Brickset Bouts: Semi-final match two
Posted by CapnRex101,.jpg)
In today's semi-final bout in our knock-out competition to find the best set released since 2020, 10305 Lion Knights' Castle meets 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell. Two fantastic sets with similar appeal and I predict that this will be a close contest.
Read legoapprentice's pitch for the castle and bnic99 for the Elven sanctuary after the break, then cast your vote.
10305 Lion Knights' Castle
I'm not a member of the Castle Mafia. I don't have dreams where the Black Falcons or Wolfpack invite me to join their ranks. I can't tell you the difference between a trebuchet and a portcullis. And I've never threatened to besiege Billund if Lego doesn't revive the Castle theme.
But the Lion Knights' Castle isn't for Mafia members only. It stands out for so many reasons that have nothing to do with medieval nostalgia. So for any voters who need help deciding between Middle Ages and Middle Earth, I present... The Non-Castle-Mafia Guide to the Lion Knights' Castle.
6. The 5-Way Intersection. It can't be a great Lego set if it doesn't amaze me with how it manipulates Lego geometry. Lion Knights wastes no time. In bag 2, we get a a five-way intersection of 2x2 plate, 2x2 left wedge, 2x2 right wedge, 3x2 left wedge, 3x2 right wedge which combine to form the base of a watchtower that sits at an angle to the main castle wall. Later in bag 4: two 6x2 left wedges align with two 6x2 right wedges to add an angle to the castle wall. Later in bag 14, we place another bend in the castle wall as a left 12x3 wedge and right 12x3 wedge come together. All these various angles create an asymmetrical design where the castle structure sits in multiple directions, towers and windows protrude at still more angles, and towers sit above at various heights. If you were expecting something boxy and squarish where symmetry and 90 degrees reign, you're in for a surprise: this ain't your Castle-era castle.
5. The Avengers Moment. Building techniques aren't just a geometry exercise, you need nice parts usage too. Lion Knights has us covered. Consider piece number 27393, the amazingly-named "Wave Rounded Energy with Bar Handle." This piece has been used in superhero sets to create blast effects. Here are the sets that use this piece: Avengers, Spider-Man, Thor, Batman, Aquaman, Power Puff Girls, Ninjago, Monkie Kid... blast! blast! blast! blast! And then Lion Knights shows up and says: "You've got it wrong. Give me this piece in trans-light blue. It's clearly supposed to be a stream of water running into a basin." I love this NPU not just because it perfectly uses a piece in a completely different way, but for the juxtaposition between all the modern-day executors of blast effects and this simple flow of water within a medieval castle.
4. The Solution to the Dollhouse Problem. Leave a set's back open and it lacks a complete exterior; complete the exterior and the set isn't playable. Many sets have tried to solve the dollhouse problem (21310 Old Fishing Store swings open a back wall, 75827 Ghostbusters Firehouse swings open a side wall, 21330 Home Alone swings open both sides of the house's front wall). But no set has solved the problem as elegantly as Lion Knights. Each of its two sides can swing open to reveal a full medieval skyline or swing closed to form a complete castle that is fortified on all sides. As you move between open and closed positions, you get to appreciate all the angles of the full castle and see how the room interiors coherently align in the closed position. Open or closed back? Lion Knights showed us the best way to have both.
3. The Hidden Passageways. Great Lego sets don't just build a location; they create a living world that tells a story. Think of 10251 Brick Bank: a bank robbery is underway before you even finish the build. Think of the minifigure who lost his hat on 10261 Roller Coaster. Lion Knights tells stories in spades: prisoners have broken jail through a hidden escape, forestmen have created a secret hideout, someone is sneaking through a secret passage under the castle walls to pillage the market, the castle defences are ready to deploy at a moments notice if invaders show up. The set doesn't wait for you to play with it; it comes to life as you build it.
2. The Sliding Wall. To be an all-time great, a Lego set needs to contain one or two defining building techniques that provide an A-Ha! moment for everyone who ever built the set. Think of how many times you rolled the boulder up and down the hill in 77015 Temple of the Golden Idol. Think of how many times you cooked and uncooked the crab legs in the grill in the 70620 Ninjago City restaurant or flushed the toilet in the 71799 Ninjago City Markets. The kind of technique you heard about even if you never built the set. Lion Knights has one of these too: a wall that ingeniously slides in and out of a hidden room as the set moves between its open and closed position. Closed set position: we have a three-sided balcony. Begin to open the set: the wall disappears into the hidden room. Open set position: the balcony has converted into a bridge with supporting arches. After you build it, you sit there and open and close the set just to marvel how this section of the castle changes design as the wall shrinks and extends. It's a brilliant moment in the build.
