Tag Archives: Castles

High fantasy? Or mere child’s play...

What at first glance may appear to be a LEGO creation with an identity crisis is builder Nate Chiles way of reminding us that a little imagination goes a long way. This 2-in-one LEGO creation “tells the story of that imagination that we all had (or have) by showing kids playing (on the left) and the stories imagination turns that play into (on the right).”

It’s a very relatable message, beautifully illustrated. The themes, shapes, and proportions of the two scenes mirror one another perfectly, and I love the way the clouds surrounding the tower suggest an impassible floor-is-lava -type scenario being played out in these young adventurers’ minds.

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A magical microscale castle among the gray clifs

Inspired by the stump of a felled tree in the forest, cimddwc created a mysterious Elven castle nestled among the trees and surrounded by tall jagged cliffs. This seemingly inaccessible locale reminds me of the colorful Rivendell hidden in the foothills of the Misty Mountains. The limited palette of the white castle with sand green domes lets the castle stand out among the many trees and plants, while the arid landscape around the base is a stark contrast. The castle features some very clever parts usage, such as the wands left in their sprue forming the main gate.

An overhead view reveals more details, like the sheltered lake behind the castle fed by the river flowing from the waterfall to the right. Also, a spooky red glow can be seen below the water.

Something wicked stirs beneath the spires

In a building system founded on right angles, stringing together a bunch of LEGO macaroni tubes is anarchistically delightful. The snaking black tubes in the ruins of An-za-kàr Uru Dingir from Mattia Careddu, however, are downright sinister. I love how the layered ruins evoke organic anatomy, with fleshy tan bricks curved around a bony white core. What did this once-great city look like in its prime, I wonder? The model is a rare example of architecture from a builder best known for their weird and wonderful character builds, and an exciting direction from one of our favorite builders of 2024.

How to build a LEGO archway [Building Technique]

We spend a lot of time here at TBB talking about finished LEGO works, but rarely do we get into the work-in-progress techniques that go into those pieces. For instance, builder Monty Matte shows us how to properly portal our palisades with this LEGO archway technique over on his Instagram. A frequent feature of many of Monty’s builds, this image gives us just a peek into how the architectural detail comes together.

Château de Chenonceau shines in LEGO

In between competing in another Iron Builder competition and contributing to New Hashima, builder Gerrit Gottschalk (gGh0st) spent much of 2024 working on his microscale masterpiece — a model of Château de Chenonceau. The 16th-century French castle sits in the Loire Valley with its bridge and gallery crossing the river Cher. Gerrit’s model consists of about 6,600 LEGO elements and is 80 cm long.

Building in the Architecture style at this scale was a new adventure for Gerrit but you wouldn’t guess it from the end results. It’s a remarkable build filled with innovative parts usage and a high level of detail that remains virtually seamless.

Click for a detailed look at Gerrit’s majestic microscale castle !

Once upon a dream I walked through a castle like this

While LEGO has released several versions of the iconic Disney Castle in various scales, but those all focus on Cinderella’s Castle from Disney World. There are five other Disney castles around the globe, each charming in its own way. Some argue that Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (or rather, Le Château de la Belle au Bois dormant) at Disneyland Paris takes the crown, and it’s easy to see why in this Microscale version from Jean Paul Bricks. Inspired by the Architecture line and previous builds from Koen Zwanenburg and Dario del Frate, Jean Paul puts his spin on the pink and blue landmark. Jean Paul employs SNOT techniques (Studs Not On Top) to work white stripes into the pink tower. As in Koen’s version, a Gungan shield doubles as stained glass. Someday I’d love to see this version of the castle at minifig scale.

It takes two to build a LEGO masterpiece

And by two, we mean the LEGO builder and their community. Describing his latest project, Kit Nugent pays tribute to the Builder Improvement Initiative group, which seems to be a fantastic place for creative feedback and enhancing your building skills. His newly finished Tudor-style creation speaks for itself. It might be the camera angle, but oh boy, how much I love the composition! The thin sand-green tower peeking from behind the fortress-like structure is just stunning. And take a look at the two-tone upper floor! The way the bridge extends beyond the edge of the diorama adds both a sense of story and dynamic movement to the scene. Now I can’t help but wonder—will those two make it out safely?

A small LEGO village that’s big on action

This three-building LEGO village scene by Daniël de Wit has lots of fun details. A fence made from long rubber hoses keeps a pair of LEGO animals in their pen. And some lovely stained-glass windows in the small church are born of transparent red and green elements and some studs-not-on-top technique. Vines can be seen growing up the side of that house in front, which seems to have caught the eye of a nearby goat. The slight angle of the church leads the eye to some sort of confrontation on the path… maybe this knight has been racking up a hefty tab at the local watering hole.

Looking great at the LEGO gate

For years now, one of my favorite historical LEGO builders has been Evan Crouch, known for turning out beautiful buildings and landscapes from medieval and colonial times. This gatehouse, intended for a DENLUG collab at Brickworld Chicago this coming weekend, is yet another stellar entry into his catalog of work. I adore the construction of that pine tree, leveraging the flexible nature of the 6×5 leaf pieces. And the texturing on the tower’s walls is top notch, as always. I hope I get to see some pics of the whole DENLUG layout from the convention in the near future.

Back in the middle ages, you had to find a real haunted castle for thrills

Haunted houses are a well-worn trope of scary stories, but if we’re talking buildings with ghosts in them, surely castles are more likely to be haunted? They’re older, have often seen their fair share of battles, and are sometimes spooky enough in their own right. Chi Hsin Wei gets it. Now, if you presented this castle to me in a brochure, I’d probably think it was some exhilarating ride at a theme park. Spooky, sure, but not full of real ghosts. Probably. But those adventurers in the boat don’t look like they’re here for a thrill ride. Going to a castle that looks like it wants to eat you is probably a bit far to go for an adrenaline rush. The teacup rides are scary enough for me, thank you very much.

Harness the magic in this witch’s tower made of LEGO

Fresh from its appearance at the Christchurch Brick Show in New Zealand earlier this month, this LEGO-made island-bound tower by Nathan Hake is simply astounding! Created over the better part of seven months, this mammoth medieval masterpiece sprawls out over a pair of islands and includes several noteworthy features like a shipwreck, black dragon, stone bridge, abandoned docks, magical portal, and a detailed tower interior. Details like the underside of its overhang and the tendrils of smoke rising out of its chimney stand out brilliantly on the tower. While more experienced builders will marvel at Nathan’s stud reversal on the rocks of the big island halfway up the side. Building at this scale, such techniques can become unwieldy, but it’s handled here quite adeptly.

Check out more of the tower’s magic below!

War makes gingerbread boys into gingerbread men

“Man the gumdrop cannons! We’re on General Kringle’s naughty list this year!” Builder Mike Sinclair gives us a LEGO scene that has the Christmas season fighting against itself. Maybe you’re rooting for St. Nick and his elven troops, armed with a present catapult and cannon. But if you’re like me, you’re on the side of the Gingerbread Kingdom. With their cookie castle surrounded by a chocolate moat, these confectionary combatants aren’t about to crumble under pressure. The fortress is a beautiful mish-mash of classic castle shapes laced with bits of icing and other sweet treats. It’s an extremely well-executed fusion of themes. And, much like the smell of gingerbread, it’s got me hungry for more!