#lego forestmen

[thebrickdwarf]

Brighter times ahead

[konschmidt]

Under the blueberry branches

[bluenpinkcastle]

20240302: the History of LEGO Castle day 062. From 1984-1993, the LEGO Group produced 56 (47 unique sets, 3 sets with a different set number but actually the same, 4 minifigure boxes, one set a non-separated part of a combo set, and one service pack) sets in several different subthemes, including the Black Falcons, Black Knights, Crusaders, Forestmen, Lion Knights, and Wolfpack. While many of modern catalogues have combined the Crusaders and the Lion Knights, some have left them separate for the sake of authenticity. I decided to include the original catalogues and this was definitely a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The main designers for the LEGOLAND and LEGO System Castle sets were Daniel August Krentz, Niels Milan Pedersen, and Steen Sig Andersen.

[metarix-studios]

Forestmen Hideout

Probably one of my favorite “rooms” built in to the new Lions Knights Castle set. Love the secret entranceway you open to get into their little hideout!

I went through a couple of variations when taking this photo. It was tricky lighting the cave through the small secret hatch that is built it, but with some extra lights on the side, I got the shot I was looking for. These two were some rejected shots that I started editing but wasn’t satisfied with. I think near the end I took close to around 50 shots! 😅

[thebrickdwarf]

It's Black Falcons Friday!

[thebrickdwarf]

Target practice

#black falcons friday

[bluenpinkcastle]

20240210: the History of LEGO Castle day 041 6071-1 Forestmen's River Crossing (1990, 210 pieces, 60 different parts) The Forestmen's River Crossing is built on a 16x32 green plate with printed blue river through the middle and a small blue printed circle on one corner. A light gray and black building covered in foilage connects over the river with a brown bridge to another black building with more foilage. The set includes five different forest minifigures and a white horse with a red saddle. -A green torso with black arms and collar and a printed black belt with yellow buckle, plain green legs, and a green hat with small red feather. -A green torso with blue arms and a blue collar and a printed black belt with yellow buckle, plain green legs, and a brown hat with a three plumed feather. -A green torso with red arms and a red collar and a printed black belt with yellow buckle, plain green legs, and a green hat with large yellow feather. -A green torso with green arms and a yellow v-neck and a black belt with yellow buckle and a small brown pouch, plain green legs, and a brown hat with red three plume feather. -A green torso with a printed corset hinting at cleavage with a beaded green necklace and green arms, plain green legs, a printed yellow head with thick red lips and black bangs with a green bandana. The box for this build was severely damaged but what back of the box and inside the flap builds are visible consist of a very small forest bridge, a boat under a bridge, a three-story black and light gray building over the river, and a black and light gray bridge built across the river. This set has a number of unique and rare pieces, especially the "forestwoman" and the green river printed baseplate. The first green and blue printed baseplates came out in 1989 with the Pirates series (6270-1 Forbidden Island, 6260-1 Shipwreck Island, and 6265-1 Sabre Island) but this is the only flat water-pattern baseplate in the castle theme. And it is definitely a very, very cool baseplate :) This is also the second use of the brown ladder in the castle system, one of only three sets with this part (the other is 4588-1 Off Road Race Track). This is also the second usage of the brown rope bridge (the first, again, being 6270-1), a part that was only used in a total of 13 sets. The Forestmen's River Crossing is the last of the original Forestmen faction. The next closet version to the "Robin Hood" of LEGO Castle will be the Dark Forest series in 1996. This set has hidden entrances and the ladder is concealed and it's very, very cool! And this set certainly went out with a bang, as this was a fantastic set for its time but I have a few reservations about it now. This is the fifth castle set which specifically genders minifigures. This time, the gender identifications don't come because of their headgear or the label given by the catalogue, but by making a minifigure torso with a printed thin waist and a corset with cleavage, and a minifigure head with thick red lipstick. I think this actually bothers me a bit because up until this point, the minifigures had no gender, and even the four previous gender identifications were superfluous, as it was just a written label, but now, this minifigure is adding sexual characteristics. Before this minifigure, any of the minifigures could be any gender. But now? Now, there's even an implied romantic scene in one of the back of the box builds with the "forestwoman" and one of the other minifigures on a river boat. Now, there are sexual characteristics found on what used to be a generic minifigure. And sometimes I wonder if this single torso is where LEGO actively decided to value making toys for boys over toys for everyone. A parts inventory for this set can be found on BrickLink or Rebrickable and a free download of the instructions can be found on ToysPeriod. This set was designed by Daniel August Krentz and Steen Sig Andersen and you have find the other things they designed on BrickSet.

[bluenpinkcastle]

20240131: the History of LEGO Castle day 31. 6054-1 Forestmen's Hideout (1988, 202 pieces, 59 different parts) The Forestmen's Hideout is such a great little set and is a mostly black two-story build with green foilage and two green trees, built on two green 6x12 plates. The second level has a blue plate covered balcony with a light gray wall and two triangular shields with a light brown deer head with black antlers on a green background with a brown border. Hinge bricks allow you to close or open the set, which makes it easy to move and great to play with. The two forest minifigures for this set include a green torso with a v-neck, green arms, a printed black belt with a yellow buckle and a brown pouch with plain green legs, and a green torso with a red collar and red arms and a printed black belt with a yellow buckle and plain green legs. This set introduces another of my favorite bricks, the 3x3 facet wedge brick, as well as the brown forest shields which are only found in five other sets (6071-1 Forestmen's Crossing, 6077-2 Forestmen's River Fortress, 6024-1 Bandit Ambush, 6046-1 Hemlock Stronghold, and 6076-1 Dark Forest Fortress) and two service packs (6103-1 Castle Mini Figures and 5184-1 Castle Equipment). Other new and unique parts for this set include the green whip or plant vine and the yellow 2x2 circle tile with printed blue and red target center. The target was only found in two other sets (6077-2 Forestmen's River Fortress and 1624-1 King's Archer) and one service pack (5184-1 Castle Equipment). This is also the first set to use the black inverted double slope brick, which only shows up in black in nine other sets between 1990-1998. Back of the box builds for this set include several different forest fortresses, including a neat little table with a green roof. Webbrickfreak made free downloadable instructions for the alternate build with the table on Rebrickable. This is another set where I think it would be absolutely fantastic to build it with brown instead of black to make it look more like a tree fortress. Even though I enjoy this set greatly, as one of the original sets from my younger days, building black-on-black is not generally my idea of a good time. I don't know why, but black is a lot harder for me to see and a lot harder for me to build with. This shouldn't have been a very time-consuming build, but it took me about twice as long as other builds in this project with similar piece count. Perhaps in the future, I will rebuild it in another color and post the results :) Parts inventory for this set can be found at BrickLink or Rebrickable and a free download of the instructions can be found at ToysPeriod. BrickSet has a list of the other sets designed by the designer, Niels Milan Pedersen.