excitement there was for Blacksmith’s release - there was finally a true medieval-themed set! This was before Lion Knights Castle, Creator 3 in 1 castle, and the updated Medieval Market. And it was before Bricklink pumped out new castle options every few months. Even just 4 years later getting a castle/medieval set doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was big in 2021. You could probably argue that many of those later sets had a chance to exist because Blacksmith showed how much AFOLs still love this theme.
I don’t think Blacksmith is the best set from the past 5 years (several others in this tournament beat it imo), but it does stand out to me as a set that really represents a moment from the past few years."
The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
"The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise."
It's not a robot, it's a vehicle. I may not have cared enough about either set to vote in this one, but I care too much about Star Wars in general to let that one go!
I had another nice wander through the old AT-AT brickset review and I must confess I don’t love that it feels a bit like a Technics kit in a System skinsuit. I completely understand it was unavoidable at that scale and it’s all very clever - again, the posable legs? Very cool! - however on a personal level I don’t mind some technics bits but there’s a hard limit before it becomes unbuildable for my poor bendy fingers, and there’s a part of me that’s never really considered technics “real” Lego. An excellent thing in its own right, yes, if not for me, but not Lego. More like Meccano in plastic. (I realise this is not especially reasonable, and I would certainly never tell a Technics fan that they weren’t a “real” Lego fan because that would be absurd, it merely impacts how I see sets.) I suppose what I’m getting at is that for me, the “best” Lego set will never ever have that much of Technics skeleton however cool the set is otherwise, even if I likes UCS more as a subtheme.
It’s got huge presence and it certainly feels like it pushes the boundaries of what Lego can do, but between my fondness for the Blacksmith and my various misgivings about the AT-AT this was for me really the easiest choice so far.
I’ll be very interested to see which wins, given the passionate support for both of them in the OPs essays and the comments below, and quite sorry for everyone who didn’t get their fave through (possibly including me!).
@TheOtherMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise."
It's not a robot, it's a vehicle. I may not have cared enough about either set to vote in this one, but I care too much about Star Wars in general to let that one go!"
Maybe it's a robot in disguise? I think I'd actually like that.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before… "
I still regret that I didn't post anything on that article. It's the most commented on RSotD, and I expect it to hold that title for a good time to come. Although 41706 gave us not only Dreadflipper, but the Pride Pony and the Shrine of the Holy Hot Dog, so who knows what will happen if and when that one gets picked. Can't happen for another seven years, though, so those memes may have been somewhat forgotten by that point.
@HOBBES: A set can only be RSotD more than once if it was released under more than one number, and 3220 was released under only the one number. The figure (https://brickset.com/minifigs/x30/scala-doll-male-adult-(christian)), however, can be RMotD. I already know what I'm going to post if that ever happens."
Was not aware of that. Thanks for clarifying. I know what is RSotD but I'm not quite sure if I know what is RMotD (random 'Model'? of the day)???. Edit: I just search it. Could MyDad pass for a minifig?
(We have seen worst. Once there was a 1x1 round brick from Bikini Bottom as a minifg).
@Crux said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise."
It's not a robot, it's a vehicle. I may not have cared enough about either set to vote in this one, but I care too much about Star Wars in general to let that one go!"
Maybe it's a robot in disguise? I think I'd actually like that."
I much prefer robots in disguise, honestly. Also, robots can be vehicles and vice versa. To me, if it has a head and four limps, I'm counting it as a robot, even if its main purpose is to transport people or goods.
@HOBBES said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before… "
I still regret that I didn't post anything on that article. It's the most commented on RSotD, and I expect it to hold that title for a good time to come. Although 41706 gave us not only Dreadflipper, but the Pride Pony and the Shrine of the Holy Hot Dog, so who knows what will happen if and when that one gets picked. Can't happen for another seven years, though, so those memes may have been somewhat forgotten by that point.
