German builder Gerrit Gottschalk’s latest LEGO creation titled Ronin’s Refuge depicts the struggles of a solitary life, in another time and on another continent. In feudal Japan, a “ronin” was a masterless samurai who had either lost their lord through death, disgrace, or had left their service. The term is often literally translated to “drifter”, making Gerrit’s choice of a watery location for this reclusive warrior’s hideout almost poetic. A muted colour palette draws the viewer’s eye, revealing some clever parts usage (minifigure skirt as a dish, and chain links as an architectural element? – “ii desu ne!“)
This is just one of the many 2025 Summer Joust builds featured here on The Brothers Brick. The online contest closes on August 1st and there are some striking entries, so put the final touches on your castle-themed works in progress and join the fray!
Tag Archives: Castle
Zen and the art of building LEGO Castles with Cathedral of Bricks [Interview]
There’s no time like the present to find your creative voice with LEGO. Today’s guest is another builder who only recently began sharing their works online and already they are making quite a splash with fellow AFOLs. Luke, aka cathedralofbricks, creates castles and vignettes that blend gothic architecture and fantasy through a romantic lens.
Over just a few months, Luke has created an impressive body of MOCs. We’re excited to sit down with Luke to learn more about how he found his creative voice in LEGO as someone coming to the hobby later in life.
Our interview with cathedralofbricks follows, along with a gallery of the builder’s incredible castle creations
This LEGO medieval house has a private dock, view of the sea, and a rather alarming angle to it...
Now that we all have cars and bikes, it can be hard to imagine just how important a method of transport boats once were. Sailing was the best way to transport a decent volume of cargo a long way at relative speed (well, unless you were landlocked, of course). Peter (forestArcher) is building up quite the repertoire of rickety LEGO medieval buildings, and for the Summer Joust castle competition, he’s tackled a seaside residence! This one is receiving some vital supplies by boat. And although it’s brilliantly built by Peter – the different angles at work are great, particularly that yellow house – I can’t help but think whoever lives there might need them, lest this precarious pad falls into the sea!
There are plenty of other Summer Joust builds trickling in – take a look at some of the ones we’ve featured in our archives, and be sure to keep checking back for more!
There’s nothing fishy about this fantastic undersea LEGO palace (except for the fish)
Jakab Kovács doesn’t color inside the lines when it comes to castles. Sure, he built a traditional tribute to the Black Falcon fortress that was hosted at LEGO House, but he’s also made a purple castle, cloud castle, and, for his latest project, an undersea castle.
Jakab eschews the typical Atlantis or mermaid tropes, finding a look that draws on an almost Czech Baroque style with its pointed domes. I love the subtle angle of the castle wings, the orange and yellow accent colors, the undersea garden plots and their fences, and the minifig faction with the wispy bodies and white hair. I wonder what a full series set in this world would look like? Are there manta ray mounts and pet eels? Do these folk trade with surface dwellers? I’d happily spend more time in this undersea haven, but alas, it’s time to come up for air.
A LEGO blacksmith shop that’s tongs of fun
This blacksmith shop by LEGO builder kofi beautifully achieves a lifelike tumble-down esthetic in what I’m sure is a rock-solid build. In fact, I’m fairly confident that the only loose parts or “gravity connections” in this scene are the sacks, the blade resting on the anvil, and perhaps one of the coins, but even purists on this matter will surely appreciate the added effect of these set dressings. Kofi’s use of light grey LEGO elements in only the stony path and the forge’s rockwork walls and chimney lends history to this scene, leaving the impression that this structure was built from stone quarried from the very spot it stands. Capped with that striking and weathered tile roof, this can only be the creation of a LEGO fan worthy of Iron Builder status.
Make medieval time to tour Ben Hauger’s towering LEGO castle creations
98283, Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Masonry Profile. In our house, we call it a “brick brick.” And Ben Hauger uses it perfectly. Its use is spread out and in two different colors, giving a wonderful pattern to the castle. Given that the “brick brick” is my wife’s favorite piece, how appropriate that the Falcon’s Roost castle is said to be the Lady’s keep. Be sure to fully zoom in on this photo to enjoy all of the part usage, from the minifig handcuffs in the coat of arms, to the growing vines and tiled rooftops.
Ben’s castle creations are always big endeavors and spectacular to study, so it’s a rare treat that we get two new builds in one week. Ben’s dragon–or wyvern–flies above a falling knight. A beautifully structured dragon over a wonderful rock cropping.