1. The Frog. This single piece in Lion Knights represents everything I know about the design team at Lego: obsessed with their inside joke to incorporate frogs wherever possible, bound by their middle school humour to include a toilet in as many sets as possible (and of course they use vaulted ceilings and an ornate window to make this throne the most exalted throne in the castle), nerding out over minute historical accuracies (because we do indeed pause at this point in the build to realise that indoor plumbing wouldn't have been an option for the castle's residents), and then unveiling everything in a sequence that creates a nice A-Ha! moment (we place the frog in step 318 but we don't see what's happening until 130 pages later when we build the toilet above in step 495). This whole episode fully captures the cleverness and quirky humour of Lego.
Lion Knights has been described as a love letter to Castle fans. I disagree. If this set were intended for the Castle Mafia, it would've stuck closer to tried and true designs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. No, this set is for anyone who appreciates the best of everything that Lego is about: inspired design layouts, satisfying building techniques, clever minifig stories, and even humour. It was a 90th anniversary love letter to all fans of the brick, and it's the best set Lego produced in the last 5 years.
10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell
“A perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting there and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Merely to be there is a cure for all weariness, fear, and sadness.” This is how JRR Tolkien describes Rivendell in the Fellowship of the Ring. A magical place of rest, nestled in a valley full of nature where evil does not exist, the last homely house east of the sea.
This set captures the peaceful nature perfectly, with a beautiful mix of greens and yellows in the trees, the earthy tones in the base and the blue hue of a small river flowing beneath the bridge. Not so much a set you merely look at, but one you feel and experience.
It is a huge joy to build. Since it is so varied and balanced between all the natural elements and the intricate elven architecture; a more traditional stone tower to the left, rockwork in the base and around the forge, you are always building something different and it never gets dull. Even the patterned roof, though a little tedious, has a very clever way to get all the tiles aligned and continues to add so much colour and visual interest.
Gandalf found it is the small things that keeps the darkness at bay, here it is the smallest of details which elevates the set even higher. Murals of Celebrimbor forging the rings and Isildur vanquishing Sauron, depicted as LEGO Minifigs adorn the walls and there is a painting which faithfully recreates Alan Lee’s artwork of Eregion.
It contains a large collection of 21 highly detailed figures (with a full set of all 9 members of the Fellowship). New moulds accurately represent distinctive weapons including those of Boromir and Aragorn, where regular swords would have sufficed. My personal favourite being the shards of Narsil, for ‘Renewed shall be blade that was broken’.
So when searching for the best set of the last 5 years, all we have to decide is what to do with the vote that is given to us, but one does not simply ignore Rivendell.
Cast your vote!
Having read the above, which of these two sets do you think should go through to the semi-final for a chance to be crowned "best set of the last five years" ?
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89 comments on this article
"The great battle of our time, in which many things shall pass away"
LKC 4 life!
Ok, this should be a final.
Hope for the best but plan for the worst.....curse you Castle Mafia
:-))
Beautiful natural colours vs dull grey stone walls
Excellent write up of LKC! As a member of the Castle Mafia, we appreciate your support and advocacy! I own and love both these sets. I concede that Rivendell is the better display set. However, Lego derives from the Danish phrase “leg godt”, Play Well. LKC is infinitely better as a play set. As legoapprentice so eloquently put it, LKC tells a full story with an entire cast of characters. Rivendell, while beautiful, is a portion of a house (granted, the last homely house east of the sea) from a few scenes from (mainly) one film/volume from a trilogy. It has no antagonists. The minifigs from Rivendell look lovely once you have displayed them in the council chairs or crossing the bridge to go on the quest to destroy the Ring. But there they will stay. The minifigs of LKC live there and they are constantly on the move (at least in my Lego room).
The Lion Knight´s Castle is the definitive medieval castle. And it´s a nostalgic homage to the Castle theme of old. That said, it´s more an AFOL moc inspired by the theme than a direct remake, and as such it´s simultaneously more advanced than anything before it but also trapped in depicting everything in gray brown black and green. It´s also still quite rectangular in places to depict real fortified castles. That said, it still focusses on playability as a dollhouse of sorts.
