Tag Archives: Medieval

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!

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Does this LEGO mosaic commemorate the Red Dawn, or portent a new one?

Our favorite annual LEGO castle contest, Summer Joust, is in full swing for 2023. And builder T-86(swe) has made a glorious submission to the silhouette category: the Dandelumian Crest. In an age when LEGO sets are also starting to stretch the 2-D boundaries of the standard mosaic, T-86 provides depth to their creation with a lattice of dark gray plates and tiles fit in-between the background studs. While it may not be a “legal” connection in all cases (legal with a tile and not with a plate, but that’s a discussion for another post), the maze-like grid provides an outstanding backdrop for the sword and twisting plant laid over top. The whole thing definitely gives off some heavy “Gordian Knot” vibes, and I love it!

This medieval-themed skyrock is made of over 22 pounds of LEGO

I wouldn’t have said that you could fit all the fixings LEGO Castle onto a single floating rock, but here Joe (jnj_bricks) has done just that! Clad in dark bluish gray brick, the multi-layer marvel begins at the bottom with a darling windmill. The use of balloon flaps as sails on the mill is a great touch, with its scooped form catching the wind from more complex angles than your standard land-based model. The fortification at the apex of the rocky mass is beautiful, utilizing some great techniques to form the walls of its towers. While impressive, the castle fits in well with the rest of the build, and doesn’t take attention away from the rest of the structure. This allows us to enjoy all the great minifigure scenes hidden throughout. Just check out the fella free soloing up the rock above the mill!

This tower is held together by the power of hopes and dreams

Most of the time I can figure out how a LEGO creation has been put together. Sometimes it is just a big riddle. This lovely build by Kit Nugent is one of those builds that I just can’t wrap my head around. What makes this creation really fun is the number of weird pieces hidden in it to add texture to the build. If you look closely, and I truly recommend that you do, you can spot all sorts of unique bricks. There is a pump bottle, a couple of hairbrushes and a rubber duckling hidden in the build to add texture to the landscaping. Last but definitely not least is the use of the Minecreaft pickaxe and the wand box blend in perfectly with the Tudor style of the home.

Guilds of Heroica City

Ever wondered what Ninjago City would look like if LEGO decided to use the same format on a medieval-themed build? Wonder no more and just take a look at Benjamin Stenlund latest creation. This amazingly detailed build celebrates the 10 years of existence of The Guilds of Historica. It features an Elven tea pavilion, a tavern, a tights shop, and a cartographer’s shop. On the street level, we find a candle maker, a bookstore, a jeweler, and a room for rent. On the second level, there is a moneylender, an apartment, and a shield shop. Benjamin didn’t stop when he filled up a 32×32 base plate so he had to expand the city to add a Chapel, a bakery, and a barbershop. I know for sure I would love to get lost in this amazing Medieval city. Can you spot all the little shops/businesses included in this massive build?

Back to Svalg Keep

With spring around the corner, Louis of Nutwood presents to us the amazing Svalg Keep, a very wintery LEGO build that features a Castle covered in a blanket of snow. Even though the entire castle wall is built with light blueish-grey brick, Louis managed to avoid the dreaded “big grey wall effect.” The highly textured wall creates gaps and casts shadows which makes the walls look intricate and interesting. This is one of those creations that I would love to see on the inside. Is it just impressive on the outside or is it possible to build something that looks this good on the outside and still has enough room on the inside to build a functioning interior?

Never have the Middle Ages been so colorful

The city of Cedrica welcomes you with a veritable rainbow of LEGO color, all thanks to builder Dan O’Connor. Amid a central tower sporting some excellent stonework, we have a bustling block of the Medieval metropolis. Minifigures are hard at work under awnings of red, against a background of blue, or proximate to a purple roof. Each construction has its own style here, not only showcasing a full palette of color, but also one brimming with different parts. Even the gold trim in the canoe, while not a route I would typically go, looks brilliant in this vibrant setting.

Spinning the model 180 degrees shows off even more action. The construction of the violet-topped Tudor can be fully appreciated from this vantage, those small patches of tan breaking up the white of the wattle and daub. And the small tree next to it fits into the scene perfectly without drawing the eye away from all the bustling action nearby. And don’t miss that nefarious-looking fellow tucked back in the alleyway.

A construction rooted in cold, hard stone

As the northern hemisphere is awakening from the cold slumber of the last 5 months, Ventum Vox drags me back into the icy chill of winter with this frigid-looking LEGO scene. The trees here, with rootholds in this snow-covered crag, are a masterful compilation of brown bits. They eschew the typical grid of the blocky medium, instead providing some of the most natural gnarls of wood I’ve seen in a build. There’s plenty of flex tubing and minifig utensils in the mix helping to manage this natural aesthetic. And the rockwork these trees cling to is no slouch, either. There’s a clear delineation in style between the stone of the ruined structure and the rocky precipice it sits upon, going well beyond just the color change. And while managing that transition perfectly, Vox still is able to add in enough snow to remind us that this is a cold, exposed destination. Let’s hope that knight is wearing some long underwear.

A lookout tower with a proper palisade

Perennial LEGO castle constructor Louis of Nutwood has debuted a glorious watchtower complete with palisade wall. I’m amazed at all the different brick-built textures he’s managed to work into this model. The cobbled stonework utilizes half-plate gaps to great success. The smooth wood of the watchtower’s roof stands in contrast, relying heavily on tile parts to emulate wooden beams. And the wonderful implementation of curved slopes in that tattered red flag evokes a weatherworn age that can be difficult in plastic bricks. But the real highlight for me (pun intended) is the choice of lime for the surrounding grass. This pop of color contrasts the grays and browns of the rest of the build well, further emphasizing all the brilliant textures in the construction.

A falconer left to “fen” for himself

Nature has gone wild in this swampy LEGO scene by Ciamosław Ciamek. In a daring design choice, opaque sand green tiles are used to excellent effect as the murky water in this morass. The cobbled tower, home to our birdkeeper, looks to have seen a few too many years. The tilework is perfect on its walls, and I adore all the details in dark gray around its entryway. But the real hero in this build has got to be all that thick vegetation. Dark green leaves stand in stark contrast to the lighter colors of the water and tower, making the build generally feel bigger.

Here’s some more detailed shots of the minifigures that make up the approaching party. But mind that you don’t get too distracted by the action in the boat. Who knows what monsters call this swamp home….

A song of trans-neon orange and trans-light blue

While we don’t often feature LEGO works-in-progress here on TBB, when an update is as impressive and “complete” on it’s own as this amazing build by llego_pig, we make an exception! Acting as part one of a Red Keep build from Game of Thrones, this chunk of medium nougat tower is astounding, with it’s impressive texturing and occasional splotches of added color. The rockwork next to it is superb, as are the two little shacks at the base of the wall. Each construction is perfectly ramshackle for the setting, and utilizes some great technique in creating the walls. But my favorite part of the build by far has got to be the high tide waterline visible along the dock. What a fantastic little detail that does so much to bring the build to life!

Raise a glass to a clearly important profession

I learned today that a glazier is someone who cuts and fits glass in windows and doors, demonstrating the educational application of LEGO with this colorful build from gGh0st. This workshop build is gGhost’s entry for the Bricklink Designer Program, and it’s an awesome entry! The design of the workshop is amazing with the color palette, the round windows throughout, and the colorful clips used within the roof. I do think it’s pretty cool to use the bar with ball piece for the texturing of the roof, something I’ve not seen before in a build. Notice the use of the transparent pieces along the midsection of the workshop and even the sign–small details that really contribute to the beauty of the profession. This is a great addition to any medieval village!