CHALLENGE I: Rebuilding the City Wall

[MiloNelsiano]

Despite being well-positioned and well-defended, the province of Oros, as the rest of Avalonia and Historica, suffered significant losses during the civil wars in the previous years.  The most significant loss suffered was that of their Lord Orys Farwind.  That meant of course, that Osric's adventuring days were over.  He would have to assume the role of Lord of Oros, which he had dreaded since the death of his elder brother.  Fortunately the physical losses that Oros suffered were relatively minimal in comparison to other provinces.  Osric's first order of business as Lord was to repair the damage to the city walls of Osgard, so that their builders and craftsmen could aid surrounding provinces that suffered heavier losses.

Limestone, granite, and lumber was carted in from nearby quarries.

The granite was cut into uniform bricks that are used to construct the outer parts of the walls.  It is important to use precisely cut bricks for the outside to give the wall more strength and stability.  The inner wall would be filled with rougher shaped stones and filled in the mortar, as it was much more cost-effective.

The limestone and coal were placed in layers into a kiln, typically built on-site.

As the limestone cooked, it turned into quicklime, and was raked out a hole in the bottom of the kiln.  As the quicklime was removed, more alternating rows of coal and limestone were added into the top.

The quicklime was then shoveled into a large mixer where it was mixed with water and earth.  This turned it into mortar which was used to hold the stone together in the construction process.

Carpenters would continually work on cutting lumber to be used in scaffolding, often built into the castle wall, as well as to be used to repair damaged wooden stuctures.

The cut granite bricks, mortar, and cut lumber were transported to the workers atop the walls using a crane.  There, the workers could continue to build without having to worry about running out of supplies.

The whole process was overlooked by a master builder Vitruvius, who meets with Lord Osric to discuss the overall progress of the reparations.

 

Here's my entry, and first official build for the Guilds in quite some time.  I learned a lot about medieval construction methods by reading about Guedelon Castle in France, as well as other sources.  For anyone that doesn't know, Guedelon Castle is a castle currently being built from scratch in the modern day, but using medieval construction methods.  It's really interesting, and anyone interested in medieval construction should check it out sometime.  That being said, I'm certainly no expert in medieval construction, so if I got anything wrong, please let me know.  There's a lot more I could have said about the process, but it seemed best to leave it relatively short so everyone could read it.  About the build itself, the wall section is a build I've had laying around for over a year now.  I had originally built it so my son could have a little ''castle'' to play with.  It is a bit plain, but it was just the right size for what I needed, and I was a little limited on bricks since a lot of my gray is tied up in another WIP, so I decided to build around it.  One of the biggest challenges I had with this build was that I couldn't buy any new pieces.  For the first time in almost 7 years of marriage, my wife decided to spend way too much money on Lego, and I had to be the rational one deciding that more Lego just has to wait (she couldn't live without the new Hogwarts set, which we just got today).  Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed, and like always, any and all comments and criticism is greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

[MKJoshA]

Your attention to detail in the building process is great! All the different artisans at work give your build the right sense of busyness. And I think your building, rock work, and wood structures all look really good. My only complaint is the grass. It's too uniform. Maybe some height texture or even just a little color variation would help.

[Wineyard]

Great model! I find it fascinating how different people have tried to render medieval cranes for this challenge.

[halixon]

Love all the mechanisms and builders! The busy feel of the build is great, and I love how 'WIP' it feels, in a good way! 

[Muakhah]

I really like the medieval crane, stone cutting and carpentry.  As others have said it really looks bustling.  I love the addition of quicklime!  My only query is that quicklime is very dangerous and can burn skin and eyes easily.  I recently visited a tiny coastal hamlet and they built the quicklime oven on a cliff stack completely seperate from the rest of the village.  Maybe some protection or something for those working with it?

I has also head about Guedolon as a living history project and would love to go and visit it.

As for the build it is a little plain but you have done an excellent job with the pieces and colors you have.  I like the fact that the walls are built atop a natural  small cliff.  I like that the angle of the cliff and distance from the walls means  it wouldn't provide cover for attackers but would be a formidable obstacle for siege towers.

[Gunman]

Lovely cart... lovely wooden tools... Tower.... So many things to admire

[zoth33]

I really like this build.  The Castle part is great.  The wheel mechanism for raising the stones is massive and constructed well.  I like the ladders and other details like the guy chipping away at the stone,  the guys working on replacing the wooden parts.  The rockwork is very nice too.  Nice job on the whole scene.  

[Basiliscus]

Lots of nice little details to find here, love the cart transporting the stone and the ladder made of 4L bars. Your minifig posing is excellent and there's a real sense of activity in the MOC. I also really enjoyed reading about the construction process too, you've clearly done your homework.

There's a few things I don't like however: I find the "A Time To Build..." text on the base a little overwhelming and distracting, although you have done a good job of the letter sculpting. I also think the crane looks oversized, it's bigger than the castle walls and seems a little cartoonish.

 

[W Navarre]

Very cool wheel and castle, I like how you wrote on the border! 

[Rogue Angel]

This is a great build!  The castle is well done, I really like how you've done the wheel, the mixer, the wagon, the ladder.  Excellent details, and great scope to this build.  Excellent work!

[Gabe]

I love how educational this is, the process of the mortar being made is really interesting.  I also like the cart arriving and the crane, although i agree with Basiliscus that it seems a little outsize. It's a really nice entry, considering the constraints that you were working with! 

[Grover]

Very cool!  I like how you have incorporated the historic aspects of castle building into your work.  I think that medieval France used more advanced techniques, like the hamster wheel crane, whereas other places used putlog holes and ramps, but I believe there was a mix, and even use of a flywheel by the 1100-1200 range, so it's completely accurate.  I like how you have the stonecutters, the awesome use of the brown chairs for the wagon slats (this is ingenious), and the scaffolding around the round tower.  All the aspects of the kiln and even the carpentry are great.  The slope pieces making up the rock face might use a little more detail and variety if you want a more natural look, but the whole build is great.  I love it!

[Gideon]

Nice with the various small scenes showing the busy workers
The educational style of the writing fits perfectly.

Other than the proportions of the crane already mentioned one thing which I could suggest as an improvement would be to increase the detailing of the ground, and being a construction site I think there would more likely be small patches of green and the rest downtrodden and muddy (brown/dark tan?) especially where the men are walking around the mixer.

[Henjin_Quilones]

So many great things here to love, what with all of the great castle-building practices you have illustrated! I agree that the crane seems too big in proportion to the rest, but I think my main critique is the same as Gideon: the ground. I understand that you were working with something from earlier, and probably did not do much to the ground as a result, but it is too flat and monotone for my taste, and should definitely exhibit some wear and tear (unless they have medieval AstroTurf...) from all of the workers walking around and carts bringing heavy loads of stone. I'd expect a ton of mud, or at very least, dust! On the whole, though, the level of thought that has gone into the construction aspects makes this a very good entry. 

[The Last of Nergoue]

I really like the wheel use in the crane!

[mrcp6d]

I like how you took an almost educational approach to this, turning your research into an MOC. 

[soccerkid6]

Your excellent construction details are the real star of the show here I'd say your research paid off well!
Great use of arches throughout the castle walls. And my favorite detail is your excellent wagon and harness design

[de Gothia]

Bravo! Some great features in this moc! The wagon is really clever and makes me want to stea... borrow the design! 

 

As other have said, the crane is a bit to big and the grass should be mud in some places. 

 

Keep up the good work!