The Rivendell set is one of the most beautiful licensed location builds of the half/decade, if not the most beautiful. It achieves this with an overwhelming amount of 1x1 sized or similarly small parts. Just looking at the tree, roof and ground make me feel tired from building it by just looking at it. It´s full of references, has an extensive cast of characters and even has replicas of swords from the film adaptation. By all acounts, I´d say it´s most representative of this decade so far: oversized, overdetailed, licensed, nigh affordable, full of teensy tiny parts, full of references and a replica of something to look at, not play with.
It's a tough call for me because these two are quite close for me. It all goes down to preference and what I'd find most important.
In the end I chose the 'best' set, not the most 'representative' or 'nostalgic'...
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Stygian Witch: "A titan against a titan!"
This is the actual final match right here. Whichever wins this one will be the semi final match one winner.
This cannot be done!
I'm going with the pretty one.
I know the other one is more fun, harder working, does more, and is well-rounded and not just just a pretty facade.
Nevertheless, I'm still going with the pretty one.
That was actually quite easy for me since I have hated open back models since I was a kid. And Rivendell is not only open back, it's pretty much see-through. When I saw it live for the first time a few months ago I was surprised that I actually liked it less than in the pictures.
Damn, I'm so biased! I mean, I've seen Rivendell right before me, but then, to me Lego was always a toy, not a sculpture...
Things are now in motion that cannot be undone
Which is the better set? The one which looks nice on the display or the one which has definitely more play value? At the end Lego should be about play and my kids constantly ask to play with the castle creating their own stories as I did when I was their age. It is not about nostalgia, it is about creating new memories, having a chance to bond with my kids, see their imagination in a full swing, and shaping new history for the existing nations. Falcons no longer enemies of the Lions, but their new allies. Forestmen moving from Lions' friends to the rebels faction and conspiring with Wolfemen. The LKC creates new history, while Rivendell looks nice. My vote has to go to the castle.
We all know Rivendell is THE number 1 set (no matter what nostalgia forces you to vote for), but gotta be honest, I'd love the see the results of LKC vs GE for the definitive battle of Brickset mafias ;)
@Binnekamp said:
"The Lion Knight´s Castle is the definitive medieval castle. And it´s a nostalgic homage to the Castle theme of old. That said, it´s more an AFOL moc inspired by the theme than a direct remake, and as such it´s simultaneously more advanced than anything before it but also trapped in depicting everything in gray brown black and green. It´s also still quite rectangular in places to depict real fortified castles. That said, it still focusses on playability as a dollhouse of sorts.
The Rivendell set is one of the most beautiful licensed location builds of the half/decade, if not the most beautiful. It achieves this with an overwhelming amount of 1x1 sized or similarly small parts. Just looking at the tree, roof and ground make me feel tired from building it by just looking at it. It´s full of references, has an extensive cast of characters and even has replicas of swords from the film adaptation. By all acounts, I´d say it´s most representative of this decade so far: oversized, overdetailed, licensed, nigh affordable, full of teensy tiny parts, full of references and a replica of something to look at, not play with.
It's a tough call for me because these two are quite close for me. It all goes down to preference and what I'd find most important.
In the end I chose the 'best' set, not the most 'representative' or 'nostalgic'..."
Both are great indeed, but nostalgia wins here for me. Nostalgia for the classic Castle theme that is, not for LotR -- which was a movie trilogy I didn't particularly enjoy, and will probably never revisit again. 10305 Lion Knights' Castle is simply a childhood dream come true.
I love a bit of 5-Way Intersection.
Voted for LKC, because it's enclosed, making it complete. I love Rivendell too (its figures, its colours, its techniques), but it's such a shame that it has an open back. LKC can stand alone as it is and be integrated in a tabletop diorama and look fine from all angles; Rivendell, on the other hand, can only be displayed on a shelf, unless you build one of those terrific MOCs with a larger building and rock base…
@pilot63 said:
"Ok, this should be a final."
The final will likely be 10305 Lion Knights Castle vs 10497 Galaxy Explorer
Both choices heavily influenced by nostalgia for the great Castle (375, 6080) and Space (918, 924, 928) themes of the past, but I would suggest that the Brickset readership skews heavily towards AFOLs who had/wanted those original sets when we were kids, so nostalgia is an inevitable influence on voting.
