Omega X Posted May 24, 2020 (edited) Hi All! Here is my MOC of a Castle Gate set. The intention (which was hopefully achieved ) is to make it as realistic as an official Castle set as possible. With the last official Castle theme a while back, before Nexo Knights introduced a bunch of very useful parts, I was inspired to create some castle themed MOCs to explore how a Castle theme would look like if released today. As this is my first post in this forum, as well as my first Castle MOC, so please do advice if this MOC and/or post needs finetuning. Castle Gate MOC The gate itself is relatively simple, with 2 posts on either side, and a gate in the middle. It was essential that the gate itself be ornate and functional, as a result many click hinges and layered plates were used to add stability, topped off with plates. The main aesthetic of the surrounding structure was designed to have blue pillars and gold highlights (Bluerender unfortunately struggles with rendering that colour ), which will be recurring throughout this theme. In this "theme", the heroes of the kingdom would have more angular designs with sharp corners and shapes, whereas the villains led by a necromancer would be more "smooth" and organic. Another consideration was for the final structure to be able to connect with new structures released in the theme. If TLG were to release a Castle theme today, I would expect modular sections of a larger castle structure, with gates, towers, dungeons etc to be all sold separately but modular in nature. Something like HP's Hogwarts, perhaps. Shield tiles from Nexo Knights were used to decorate the facade. In an actual set they might be printed/stickers even. And of course, the 1X1 pyramid pieces were used extensively to add detail. As a gate, naturally it should, and does, open and close on the click hinges. As a rather simple locking feature, a 2x2 tile jumper is included with a key to secure the gate. On one side of the gate, a small ladder can be used to access the top. Some greenery and foliage were added to ground the model and add some visual flair. Green patches are present in front of the 2 posts, as well as in the corner of the right post. Starting on the left tower, there is an obligatory catapult to fend off potential intruders. I tried to add more to the catapult, creating custom missiles to be thrown or by adding to the structure itself, but it ended up being unnecessarily bulky and distracting, so as a result I just tiled the end of it, placed it on a turntable, with regular 1x1 round bricks as ammo. I did try to add more flair into the structure itself, and one would be able to catch a glimpse of an offset-ted pillar behind the main gate. It added more depth and complexity to the final product. Underneath the catapult is an armoury of sorts, with several shields arranged in a rotating rack, and up against the wall (which is not pictured here), are some axes too. The slope piece in the interior actually started out as a small armoury rack, but was discarded as it couldn't be integrated well into that space. The technic pin holes seen here would facilitate the connecting of the different modules. Underneath the other post is a cozy fireplace bar for the soldiers to rest and relax. Cups, goblets and barrels can be seen. However, this post also has an action feature... Surprise! The entire front wall can be detached with ease as the necromancer's army attacks. And that's it! This is my first Castle MOC, but I've always been inspired by Castle sets. From the 2008 Castle, to Kingdoms, to Nexo Knights (although thats more adventure than castle haha), Castle has been one of my favourite themes. Glad to be in this community to share my love for the theme, and I'm currently working on another MOC which can be connected to this "set", can't wait to share it! C&Cs are very much appreciated, thank you! Edited May 24, 2020 by Omega X Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