@HOBBES: A set can only be RSotD more than once if it was released under more than one number, and 3220 was released under only the one number. The figure (https://brickset.com/minifigs/x30/scala-doll-male-adult-(christian)), however, can be RMotD. I already know what I'm going to post if that ever happens."
Was not aware of that. Thanks for clarifying. I know what is RSotD but I'm not quite sure if I know what is RMotD (random 'Model'? of the day)???. Edit: I just search it. Could MyDad pass for a minifig?
(We have seen worst. Once there was a 1x1 round brick from Bikini Bottom as a minifg)."
Yes, he very much could. We’ve already had a Scala fig as RMotD… that was an interesting day…
@Crux said:" @TheOtherMike said:" @ToysFromTheAttic said:"The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise."
It's not a robot, it's a vehicle. I may not have cared enough about either set to vote in this one, but I care too much about Star Wars in general to let that one go!"
Maybe it's a robot in disguise? I think I'd actually like that."
It can be: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/AT-AT
@HOBBES said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @MrBedhead said:
"Easy. AT-AT looks stupidly impressive on display, and is a marvel of LEGO engineering. Fill it with clone troopers, put an AT-ST at the bottom, have Luke dangling from it, and you have an awesome display.
Blacksmith... not so much"
Alas, clone troopers would have been more likely to stumble across a Blacksmith than an AT-AT.
I love the Blacksmith but do struggle with it being larger than my castles. :o) I will probably regret not getting the AT-AT someday, more than I would regretted not getting this Ideas set.
Thanks, @Binnekamp for the reminder on this ‘Build Once’ set and to @bananaworld previously for the “Buy more than one” Barad Dur.
In honor of our 25th, @Huw, I’d recommend an article with the fun LEGO idiosyncrasies / scandals of the past 25 years…refreshing us old folks and maybe enlightening our newer members.
Canceled sets like 60278 Bomb Factory and 42113 Osprey. Multiple midstream redesigns like 10231 Space Shuttle were buoyed by Wobbly Wall-e’s, self sealing AT-ATs, and disrespectful Hutt homes. In between hoopty prices and a wayward 6373603 Ulysses, we had oft decried hunts for Mr Gold and hidden vaders and 3POs, not to mention LEGO finally (re)naming their colors.
What other great memories have we had and would anyone else be interested in a Brickset trip down memory lane?"
I suppose there are the Brickset commenter culture moments, such as My Dad and the Shadowbox Version that could receive an article, for those who are newer and very confused at what we continue to allude to. However, I have trouble remembering other similar moments. Dreadflipper, and Artsy Emma didn't have the same hold of the first two I mentioned."
I’m quite new, but I’ve also scoured this site pretty thoroughly. I wish I was there for My Dad, but oh well. I’ve even referenced him before… "
I still regret that I didn't post anything on that article. It's the most commented on RSotD, and I expect it to hold that title for a good time to come. Although 41706 gave us not only Dreadflipper, but the Pride Pony and the Shrine of the Holy Hot Dog, so who knows what will happen if and when that one gets picked. Can't happen for another seven years, though, so those memes may have been somewhat forgotten by that point.
@HOBBES: A set can only be RSotD more than once if it was released under more than one number, and 3220 was released under only the one number. The figure (https://brickset.com/minifigs/x30/scala-doll-male-adult-(christian)), however, can be RMotD. I already know what I'm going to post if that ever happens."
Was not aware of that. Thanks for clarifying. I know what is RSotD but I'm not quite sure if I know what is RMotD (random 'Model'? of the day)???. Edit: I just search it. Could MyDad pass for a minifig?
(We have seen worst. Once there was a 1x1 round brick from Bikini Bottom as a minifg)."
Random Minifig of the Day.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @Crux said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise."
It's not a robot, it's a vehicle. I may not have cared enough about either set to vote in this one, but I care too much about Star Wars in general to let that one go!"
Maybe it's a robot in disguise? I think I'd actually like that."