Two of the best recent sets, and both Lego’s own IP so the prices weren’t hugely inflated by paying listening fees to a third party. No, Lion Knights Castle wasn’t cheap, but it was very much worth it. And Galaxy Explorer was a total bargain, especially as it was a 3-in-1 set.
Definitely a close call but I’m going to have to go with Lion Knights Castle. I just feel like something called (even if just by us) the Best Lego Set should be an original property, a genuine product of imagination, rather than a copy of a pre-existing IP no matter how faithful or good looking it is.
This opinion is not at all biased by me actually owning LKC, I’m sure….
As a Star Wars and flagship fan, I'm not sure Rivendell will ever be surpassed.
Lion Knights Castle
Let's make sure we have a worthy finale with Castle Mafia versus Space Mafia
:-)
@AustinPowers said:
"Lion Knights Castle
Let's make sure we have a worthy finale with Castle Mafia versus Space Mafia
:-) "
Im ninjago mafia- we're weaker.
I also have alliegance to LOTR mafia
I bought and built both. But I took apart and sold LKC whereas Rivendell stands proud in my LEGO room. Easy choice for me.
Looks-wise, I think Rivendell is the obvious winner…..BUT! Haven’t built any set myself, I have to judge the build experience of of the beautiful words of the legoapprentice and he convinced me. My vote goes to the lion knights castle.
proudmemberofthespacemafia
Rivendell is probably the best set LEGO has ever made. No competition here.
@jhoya said:
"It has no antagonists. "
Sauron is everywhere.
@CCC said:
" @jhoya said:
"It has no antagonists. "
Sauron is everywhere.
"
But his minifigure is only in 10333!
@jhoya said:
" @CCC said:
" @jhoya said:
"It has no antagonists. "
Sauron is everywhere.
"
But his minifigure is only in 10333!"
But his eye is ever watchful.
It even sits below the council!
@StyleCounselor said:
"I'm going with the pretty one.
I know the other one is more fun, harder working, does more, and is well-rounded and not just just a pretty facade.
Nevertheless, I'm still going with the pretty one."
You are uninvited to my birthday, and I'm voting for the one with the towers instead.
Brilliant write-up, Legoapprentice!
You almost convinced me here!
But in the end, I voted for Rivendell, which might be the best - and is certainly the most beautiful - LEGO set of all time!
@jhoya said:
" @CCC said:
" @jhoya said:
"It has no antagonists. "
Sauron is everywhere.
"
But his minifigure is only in 10333!"
also in 79014, but not many people does realise/remember that one :)
As majestic as the Lion Knights' Castle, Rivendell looks much more pleasing...
Both are better than the other bout. But blacksmith representing castle theme versus Rivendell will also be good to watch.
This is the hardest choice so far. Don't have any of the sets, would love either one.
I think Rivendel is the most beautiful display set ever... but the castle is probably much much muuuch more fun to put together (just thinking of those Rivendel roofs gives me nightmares), and can be played with, big time.
Still have no idea which one to vote for ??
@ajperez said:
"This is the hardest choice so far. Don't have any of the sets, would love either one.
I think Rivendel is the most beautiful display set ever... but the castle is probably much much muuuch more fun to put together (just thinking of those Rivendel roofs gives me nightmares), and can be played with, big time.
Still have no idea which one to vote for ??"
Rivendell roof really isn't as bad to put together as it seems.
And you slide a plate between the tiles to get them all straight, so don't have to worry about getting perfect alignment.
It's actually really satisfying to do.
Nice write-ups for both sets!
With the proper space and budget I would buy the LKC set and that would probably lead to more castle set purchases and expanding, rebuilding and coming up with my own builds.
Rivendell would be nice to build and have on display.
LKC it is for me!
I have a sleight preference for one over the other, but I'd be happy to see either of these win the entire competition.
To borrow a quote from another theme, they are both worthy.
I do know the difference between a trebuchet and a portcullis, but that isn't why I voted for LKC, nor was it entirely the (very excellent, pros to @legoapprentice for that) write-up. I would love to own (and have the space for) both, but LKC would please my inner eight-year-old (who wanted 6085 almost as much as he wanted 6990) in a way that Rivendell wouldn't, as I didn't read the books until the movies came out, by which time I was a legal adult. So yeah, this is another nostalgia vote. Besides, I want to se a Lion Knights' Castle vs. Galaxy Explorer finals!
