Temperatures are dropping in the northern hemisphere and winter approaches quickly. Gerard Joosten has helped the black falcons prepare with this lovely Winter Fortress. As a long-time Castle fan, I love the traditional Black Falcon colors which make it highly recognizable. The walls themselves manage to mostly avoid the “great grey wall” syndrome with nice texturing and architectural elements.

What I love the most, though, is this gorgeous Black Falcon mosaic decorating the back tower. The details are fantastic, and give a lot of character to the build.

Mark of Falworth is on a roll. Fresh from wowing us with his LEGO medieval bazaar, now he brings us the latest thing in Castle-era artillery — monstrous ballistae mounted on the back of elephants. As well as the nicely-built siege engines, the beasties are equipped with armour and tusk-blades, creating a formidable war machine either at range or up close and personal. I’d hate to be on the receiving end of a barrage or charge from these bad boys.

LegoLord says he hasn’t built anything for four years, but this impressive castle shows those skills haven’t grown rusty through misuse. The landscaping and lake are nicely done, and the fortress itself has a realistic feel, as if it had been built over centuries, reinforced by a succession of nervous Lords. Far too many LEGO castles are starkly symmetrical, whereas this build has different heights and styles of tower dotted around the external wall.

Zooming in on the details pays dividends — don’t miss the central keep atop its plug of rock, tan walls and red rooftops offering a nice contrast to the surrounding gray and brown. But it’s this close-up view of the walls which reveals the effort LegoLord has gone into to avoid the dreaded BGW — “Big Gray Wall”. The buttressing, the scattered inclusion of textured bricks, the nicely-placed patches of foliage — all come together to create a convincing impression of weathered stonework.