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I read every word that you wrote…
I viewed every picture you posted…
And I considered your statements in its entirety…
…Thus, all I have to say is:
!!!FINALLY, this is so RIGHT!!!
This is what we want…
This is what will sell…
These are the type of products that’ll
bring TLG back into the forefront.
!!!These sets are PERFECT!!!
Thank you for taking the time to
produce the kind of sets we all
dream about! And thank you once
again for breaking down the concept
so that TLG can see how to get back
on track and return to the prosperity
of their ‘golden’ years.
Jubilantly,
--==Richard==--
In lugnet.announce.moc, Jon Furman writes:
> This is an Idea I’m certain we’ve all thought of, but I figured that I would
> try to put my ideas into words and pictures. It’s a Castle theme that I’ve
> developed in my spare time.
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31954
>
> The main purpose of these designs was to try to put together a castle theme
> that Lego could feasibly produce, and I would want to purchase. The first
> area is fairly simple. I stuck with existing parts that are widely
> available in retail or Lego Direct sets. No Retooling of molds or
> commissioning new ones would have to take place. To make certain that the
> sets could be sold at a reasonable price through the local retailer, I
> determined a price per part index (for how this index was determined, see
> the bottom of the page) and started building.
>
> The second idea was a little more complex, but a lot more fun. Set’s I like
> to purchase (and I think it’s fair to say the general public as well) are
> generally strong in a few important areas: Play Value, Price per piece,
> Unique parts, and Expandability.
>
> This is only one years worth of sets that could be produced, many other
> items could follow, because the possibilities really are endless.
> Here are the pictures of the sets as well as brief descriptions of each, and
> a piece count and MSRP. For more info on the witherfores and the why’s
> continue on to the bottom.
>
> Set 001
> Gatehouse - 207 pieces - $19.99
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31962
> The gatehouse is a designed to keep invaders out of the castle. Three brave
> soldiers guard the entrance and operate the independently working drawbridge
> and portcullis.
> Outside the gate, the determined forces operate their battering ram, hoping
> to get inside.
>
> Set002
> Princess tower - 252 Pieces - $24.99
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31958
> This tall tower keeps the princess safe from the invaders. Two brave
> soldiers guard the entrance. Play is a snap as the tower pops open to
> reveal three chambers inside.
>
> Set 003
> Livery Stable - 220 pieces - $19.99 (.07 index)
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31964
> Mounted knights can cover a lot of territory. In the stable, the Smithy can
> give their horses excellent care. Protect your realm with this sturdy cavalry!
>
> Set 004
> Corner Tower -180 pieces - $15.99
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31955
> The castle is protected by towers along the wall. Can the defenders hold
> their position, or will the Black Knights climb the walls and force them
> into the tower?
> Upper and lower chambers inside the tower provide shelter from the weather
> and the enemy.
>
> Set 005
> Battle Station - 68 pieces - $9.99
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31961
> The fiercest soldiers do battle on the walls of the castle. Who will gain
> the victory, The Crusaders or Black Knights? With the Battle Station,
> expanding your empire is a snap.
>
> Set 006
> Catapult - 52 pieces - $6.99
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31959
> The Black Knights are preparing their assault on the castle. The Catapult
> hurls stones high over the walls. Two soldiers operate this attack machine.
>
> Set 007
> Dark Archer - 33 pieces $2.99
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31957
> The Dark Archer fires a volley of arrows at enemy soldiers. Crossbows are
> excellent supports for siege troops.
>
> Set 008
> NobleMan's Hall - 304 pieces - $29.99
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31966
> The Nobleman's Hall is the place to enjoy dinner and ale, or sit and relax
> by the fire. Includes the Nobleman, two soldiers, and 1 serf. Connect
> Towers or walls to the Hall, or place it in the middle of your castle!
>
> Set 009
> Castle Pack - 995 pieces $95.00
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31965
> A complete Guarded Castle and Siege Army, plus plenty of Bricks to Build
> your Castle any way you like! Who will prevail, The Lions or the Dragons,
> You Decide. Contains 1 Battle Station, 1 Gatehouse, and 4 Corner Towers.
