Feedback from some in the wider LEGO fan community suggests that the BrickLink Designer Program Series 11 may have a castle-shaped problem.
The five finalists of the BrickLink Designer Program Series 11 were recently officially revealed, offering up a varied selection of new models that are due to be crowdfunded next summer. Those builds include a mix of themes and concepts, with one fan-designed set in particular drawing criticism from some in the wider LEGO community.
Royal Nest is the creation of _TLG_ and represents merely the latest in a long line of Classic Castle models to be selected as a future BrickLink Designer Program release. Not only does the 2,975-piece build gives the new Griffin Knight faction a home, the reveal livestream for the set also hinted at big changes and innovations that will impact the build.
While castle models tend to be some of the first BrickLink Designer Program builds to be funded and sell out, Royal Nest has proven to be a slightly-divisive concept, even amongst fans of the classic LEGO theme.
“The castle here is gorgeous,” said Django117 on Reddit, “but I have to be honest, I'm a bit fatigued by the castles here. Mountain Fortress, Forest Stronghold, Adventure in Transylvania, Outlaw Forest Den, and Dustmark Keep are all wonderful sets, but do they really need yet another castle every time?”
“As a castle fan, I kinda agree,” responded fellow Redditor, sdfedeef. “Most are not too original. Using lots of light grey bricks. Mostly in the Lions Knights' Castle style. As you said, many original submissions but they don't seem to get picked that much.”
Those sentiments were echoed over on Instagram, with mixed responses to Royal Nest following the reveal of the upcoming BrickLink Designer Program Series 11 set.
“No offense to the designer,” posted chunk_dunkirk, “because it's better than anything I could do, but the castle ain't it. There were so many other amazing castle designs. Sometimes I really wonder what the criteria is for the selections....”
“Slightly disappointed in the castle,” posted mbsb27, “although _TLG_ is a great designer. This castle was second tier for me. A couple of the Kraken castles were near the top. Makes me think LEGO has a Kraken castle in the works.”
While the jury is seemingly still out on Royal Nest for now, it’s highly-likely that the BrickLink Designer Program set will still end up being fully-funded come next year and potentially be one of the highest-selling Series 11 releases, but that's just speculation on our part.
Crowdfunding for the BrickLink Designer Program Series 11 sets is due to go live on June 1, 2027 at 8am PT, with all five fan creators currently working with the Model Governance and Building Instructions teams to refine their designs ahead of that date.
Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO using our affiliate links. Thanks!
Comments
Be the first to comment!