Tag Archives: watchtowers

Where’s a Strider when you need one?!

We’ve had a glorious wealth of LEGO Lord of the Rings builds lately, thanks in large part to a contest going on right now over on the LEGO Ideas site. As a result, we can see builder Faëbricks ply their expert rock technique in this beautiful recreation of the Weathertop scene. Faëbricks does an excellent job of distinguishing between two types of weathered stone. There’s the ruins of the watchtower, built in light gray and retaining evidence of man-made features: crumbling arches, a few ruined statues, and so many clean lines intentionally broken with a crack or crevice tell the history of this place. Juxtapose that feel with the rocky terrain in dark gray, dark green, and brown. The weathered earth appears in larger “chunks” and involves far more slopes and natural shapes than the construction atop it. And yet both sides of this metaphorical coin coexist wonderfully in this exceptional recreation from the movie.

Weathertop

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.

Tower of Roligsfrakk

Sheep and crumbling stone walls

Jan, the Creator is proving once again that LEGO sheep are the new goats. Jan is also proving that they are an absolute pro when it comes to building weathered stone walls, decaying wooden pillars and shingled rooftops that look like pine cone layers. The use of ingots for brickwork and wood carving is a really nice touch. Using different tiles with wood grain makes the stairs and the wood work of the tower look interesting. The wall bethind the foliage deserves some zoomwork so you can fully appreciate the builders work!

Black Falcons Watchtower.