Tag Archives: Castle

Dragons! Knights in shining armor! Trebuchets & ballistas! From enormous LEGO castles buttoned up for battle to peaceful village market scenes, we’ve got your LEGO Castle needs covered right here.

LEGO Bricklink Designer Program Series 4 – Siege Encampment: The biggest battle pack! [Review]

Here we are on the cusp of another round of pre-orders for the LEGO Bricklink Designer Program. And once again, TBB has got its hands on one of the sets ahead of time: Siege Encampment by builder Sleepless Night. This is the same fan designer that came up with Mountain Fortress from Series 1, which was well-received by the community as an excellent rendition of a new Black Falcons castle. But will lightning strike twice for this renowned LEGO Castle builder? Can this 2,598-piece set (with a whopping 18 minifigures!) stand out amid all the medieval love shown in the BDP program thus far? You’ll have to read on to find out! And if you want to get your hands on a copy of Siege Encampment, pre-orders for BDP Series 4 will begin on February 4th, 2025 at 8:00 AM PT, where the set will retail for $229.99.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Enter the camp below and see how the Black Falcons prepare for an invasion!

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Knight bricks and chill

This crisp mountain scene by LEGO builder Nicholas Goodman is a lesson in atmosphere. The visuals are engaging – strong and clean, conveying depth and detail with terrific balance in both color and texture (studded and smooth) – but also evoke the other senses. As my eye is drawn in, I can practically smell the frozen air and hear the slushy hoof-thumps. The scene itself is deceptively simple, leaving much room for imaginative interpretation. Will the “Guardian of the Pass” and his faithful companion warmly welcome this traveler? Has he come with the thaw to relieve their solitary duty? Or is this chilling moment a prelude to mounting conflict between two nations…

Guardian of the Pass

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Rock solid colossal castle

When we checked in with  Louis of Nutwood last week, the builder took to the seas on itty bitty sailing ships. This time Louis puts those ace LEGO skills to work at colossal scale with the impressive Fortress of Hyrrefur. The castle features distinctive brickwork that incorporates SNOT techniques, profile bricks, and sloped corners for an impressive chiseled look. That intricacy extends to the rocky base with nary a foothold for would-be invaders.

Fortress of Hyrrefur

The fortress is even more impressive up close.

Click to explore Hyrrefur Fortress from every angle

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LEGO Wolfpack on patrol

Wolfpack Beastmaster is the unambiguous favorite of Collectible Minifigures Series 27, bringing back a fan-favorite Castle faction and a new wolf mold. As appealing as the figure is out of the box, minifig modder Kamil Karpiński always finds ways to take minifigs to the next level. The Beastmaster gets a wickedly clever brick-built crossbow while his sword goes to the captain, an incredible figbash foe who leads the pack atop a fearsome dire wolf. Seeing Kamil’s trio has me craving a new Wolf Pack building set. If LEGO releases a Classic Castle update in 2025, would you want the Wolfpack, or is there another theme you’d rather revisit?

Lego Wolfpack

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A terrifying tree (and a lesson in awful alliteration)

Its name might not be as catchy as Whomping Willow, but you still won’t want to get too close to talented Ukrainian LEGO builder Illia Zubashev (AKA Dwalin Forkbeard)’s “Mysterious Shrub”. Just ask the two soldiers in this scene! One is being dragged under by the tree’s roots, and I fear the other may not last much longer. Perhaps that’s why it hasn’t earned a catchy name – no-one lives long enough after meeting its gaze to give it one. Thankfully, Illia’s diorama is built at a safe distance, so we can ponder the question ourselves. The Swallowing Spruce? The Odious Oak? The Brutalising Birch? I would find out what type of tree it is, but I’m not about to ask it to find out…

The Mysterious shrub

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Heating up a LEGO House with the help of hardy Harald

Up here in the northern hemisphere, we’re properly in the depths of winter now, and this LEGO build from Jaka Kupina is here to remind us of the fact that it’s cold outside. Or is it? Certainly we’re in colder climes here: all that nicely clumped snow is a dead giveaway. But this is a house built for such weather, with a touch of Germanic or Scandinavian flair to last the winter. Its owner (that would be Harald) looks well-prepped, too – all that luscious black hair is sure to keep some heat in. Not that he might need it! He’s busy chopping firewood to warm up all those wintry nights. And that in itself will be enough to warm him up!

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What we build in the shadows...

