The eerie city of Shadar Logoth stands in magnificent ruin in this large diorama by Brick Ninja. They’ve been slowly working their way through scenes from Robert Jordan’s monumental Wheel of Time series, presenting each snapshot completely immersively. Brick Ninja doesn’t show us the full build–or even if the structure is more than a facade. Instead, it’s built for the camera, to be seen from this angle, and it’s beautiful, with architectural details sculpted throughout. The detailing at the top of the large central doorway is especially nice, as is the huge domed roof.
Tag Archives: Castle
Excuse me sir, but there is a croissant in your mustache
Scratch that, the croissant is the mustache! This stout warrior by Dan Ko makes great use of a few specialty parts like the French pastry, as well as spider webs used for a tangled web of hair that also reminds me of The Witcher‘s main character. There are also several of the new angled pipes with stud elements used for hands, and to hold the helmet’s horns… well, horn. Finally, a folded net draped across the shoulders is a nice touch.
A peaceful floating temple in miniature
Floating islands are a popular inspiration for many LEGO builders, and it is easy to see why. They are mysterious and fantastical, and they can provide a great challenge to build them in a way that both supports the model and hides that support to enhance the magical appearance of the finished scene. Nathan Hake does a masterful job of using falling water to provide the support for this microscale floating island with a temple nestled between the trees.
A Roman border tower keeps an eye on them goats
Whether it be the great natural color scheme, fantastic textures or intricate shapes, there’s a lot to love about this Roman border tower built by Ben Tritschler. But the star of the show, to me anyway, has to be those goats. Clearly I’m not the only TBB contributor thrilled by goats. However, I do seem to be the most vocal about it. What can I say? Goats are pretty much the formula for success around here. Even when they’re scary as hell. I may consider also going gaga for those sheep. They are not without their charm. As a LEGO builder, Ben is also not without his charm. Check out our archives to see what I mean.
Visiting a Venice-like Vacation
LEGO builder Ayrlego has stunned us with this incredible Venitian-style vintage building and dock.
What’s not to like about this build? The windows caught my eyes first, as their simple design carries so much implied detail. It’s impressive that Ayrlego was able to replicate the window design not once, not twice, but seven times. Harder to spot is the stair railing, which is made up of cheese slopes and eyeglass pieces. So simple, yet the paired brick choice is flawless for how well it works here. I love the pattern of the rounded and square tiles scattered throughout the build as well.
Ayrlego has been featured on The Brother’s Brick several times before. Check out his builds here.
This massive castle display is incredibly detailed
Created by Ben Pitchford, this LEGO model is a beautiful diorama of a medieval castle by the ocean, overlooking a quaint village and a forest hideout. The castle rests upon a cliff which is made up of a variety of sloped bricks with plants pieces wedged between the gaps in the rocks. Several waterfalls flow over the cliff faces into the colourful ocean below. There are even some hidden features underneath the castle such as mysterious caves, a dungeon and a blacksmith.
The castle has a dominating presence created by its sheer height and elaborate layers. The textured surfaces of the castle are produced through a mixture of bricks being stacked up normally and bricks placed sideways. A few of the entrance ways lead to detailed throne rooms, perfectly suited for the royalty of the castle.
A stony path to the castle leads down to a gate with a village surrounding it. The roofing details of the buildings provides a great sense of slabs stacked together. Villagers are shown to be selling an assortment of vegetables and meats, while a cart, full of supplies, heads towards the castle gate.
But the residents of the village should beware as the hamlet is overshadowed by a forest people base. Platforms are built into trees with precarious wooden bridges connecting the platforms. On the forest floor there is a training ground with targets and a blazing central fire. The intentions of the forest people seems unclear, although there are a few of them hiding and sneaking around, close to the castle.
There is also a video of the display where Ben shows some of the intricate details and hidden features of the build. The castle is hooked up with a lighting system, used to simulate flickering firelight in the dungeon and throne rooms. A water wheel is also shown to have a battery powered mechanism allowing it to spin.
Check out more articles relating to fantastic castle builds, here.
