Brickset Bouts: semi-final results

Very close!

Have to say it's taken a long time to get to this boring point of not picking the best set but picking our favourite theme!

Wow! I didn't expect the results to be this close.

Whaaaaaaaaat?

Space Mafia vs Castle Mafia!

It'll be hard to choose. Surprised Rivendell didn't win its bout.

I can live with the results.

Wow 10497 has gotten the most votes of all 4 sets.

Love that the first bout was rounded to the nearest whole number—no problem. Second bout? Rounded to the hundredths to show how close it really is.

Big upset of Rivendell, huh?

Let's see which nostalgia is stronger.

Mike Psiaki vs Mike Psiaki!

I feel like this was always the given outcome.
A long roundabout way of getting here, would have liked to see these go head to head early to see what else would have come up through the ranks

Finally, 10497 faces a worthy opponent.

Best set in my eyes also includes affordability. Too many amazing sets are beyond my price point so I'll never come close to sniffing them. To me super expensive sets are flawed inheritently. I voted for the less expensive ser nearly every time and will again.

Galaxy Explorer isn't just nostalgia. It is quality, fun, replayability, interactive and nostalgic. All things lego should be. And it is affordable to everyone from big bank rollers to the 10 year old saving chore money for a year to get it.

Sad to see Rivendell losing by 16 votes, but I'm happy for the LKC, it is also a great set.

It is beyond absurd that the galaxy explorer has made it this far.

Might as well have just put out one poll weeks ago that asks "Which classic 80s nostalgia remake do middle aged lego fans like the most?" Good sets but Rivendell clears easily in my opinion

@shedjed said:
"Best set in my eyes also includes affordability. Too many amazing sets are beyond my price point so I'll never come close to sniffing them. To me super expensive sets are flawed inheritently. I voted for the less expensive ser nearly every time and will again.

Galaxy Explorer isn't just nostalgia. It is quality, fun, replayability, interactive and nostalgic. All things lego should be. And it is affordable to everyone from big bank rollers to the 10 year old saving chore money for a year to get it."

Also includes several potential builds of vintage sets. It appears the alt instructions aren't on Lego's site anymore (why not?) but I see articles referencing their existence.

Seems like you've discovered the age range of most of your voters as it is Classic Space v Classic Castle in the final.

The fact that both of these are 90th anniversary nostalgia remakes of old sets says a lot about this website.

I for one am happy that my favorites prevailed. No matter which set wins in the end, both are worthy of the title.

What surprised me was how close the bout between the Galaxy Explorer and the Blacksmith ended. Going by the comments section I would have predicted a landslide victory for the spaceship. Then again, the Blacksmith is a great set too.

@Username28 said:
"The fact that both of these are 90th anniversary nostalgia remakes of old sets says a lot about this website."
While they are both inspired by older sets, none of them are "remakes". The Lion Knights Castle even less than the Galaxy Explorer, which is much closer to the Classic Space set than the LKC is to any Castle that came before.

@CommanderR3x said:
"It is beyond absurd that the galaxy explorer has made it this far. "
Read what @shedjed has said above to understand why it is absolutely not absurd in the slightest.
And he didn't even mention that it's an official 3 in 1 set.

I am FLOORED Rivendell was defeated!! I had them down as the final winner from day 1!

@dimc said:
"Also includes several potential builds of vintage sets. It appears the alt instructions aren't on Lego's site anymore (why not?) but I see articles referencing their existence. "
Still available via BrickSet database link to Lego.com but not via the normal Lego.com Building Instruction link.

Crazy how much nostalgia influences people. As with almost all Lego votes, the most neutral, nostalgia bait wins. Still, congrats to the designers of these sets!

Starry Night will always be the winner in my heart!

@dimc said:
" @shedjed said:
"Best set in my eyes also includes affordability. Too many amazing sets are beyond my price point so I'll never come close to sniffing them. To me super expensive sets are flawed inheritently. I voted for the less expensive ser nearly every time and will again.