I much prefer robots in disguise, honestly. Also, robots can be vehicles and vice versa. To me, if it has a head and four limps, I'm counting it as a robot, even if its main purpose is to transport people or goods."
It is interesting that some people consider the AT-AT as a proxy for an elephant (probably due to its imposing stature). Myself, I see it more as a cow (not exactly the fastest thing going in a galaxy far far away) - and even with that, to me, it is still one of the best 'vehicle' (as it is not autonomous) of the Star Wars saga.
I've heard the AT-AT compared to an elephant, a dog, and a camel. When I was a kid I called it the turtle walker.
@Zander said:
" @inversion said:
"Blacksmith though is just the perfect starting point for the new wave of castle sets."
I did vote for Blacksmith as I’m much more of a Castle fan than a SW enthusiast, but don’t agree that Blacksmith is a good starting point. There have been two Castle scales running in parallel for a few years. On the one hand, you have Blacksmith, Lion Knight Castle and Medieval Town Square and on the other there’s Medieval Castle (31120), Viking Village
and the recently released Horse Knight Castle. They’re both designed to work with minifigures, but the respective sizes aren’t compatible. Blacksmith, for example, looks disproportionately large compared to 31120. So Blacksmith may be a good intro to the larger scale, display orientated Castle sets, but not the smaller scale, more play focused ones."
I agree that the Blacksmith is far too big, compared to every other Castle set. It’s more of an historic relic the people living in Modular Town might visit.
When push comes to shove, I always vote for buildings over vehicles.
Having said that, the fact that TLG were able to design that AT-AT is near-miraculous.
However, this contest isn't about miracles of designs, as such....
@HOBBES said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @Crux said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise."
It's not a robot, it's a vehicle. I may not have cared enough about either set to vote in this one, but I care too much about Star Wars in general to let that one go!"
Maybe it's a robot in disguise? I think I'd actually like that."
I much prefer robots in disguise, honestly. Also, robots can be vehicles and vice versa. To me, if it has a head and four limps, I'm counting it as a robot, even if its main purpose is to transport people or goods."
It is interesting that some people consider the AT-AT as a proxy for an elephant (probably due to its imposing stature). Myself, I see it more as a cow (not exactly the fastest thing going in a galaxy far far away) - and even with that, to me, it is still one of the best 'vehicle' (as it is not autonomous) of the Star Wars saga.
"
I see it more as a camel, as it walks through the sand and has a hump.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @Crux said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"The only reason I remember this walker is because of its sheer size. Otherwise, it would be totally forgettable. For castle fans, the Medieval Blacksmith is a dream set. Not because of its size, even though it is quite big (same would argue it's too big), but because we haven't had such a detailled and historically accurate medieval building in LEGO form before. Nowhere near a technical marvel, yet a beautiful display piece. But if you prefer big space robots, I can imagine you might think otherwise."
It's not a robot, it's a vehicle. I may not have cared enough about either set to vote in this one, but I care too much about Star Wars in general to let that one go!"
Maybe it's a robot in disguise? I think I'd actually like that."
I much prefer robots in disguise, honestly. Also, robots can be vehicles and vice versa. To me, if it has a head and four limps, I'm counting it as a robot, even if its main purpose is to transport people or goods."
It is interesting that some people consider the AT-AT as a proxy for an elephant (probably due to its imposing stature). Myself, I see it more as a cow (not exactly the fastest thing going in a galaxy far far away) - and even with that, to me, it is still one of the best 'vehicle' (as it is not autonomous) of the Star Wars saga.
"
I see it more as a camel, as it walks through the sand and has a hump. "
I look at those feet, and I see some adorable little flying saucers being held up by four massive crane-game claws. The body - well, I did say "slab of terrain" earlier, and I still don't see the lie. The head is, obviously, a Star Wars-style reimagining of that beloved evergreen, 76232.
Kinda want to build me some flying saucers now.