Great castle architecture always grabs my attention. I’m continually amazed when builders find new techniques for medieval roofing, brickwork, or half-timbering in LEGO. Gabriel Midgley has quickly become a favorite castle builder and the Procession of the Vampire Lord shows why. Just look at that doorway. Forming arches from partially connected 2×1 plates is nothing new, but the three nested archways here with a half-stud offset is epic. The color gradient on the half-timbered top, using a mix of profile bricks on their sides, is gorgeous – especially when paired with the red and blue windows.  Cheese slopes allow smooth curves for the tower side. And as with all of Gabriel’s builds, excellent landscaping, thoughtfully composed minifigs, and custom lighting turn a great architectural build into immersive world-building. This is truly a castle build you can sink your teeth into!

Procession of the Vampire lord

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Epic LEGO Moonshade Cathedral is a midnight masterpiece

Over the past three years, Jakob Kaiser and his LEGO building community, The Workshop, have an annual castle collaboration themed on Gothic builds and time of day. First Gothic: Mistlands focused on dawn. Gothic II: Twilight explored dusk. Now, comes the grand finale: Gothic III: Noctural, with Jakob’s showstopper contribution: Moonshade Cathedral. The massive diorama is a masterclass in medieval brickwork, landscaping, and presentation and the builder’s most impressive work to date. Let’s take a closer look!

Gothic: Nocturnal - Moonshade Cathedral

Click to see more of Jakob’s impressive cathedral!

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Crusading LEGO knights get a horned visitor

While LEGO’s official Castle sets have stuck to European and fantasy inspirations, adult fans have been increasingly inspired by Middle Eastern architecture for medieval builds. This immersive scene from Alberto Ulfhednar has Classic Castle knights playing crusaders in a grand walled city. The arches, weathered brickwork, and clever supports (love the use of roller skates!) are all excellent, but the standout technique is the cracked street. The camera work is beautifully done, with the angle and depth of field putting the viewer in the scene. It could almost be a historical build if it weren’t for one mysterious rider. Is the rider hinting at epic worldbuilding in Alberto’s imagination, or is this the D&D city of Al-Qadim, and the rider is a canonical Tiefling looking for a quest?

MOC arabic medieval, new creation

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LEGO Master Michal Horáček’s medieval village is a towering, teetering triumph

Czech builder and LEGO masters winner Michal Horáček is a true artist at erecting big, rickety stonework in LEGO. It must help that he lives in Prague, one of the most architecturally exciting cities in the world. Over the past year, between contributing to a Tim Burton exhibition and collaborative builds with others like poMOCník & dirigent, Michal has been working on a massive medieval city showcasing his unique style. The central building in the tableau — the red town hall and adjoining tower and astronomical clock — is heavily inspired by Prague’s own Old Town Hall.

Ramshackle brickwork and half-timbered buildings have long been in vogue with castle builders, but usually with a Norman or Tudor influence. Michal’s buildings incorporate Gothic flare with elaborate (bordering on chaotic) detailing that captures the flamboyant style that swept through much of Europe during the late Medieval period. Michal draws on a wide range of parts to add texture, with stone facades that rival Star Wars ships for greebly goodness.

While Michal recently debuted his town at a local event, he plans to keep expanding the scene, including adding a church and more houses. We can’t wait to see how his village grows!

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Don’t tread on this fortified troll fort

LEGO builder Fedde Barendrecht finds an innovative way to show off his troll and orc collection as well as enough tank treads to furnish an entire platoon. You had to have been collecting the Castle line back in 2008 to acquire so many orc and troll figures. That’s back when Katy Perry kissed a girl and liked it. Also the economy crashed but the incidents were likely unrelated. The aforementioned tank treads adorn the walls of the fortress giving it a-uh-fortified fort feel. To quote Fedde: “Quickly assembled frontier forts trolls throw up on newly ‘acquired’ territories to ensure their holdings stay held”. Isn’t that how 4Chan was founded?

Troll War Fort

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A stately villa for the Dragon Knights (and their goats)

During LEGO’s 2010 Castle revival, Kingdoms, the Dragon Knights got a whole new look with earth green tabards and a new crest. The faction was also framed as overtly villainous, focusing on prisons and siege weapons. Builder Tom Studs prefers to imagine that the Dragon Kingdom isn’t all about oppression and scheming and that their knights deserve a charming chateau. Tom’s seed part for the striking tower roof design was inspired by a previous Iron Builder challenge with the teal cylinder. The manor roof, made up of 1×1 round tiles, is gorgeous and apparently held in place by Majisto’s magic. Great castle techniques abound, from the round SNOT tower design to the lovely weathered brickwork to the clever lattice window made of interlocking brackets. Of course, the villa is also home to the pair of goats “liberated” during the Mill Village Raid.

Dragon Knights

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