Galaxy Explorer isn't just nostalgia. It is quality, fun, replayability, interactive and nostalgic. All things lego should be. And it is affordable to everyone from big bank rollers to the 10 year old saving chore money for a year to get it."

Also includes several potential builds of vintage sets. It appears the alt instructions aren't on Lego's site anymore (why not?) but I see articles referencing their existence. "

I see that the alt instructions are indeed not found when I search for 10497 on the Lego site. But you can still download them if you go to the set's page here on Brickset.

Kinda saw that coming that Rivendell wouldn't win with the people voting against it simply so it wouldn't win, but didn't expect there to be all of 16 votes in it.

But a SPACESHIP!!! vs Castle final? Well that'll be a very close call too... hope you've got some really good advocates to hype both of them.

Everyone knows in their heart of hearts that Rivendell is clearly the best set. I'm excited though that I get to vote for 10487 for the win!

In future such contests, it might be worth considering two or three price-point categories, similar to what is done with the Christmas recommendations offered by Brickset team members. It doesn't quite seem reasonable to compare sets of such great disparity in price, size, figs, and detail, especially when they could both be terrific sets within their own range.

Isn't it surprising that both sets are from the Lego anniversary release? I'll answer that myself - No, it's not. Lego, really did a good job celebrating its old, slightly forgotten, core values - both finalists are nearly perfect in ticking all the boxes of play, interesting building techniques, and wall presence. And both are also affordably priced when compared to their respective size, being a proof that Lego can still produce amazing sets, if it wants. One is more swooshable, the other triggers my kids' imagination more. Whoever wins, will be a worthy winner!

Honestly, I kind of figured it would end up with these two in the finals. Both are such iconic sets. I have both and they are both some of the best sets I have, but if I had to pick, it would have to go to the castle. There's just more detail and functions to it.

Ahem... https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScrewYouElves No, seriously, while I agree that Rivendell is a beautiful set (and would definitely have it if I had the space), there's a part of me that's perversely glad to see it fall to LKC. Now, we see which mafia is more powerful, Space or Castle?

@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
" @Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"

I’m not sure which one to pick given how much I love both, but I’d advocate for the Lion Knights Castle of no one else has."

I know I don't have any say in the matter, but I think it'd be great if you could do write-ups for both. That would accomplish two things. One: Neither write-up would put down the other set, which has been known to happen in previous rounds. Two: Either way, you'd get bragging rights for having advocated for the winner.

The elves got theirs in the end, lol. RIP hive of scum and villainy.

All 4 are deserving. But apparently I’m only saying that because I’m a middle aged AFOL with nostalgia clickbait.

While I personally prefer Lion Knight's Castle and am typically not a fan of space sets, I think I'll be voting for the Galaxy Explorer. The accessibility of the set is important. That $100 price tag is major contributor to "best". Official 3-in-1 (sadly only digital though) directions are a good bonus, even if they're all roughly the same. Both have great display and play potential... But Galaxy's size makes both "easier" to get either going.

Yeah. I'll be voting for the one I never got for myself.

I kinda like that the final winner won't have made it on the strength of an outside IP.

A hundred and ninety-nine laps and baby, it all comes down to this!

Wow this is gonna be close. Space vs. Castle. The never-ending debate. The Coke vs Pepsi of the LEGO world.

In the end, all parts are Space parts, but I have to give it to the Castle guys. When they arrange space bricks in a Castle shape, it almost looks... natural.

@Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"

To change it up a bit, maybe this time the aim could be to trash the opposing set in stead of lauding the favorite. We've already heard the (deserving) praises 3 times over for each one of the finalists.

I can't tell you how shocked and disappointed I am that Rivendell got eliminated! Oh well, at least the two finalists are worthy sets.

Rivendell will always be the best LEGO set of the past five years for me, no matter what the results of this competition are.

