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.

A well-built stick hut as sturdy as stone

It’s a bit strange when a LEGO creation is sturdier than the subject it represents. Such is the case with this weathered hut by Grant Davis, which looks like a bunch of bricks were thrown together without proper connections and then collapsed immediately after being photographed.

That is most definetely not the case, as Grant shows in his very informative video, where he even turns the build upside-down — and it remains intact! The ground texture and colours should also be pointed out, as the builder achieves a very realistic effect by using closely related colours in natural looking patterns.

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No defence is better than good terrain

German LEGO builder markus19840420 has made this towering keep for the Imperium der Steine “Nine kingdoms” roleplaying game, and the keep has some very interesting characteristics — it combines old and new castle building styles very fluently. The classic building techniques include somewhat simple rockwork based on slopes, with square towers and clean wall designs, broken up with architectural detailing and some texture. On the other hand it uses many modern pieces and colours, so it looks fresh and new. I should point out the intriguing geological structure on which the fortress is built, which adds an element of mystery to Markus’ creation.

The walking cottage

I’ve seen a lot of LEGO medieval houses, but I can’t remember ever seeing one with feet. Builder Jaapxaap says he’s been there and done that as he unveils his second building with legs (his first moving mansion even had a beard). Is this the concept of mobile homes back in the olde times?

Giant exhibits bear-faced aggression

Run farmer, run! A fearsome LEGO hill giant lumbers his way along the cobbled path, doubtless “Fe, Fi, Fo”-ing under his breath. David Zambito‘s giant has an excellent face (cleverly built around a backward Teddy bear), an impressive chin, and crazy wiry hair. The shoulder pauldron, the chains with skull motif, that cow under the arm — all of it creates a great overall look. Special mention should be made of the dark red kilt and those matching boots with their straps of LEGO string.

Enter Sandpunk

If “LEGO Sandpunk” wasn’t a thing before, it totally is now thanks to this wonderful desert city scene from sweetsha. Windmills abound amidst the Middle-Eastern architecture, and there’s a nice sense of activity with the bustle of minifigs around market stalls. However, it’s the huge clock that dominates the townscape, creating an eerie collision between mysticism and technology. The whole thing is reminiscent of Stargate, but the transformation of the gate into a clock is a masterstroke, turning this into something all its own.

My only niggle with the model is the relatively plain studs-up base, which might have benefited from some added texture — pebbles, boulders, maybe a couple of plants. However, that’s a minor criticism of an otherwise well-built and interesting diorama. Check out this wider view to get the full effect of this creative build (and don’t miss the smart use of hot-air balloon pieces to create the onion dome on the foreground building on the left).

An Orc’s home is his castle

Get a sneak peek into the latest trends in Goblin decor right here! Logs, tentacles, and lengths of chain are all the rage this season — and no fortress wall is complete without a culvert gate spewing a stream of lava. Kingdomviewbricks keeps us all up to date on Orcish design in this fantastic LEGO scene. The bubbling river of hot death is a nice touch, but don’t miss the mix of old and new grey sloped bricks to create the barren landscaping of the base.

Smashing LEGO like a Rock Star: a conversation with Canadian Iron Builder, Tim Schwalfenberg [Interview]

This week we headed up to our great neighbor to the north to track down Tim Schwalfenberg. Tim lives in Canada, is 21 years old and is currently studying Materials Engineering at his local university. He also likes to publicly smash his LEGO builds too, but more about that later.

TBB: Hi Tim! Can you tell us a little about yourself and your relationship with the Brick?

Tim: Sure! I have found LEGO to be a great creative outlet when I need a break from all my calculus or physics courses. While I’ve been building almost as long as I can remember, it wasn’t until my first year of university that I started to look at LEGO with the intention of making anything beyond the rainbow-warrior spaceships of my earlier years. Through a combination of some inspiring creations I stumbled upon through MOCpages and finding myself with too much free time on my hands, I decided that to try out this LEGO thing more seriously. Thousands of pieces and hundreds of creations later the LEGO hobby has become an incredibly important part of my life. The itch to build has become a constant companion that is easily rewarded by long hours tinkering away on a table-scrap covered table.

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The final duel in the Forsaken Abyss mine

For the final round of The Tourney medieval building contest on MOCpages, W. Navarre has given his all in this intense diorama. Whether you like the controlled chaos or not, it is impossible to deny the intricacy and detail at work here. An epic fight of the last two competitors ensues as the Forsaken Abyss mine burns beneath them. One can almost hear those cliched words: “You are going down… Or both of us are going down!”

At first sight I thought this build was a recreation of the climax action scene from the Mask of Zorro film – and I was only halfway wrong. It was indeed inspired by it, although the builder adds that he has in fact never actually seen the movie.

Beware the Barqan Fire

Looking like a cross between napalm and chili sauce, Barqan Fire appears to be nasty stuff with a lingering afterburn. Jonas Wide showcases the weapon’s devastating potential in this explosive vignette. Everything about the build is pure class: the tiled roof is simple yet grand, the hints of woodwork and sand green give subtle highlights throughout, and the style of architecture is excellently done. The centerpiece, though, is the fire-breathing beast spewing hell itself at the nearby wall, which Jonah has enhanced with a light brick behind the explosion for extra effect.

Jonas notes that “the soldier doing the final adjustments to the pumping mechanism has however unknowingly built up way too much pressure in the cylinder…” Let’s hope a bigger explosion isn’t imminent!

A good market has everything, from food to servants

Even though this oriental bazaar creation by Scottish builder Colin Parry uses LEGO pieces introduced as recently as 2016, there is a strange 2008-like essence to it. Maybe it’s the use of all yellow minifigs (flesh tones have been more predominant in recent years) and amongst them many older head prints. Or maybe it’s how clean the design is, as opposed to more contemporary high-detail castle building trends. Whatever it is, I like it and I think it’s important that we do not get so wound up in progress as to forget how much more there is to be done in styles that fell out of fashion years ago.

While there is much to love in the architecture and other details like the boat or canvases, the real star of the show is probably the minifig action. Minifig posing is an art most people ignore when making dioramas, but it can be the difference between a good scene and an amazing one. After all, what is a diorama without life?

Floating guild for all of your administrative needs

Those who attended Brickslopes in 2015 may recognize this build from K.Kreations. Well, it’s finally been photographed and put online, so the rest of us can enjoy it! This fantastic floating rock plays home to a Guild House, combining some of the builder’s favorite things: castle, steampunk, and rocks. It’s a winning combination. I love the stonework on the side of the building, and the details on the tower are wonderful. There’s a lot going on in this creation, and all of it’s great.

Indomitable Gaulish fishmonger’s hut

Asterix was my favorite graphic novel growing up, even though most of the jokes went over my head. Builder alego alego has created the home of the local fishmonger Unhygienix (Ordralfabetix in the original French comic).

My favorite features are the Han Solo Hoth headgear for fish baskets, the rock walls, and of course the LEGO bananas used for the roof — a technique the builder previously used for a treehouse we featured last year. Continue reading →