@Rimefang said:
"Clash of the Titans (1981)
Stygian Witch: "A titan against a titan!""
"To fight monsters, we created monsters of our own."
@chom said:
" @jhoya said:
" @CCC said:
" @jhoya said:
"It has no antagonists. "
Sauron is everywhere.
"
But his minifigure is only in 10333!"
also in 79014, but not many people does realise/remember that one :)"
Forget LKC vs Rivendell. You win today.
Both are all time greats. Rivendell definitely has better detailing and looks superior, but some of the functions and technics on the castle are wonderful. I'm sure this will be near 50/50, so it depends weather you value looks or functions ultimately (Or nostalgia lol)
I don't really understand the argument I've seen in some of the comments that Rivendell isn't playable. It's got minifigures, after all... to me, anything with minifigures and a scene for them to inhabit is inherently playable. Granted it wouldn't be strictly 'canon', but what's stopping anyone playing at the Fellowship having new adventures in Elrond's halls in the two months before they leave with the Ring? It may not be as action-y as staging a castle siege, but it still sounds like plenty of play potential to me.
That said, I'm probably not voting here again; both sets appeal to me, both sets are too far out of my price range to even consider owning, and I haven't even seen either of them in person to have my opinion swayed that way.
@chom said:
" @jhoya said:
" @CCC said:
" @jhoya said:
"It has no antagonists. "
Sauron is everywhere.
"
But his minifigure is only in 10333!"
also in 79014, but not many people does realise/remember that one :)"
Moltor (nex017) without his shoulder armour also makes a great Necromancer for the fire scene.
We all know that Rivendell is the better of the two
I had a really difficult time deciding between these two colossi. I love them both, I really enjoyed the building techniques of the castle and the beauty of the house of the elves, but ultimately I have to give it to Rivendell. There is no way they are going to surpass the craft and attention to detail of this masterpiece.
Now, this one was easy...
These are quite possibly the two best sets of the past 5 years, imo.
However, as cool as LKC is, nothing can beat Rivendell for me. The engaging build experience that never slowed up, the excellent minifigure selection, the attention to detail and references to Tolkien's lore, it all combines to create what is quite possibly the most beautiful LEGO set ever produced.
The open back dollhouse-style build has never bothered me, and I actually quite like it. Also, Rivendell is just as much a playset as LKC, despite the lack of functions. It gets my vote.
This was the most difficult choice so far for me. I always thought my vote would be for Rivendell but in the end upon further consideration I changed my mind and Lion Knights Castle got my vote.
The Castle is excellent, but the building techniques in Rivendell are next-level. It contains the best design techniques and parts usage of pretty much all of LEGO's history, and is more a piece of art than just a playset or display piece (though it can do both exceptionally well). The artistry of Rivendell remains unchallenged in LEGO, I see no other reasonable vote.
@CommanderR3x said:
"We all know that Rivendell is the better of the two"
Except for those of us who know the difference between an opinion and a fact.
Both sets are beautiful, no doubt there. For me, the winning aspect is that the castle can be closed off, whereas Rivendell has an open back. I like my buildings complete. So my vote goes for the Lion King's Castle.
Rivendell solos
@CommanderR3x said:
"We all know that Rivendell is the better of the two"
True but I'm an castle fan.
Sorry. From the first time I saw an image of Rivendell, I knew I'd just seen TLG's greatest creation. It follows that nothing else can beat it, at least in my eyes. I wish I'd found the money to buy LKC; everything legoapprentice says so eloquently is true. But I found the money for Rivendell without batting an eyelash.
Rivendell is the GOAT.
The best Lego sets for me are those to build and display. I haven't 'played' with a Lego set for well over 50 years so...
I have and love both sets so it's very hard to decide. I think here we have the competition between the "best Lego set" vs the "best model made from Lego bricks".
Initially I was more excited to get the LKC - it's like a childhood dream come true. And it's the more complete, more versatile, more playable, more true to what Lego represents - the better set in many ways for sure.
But if I'm honest with myself - if I had to keep just one - it would nevertheless be Rivendell. A lot of the credit for that goes not only to the Lego designers though, but to Tolkien himself and the team of production artists such as Alan Lee who worked on the film trilogy.
Both sets are fantastic, no question about it, but Rivendell wins, hands down. LKC pales in comparison in every aspect except debatably in nostalgia and playability.