It's a very high standard so I'm not surprised. I think what it came to a lot of these were a) value for money and b) the prices themselves. c) availability was probably also a deciding factor. Oh and definitely d) playability too!!

@Elcascador said:
" @Huw said:
"Please speak up if you'd like to advocate for one of these awesome sets. We can't find out the winner until you do!"

To change it up a bit, maybe this time the aim could be to trash the opposing set in stead of lauding the favorite. We've already heard the (deserving) praises 3 times over for each one of the finalists."

This. Best trash talk gets my vote.

I mean, LKC isn’t even yellow and where’s my crater baseplate you cheapsters. Does Mike ever get PTO?

People still into this?
Oh boy.
I’m writing in Temple of the Golden Idol! ;)

Riiiight, so apparently we're all just blinded by nostalgia and didn't vote for these sets because Mike Psiaki and Carl Merriam are deign geniuses.

Sure, whatever you guys say.

@LotRBrickfan196 said:
"Sad too see these results but I didn't expect anything different considering who the majority of people on Brickset are. Any people I would ask in real life wouldn't select either of these 2 sets as a contender for best Lego set of the past 10 years."

Ain’t we the woist?
I mean considering what the majority of us are… outside of… real life.
I will try going out and talking to people…lol

Shocked but happy to see Rivendell knocked out. It's pretty, for sure, but it's a $500 dollhouse, and an outside IP as well. I'm glad to see the classic themes prevail.

Embarrassing.

Lego have made all sorts of different sets for the past 40 years and all AFOLs want are constant remakes of their toys from the 1970s.

@BrickArchitect said:
"Mike Psiaki vs Mike Psiaki!"

Actually, 10305 is mostly Milan Madge with a dash of Mike Psiaki.

Well this makes the final round easy for me. If Rivendell had got through it would have been harder. Galaxy Explorer ftw. An excellent set with some outstanding build techniques.

Space vs. Castle. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

It's hilarious to me to see people groan about nostalgia affecting the vote. Brickset is a website targeted at adult fans of a children's toy -- of course nostalgia is a factor!

And I hate to break it to you, but Rivendell is a set based on a 24-year-old movie that is based on a 71-year-old book that many people first read when they were teenagers. Nostalgia is also a factor in Rivendell's popularity, just as it was for the Blacksmith Shop.

This has been a popularity contest from the beginning, and we all bring our own criteria -- price, design, minifigs, rebuildability, or whatever. There are no wrong answers, because it's a pure opinion poll.

Neither of these were my first choices, but they are both definitely worthy of the title, and I respect that.

I'll be voting for the Galaxy Explorer, and a big part of the reason is the official instructions to rebuild it into the two smaller models as well. (Which is why I bought three of this set when it was on that great $50 sale at Walmart in the USA.)

@MegaBlocks said:
"Embarrassing.

Lego have made all sorts of different sets for the past 40 years and all AFOLs want are constant remakes of their toys from the 1970s."

LKC is an homage to a theme and not a remake of anything. And I think it's pretty clear that AFOLs are eating up almost everything that LEGO spits out these days.

@alLEGOry_HJB2810 said:
"IM NOT VOTING the good sets are all out already"
Of course they are. After all, this is not about the good sets, but about the best!
;-)

Rivendell not winning doesn't make sense with my fantasy.

Morpheus is fighting Neo!

It's kind of amusing that people keep claiming nostalgia for why Rivendell was knocked down, but ignore that the biggest intellectual properties, such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, are driven pretty much exclusively by nostalgia and brand recognition.

Personally, I think the Lion Knights' Castle and Galaxy Explorer are both superior sets simply because they actually ask you to have an imagination, which is kind of what Lego is all about.