Read on to see some of Ben’s classic castle creations
No beating around the bush, this LEGO microscale hedge garden is stunning
When it comes to colorful and highly detailed microscale builds, Jeff Friesen stands out as a true master. He wrote the book (several, actually) on creating clean builds that capture cities, castles, and fantastic worlds in miniature. Jeff’s latest build started as a study of hedge gardens, like the one seen in the foreground. However, once he started adding a building to the background, his imagination took over, and it grew to become an amazing sprawling castle structure that reminds me of campuses like Harvard and Cambridge.
One of my favorite tree builds is the upside-down eggshell used for what looks like a willow tree, and, of course, a green minifigure hairpiece makes the perfect shrub. A few tall pine trees provide a nice contrast to all of the much shorter trees and plants.
LEGO Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine brings a treasure trove of nostalgia and 16 minifigs
Minifigure fans are in for a treat when LEGO Ideas 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine arrives this June. LEGO pulled out all the stops in celebrating popular themes from the past, including Fabuland, Paradisa, Pirate, Classic Space, and of course, Castle. Even the set’s fan designer gets the minifig treatment! The set contains 16 minifigures in total, some of which are duplicates, but I doubt many will mind as they’re the ones fans could vote on and are likely to be the most popular figures: Classic spacemen in teal and gold, and perhaps most excitingly, two new Castle Factions – Kraken and Griffon factions. Of course you’re not just getting 16 figures with the set. Most of the 1,343 parts go towards the fully-functional retro vending machine in cherry red. It’s a very fancy Kraken Knight delivery device that no doubt many LEGO fans will have fun filling with custom gachapon prizes. LEGO Icons 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine will be available early to LEGO Insiders on June 1 and to everyone else from June 6 for US $179.99 | CAN $219.99 | UK £149.99.
Read on for the full gallery of pictures and details on this amazing retro set
MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Medieval farm brings buckets of charm
Maia (mbbricks) is one busy builder! She and her father are making their LEGO Masters debut next week, representing Canada in the US edition of the show. She’s also prepping an epic elven village for next month’s Brickworld Chicago that sends Rivendell-style architecture into the mountains. But the build I’m most excited by is this medieval farm, with a slick half-timbered top atop a rocky foundation.
Maia says this is her first time using the SNOT (studs not on top) technique for the irregular stonework. It’s always a joy to see builders stretching their wings with new skills. The woven fence technique is always a favorite of mine as it’s a technique still used to this day in some farms near where I live in Sweden.
Good luck on LEGO Masters, Maia and Jamie (BricksDad)!
This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.
A fantastic full-hearted build of a half-timbered hovel
Classic LEGO Castle sets could loom large with a few hundred parts thanks to molded wall pieces and base plates. When your goal is to capture craggy stonework, weathered walls, and rolling terrain, hundreds of parts becomes thousands. Peter (forestArcher) wanted to build in the maximalist medieval style for a long time, with whimsical angles where everything feels on the verge of collapse, but never had the parts to pull it off. After an infusion of new pieces, Peter was finally able to tackle the fantasy architecture. Take a moment to admire that crumbly foundation that mixes SNOT techniques, profile bricks, and subtle slopes. It’s a beautiful half-timbered house that looks like it would come tumbling down if you blow on it!
Peter shares the builds that inspired this journey into medieval brickwork. Each is a wonderful model on its own, and a reminder of how much innovation and iteration exists in the castle genre: Gloomy Gulch by Luke Watkins Hutchinson, Eldford Barracks-GoC by Roanoke Handybuck, The Pilgrim by Joe (jnj_bricks), Awakening by Classical Bricks, Fin the farmer by The Maestro, The four seasons – Birth by Brickleas.
The world’s smallest LEGO castle? [Building Techniques]
I’ve seen some small castles in my time, heck, I’ve even built some, but this island castle by Nikita Filatov has got to be one of the smallest. The minifigure binoculars are great as tiny towers, but my favorite part is the rounded white tile balanced on the back of an ingot. But the great techniques don’t stop there. The water base is made with studs-not-on-top connections which adds a bit of visual weight to this microscale build.
Doorway to the imagination
Home to “a civilization spoken of in legend and lore”, Gareth Gidman’s recent LEGO creation “The Door to the Hidden City” presents a scene that conjures more questions than answers. Drawing inspiration from the OG masters of fantasy, Gareth started this build “without having a specific purpose in mind, which made the build process much more relaxing and free flowing.”
Perhaps being in the zone is how he achieved such natural-looking stone and snow forms. Though there are certainly some deliberate details of note, like the subtle color variation giving depth to the icy water, and, given the choice between four different verdant shades that the 3×4 Plant Leaves LEGO element has come in, the use of Sand Green reinforces the chilly tone. I also love how the tooled parts of the rock face – the light bluish gray stairs, arch, and columns – are differentiated from the natural stone. Gareth says he’s “really pleased with how the texturing and the composition of the model turned out”… and for good reason!