Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" MOCs

[JakeChambers]

Hi guys!

I've been really into Stephen King's The Dark Tower series lately. So far I've read the first 4 books and I love this saga so much that I decided to start a LEGO project, customizing minifigs and recreating some scenes from the books, but also expanding it and introducing my own ideas and doing cross-overs with other characters from different universes, since TDT could allow that very well.

For those who don't know, The Dark Tower mixes the old west with sci-fi and high tech stuff in a world where dimensions are connected by different portals.

I am currently sharing my pics via Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr (@Lego_DarkTower if anyone feels like following) but I would love to get your sincere feedback as LEGO collectors, since in social media most of my followers are just fans of The Dark Tower.

In order to avoid spoilers, I will share my pics inside the spoiler tag and tell to which book they belong:

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger

Spoiler

The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

Spoiler

The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands

Spoiler

The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

Spoiler

The Dark Tower: EXTRAS

Spoiler

The Dark Tower: Movie

Spoiler

 

Edited May 4, 2017 by JakeChambers

[Darkdragon]

I really like the scenes and photography you've set up here. Excellent work.

I have all these books but have not had the chance to get to them yet, free time is at a premium at my house, and quiet time to read is even more rare.

[Littleworlds]

Nice characters! They really show some personality and bring me right back into the story. And its a fascinating one 

Be lucky that you started reading them now and not while he was still writing them.  the first couple of books were released in quite short succession, but the during the 80s and 90s the gaps became longer and longer. To an extend where people started wondering if he will actually finish the series! (Sounds a bit like George R.R. Martin? Absolutely!^^). 

Sadly they also steadily declined, starting with the fourth volume, while the length of each book kept increasing. In the end I quite missed a lot of the raw, stripped down dynamic the earlier volumes had (the chapters with blaine were an amazing read and kind of peak of the whole series). Well, King can get quite rambling... 

[Wardancer]

I am reading part six at the moment. He who does not finish the series has forgotten the face of his father!

Great figs and good fotography! 

I am excited about the movie!

[JakeChambers]

14 hours ago, Darkdragon said:

I really like the scenes and photography you've set up here. Excellent work.

I have all these books but have not had the chance to get to them yet, free time is at a premium at my house, and quiet time to read is even more rare.

Thank you! Unfortunately when responsabilities come up, it's so hard to find time to keep up with books and hobbies...sigh. I'm only reading the series because I spend 2 hours a day in the public transports to go to work and back home plus another 2 hours they give me to have lunch and rest a bit.

14 hours ago, Littleworlds said:

Nice characters! They really show some personality and bring me right back into the story. And its a fascinating one 

Be lucky that you started reading them now and not while he was still writing them.  the first couple of books were released in quite short succession, but the during the 80s and 90s the gaps became longer and longer. To an extend where people started wondering if he will actually finish the series! (Sounds a bit like George R.R. Martin? Absolutely!^^). 

Sadly they also steadily declined, starting with the fourth volume, while the length of each book kept increasing. In the end I quite missed a lot of the raw, stripped down dynamic the earlier volumes had (the chapters with blaine were an amazing read and kind of peak of the whole series). Well, King can get quite rambling... 

Thanks, sai! Long days and pleasant nights to you :)
I do feel lucky being able to read them all in one sit! I'm about to start The Wind Through the Keyhole. The Waste Lands is my favorite book so far but I'm hoping the rest of the series is good enough. You just scared me a bit! I really love all the characters and want the books to be good so desperately.
 

10 hours ago, Wardancer said:

I am reading part six at the moment. He who does not finish the series has forgotten the face of his father!

Great figs and good fotography! 

I am excited about the movie!

You're almost at the Tower! I'm about to start The Wind Through the Keyhole. I wanted to read Wolves of the Calla but people told me to read TWTTK first.
The movie...oh well, something stinks about it and I'm kinda worried. The fact that there's still no trailer even though the movie is supposed to be coming in early August...I don't know. We even have the trailer for IT, which is to be released in September!

And speaking of the movie...I did this yesterday. Sorry for the crappy quality...I did it in a rush, More (and better) to come this week!

[Hammerstein NWC]

These are great mocs with good photography! I love the series but was also disappointed with how the books kind of fizzled out.

I have one gunslinger moc in progress myself. The doors used to captivate my imagination.

I tap my throat to you Sire. Never forget the face of your father!

 

 

[JakeChambers]

3 hours ago, Hammerstein NWC said:

These are great mocs with good photography! I love the series but was also disappointed with how the books kind of fizzled out.

I have one gunslinger moc in progress myself. The doors used to captivate my imagination.

I tap my throat to you Sire. Never forget the face of your father!

 

 

Ugh you guys keep telling me the series fizzles out and I don't want to believe it  I've read people say from IV on the saga is kinda different but not necessarily bad. I really want it to be good...I'm too attached to the ka-tet at this point, haha. But I don't wanna know much...I already ate a couple of spoilers and that's enough.

Thanks for the kind words and I'm excited to see your MOC! I am also preparing a MOC involving the door but still don't have a clear idea and I have many pics I want to take befora that one. What piece are you using for the door? 