Sure, neither the castle nor spaceship themselves are particularly imaginative (even if the castle actually is, being that it wasn't designed to mimic or mirror any specific previous model or movie scene), but neither are commercialized properties based on a series of books that are themselves massively "inspired" by stories found in Celtic & Norse mythologies, or in Star Wars' case, Flash Gordon & Japanese samurai films, with a movie score that's pretty much straight-up ripped off from classical music.

@BJNemeth said:
"And I hate to break it to you, but Rivendell is a set based on a 24-year-old movie that is based on a 71-year-old book that many people first read when they were teenagers. Nostalgia is also a factor in Rivendell's popularity, just as it was for the Blacksmith Shop."

I disagree, if we had 3 LOTR sets in the final 4 people could rightly complain it was about the IP more than the set. But Rivendell is simply the most beautiful set Lego has made, whereas the others are good but clearly not the best sets of the last 5 years, so they have rightly gone.

We ended up with 3 sets based on Castle or Space, the sets are good but not up there with Rivendell or the Titanic which both stood out as best in class, for mini figure scale and non mini figure scale sets.

And for the record I have the 4 semifinalists but not the Titanic because its not something I collect but I can still recognise a special set when I see one.

Okay. So you want us to write in favour of both sets, while also trashing both sets? That sounds like a challenge.

Defending 10497:

If you grew up poor in the eighties, this set is custom-tailored to you. It's Lego's bespoke loveletter not just to one of its most iconic sets, but also to all of the people who just didn't have enough money saved up for the original - which amounts to a lot of us. It's affordable, it's good-looking, it ticks all of the boxes of a proper, carefully crafted remake, while still improving on the original. It features similar techniques, the same look and feel, and - while you became bigger, so did this set. And even though life's gotten increasingly more expensive, this set manages to stay pretty affordable. You all but owe it to your younger self to get at least one copy of this set, perhaps more if you want to build the smaller-scaled versions as well. Do you really want to disappoint your past self even more than you already have? You just can't afford to.

Attacking 10497:

It's anybody's guess why this boring grey Dorito managed to make it to the finals, but if I had to hazard a guess, it's because droves of aging AFOLs will gladly fork over money hand over fist if it helps them feel young again, or indeed, feel _anything_ again. Anything at all to distract from the troubles of the world and the call of the grave. And while the rose-tinted glasses may have helped to sell many copies of this set, you really have to wonder if, and why, this set was ever worth it. It's a giant slab of grey and blue, and not even the right shade of grey, if we're honest. It doesn't look particularly good compared to more modern builds, and it's just way too bloated and bulky to have a house next to your precious Classic Space sets. This set manages to combine elements of the past and the present, somehow combining into something not quite as good as either. Take some cold comfort, knowing that by buying this set instead of the original, you've managed to find a new and exciting way to disappoint your past self.

(I wasn't really feeling it. I really like 10497.)

LKC winning is not a major upset. 16 votes indicates a close contest. A good reflection of the comments, although that wasn't always true for each round.

Speaking of rounds, plenty of good arguments were given for LKC and the Galaxy Explorer during those. Somehow a lot of Rivendell supports couldn't get further than: It's the best! It's so beautiful! It has to win or nothing makes sense to me!

Perhaps instead of blaming nostalgia, take some time to reflect and realize that you only needed to persuade 16 people with just a few good arguments to get Rivendell into the final round. Sauron and the Nostalgia Mafia didn't cause the fall of Rivendell. It was you!

Really surprised (in a good way) by the results! I thought Galaxy Explorer would win easily, and that Rivendell would knock out the LKC.
Some people see nostalgia, but to me it just shows how passionate people are about these two sets!
I’ll be voting for GE in the final — partly because it’s more affordable, and also because LKC already won Set of the Year here in 2022. Time to let it have its turn ;-)

I would've preferred the Medieval Blacksmith to win, but Space vs. Castle seems like a classic way to end the voting.

