Back in 1978 LEGO released their first castle set, and we got it for Christmas not long afterwards. We had loads of LEGO in those days, but this set was always my favourite:
I loved all the mini figures, the drawbridge and the way the walls were hinged and the entire castle opened up for play. In time both Bernard and I could make this even without the instructions, and I remember playing with it for years. Since then I’ve always had nostalgia for LEGO castle sets, and despite a few others being released over the decades none wowed me like the original set ever did.
Until now!
This is Lion Knight’s Castle, a new set inspired by the 1978 classic castle that also incorporates elements from newer sets. It’s massive, with 22 minifigs and the level of detail we expect from LEGO sets these days (like the blacksmith). It was only revealed a few weeks ago and came out today for VIP members. I had to have it, and was at the LEGO store before it opened.
To my amazement there was a line, and a longish one at that! I was at the store just this past Monday (to get the Atari set) and had walked right in and bought what I wanted without a wait. What was going on?
It quickly became obvious this was a line for the castle. They let us in and there were very few sets to be seen, and I immediately sensed anxiety. Not just me (about 8th in line) but everyone was wondering if they had enough to go around? Very quickly the manager assured us did, and apologized for the fact it would take a while since only one register was working. It would be a slow process.
As I patiently waited my turn – and they were bringing castles out from the back room at this point – the line continued to lengthen behind me. A few people were grabbing other sets (but not the new Sanctum Santorum or Atari VCS, both of which were sold out) but everyone was there for the castle. It was a diverse line, with people of all ages, genders and colours. And here I thought only guys my age would be this excited about a nostalgic set 🙂
Before I got to the register the line was out the door, and as I paid and left I heard the woman at the door tell a customer they were sold out of castles and not sure when they’d get more. I believe they only got about 20 based on what I counted, and they’d sold them all at $400 in under half an hour! From what others in line were saying it sold out online almost immediately as well. Now we know why LEGO continues to make such big and pricey sets.
Here’s my castle. It’s the biggest set I’ve ever owned both by box size and piece count (over 4500) and quite a beast to pick up. Now I own it of course I’ll need to make it, but given there’s a bunch of other sets in this house waiting to be built it’ll probably be a while.
When I do, I’ll definitely blog it 🙂
This castle is magnificent. I can’t wait to see it made up and on display.
It’s a superb Lego set. I can’t wait until it’s disassembled and shipped to me!
That original castle was so good. It was the first Lego castle and unlike the others Lego released in the years following. It’s interesting that we never got more castle Lego. Perhaps it came out some years later and we’d moved on to space Lego?