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.

Massive monastery in the mountains meets the ‘mancers

Necromancers, that is. The story is that druids once lived here in Ard-darragh with their magical tree, but when they left, eventually Christian monks settled the cliffs and build a monastery; but they too left, and necromancers took over the site. At least, that is how builder Michal Herbolt describes the evolution of the place. And what a place it is, too! Large castle dioramas are always impressive, if for no other reason than the sheer volume of parts needed to bring them to life. But this one is exceptionally well done, with the brilliant textures on the walls, the large cliffs, the glittering water, and the nicely contrasting roofs.

While there might not be many particular elements here to make you say, “Ooh, I never thought of using that piece for that purpose,” it is nonetheless a masterwork of architectural design and landscape integration. No part of the structure is aligned to the stud-grid of the base, and most of the towers join with the adjacent buildings at non-right angles, too. The way the buildings fade into the rear cliff is perfect, too. My absolute favorite detail, though, is the way the smooth white and rough light bluish grey parts of the walls blend organically together, creating a level of texture that is just right without being either too little or too much. This is a build that is definitely worth a closer look, so check out Michal’s full album on Flickr for all of the detail shots.

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All the world’s a stage, and all the minifigures merely players

Many of the best LEGO creations are carefully composed scenes which tell a story. MorlornEmpire takes this thought one step further — building a delightful LEGO Castle scene which depicts a medieval theatre with a play in progress. The theatre walls are nicely chunky and use the classic technique of scattered dark grey tiles to simulate stonework, with an added splash of colour from the well-positioned climbing foliage.

However, appropriately enough, it’s the on-stage action which commands the attention — don’t miss the scenery flats of rolling countryside and hilltop castle, and the smart use of curved tiles to create an impression of a curtain backdrop for the sky. All this creation is missing is a rowdy audience of peasants chucking vegetables at the actors during boring sections of the play–a regular feature of theatrical performance until relatively recent times!

A modern twist on the classic castle

One of the most popular LEGO themes of all time is Castle, a staple of any LEGO fan from the late 1970s to the present. Builder Ciamosław Ciamek treats us to his own version of the Black Falcon Stronghold, showcasing modern building methods and a level of detail not seen on these sets back in the day. In particular, the smokestacks add an even deeper sense of realism (gotta stay warm in the winter, right?) to the castle. I really like the tried-and-true use of ice cream scoops as the smoke coming out of the chimneys.

Even the interior is incredibly detailed. And as you can see, these guards need a little more target practice.

Fire up your forge with the original gods of metal

If the Middle Ages taught us one thing, it’s that heavy metal is nothing new. Ben Tritschler’s lively-looking medieval forge has the makings of a metal legend. Blacksmiths hammer away, piecing together suits of armor and shaping cannonballs. Ornate-looking armor is achieved, in part, with sculpted minifig appendages like silver prosthetic legs and mechanical arms. Everything is framed within a structure that is both beautiful and rundown, and the sideways-mounted tiles for the brick floor look brilliant. You can even almost smell the smoke and hear the din of the tiny hammer.

Cackle, boil, battle and foil

It’s nice when LEGO creations tell a story. Larsvader’s latest scene does exactly that. Whether you read the narrative he’s provided in the description or not, the story seems clear: a witch planned on having some children over for dinner, but Lady Megan has come to stop her. The story is framed nicely by walls and a floor made of varying shapes and shades of gray bricks.

Furthermore, there are plenty of supporting details that help enrich the scene and enhance the story. For example, the skeletons imply the witch has killed before. One can only wonder what potions and sorcery are contained in the jars and spell books. The chained up man implies that perhaps this isn’t the first rescue attempt, or maybe he’s Lady Megan’s lover and the true treasure of her quest. What’s next in store for Lady Megan, the man, the children, and the witch?

Beautiful medieval scenery abounds

I’ve personally been building a lot of landscape lately, so I love being inspired by the work of other builders. There’s a ton to be inspired by in this creation by John Snyder. The first thing that draws me in is the colour palette – olive green and dark tan work so well together to form a muted backdrop for the bright leaves on the trees, and even the brown and light grey of the building stand out.

Delve deeper into this detailed scene

Seaside market is open for business

Can you hear the sound of seagulls? The peasants and knights sure can in this medieval seaside market built by Teabox. This is an incredible build, featuring a multi-tiered castle wall manned by red knights, fishermen returning from a day’s catch, and a guild of green traders arriving for a visit.