As a member of the Space Mafia, it saddens me that at the beginning of this whole thing I knew in my heart of hearts that I would have to vote Rivendell over any space set. It is that good. It bests LKC in almost every way. Complex angles? Check. Hidden passageways? Check. Frogs? Check. Can you rearrange it? Check. Boatload of minifigs? Check.
The real winner of this whole competition is Mike Psiaki, the designer for like half of the sets competing.
There is only one choice. And it involves yellow minifigs.
I simply cannot make up my mind on this one. I've got both but not built either of them yet, so can only go on what I have seen and read... It's 50-50, so I have to not vote for either.
The writeup for the LKC very nearly changed my mind in favour of it, but in the end I voted for Rivendell.
@Bobobonanzas said:
"The real winner of this whole competition is Mike Psiaki, the designer for like half of the sets competing."
Totally agree! It is quite astounding that of the four sets in the semi final bouts Mike Psiaki was the lead designer on two of the sets (10497 Galaxy Explorer [2022] and 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell) and a major contributor on another set (10305 Lion Knights Castle). Mike is truly a fantastic LEGO set designer, perhaps the best ever. Well done Mike!
I remember still saving up towards LKC when Rivendell was announced - that hurt. What a progression in Lego-design we have seen in the last few years! I knew that even if I technically probably could afford both eventually, I wouldn't go that big twice in such short succession. Not for two sets that are at least somewhat in the same realm of things, as I think these are. I would have to choose.
I'm not in the castle mafia, I had all sorts of themes as a kid and that reflects my AFOL collection as well. And although I like the LotR films, I'm not a huge fan (and I never read the books). But both these sets just speak to me. They look spectacular - in many ways.
As things turned out, I spontaneously pulled the trigger on LKC one day when there was a decent GWP. I don't regret that one bit. It doubled the size of my largest set at the time. But despite never doing the same with Rivendell, I do thankfully have both anyway! As for my 40th birthday some amazing friends had collectively got it for me. What a day that was!
I will be happy whichever of these two wins. They are both worthy.
But you know, I still only bought one of them. That realization finally tipped my vote.
@sjr60 said:
"The best Lego sets for me are those to build and display. I haven't 'played' with a Lego set for well over 50 years so..."
Play well.
@gunther_schnitzel said:
" @sjr60 said:
"The best Lego sets for me are those to build and display. I haven't 'played' with a Lego set for well over 50 years so..."
Play well."
Then grow up and build and display well!
Can't decide. Both great.
@gunther_schnitzel said:
" @sjr60 said:
"The best Lego sets for me are those to build and display. I haven't 'played' with a Lego set for well over 50 years so..."
Play well."
It's time.
@Crux said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"I'm going with the pretty one.
I know the other one is more fun, harder working, does more, and is well-rounded and not just just a pretty facade.
Nevertheless, I'm still going with the pretty one."
You are uninvited to my birthday, and I'm voting for the one with the towers instead."
We were great friends once. Then a pretty face came between us.
Lego Set Vs Film Set
One is purely Lego in concept and completely original, the other was originally conceived largely by John Howe and is a prohibitively exclusive half a house.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @Crux said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"I'm going with the pretty one.
I know the other one is more fun, harder working, does more, and is well-rounded and not just just a pretty facade.
Nevertheless, I'm still going with the pretty one."
You are uninvited to my birthday, and I'm voting for the one with the towers instead."
We were great friends once. Then a pretty face came between us. "
Don't put that on me.
Also, you are restricted from this bout due to helbeastgate. :o)
@AustinPowers said:
"Lion Knights Castle
Let's make sure we have a worthy finale with Castle Mafia versus Space Mafia
:-) "
Highly ironic, since ever single time a SW set appears you need comment on how grey it is. Then when you have a choice of grey or colour, you choose grey.
I'm genuinely amused.
@yellowcastle said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Crux said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"I'm going with the pretty one.
I know the other one is more fun, harder working, does more, and is well-rounded and not just just a pretty facade.
Nevertheless, I'm still going with the pretty one."
You are uninvited to my birthday, and I'm voting for the one with the towers instead."
We were great friends once. Then a pretty face came between us. "
Don't put that on me.