I want Dragon Lands sets for Christmas
The last LEGO castle theme was LEGO Nexo Knights. Whether you think that was an actual castle theme is debatable. LEGO has released some castle-themed sets since, but not a full-blown castle theme. Sure, Harry Potter sets are mostly castles, but it’s just not the same. So, what do you do when LEGO doesn’t sell what you would like to buy? You create it yourself! Aaron Newman created not a castle set, but an entire castle theme titled Dragon Lands. Filled with elves, orcs, wizards, knights, and of course dragons. Each model looks like it could be produced by TLC. Each set comes with action features and the minifigures have a background story. Even the photography is comparable to LEGO catalogue quality.
Aaron’s amazing work doesn’t limit itself to an amazing cathedral that hinges open to reveal its lavish interior. The theme also includes a ship with festive flags, ruins covered in snow and ice, a sea serpent, a massive crossbow, a rock-dropping dragon, and last but not least a very inclusive cast of minifigures to accommodate these lovely creations.
Microscale temple is a miniature masterpiece
When building microscale, you need to look at parts a little differently, as evidenced by the very creative collection of curved and angled parts Nannan Zhang used on this Japanese castle. Front fenders, rear spoilers, and other small black parts usually found on cars create a tiered roof that reminds me of Nagoya Castle. A trio of cheerleader pom-poms make perfect cherry blossom trees, while a hot dog is used for a small arch. Almost as interesting as the castle is the green and gray landscape it sits on.
This sun-dappled battle is pretty brutal
Sun Tzu said, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” However, if you absolutely have to engage in combat, then why not take a leaf out of LEGO builder Simulterious‘ book and deploy a band of fearsome samurai armed with a cartload of rockets? This is a great little battle scene — soldiers scrapping over control of a pagoda-styled tower whilst gunpowder-driven projectiles fly all over the place. The walls of the building are nicely textured, creating a weathered effect and a sense of age, and the surrounding landscaping is well done with the rockwork suggesting a craggy hilltop in a wider forest. But it’s the photography and lighting which elevates this model into something special. I don’t know if this battle is taking place at sunrise or sunset, but the low hazy sun makes for a very pretty skirmish indeed.
Castle of Dreamers
Oh, castles. Though the LEGO Group did pretty well with the classic yellow brick, fans of LEGO have taken it to new levels. Textured castle walls with ornate and abstract embellishments stand as works of art that emulate life in medieval times through a fantastical lens. Builder Kevin Peeters is one such detailed builder whose models grab the eye and immerse you in a level of realism often sought after. Here he brings us his dream castle, a towering keep with fine carpentry perched on rocks and surrounded by water. Let’s check out this dollhouse-style model that Kevin calls Krylhan Castle.
The outer portions of the model show off various techniques from the masonry of the walls to the angles and insets of the wooden residential sections, Kevin shows us that he knows the system well. Tank treads are used in the main windows, with wheels used in the chimney above. Offset and layered plates help achieve a textured and curved look for the rooves. The display base makes for a great anchor into the world around the castle while still allowing the focus to be on its tall, slim, ornate construction.
Send my mail to Stormhaven
In the tiny settlement of Stormhaven, there is a post office built on platforms that raise above mangrove flats on wooden stilts. It’s like the opening line to a really great pirate novel, isn’t it? That is the kind of adventure Ayrlego has in store for us with this charming LEGO creation. He alludes that there has been a pirate raid last year but you wouldn’t know it as the denizens here seem quite at peace. I love the textures of the roof and siding. The raised docks and aforementioned mangrove trees are both excellent touches. I want to live in this world for a little while, even if just to collect my mail at this amazing little post office. Fanciful historical architecture and incidentally more than a few post offices seems to be Ayrlego’s thing. Settle in to see what I mean in our archives.
Minidoll parts you just have to have
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am an absolute fan of LEGO minidoll related themes. And yes, sometimes the sets are a bit too brightly coloured to blend in with your LEGO City. And yes, having minidolls next to minifigures in one creation can look a little bit odd. But the minidoll themes come with such interesting parts and most of them are minifigure compatible. In Hannah’s latest creation she used a couple of minidoll hair and headpieces that work perfectly for fantasy-themed minifigures.
The build itself ain’t too shabby either, it looks massive. But that might just be thanks to a little bit of photoshopping. The best part about the build has to be the gold arched gate door. LEGO has released a prefab gate door but that one simply doesn’t compare next to this brick build design by Hannah.