It’s the little details that make this creation so full of life. It’s all here, from the wooden piers on the waterfront, to the flowers growing through windows, or the soon-to-be-eaten crustaceans caught in the crab traps.

Open the gates!

Builder Louis of Nutwood packs a lot of story in a small space in this snow-covered castle scene. This is part 8 of a wonderful ongoing series by Louis, and not only is it visually interesting, but there’s a written component that accompanies each part of the heroes’ journey.

In this chapter, a pair of weary travelers, one in dire circumstances, arrive at Svalg Keep to seek help from its residents. The castle is nicely sculpted and I really like the way it seems to spill off of the confines of the base. The small wooden structures are a fitting addition and do a great job of breaking up the mostly gray and white color palette of the castle. Adding more color to the proceedings are the snow-laden trees utilizing fall colors on their branches. It can be hard to work in a limited number of colors, but Louis excels at it here.
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Alone, a hawk soars above it all

Usually when we see something this epic, it has already been inundated with hundreds of “likes” from adoring friends and fans. When I clicked “like” on this piece, I was number 5. That was surprising given how amazing this creation is. This castle among the rocks raises more questions than answers, like: who lives there? What are they protecting? Is it abandoned? Aside from the plant life, the hawk appears to be the only discernible living thing guarding this fortress. Amenk Sachio seems to be a builder of few words as all he had to say was #LEGOcastle.

Though there are a few statue-like guards, it is perhaps the lack of human activity and minimal explanation is what makes this so fascinating, We featured about half of this creation a year ago but it seems Amenk wasn’t finished building yet. Intricate gold filagree, bridges, buttresses, gargoyles and other details adorn the new addition as well as the old. Well, I’m intrigued, how about you?

An Assassin’s Creed

One of the things I enjoy about the LEGO community is seeing how certain people grow as builders. NS Brick Designs has created some fantastic models, but I loved looking at the comparison of his most recent Assassin’s Creed creation to the original built three years ago. His attention to detail has really come a long way.

The Assassin’s Creed game franchise is known for its wide ranging locations and times in history. While this scene isn’t based on one particular game, it captures the spirit of the series perfectly with one of the titular assassins on top of the building ready to leap down and take out the enemy. Various techniques are used here to create a wonderful look. The use of the gears and mechanical arms as decor give great detail to the building along with upside down ice cream cones and Battle Droid legs to create a nice treatment over the windows. The tree made from the 3 leaf pieces and in particular the bird made from a plume, minifigure hands and the base of a lever really caught my eye. I also like the use of the sideways profile bricks that make up the paved ground and the connected clips that lend a nice look to the stairway railing.

There is a lot to appreciate in this LEGO model, so be sure to take the time to take a closer look and be inspired.

The Black Breath

If you are like me, you’re probably thinking the world could use more LEGO creations inspired by The Lord of the Rings. Am I right? Who is with me on this? As it turns out, Cole Blood (who, in my opinion, has the coolest name in the history of the world) has answered all our prayers with this stunning piece he calls “First Appearance of the Ringwraiths”. Having no physical form, the wraiths are cleverly depicted as hellish black apparitions that seem to seep into the landscape. The orc heads on pikes, the toadstools, and the small flowing stream create excellent visual cues throughout. Stay tuned, because this is merely one piece of a larger Second Age collaborative series we’ve been covering that Cole is participating in with his equally talented friends. I will eagerly wait, right after heading over to the registry to change my name to Rex Awesome or something.

This magical workshop holds a secret

Builder Brick Ninja brings us a terrific homage to the classic LEGO Castle set Majisto’s Magical Workshop. In this updated version, a lone wizard protects his cottage from a group of ghostly ninjas. Bright orange fire shoots from his hands, creating a formidable opponent against the glowing katanas.

The workshop seems to emerge from the landscape, utilizing a large rock formation as its foundation. The color scheme is striking with the combo of black, dark red and brown accented with gold, silver and a pair of earth blue window shutters. While stickers can often be hit or miss, the use of the runes sticker from 9473 The Mines of Moria over the balcony is perfect. The plant-covered roof with its heavy beams is a nice finisher for this sorcerous abode. Of additional note is the wonderful tree, which makes use of upside down spiky vines, giving the whole thing a pleasing shape.

Not only is this MOC impressive on the outside, it conceals a secret as well! As with its predecessor, the whole model opens to reveal a highly detailed interior featuring a library, bedroom, spiral staircase, sitting room and attic storage. I am particularly fond of the multiple fireplaces wending their way up the side of the building. Click to check out the full interior