I searched thru all the door pieces on Bricklink and ended up buying this one (in brown color)

[Hammerstein NWC]

I thought the books were great despite my reservations which is mainly how he handled the end but no spoilers here- it certainly helps to have read his entire back catalogue though or you may miss out on some of the smaller details. :).

I'm doing a brick built door - and I saw it as more of a gateway. I'm toying with a forced perspective to get it done but it's a tough trying to get the details correct. I'm doing the lobstrosity scene and have got groundwork done on the beach and creature but that's most of it so far! I build at such a stupidly slow pace!

I have really enjoyed your MOCs and it reminded me how good the books were. Odetta was a mean mo fo!

[JakeChambers]

On 12/4/2017 at 2:32 PM, Hammerstein NWC said:

I thought the books were great despite my reservations which is mainly how he handled the end but no spoilers here- it certainly helps to have read his entire back catalogue though or you may miss out on some of the smaller details. :).

I'm doing a brick built door - and I saw it as more of a gateway. I'm toying with a forced perspective to get it done but it's a tough trying to get the details correct. I'm doing the lobstrosity scene and have got groundwork done on the beach and creature but that's most of it so far! I build at such a stupidly slow pace!

I have really enjoyed your MOCs and it reminded me how good the books were. Odetta was a mean mo fo!

I've heard about how people complained about the end of the saga, and how SK said he didn't give a flying about it...haha

I'm really curious to see your MOCs! Please hurry and finish them! 
I have a more serious picture of the lobstrosity scene and I just need to edit it, but I've used Batman's lobster. I want to mix Lego's humour with The Dark Tower's themes and aesthetics as much as possible!

Here's a new picture. The three baddies from book IV. The Big Coffin Hunters in all their glory!

 

[Littleworlds]

Mean looking guys! Just as they should be. Excellent! 

Well, I think what plays a big role in the direction the books developed was the sheer timescale during they have been written. The first volume was written in the mid 70s, and the last volume somewhen in the 2000s. That is a bloody long time to tell a story!  And of course over so long time, the author himself changes. You just don't write in your 50s like you have written in your 20s. And the approach to the characters changes for sure as well as your personal horizon expands and your experiences you make shape you.

I can remember to have read an interview where King described how he wrote the first volume. He was (which isn't really a secret) inspired by the spaghetti western with clint eastwood and I think the only thing he really had in the beginning was the picture of the gunslinger following the man in black. Literally how the whole story started.  The rest, afaik, came later. So I think he just added layer after layer to it, and eventually embedded it into his own "expanded universe", where a lot of his other books are set in. Insomnia, for example, and Hearts in Atlantis, I think.

And now I think I lectured enough off- topic^^ 

Edited April 13, 2017 by Littleworlds

[JakeChambers]

On 13/4/2017 at 10:38 PM, Littleworlds said:

Mean looking guys! Just as they should be. Excellent! 

Well, I think what plays a big role in the direction the books developed was the sheer timescale during they have been written. The first volume was written in the mid 70s, and the last volume somewhen in the 2000s. That is a bloody long time to tell a story!  And of course over so long time, the author himself changes. You just don't write in your 50s like you have written in your 20s. And the approach to the characters changes for sure as well as your personal horizon expands and your experiences you make shape you.

I can remember to have read an interview where King described how he wrote the first volume. He was (which isn't really a secret) inspired by the spaghetti western with clint eastwood and I think the only thing he really had in the beginning was the picture of the gunslinger following the man in black. Literally how the whole story started.  The rest, afaik, came later. So I think he just added layer after layer to it, and eventually embedded it into his own "expanded universe", where a lot of his other books are set in. Insomnia, for example, and Hearts in Atlantis, I think.

And now I think I lectured enough off- topic^^ 

I actually love to read your lectures so don't worry  I'm a Tower junkie after all!

What you said totally makes sense. I mean, it's been a minute since he wrote the first ones so like you said, lots of stuff have been going on in SK's life. Heck, he even got hit by a car. I read this was an event that made him think seriously about finishing the series, just in case something ever happened to him. I also read that he got letters from people who were diagnosed with serious illnesses and even people who were sentenced to death, asking him if he could tell them what happened in the end...and of course he couldn't tell, as he had no clue either.

And yep, he described the saga as a mix of the Man with No Name trilogy and The Lord of the Rings. I am already reading The Wind Through the Keyhole and loving it so far. Jake + Oy goodness all over. Gotte love these two. I already have the two you've mentioned and I know Hearts in Atlantis is related to Jake Chambers so I'll be reading them too.

Ok, here's another picture...as you might know the movie is supposed to be released in Aug. 4th, but we still have no official trailer while other movies that are to be released way after do have one.

[Littleworlds]

On 4/15/2017 at 9:11 PM, JakeChambers said:

I actually love to read your lectures so don't worry  I'm a Tower junkie after all!

