Dragon's Retreat
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:35 am
Hi all,
Today I would like to present to you my most recent creation, Dragon's Retreat. This is a small fortified Manor House located in the beautiful countryside of the Dragon Masters Kingdom. Lord Dragonator decided a while ago that he wanted to take a holiday every now and then, and so had this place built as a secure residence for him to stay in.
This was a very challenging build, and I must say I am quite pleased with the end result, as it is only my second serious build. I used a lot of the advice I received on my first build, the Ravine Tavern, to help me with this, so I always appreciate the feedback.
The most frustrating part of building any MOC I have found is getting all the pieces! You will notice that I used mainly 2x1 bricks on all the exposed walls, to try and give it a more 'stone work' kind of feeling. I can tell you, I used every last one I had spare, and I had to tear apart a fair number of things to complete the roof!
This model was on display at the recent NZ Lego Show in Wellington, and I was lucky enough to win 1st prize for my age category with it. Yay for me! Of course, the prize had to be a crappy Mars Mission set, didn't it?
Well, enough mindless chatter from me, I think you'll be wanting to see the pictures. Here they are!
An overview of the front.
This shot gives you a fairly good look at the overall model. It is built on a base of two 32x32 stud baseplates wide, and two and a half 32x32 stud baseplates long.
The front
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... ronton.jpg
Here it is, front on. I built it with a very symmetrical design, which I wanted to contrast with the random asymmetrical feeling of the landscape. Hopefully I pulled it off.
The front gate
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... gates2.jpg
This is the main entrance of course. It is lower than the main castle, which is for defensive purposes, anyone who makes it through the doors would have to fight their way up into the main house. I have used a classic piece of dragon design over the doors, which is to make the castle fit in with the style and theme of other Dragon Masters/Black Knights Castles.
A signpost...
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... gnpost.jpg
The all important signpost. In this picture you can see one end of the bridge, as well as my favourite piece of greenery, the beautiful cypress tree. I wish I had more than one of those...
The landward side
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... cliff2.jpg
I really like the angle of this shot, it gives a really neat foreshortening effect.
Party?
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... party2.jpg
Lord Dragonator is holding a house-warming party. Looks a bit boring to me, lets get some members in there to liven things up!
The Bridge
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... bridge.jpg
Here is a little bridge crossing the river on the main road.
The River
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... 5river.jpg
Here is a shot of the riverbank. On one side we see a Shepard with his sheep, and on the other is the new cellar keeper taking in a recent delivery.
The River Side
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... rside2.jpg
Here you can see the steps leading up from the river and the windows overlooking this side.
The Back
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... 9back2.jpg
I never like it when the back of a creation is plain and dull, so I decided to do something different here,and I thought, why not try my hand at a stained glass window? I think it turned out pretty good.
Birds-eye
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... rdseye.jpg
Another look over the whole diorama.
Riding to war
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... 18road.jpg
I just really like this picture, and thought I would end with it.
Sorry for talking so much, I hope I didn't bore you. Thanks very much for looking, I hope you have enjoyed it.
If you are interested, here is a link to the Brickshelf Gallery where you can find the complete set of all 49 photos.
I would really appreciate feedback, as that's how I can learn what to do better on next time. My next major plan is working on a large village that will feature in a game I will be running in late next year called Mystery Castle II. I want to get everything spot on for that, so please, let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Today I would like to present to you my most recent creation, Dragon's Retreat. This is a small fortified Manor House located in the beautiful countryside of the Dragon Masters Kingdom. Lord Dragonator decided a while ago that he wanted to take a holiday every now and then, and so had this place built as a secure residence for him to stay in.
This was a very challenging build, and I must say I am quite pleased with the end result, as it is only my second serious build. I used a lot of the advice I received on my first build, the Ravine Tavern, to help me with this, so I always appreciate the feedback.
The most frustrating part of building any MOC I have found is getting all the pieces! You will notice that I used mainly 2x1 bricks on all the exposed walls, to try and give it a more 'stone work' kind of feeling. I can tell you, I used every last one I had spare, and I had to tear apart a fair number of things to complete the roof!
This model was on display at the recent NZ Lego Show in Wellington, and I was lucky enough to win 1st prize for my age category with it. Yay for me! Of course, the prize had to be a crappy Mars Mission set, didn't it?
Well, enough mindless chatter from me, I think you'll be wanting to see the pictures. Here they are!
An overview of the front.
This shot gives you a fairly good look at the overall model. It is built on a base of two 32x32 stud baseplates wide, and two and a half 32x32 stud baseplates long.
The front
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... ronton.jpg
Here it is, front on. I built it with a very symmetrical design, which I wanted to contrast with the random asymmetrical feeling of the landscape. Hopefully I pulled it off.
The front gate
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... gates2.jpg
This is the main entrance of course. It is lower than the main castle, which is for defensive purposes, anyone who makes it through the doors would have to fight their way up into the main house. I have used a classic piece of dragon design over the doors, which is to make the castle fit in with the style and theme of other Dragon Masters/Black Knights Castles.
A signpost...
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... gnpost.jpg
The all important signpost. In this picture you can see one end of the bridge, as well as my favourite piece of greenery, the beautiful cypress tree. I wish I had more than one of those...
The landward side
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... cliff2.jpg
I really like the angle of this shot, it gives a really neat foreshortening effect.
Party?
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... party2.jpg
Lord Dragonator is holding a house-warming party. Looks a bit boring to me, lets get some members in there to liven things up!
The Bridge
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... bridge.jpg
Here is a little bridge crossing the river on the main road.
The River
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... 5river.jpg
Here is a shot of the riverbank. On one side we see a Shepard with his sheep, and on the other is the new cellar keeper taking in a recent delivery.
The River Side
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... rside2.jpg
Here you can see the steps leading up from the river and the windows overlooking this side.
The Back
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... 9back2.jpg
I never like it when the back of a creation is plain and dull, so I decided to do something different here,and I thought, why not try my hand at a stained glass window? I think it turned out pretty good.
Birds-eye
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... rdseye.jpg
Another look over the whole diorama.
Riding to war
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/drago ... 18road.jpg
I just really like this picture, and thought I would end with it.
Sorry for talking so much, I hope I didn't bore you. Thanks very much for looking, I hope you have enjoyed it.
If you are interested, here is a link to the Brickshelf Gallery where you can find the complete set of all 49 photos.
I would really appreciate feedback, as that's how I can learn what to do better on next time. My next major plan is working on a large village that will feature in a game I will be running in late next year called Mystery Castle II. I want to get everything spot on for that, so please, let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.