Also, you are restricted from this bout due to helbeastgate. :o)"
I stayed up late. Mashed the buttons. Paid the price. Recorded the confirmation. And,....
all I got was a rock. :(
I have and love both for different reasons. Both proudly displayed in my mancave. But I have Rivendell in a lit display case. People are drawn to it immediately. I have to say that it and the Titanic are the best LEGO sets ever made. For me at least. No contest. Rivendell all the way.
Lion Knight Castle. I have it and love it. The write up pretty much sums it up.
Rivindell is cool, I guess, but I don't own it, and likely never will. And I am fine with that.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Crux said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"I'm going with the pretty one.
I know the other one is more fun, harder working, does more, and is well-rounded and not just just a pretty facade.
Nevertheless, I'm still going with the pretty one."
You are uninvited to my birthday, and I'm voting for the one with the towers instead."
We were great friends once. Then a pretty face came between us. "
Don't put that on me.
Also, you are restricted from this bout due to helbeastgate. :o)"
I stayed up late. Mashed the buttons. Paid the price. Recorded the confirmation. And,....
all I got was a rock. :("
And then you went through that whole Barad Dur fiasco!
@Montyh7 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Lion Knights Castle
Let's make sure we have a worthy finale with Castle Mafia versus Space Mafia
:-) "
Highly ironic, since ever single time a SW set appears you need comment on how grey it is. Then when you have a choice of grey or colour, you choose grey.
I'm genuinely amused."
???
You must mistake me for somebody else, since I can't recall ever having commented on Star Wars sets being too grey. Let alone several times.
I have often commented on ridiculous pricing, or bad quality, etc. though.
@smuggler68 said:
"...But I have Rivendell in a lit display case. People are drawn to it immediately... "
I think this is both the awesome PRO and potential CON for this set with some of us.
@sjr60 said:
"The best Lego sets for me are those to build and display. I haven't 'played' with a Lego set for well over 50 years so..."
The good thing about the LKC is that you can play with it just as well as display it. So whatever your liking, it's the better set. Rivendell is just half a set, at double the price and (especially when it comes to the - to some - oh so important minifigs) almost every expense spared. Especially when you compare them with LOTR figures from the past. And I mean come on, it hasn't even got the correct number of chairs. And that's supposed to be a display set for the discerning collector? Ridiculous.
This is a hard one...but I have to give it to the Lion Knight's Castle for the versatility. Rivendell is wonderful, but the Castle is just *chef's kiss*
The frog's color is also important to note.
@SirRobin said:
"The frog's color is also important to note."
Rivendell only has a green frog. LKC has a green frog, a brown frog (hehe) and a gold frog. Another reason to vote for LKC lol.
@jhoya said:
" @SirRobin said:
"The frog's color is also important to note."
Rivendell only has a green frog. LKC has a green frog, a brown frog (hehe) and a gold frog. Another reason to vote for LKC lol."
Nick Vas approves of your reasoning.
Only one of these sets has a cow, easy choice.
While the castle itself is largely gray, the cartoonishly vibrant vegetation, minifigures, and flags bring a lot of color and create a scene which overall is still colorful and lively. Rivendell may have more color, but the nuanced tones of the source material result in a scene which isn't nearly as fun.
@yellowcastle said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Crux said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"I'm going with the pretty one.
I know the other one is more fun, harder working, does more, and is well-rounded and not just just a pretty facade.
Nevertheless, I'm still going with the pretty one."
You are uninvited to my birthday, and I'm voting for the one with the towers instead."
We were great friends once. Then a pretty face came between us. "
Don't put that on me.
Also, you are restricted from this bout due to helbeastgate. :o)"
I stayed up late. Mashed the buttons. Paid the price. Recorded the confirmation. And,....
all I got was a rock. :("
And then you went through that whole Barad Dur fiasco!"
I didn't say where they put the rock.... over and over again.
It's was awful. :(
@AustinPowers said:
"Lion Knights Castle
Let's make sure we have a worthy finale with Castle Mafia versus Space Mafia
:-) "
Grey vs grey with a bit of blue.
@CCC said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Lion Knights Castle
Let's make sure we have a worthy finale with Castle Mafia versus Space Mafia
:-) "
Grey vs grey with a bit of blue.
"
Don't forget the dash of trans yellow! ;-)
After voting for castle (owning both), I just noticed again how strangely clunky the entrance ramp on that set is, compared to the rest of the caste ... It's like the 80ies wanted to be part of the set too and that was the concession.
I have a feeling lion knight castle will win based on nostalgia, but Rivendell is the better looking set.