I can see many sore Rivendell supporters asking how LKC could win (and saying we are entitled to our opinions but they don't get it blah, blah, blah nostalgia, castle mafia, etc...) I am sorry to disappoint here but Capo di tutti capi of the castle mafia said to vote with our hearts and brains and to ignore nostalgia and yet LKC won. Why? It is completely subjective, but let me use the following to try to paint the picture. I have multiple criteria with three main ones: build techniques, frequency with which my kids ask for the set to play, and how good and cohesive the set looks. Rivendell scored 8,1, and 8 (a cap for the building without a back in my book), LKC scored 7, 10, and 8, so we have Rivendell 8x1x8=64, LKC 7x10x8=560 - not even close) LKC is therefore a superior set for me. Also it being completely subjective - I just like it more and it is as good argument as any, so please accept the fact that if you like Rivendell more, I don't. Case closed ;)

Yes, I'm surprised, and disappointed, that Rivendell was knocked out. At the same time, I can see why anyone who had, or wanted to have, a flagship set from the age of Classic Castle, finds LKC utterly awesome. It isn't a matter of pure nostalgia; LKC manages to imbue a large but well-thought-out modern design with the essence of childhood's imagination and wonder that made its smaller forerunners so beloved. Very few toy companies are in a position to accomplish this remarkable feat.

At the moment, I'm honestly not sure which way I'll vote. Do I let the sheer size and complexity of LKC blow me away--or do I vote for the set which transcends questions of size and complexity by being simply perfect?

This is a weighty question indeed!

@BJNemeth said:
"....

And I hate to break it to you, but Rivendell is a set based on a 24-year-old movie that is based on a 71-year-old book that many people first read when they were teenagers. ..."

Nonsense, the movies came out when I was 20 and I can't possibly be older than about 25....

Astonished that 10305 beat Rivendell but it is an excellent set - I suspect Space will win out but personally I'll be voting for it....

I understand the disappointment of Rivendell fans, it's a beautiful set with wonderful techniques, but it is not so much of a play set and that's what Lego is -hopefully- still about.

Sorry, why can’t there just be two winners?

To me, the fact that the final bout is between two tributes to the classic lego themes shows that the original themes have a timeless appeal.

Not sure why people are complaining? Two sets that are remakes/reboots of the two most popular classic LEGO themes, and both amazing sets on their own. Rivendell is a beautiful and impressive set, but from what I understand the Lion Knights' Castle offers more in terms of play in addition to being a great display piece.

I see people complain on here all the time that there's too many licensed sets. Now a popularity contest for the best set ends up with two non-licensed sets in the final round, and people still complain? Apparently it's impossible to make a large portion of the AFOL community happy.

Personally I would have picked Lion Knights' Castle and Rivendell for an all castle/fantasy final round. But the way the matchups were set made that impossible. Galaxy Explorer is IMO a worthy candidate to challenge the Lion Knights.

@biffuz said:
"Next time, let's exclude classic castle or space..."

Then everyone will complain about licensed sets winning.

@spikes said:
"This edition is less interesting than the 2020 edition with its Ninjago City / Old Fishing Store / Saturn V / Parisian Restaurant.

This year, out with the originality. Back to the nostalgia of the 70s and 80s with a Space Classic vs. Castle battle. It's sad..."

Yes, so sad that the best Castle set LEGO has ever made and the best Space set LEGO has ever made would end up being super popular sets. What is this world coming to?

@Yellowknights said:
":-( Compared to Rivendell, that castle is just a grey box with a strange steep slide as an entrance hill. This is strange."

From what I understand from reviews, having not built either set yet, is that the Lion Knights' Castle has a lot more playability and overall versatility compared to Rivendell. It can be configured in different ways and the minifigs can be arranged to create countless stories, your imagination is the only limit.

Rivendell is a beautiful display piece and an impressive set in its own right, but doesn't really serve much other purpose besides display. You build it once, set up the main scene with your figures, and that's it. An amazing set, yes, but I believe the LKC offers way more in terms of play and storytelling.