The palette for the next series of the LEGO BrickLink Designer Program has mysteriously dropped two Castle factions from its part selection.
BrickLink dropped the palette for 2028 Wave 1 (or Series 12, as it was formerly known) over the weekend, and you can check it out for yourself by updating to the latest version of Studio, the platform’s digital design software. These are the elements available to budding designers hoping to submit models for the upcoming series – but the Kraken Warriors and Griffin Knights are not among them.
The relatively new Castle factions are currently only available through official means in 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine and via Pick a Brick. The LEGO Ideas model is due to retire at the end of 2027 at the time of writing, which means that the parts required for these minifigures will have left the portfolio by the time 2028 Wave 1’s sets ship in March 2028.
That may explain why the Kraken Warriors are not among the palette for this series, even while the Serpent and Horse Knight pieces remain, as 31168 Medieval Horse Knight Castle (in which those two factions can be found) isn’t scheduled to retire until the end of 2028. However, at least one other torso in the palette – a dark green jacket over a tan ribbed sweater – is currently only available in 21359 Italian Riviera, which is also retiring in 2027.
Which brings us to the other possible explanation for the Kraken Warriors and Griffin Knights’ omission in 2028 Wave 1: the LEGO Group already has a set featuring one or both of those factions in the works and doesn’t want fan designers to waste time building models that will automatically be excluded from selection. BDP Lead Alex Kastelic addressed the possibility of this situation last year.
“The loose rule is, is it in active development?” he said, specifically referencing the list of intellectual properties that are off-limits in the program. “[If] there’s a yearly release, we’re going to stay out of that space. Modular buildings is on there, because there’s a new modular every year. Winter Village is probably one of those things too where it’s like, ‘We should probably stay away from that.’
“Where the line gets a little blurry is Castle. There are obviously releases for Castle, but they’re a little bit further in between, we’re seeing them maybe every couple of years or something like that. Same with Pirates. So those just depend on if there’s something coming down the pipeline, then we’ll steer clear of that and try to avoid that.”
Every series of the BrickLink Designer Program since the Kraken Warriors and Griffin Knights joined the palette has featured multiple builds devoted to either or both factions, but Series 11’s Royal Nest is the first set explicitly hooked to one of them (in this case, the Griffins). The BrickLink team has already teased upcoming additions to the LEGO portfolio that will benefit that set, too.
“We’ve got a lot of fun things coming for this model, so stay tuned for next year,” Alex said. “Similarly, there are some new things on the horizon that we’ll be able to take advantage of, which is a lot of fun.”
A mainline LEGO set dedicated to the two new factions could be one way to introduce ‘new things’ that could then be taken into the Royal Nest. The two Griffin Knights in 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine share the same design, for example, so a new torso for that faction could add some variety to the BrickLink Designer Program set’s line-up.
It’s very unlikely that the LEGO Group would greenlight a BDP Griffin castle if it has its own waiting in the wings, though, so if this is indeed the reason these factions are absent from 2028 Wave 1’s palette, the most probable scenario is that the Kraken Warriors are getting a dedicated set and the Griffins may feature as adversaries. That’s entirely speculation on our part, of course – we’re just connecting dots here.
What do you think? Have the Krakens and Griffins simply faced the chop thanks to 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine’s 2027 retirement plan? Or is this a sign that LEGO Castle fans have something bigger than just 40912 Sea Serpent to look forward to somewhere down the line?
If you’re interested in designing something for BrickLink Designer Program 2028 Wave 1 or just want to check out the full parts palette for yourself, download (or update) BrickLink Studio. Submissions will be accepted from September 14 to 28, 2026. Find out more about the upcoming series here.
Featured image: TrumanBrick
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