Category: Collecting

Lion Knight’s Castle

August 3, 2022

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 🙂

My Collection: Nintendo 64

July 17, 2022

As a followup to the SNES, Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 (N64) in Japan in mid 1996, and in the rest of the world in 1997. Even at the time it was an unusual choice for the system to use cartridges for games (when the industry was moving to discs), and this ultimately doomed the console to lose in the market against the PlayStation.

I got my N64 early, since I had befriended the guy who ran the game company I would in time write reviews for, and he brought me back one from Japan in 1996. I had exactly one game for it, Super Mario 64, but this was such a groundbreaking and important game that it hardly mattered. I played it nonstop.

When the US version was released nine months later, I had to modify mine to play American games. Luckily this was a trivial process (I had to open the system and remove a piece of plastic) and I then had an N64 that could play games from anywhere in the world. Despite this I only ever bought one other Japanese game – Sin and Punishment – which was also fittingly the last N64 game I ever bought (in 2002).

As I mentioned this was a system hamstrung by the choice of cartridges. It was technically competent and had a great controller – the first true analogue controller for a home console in fact – but gaming was maturing from simple 2D graphics and games needed far more data storage. Publishers faced the choice of inexpensive CDs for PlayStation versus expensive cartridges for N64 and it’s unsurprising the discs won. As a result the N64 was the last non-handheld console to use cartridges until they returned for the Switch over 20 years later.

I only ever bought about 25 N64 games, and traded many of them in in the early 00’s when EB Games offered too-good-to-refuse prices. My remaining collection is above. Despite the small number of games there were some true classics on the system, including Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, which is a wonderful Zelda game that pioneered many advancements that countless games utilize today such as lock-on targeting and a user-controlled camera.

Ultimately though this system must be remembered as a failure which lost Nintendo control of the industry. It’s followup – the GameCube – didn’t do well either, and it wasn’t until the phenomenal success of the Wii that they would return to the top of the market. I loved the N64 when it was the current system (I always preferred it to the PlayStation), but in retrospect it’s unquestionably my least nostalgic Nintendo console.

Which is one reason why I’m now saying goodbye to mine. I’m about to sell another large chunk of my collection, and will this time say goodbye to my NES, SNES, N64 and GameCube games (and hardware). Lots of memories will go with it all, but the time (and price) is right and I feel comfortable parting with it. I hope the next owners get as much joy from the games as I have over the years 🙂

My Collection: SNES

July 13, 2022

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was released in Japan in 1990 and worldwide starting in 1991. In those days, still in Australia, I knew about the SNES but was content playing NES and PC games. It wasn’t until shortly after I arrived in America (in 1993) that I bought my SNES.

These days this system is renowned for a large library of high quality games. In particular it heralded the arrival or best installments in many famous series including F-Zero, Mario Kart, Castlevania and Metroid. The first (and only!) Mario game on the console – Super Mario World – is considered to be one of the best platform games ever made, and the system includes many famous and beloved RPGs in its library.

In time I would buy 35 games for the system, most of which are shown above. For several years the SNES and Game Boy were my only consoles, and I have very fond memories of long nights playing epic RPGs such as Final Fantasy 6 (one of my favorite games of all time) or Wizardry 5.

Games were expensive in those days! The above game cost me $74.99, which is about $150 today! I recall I used to save up for games and treasured every one I got 🙂

Due to the quality of the library, the large amount of RPGs, and the fragility of the cardboard boxes the games were sold in, the SNES has become arguably the most collectible console. Some games have skyrocketed in value, and very rare ones are bought and sold these days for thousands of dollars. If you wanted to collect a full library of SNES games today, you’d need very deep pockets.

I don’t have any of the super rare ones, but a few of mine are worth a tiny fortune these days. The above game, Chrono Trigger, is probably worth ten times what I paid for it in 1995, or possibly even more since I’ve kept mine in pristine condition!

For me the legacy of the SNES are the very happy memories it has given me. This was the system that really got me into console gaming. The system that hooked me on Japanese RPGs. And the system that inspired me to start my fanzine which eventually led to a job (of sorts) playing and reviewing games. The SNES represents the foundation of one of my personal stories, and for that reason will always remain special to me.

Robot Claw