Check out this castle build by Mark of Siloam. In addition to the beautiful, two-toned stonework of the castle itself, Mark’s build features a functioning drawbridge to keep out baddies and some of the nicest-looking brick-built trees I’ve seen. Also, this build has excellent play-ability as the walls fold out and the upper levels are removable for easy access to the fully-furnished interior.

Mark built this sweet castle for the Summer Joust contest on Flickr. The contest consists of six castle-themed categories and is open to anyone with a Flickr account. It runs through June 30th, 2016 so there’s plenty of time to whip up an entry or two of your own.

Great landscaping and medieval style building skills are on display this latest model from Isaac S. There’s also a nice contrast between the stone texturing of the tower itself and the wooden hall, and the detailed organic looking base makes a pleasant change from the “square base framing” which has become something of a cliché in LEGO castle and fantasy building.

In his Flickr post, Isaac is happy to point out where he’s taken inspiration from other builders in this model. I enjoy when builders do this — it’s a little hat tip show of respect, and it doesn’t retract from this being a solid creation in its own right.

Patrick B has created a traditional wooden tavern that lies in the fictional kingdom of Brandküste, one of nine kingdoms from an online role-playing game on the German-language LEGO fansite Imperium der Steine. The tavern has some lovely architectural details and a sloped roof with a mix of tiles and studs on show to add texture.  The character details are fun and engaging: an archer aims his arrow at the apple on top of his friends head, there’s a basin of water being used to wash some of the dishes and a comedy moment as some poor soul falls down the stairs.

Does anyone else agree that the two statues on the staircase are wild boars?  I may have to check with the builder as I am not an expert in zoology.

We’ve featured Patrick Massey with his amazing Al Amarj Island before, and once again he proves himself a master builder with this new addition to his portfolio. Considering the oriental folk and western troops, the Andus Tradehouse and Bazaar depicts a colonial period and perfectly manages to sum up all the little oriental details. Palm trees, the snake charmer, oil lamp posts, drunken lords and a silly jester makes a lively scene while different types of arches and columns turn the building into an impressive piece of architecture. Zoom in and take a peek at all the little details!