I think it's very funny that Applejack has ditched the Gala.

I wish that they had released (and hope that they WILL release) an actual castle instead of just a carrying case. I also wish it were plastic. The playsets and buildings have always been my favourite, and this isn't anywhere near as impressive as the previous G3 castles.

I think that it was made of cardboard so that it would have the printed scenes on all surfaces. (I'm not saying that's necessarily a fair trade-off, just my observation.) Replicating the same design with a combination of paint and stickers would involve -lots- of stickers, and I think they'd still have to alter the level of detail, particularly for the inside rooms.

I'm just going to keep hoping that we'll get a "real" castle around Christmastime.

Ren-Ren wrote:

I wonder if I could swap heads between the shine bright and regular Lunas... That would make almost a perfect pony... But $40 just for that would be a bit much....

I'd love to try that.

Her head doesn't match her body anyways...
But I agree.. $40 just for shine bright luna (the only potentially interesting thing in that set) and maybe a bait pinkie is just.. a WEE bit too much.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A CASTLE OUT OF CARDBOARD???

LilSpark wrote:

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A CASTLE OUT OF CARDBOARD???

Well, first you design and layout it in whatever kind of graphics software, after that set it up fit for printing and then you go buy some cardboard at a fellow company, have all of that send to china and get it printed on some huge clunky machines.

Ren-Ren wrote:

I wonder if I could swap heads between the shine bright and regular Lunas... That would make almost a perfect pony... But $40 just for that would be a bit much....

What I would do is buy the Castle Set, switch the heads and then return it.

Yeah, it is cheating but Hasbro is really cheating us with this "Castle" in the first place.

I seriously have no space for more playsets, and throwing in the Rarity carriage that no one wants and jacking up the price is MEH. I might get this cardboard thing though, because it looks like a good display shelf to house all my G4 ponies, much like a G1 carry case.

HulkbowSMASH wrote:

And to everyone who's not getting this, or the $10 2-episode DVD: WRITE HASBRO! Tell them why you're not buying it, or they're likely to come to odd conclusions, like that the figures weren't pink enough, or the flashy Luna toy frightened small children and Boston police.

I'm writing a letter to Hasbro right now. Not just about this set, but the whole Canterlot line. I think anyone who is even a little bit disappointed in it should send a letter. Complaining on a forum where nobody will see it and then buying the product anyway sends the wrong message.

pixelpony wrote:

Ren-Ren wrote: I wonder if I could swap heads between the shine bright and regular Lunas... That would make almost a perfect pony... But $40 just for that would be a bit much.... What I would do is buy the Castle Set, switch the heads and then return it. Yeah, it is cheating but Hasbro is really cheating us with this "Castle" in the first place.

What...How is it cheating when you know what you are buying? Noone forces you to buy these sets. Either you want to spend that amount of money or you don't. Simple.

Seriously, while it's true that these sets aren't great...what did some of you expect!? These are not what i consider to be a ''line / theme''. They are just some cheap exclusive sets to get people to go to Target. I'm pretty sure there will be a more decent castle in the future. I think it would be silly of them to produce an entire castle just for it to be sold at Target...

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Hasbro is most concerned with the bottom line like any other company. Getting the most $ for least investment.

Doing a shout out in that Equestria Girls video = no investment.
Printing off 5000 copies of a clip-art poster = no investment.
New toys, molds paint apps = huge investment.
Doing "risky" new toys, like accurate gowns and white (not pink) ponies= high investment.
Building big plastic castles = high investment.

So my expectations are now really low... until Year 2 or 3 of Friendship is magic. Remember, G1 had like 8 years of development? What year did Paradise Estate come out?

EDIT:
"kimsites" says Year 4. So... 2014 for FiM?

www.kimsites.net/dream...ise_estate

When I was a kid, I had a cardboard dollhouse. Now, I was really good with my toys, but the house really didn't last long before it started to collapse and generally wear out. I don't see a cardboard castle for ponies holding up much better.

Personally, I don't like this set. But I also am not a big fan of playsets (never was) or accessories. Which is good, I guess, since I don't have room for them. I really like that Shine Bright Luna, but since I already have two Pinkie Pies (I don't need another) and I don't want the cardboard castle or the accessories, it just wouldn't make sense for me to buy this set. It's bad enough I had to spend the $20 set to get Starbeam Twinkle and Shine Bright TS. At least the box is useful for storing all the G4 accessories I've been accumulating that I don't have any use for but don't have the heart to throw out.

That's the castle we've all be waiting for? ....

I'll admit I wasn't expecting a big G1 like castle or even anything like the G3 castles but I donno something more than just this cardboard thingy. As for storing and displaying I don't need a $40 box for that I can get a $2 plastic box from walmart and $5 display shelf from Goodwill. Maybe later on after this line takes off we'll get something more but right now it's all starting to feel like the first year of G2....

At least Shine Bright Luna is pretty. The Princess Luna single they released resembles demon spawn. >_>

Still, I'd much prefer it if SB Luna was released as a single like SB Fluttershy.

It seems the theme of the Target Canterlot releases is "MORE PONY ACCESSORIES THAN CAN FIT IN YOUR HOUSE...oh, and a couple ponies."

pixelpony wrote:

Ren-Ren wrote: I wonder if I could swap heads between the shine bright and regular Lunas... That would make almost a perfect pony... But $40 just for that would be a bit much.... What I would do is buy the Castle Set, switch the heads and then return it. Yeah, it is cheating but Hasbro is really cheating us with this "Castle" in the first place.

You wouldn't be cheating Hasbro, You'd be cheating someone else out of what they rightfully paid for.

i love how cheap the toy industry has gotten these days. everything is basic, not painted, made of cardboard etc etc. its like g3 when hasbro just kept recycling accessories. i mean this is great and all, i know it's for kids, but still...