What you said totally makes sense. I mean, it's been a minute since he wrote the first ones so like you said, lots of stuff have been going on in SK's life. Heck, he even got hit by a car. I read this was an event that made him think seriously about finishing the series, just in case something ever happened to him. I also read that he got letters from people who were diagnosed with serious illnesses and even people who were sentenced to death, asking him if he could tell them what happened in the end...and of course he couldn't tell, as he had no clue either.

And yep, he described the saga as a mix of the Man with No Name trilogy and The Lord of the Rings. I am already reading The Wind Through the Keyhole and loving it so far. Jake + Oy goodness all over. Gotte love these two. I already have the two you've mentioned and I know Hearts in Atlantis is related to Jake Chambers so I'll be reading them too.

Ok, here's another picture...as you might know the movie is supposed to be released in Aug. 4th, but we still have no official trailer while other movies that are to be released way after do have one.
 

This is fantastic 

@Dark Tower: its been a while since I read the books. Maybe something I should get into again. I really have a soft spot for epic, long stories which are not typical fantasy. The Stand is pretty much in that direction as well. And Clive Barker's Imajica in its own, weird way  These books (and a lot more; I probably read a meter of Stephen King books^^) inspired me a lot when I read them the first time in my teenager years. 

"It" is of course brilliant as well. Hard to believe how much great material King wrote in so short time!

 

[Trekkie99]

I don't know much about Stephen King, but I had to complement you on your photography! Wonderful work! Thumbs up.

[JakeChambers]

@LegoMonorailFan thank you! I'm a novice in photography - just bought my reflex Canon D700 a few months ago and took a course on product photography for the sake of improving the pics of the vinyl toys I design and paint, but applying what I've learn to my Lego pics is proving to be a great and fun experience

@Littleworlds I absolutely love IT. That book, and the 90's TV adaptation are two of my favorite things in life, haha. So excited for the new movie...I watched the trailer while my hands were literally shaking from the excitement. It looks so damn good.
The Stand - I have it in my shelf, ready to read as soon as I finish with The Dark Tower! My girlfriend actually stopped reading TDT  after the fourth book and started reading it to get a better understanding of RF.

Ok, here's another picture...Susan and Roland again, this time enjoying some time together while Rusher and Pylon graze peacefully.


And also a little cross-over...is this that Maturin turtle you were talking about, Roland?? No, of course not!

[Littleworlds]

On 18/04/2017 at 3:46 PM, JakeChambers said:

Ok, here's another picture...Susan and Roland again, this time enjoying some time together while Rusher and Pylon graze peacefully.

Looks so peaceful. Wonderful picture. Light, colours and arrangement are just spot on 

Btw: The Dead Zone is also really good. Probably overlooked compared to later successes but it touches some interesting (and pretty current) topics. Thematically its similar to Insomnia, with somebody suddenly developing the talent to see things people can't see. I think it was the first novel by King I read and I found it quite moving. 

[JakeChambers]

Two new pictures! The first one is a teaser of the scene I'm currently working on. The second, my way to celebrate that we finally have a trailer for the movie!
You know how it goes: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

[Littleworlds]

Excellent scenery and photography again! 

 

Damn, Roland got really close to him 

[daryen]

Sorry if this is off-topic, but ...

What minifigure did the movie gunslinger's head come from? I was looking for that exact head a while ago and never found one like it. And here it is in your MOC!

[Darkdragon]

Well, your project got me to dive into the series and now I'm through book 1 and book 2. I have to say that your figures are almost exactly what I imagined while reading! Amazing job on the figures and the scenes, really.

With the movie coming out, it's getting hard to track down the books at reasonable prices - I have 1, 2, 3, 5 and I think my mom is sending me number 4.  Reading them goes really quick, but the other night my husband says "How engrossed are you in that book, I've been saying we are ready for a while" when I told him to let me know when he and the kid are ready to do something or other. OOps

It must be a sign of AFOLness when imagining how to build a moc for a scene while reading it.

I hope you continue this series of builds, I'm really looking forward to it - even more now!

[JakeChambers]

Hi guys! Extremely sorry for updating this thread so late. New pics at the end of this post, and responding to the last couple of comments:

On 14/5/2017 at 8:48 PM, daryen said:

Sorry if this is off-topic, but ...

What minifigure did the movie gunslinger's head come from? I was looking for that exact head a while ago and never found one like it. And here it is in your MOC!

So sorry to leave you waiting for an answer! The head is from the Karl Mordo minifig in (76060) Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. I will send you a DM just in case you don't see this response. I know it sucks to ask for help when you're trying to build a minifig and not getting it!

On 19/6/2017 at 6:06 PM, Darkdragon said:

I hope you continue this series of builds, I'm really looking forward to it - even more now!

Thankee for your kind words, Sai! I am very advanced in the last book (my first read) and I have already built more scenes.
I will just link them, because I don't want to spoil anything. I'll say the book they're from and leave the link to my Tumblr.

III. The Wastelands 
Shardik Attacks!

V. Wolves of the Calla
The Ka-Tet
The Wolves
Andy (Many other functions)

More to come soon!!

[Darkdragon]

Just now, JakeChambers said:

III. The Wastelands 
Shardik Attacks

Amazing!