>
> The Greatest thing about these sets is that they are all compatible with
> each other. Technic pins and pin hole blocks allow for instant
> reconfigurations. The combinations you can create are nearly
> inexhaustible. You can create castles as large or as small as you like. You
> can amass armies, lay sieges, or design a medieval kingdom to your own
> specs. Even if you hate these sets, there are more than enough pieces here
> to build whatever kind of castle you want! This is a level of
> interchangeability only hinted at by the Lego sets of the 1980’s
>
> CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=31968
>
> PLAY VALUE – If the set doesn’t look fun, who wants to buy it? The set gets
> picked up or passed by based on how well it arouses consumer interest. Lego
> sets that feature a man and a car are lame, sets with two men and two cars
> create a day at the races. Opening doors, launching catapults, secret
> entrances etc… make the model interesting after it is built. PICK UP A BOX
> WITH PIRATES ON IT AND YOU ARE INTERESTED, PICK UP A BOX WITH A PIRATE
> BATTLE ON IT, AND YOU START LOOKING FOR A PRICE TAG!
>
> PRICE PER PIECE – If a Lego set costs 10 bucks and you get 10 parts (Jack
> Stone, how I hate you!) you are not buying Lego, you are buying PlayMobil,
> and the last time I checked PlayMobil and Lego were two different companies.
> Playing your game is the best way to ensure your personal success, playing
> someone elses game plays to their advantage.
> The more parts you get, the more alternate models you can make, the more you
> can enhance your existing creations, and it becomes easier to convince
> Grammy and Gramps that this would be a good value at Christmas time.
> Not many of us complained shelling out $100 U.S. on the Black Seas Barracuda
> (we aren’t even complaining now) But none of us liked paying $ 100 U.S. for
> the Red Beard Runner. WHEN YOU CAN JUSTIFY THE PRICE TAG, YOU START
> DREAMING ABOUT THE PURCHASE.
>
> UNIQUE PARTS – Even the most rational of us has walked into store displays
> while making our way to the counter as we stare at the box, wondering about
> all the things we could do with all those parts, “Three more Knights!” “If I
> bought nine of these, I could….” WHEN YOU GET THE PARTS YOU WANT, YOU ARE
> HAPPY.
>
> EXPANDABILITY – I don’t know about you, but I get wired when I see the
> possibility of creating a small little world within a theme. Gas stations
> AND Car Dealerships, Pirate ships AND Harbors, adding to an existing world
> is a lot more fun than not. Remember trying to figure out what to do with
> your Knights’ Procession? IF you didn’t have 60 bucks for the castle too,
> those guys just marched around your TV tray during Tom & Jerry untill
> Christmas morning!)
>
> I like to think that this is the direction the castle theme COULD have gone
> in 1990, IF TLG had kept with their modular design scheme instead of moving
> to the raised baseplate motif begun with the Kings Mountain Fortress. I
> used the black knights and the crusaders, for illustrative purposes only,
> any group (I’m partial to the falcons, I just don’t have a lot of them) or
> groups could be used.
> By keeping the parts basic, giving each model moving parts and multiple
> features, keeping the line expandable, while maintaining a level of
> affordability, I believe that it is entirely possible to produce sets that
> will fly off of the shelves.
>
>
> *The Price per parts index is as follows: Lego Direct has offered us the
> Black Falcons Fortress, and the Guarded Inn for $.10 per part USD. (Thank
> you, Thank you, Thank you!) This is well below the almost $.17-$.20 price
> per part in their recent offerings. This low price point can be achieved
> for many reasons, but chief among them is that nearly all of the R and D,
> and packaging costs were already absorbed by the initial releases of the
> product. In This case I have done all of the R and D, so achieving this
> index is definitely feasible. The Larger pieces : Walls, Corners, etc. keep
> the index in the point tens range.
> TLG themselves have given us Daniel Siskind’s brilliant Blacksmith’s Shop
> at an unheard of $.07 pricing index, this appears to be because Daniel did
> all of the R and D, and used small parts almost exclusively. Smaller parts
> cost less.
> The sets I’ve designed that use wall pieces and large baseplates are
> generally calculated at a 10 cent index and the ones built using only small
> parts are calculated using the 6 cent index.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: My modular castle creations
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| Thanks a lot for your compliments Richard. I really appreciate the encouragement! IF we ever got sets like this, or they made these pieces available from the website, I think I'd pass out! Jon (21 years ago, 22-Jan-03, to lugnet.castle)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | My modular castle creations
|
| This is an Idea I’m certain we’ve all thought of, but I figured that I would try to put my ideas into words and pictures. It’s a Castle theme that I’ve developed in my spare time. (URL) main purpose of these designs was to try to put together a (...) (21 years ago, 22-Jan-03, to lugnet.announce.moc, lugnet.castle) !!
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