Minas Morgul: Heroic Rendition

[LittleJohn]

This was my build for the 6th and final round of the 2017 Middle Earth LEGO Olympics. The category was ‘Switched Teams’; so someone who was a villein would now be a good guy, and a place like Rivendell would be evil, etc. I decided to do Minas Morgul, which is the fortress of the Witch King in the Lord of the Rings, so in my version the Witch King is now a noble leader with a valiant force of warriors guarding the splendid fortress. In order to make it look less scary/bad guy-ish, I  opted for a white/grey colorscheme and changed the architecture to be slightly less pointy (though I did keep the buttresses and battlements rather spiky), while still keeping the same general layout. I’m quite pleased with the result, and although I didn’t plan on it getting quite this big, it’s now my heaviest build to date, weighing a smashing 31.2 pounds!

There are also a few things you can try to find in this build, if you would like (though not many of them are very well hidden, I admit!):
4 frogs
1 bear
2 hedgehogs
1 bird in a birds nest
3 chickens
2 goats

Lots more pictures on Brickbuilt.
Thanks for looking, and as always, comments and constructive criticism very welcome!

Edited May 18, 2018 by LittleJohn

[zoth33]

Really love this.  The towers are great the white and grey look good, especially the tops of the towers with the grey are done very nicely.  The towers are very clean looking too. The detailing on the bridge is fantastic.  The base is great especially the landscaping.  The water looks great too.  

[pantelis]

Another epic creation from you. You have use all the parts that can use and give as a great creation.. 

[miniman]

Fantastic job!

[LegoModularFan]

Wow, what a magnificent MOC! Great shaping and use of the curved slopes, fantastic use of the wedges as well as the old/discolored bricks, amazing details on the bridge and so on... The foliage works amazingly well with the water! Keep it up!  

[The Stad]

This is a beautiful piece, and I love how recognizable the castle is even in its heroic form.  You've done an excellent job of adjusting the features away from "evil" while still retaining so many of the design gestures that made Minas Morgul so iconic.  I want to think that this is how Minas Ithil looked before the Witch King came.  All around, a fun, wonderfully realized creation.

[Artanis I]

Looks great, but this is cheating, haha. Minas Morgul was a good city in the first place!