Tag Archives: Classic-Castle

Ye olde classic gets a fancy modern update

If you remember having 6703 Knight’s Castle in your LEGO collection as a kid, there’s a good chance you’re nursing some back pain, clipping your phone to your belt, and wishing these words were a little bigger and easier to read. Still, you’re never too old to appreciate ZCerberus‘s take on the classic set, just in time for its 40th anniversary. The update stays true to the aesthetics and architectural footprint of the original while showcasing just how far LEGO bricks and their builders have come. The red stone of the gatehouse hasn’t changed, but the castle walls are beautifully textured with tiles, while the wild foliage at the base adds an air of rugged mystery.

KnightsCastle2

The LEGO bricks of 1995 are not to be underestimated

What happens when you’re restricted to the bricks of a certain LEGO era? Builder Ids de Jong thrives with such limitations, bringing us a castle that looks at home in modern-day Castle themes. Without access to modern plant parts, we still have an excellent-looking birch. Lacking today’s complement of bricks made for SNOT construction (Studs Not On Top), Ids throws together some exquisite cross-windows with the help of minifigure legs. And despite no masonry profile bricks from back in the 90’s, the old school approach of layering standard 1×2 plates to recreate the masonry texture works just fine instead. This makes me wonder what other themes could be revisited with only 1995 parts.

The Classic Knight's Castle

Bridging the past and the present with a royal redesign

Builder -soccerkid6 goes to the drawing board with this new vision of the classic LEGO Castle set 6078 Royal Drawbridge. The original set is from year 1995 and features a bridge that’s less draw and more sneaky. It could drop anyone on it into the water around it–it’s a trap! Of course, being a set from 1995, the details are rather sparse with limited parts in existence at the time. This redesign, on the other hand, is rich with details and parts. First, the drawbridge is the spitting image of what we expect a drawbridge to look like, complete with the chains. The towering battlements are fuller now, featuring lovely detailing in the exposed brick textures of the walls. The spires are stronger with the blue drill pieces for the points, but my favorite little touch in the whole build is the inclusion of flowers with the greenery.

6078 Royal Drawbridge Revamp

Updated Guarded Inn

I love a good old classic set, the 1986 Guarded Inn is no exception to this. Sets like these remind us of simpler times where LEGO only had 9 colors, and everyone supported the same smile. I love it when creators use a set like this as inspiration and manage to bring it to 2020 by using newer parts and techniques. Stuifzand didn’t use any of the tudor wall panel. And this set came with a lot of panels, 8 to be exact. The door was replaced by a brick-build but door but in the same style as the original set. The yellow shutters add a nice pop of colour as do the dark green half-round windows.

Guarded Inn_1

A brand new take on a true classic castle

Growing up, I was lucky to have one of LEGO’s early sets in the castle theme, 375 Castle, which, along with several classic space sets catapulted my LEGO building creativity to a whole new level. And it seems I am not alone in my nostalgic feelings for this set. Galaktek has built a LEGO model inspired by this set, featuring a central section, with four hinged wings that open up for further play and display options. This one perfectly represents feudal Japan with an arched front gate, very detailed stone foundations and vegetation, and a lovely pagoda with ornate gold details.

Ninjago Castle - Front

And if this castle mash-up feels familiar, it’s for a good reason. You may have seen this model in person if you were in Seattle for Brickcon 2019 in early October, where the builder had several castles all built as an homage to the original castle LEGO set. We also covered another of these castle mash-ups recently here on TBB.

Return to the Guarded Inn

The original LEGO Guarded Inn was released back in 1986, gradually becoming one of the castle theme’s most cherished sets. It even received a 2001 re-release under the LEGO Legends moniker. Thanks to builder Corvus Auriac, the little inn has undergone major renovations. It’s a medieval masterpiece built to reflect current LEGO building techniques, the expanded range of parts, and diverse selection of colors.

Guarded Inn 6067 Remastered - Comparision

Every angle of Auriac’s build is packed with jaw-dropping detail. While classic red bricks are great, the dark red used for the walls in this build feel more authentic to medieval source material. Whereas the original featured printed timber details, the timber gracing the walls of Auriac’s model is brick built. The placement of each piece has been carefully calculated. Meanwhile, green hues simulating moss growth on the roof add an extra dash of character.

Guarded Inn 6067 Remastered

As you can see in this image, each side of the building looks distinct from the next. A personal favorite is the first image, which showcases both the walkway and vines reaching toward the tower. I love how it shows off the aging of the architecture, a stark contrast to the clean look of the original.

Guarded Inn 6067 Remastered - Four views

A close-up shot of the yard shows off exciting little details you might miss without taking a second a look. There’s a brilliant-looking well, outdoor furniture, and a mix of greenery and weathered terrain. Even the door looks wonderful; the sai weapons make for convincing hinges.

Guarded Inn 6067 Remastered - Yard detail

Auriac’s re-imagined version of the Guarded Inn looks warm and welcoming enough to sleep in. There might be a few ghosts in the tower contend with, but that comes with the territory.

Guarded Inn 6067 Remastered - Ghost detail

Revisiting a classic castle on New Year’s Eve

Ringing in the New Year is all about reflecting on the past and looking toward the future. John Tooker has accomplished both with his modern take on the classic LEGOLAND yellow castle (set 375), originally released in 1978. John’s model is not an exact replica, as it features some different windows and does not swing open like the original set. However, it possesses the basic form and enough key features to make it immediately recognizable. The castle looks wonderful in tan, which was not officially available back in 1978. However, it’s an appropriate choice, given that the LEGO Group’s official name for the color is “brick yellow.” John also makes good use of darker colors with landscaping, including olive green vines climbing the castle wall. The period-correct castle minifigures and brick-built horse look right at home in their new abode!

LEGOLAND Castle Revisited

The LCC Final-4

The boys over at LCC (Lands of Classic Castle) are trying to separate the wheat from the chaff as voting is in full-swing for their 4th Global Challenge. The contest is down to the final 4, some of which may seem familiar to constant readers of TBB.

LCC GC4 Finalist voting!

Lands of Classic Castle is a MOC-based fantasy world called Roawia which is populated by the members of the Classic Castle forums. The world is broken up into four factions: Garheim in the arctic north, Lenfald in the forests of the northwest, Loreos in the central desert and grasslands, and the Outlaws who are scattered throughout the land, but are more concentrated in the southern mountains and swamps.

Each participant creates a character who will represent them in the game. This character can be anyone; a merchant, a power-hungry baron, or a simple farmer. Once you’ve decided on your in-game persona, you can build MOCs that help to tell his/her story. You can also build MOCs that will help increase your status in the kingdom as well as your faction’s standing. This occurs through various contests, challenges, guild builds and free builds.

Apart from the fat envelope full of cash, the reason I’m excited about pimping this enterprise is because the boys over at Classic Castle (Mark of Falworth and AK Brickster) have managed to inspire and motivate over 160 people to sign up for the LCC project, many of whom were long-time lurkers on the CC forums before being lured out of the shadows to join in the fun. I think that kind of effort should be rewarded. If you’re a member of Classic Castle, it’s time to vote!

The Colossal Castle Contest X Winners have been Announced!

The tenth year of the CCC was a big one! We had over 400 entries and many of the honorable-mentions would have been winners in previous years. Check out winners and enjoy some Castle-Greatness!

Here are some of my favorites among the winners:

Best Castle – Ras al Jabar by Fianat

Best Winter Scene – And the Band Played On by SlyOwl

Best Misc. – Visit by LolinoLL

The Master Builder will announced as soon as we can figure out who wins. It is an extremely close race.