[MOC] Black Falcons Castle

[-DoNe-]

Where to begin? Mid-September I got my hands on the Lion Knights castle (10305). My first Castle set. While my love for all things vintage Lego I never quite got into the Castle line. However all the talk about the Lion Knights Castle had started to draw me in, and eventually I started seriously considering making the jump into the very fantastical world of Lego Castle. I did do a few smaller builds at first. But I knew I eventually wanted to try my hands at a proper castle, and when I had completed the Lion Knights Castle there was no going back: the Black Falcons needed a proper castle to bring some balance to the Kingdom I'm working on. 

I started working on this in late September, however this being my last semester at university my spare time was limited to say the least. But finally, just before Christmas its finally finished!

Going into this project I knew there was quite a few things I wanted to archive: no Lego Castle set have been without great features. Therefor I had made it a priority to make sure this wasn't just a static build. The most obvious feature would be the drawbridge, all proper castles needs one of those. I went with chains rather than strings for the mechanism. While it looks great it does take up more space inside to make it run smoothly, so the middle part of the gatehouse is essentially dedicated to the winching system. I also needed an escape from the cellar, a feature I think one would rather quickly recognize from the Lion Knights Castle. It was just to good not to steal it for my own MOC. ;) Further features include being able to access the interior through the hinged wall-sections. Lastly the entire castle can split in the middle for easier access to the fully detailed courtyard. It also happens to be a big plus when moving it around.

There was also a lot of consideration when choosing the color palette. I wanted the design to fit well next to the Lion Knights Castle while still maintaining a unique design. The result was to bring back the classic yellow Tudor style building, as featured in the original Black Falcons castle. Another big decision was to completely go for dark brown instead of reddish brown. An expensive but worthwhile decision in my mind. 

As this is my very first Castle I'd expect i have missed a few things here and there that the more seasoned Castle builder would have added. So please, all your suggestions are welcome! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DonQuixote]

Obviously a throwback to 6074 from 1986. The thing that bothers me is the square front towers. The original were more round. The motorized lighthouse 21335 has relatively easy building techniques to achieve round towers. 

[-DoNe-]

1 hour ago, DonQuixote said:

Obviously a throwback to 6074 from 1986. The thing that bothers me is the square front towers. The original were more round. The motorized lighthouse 21335 has relatively easy building techniques to achieve round towers. 

Set 6047 is a classic. And the yellow and black color for the Tudor building most certainly found it’s inspiration there! 
 

I didn’t want any round towers here, had a few test runs with different techniques but I ended up preferring the more imposing look achieved by the squared of towers. 

[Yperio_Bricks]

I like that castle! I don't mind the square towers - they add to the classic Norman look. 

(Square towers - at least that's what I think what people think of when the think about Norman castles. So much thinking )

While the knights parade in front of the castle and the guards on the walls and towers scan the horizon, the clever wolfpack is on to something 

Love that shot of the ghost!

[-DoNe-]

18 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

I like that castle! I don't mind the square towers - they add to the classic Norman look. 

(Square towers - at least that's what I think what people think of when the think about Norman castles. So much thinking )

While the knights parade in front of the castle and the guards on the walls and towers scan the horizon, the clever wolfpack is on to something 

Love that shot of the ghost!

Thank you! Considering the iconic status of the ghost it had to be featured somehow: and what better way than high up in the tallest tower? 

[SpacePolice89]

Nice! Very realistic and good for both display and play.

[GeoBrick]

It's a bit bare, but solid. I'm sensing a touch of the Roman Castellum construction here, probably because of the low angle of the roofs.
The dark brown for the roof structure is definitely a hit. There's a nice symmetry in the keep's entrance and the lookout window on the next floor up.
What I'm kinda missing is a staircase in the courtyard going up to the ramparts. The ladder you used does the job, but feels poorly placed. And that would make room for a door going in the timbered house on top of the wall.
Oh! And a well in the courtyard!

[-DoNe-]

On 12/23/2025 at 9:10 AM, SpacePolice89 said:

Nice! Very realistic and good for both display and play.

Many thanks! 

On 12/23/2025 at 9:35 AM, GeoBrick said:

It's a bit bare, but solid. I'm sensing a touch of the Roman Castellum construction here, probably because of the low angle of the roofs.
The dark brown for the roof structure is definitely a hit. There's a nice symmetry in the keep's entrance and the lookout window on the next floor up.
What I'm kinda missing is a staircase in the courtyard going up to the ramparts. The ladder you used does the job, but feels poorly placed. And that would make room for a door going in the timbered house on top of the wall.
Oh! And a well in the courtyard!

Thank you for the suggestions! Would a proper spiral staircase feel appropriate, or should I add a new staircase alltogether in a different location? The front right tower is empty on the lower section, so by moving the stables a bit I could probably fit a staircase in there in sufficient fashion.

A door is on the way! The timbered section is still missing the interior as I'm on a rather significant dark-brown parts-deficiency, as soon as that is sorted I'll be fixing both an interior and a door! 

Now that you say it, how could I forget about a well? I'll fix that right away.

[jtooker]

Awesome castle!  I love the fold-out walls and rock doorway!

[Blazej_Holen]

Nice castle :) Reminds me those classic Castles from 80-90´s Only, those roofs are kinda weird...there is something off with them... 

[sander1992]

Nice take on a classic set.

Thanks for sharing!