Wurger49

[MOC] Imperial Watchtower, Built From Spare Pieces Of The Two 31120 Medieval Castle MOD

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The Imperial Watchtower is up to Version Four, on 28th June 2021.

51275567407_946168c201_c.jpgImperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr

51275567542_51b6c26c2e_c.jpgImperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr

After building my Grand Castle MOD by deconstructing the second Medieval Castle, I was left with the rocky green base from the gatehouse, a staircase and a bottom of a battlement, plus some wall sections and what seems like a lot of spare pieces at the time. Instead taking those apart and sorting them out, I thought why not build something instead.

From building four towers, and studying the instructions of B Model, I decided to use that experience and knowledge to build an Imperial watchtower, overlooking an waterway or the sea.

51254509322_0effbbe567_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

I used the 8x16 brick yellow plate as the base, the dark azure plates surround it to create the coast and two olive green half circle plates for grass lands. I know that each level will be six bricks. I have three 4x8 dark tan plates to build as the cliff top, a 2x4 dark tan plate will be the base of the staircase also connecting the 4x8 half round olive green plate to the 8x16 tan plate. Using this knowledge I can gauge how far to build the cliff base from the edge of the plate, ten studs long, I still don’t know if I have enough pieces, I used inverted slopes where possible, placing the flat face on the outside. The two reddish brown 1x5x4 arch pieces are sitting on a combination 1x4 light bluish gray arches and 1x4 2 studs plates, and 1x6 dark blue tiles completes the steps.

51254509802_e7a5dd2ffa_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

The tower is built like the original LEGO model, 6x6 studs side by side. I had six dark bluish grey panels left, they made up the walls with other bricks bordered by 1x1 round bricks. A black door frame was removed from the yellow wooden keep to make the entrance. I also have four 1x2x2 castle windows left as I removed them from my Grand Castle MOD, I needed black lattice diamond pane for the yellow keep. I was still short on dark bluish gray bricks so I needed to have more opening. I designed a bow window recess to free up a wall of dark bluish gray bricks, using reddish brown round corner windows and light bluish gray round corner macaronis, sitting on two inverted slopes, a dark blue slope and corner slopes for the roof. I really like the bow window recess as it provides a 180 degree view out to the sea. I managed to build up a two floor tower, again using inverted slopes to make up the numbers.

I used the beautiful gargoyle design from LEGO model B, two are facing out to the sea, acting not only as elongated water sprouts directing water into the sea, they protect the tower from evil spirits. I introduced a bit of colour using the SNOT yellow wattle and daub panels sitting on two inverted brackets, I put one blue and one white 1x1 tooth plate to act as coat of arms on the yellow door sign. This made the tower ground floor one stud taller than the six bricks height of others. I didn’t initially use the dark tan 6x6 plates as the tower is enclosed, but realised they are required to provide structural rigidity to the body of the tower.

51254509377_3af99975d7_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

51256285650_b902493a97_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

That was my first watchtower attempt after many rebuilds, moving the light and dark bluish gray pieces around so at least the opposite walls on each level has the same colour and brick patterns.

51255987899_015c4d42b2_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

The next day, my mate was asking me about the Grand Castle MOD that I posted here, are the walls of the yellow wattle and daub building facing the great tower blocked off with bricks, or was it open access? I said it was open access on the first floor, closed on the second floor; then it dawned on me I can remove the two panels on the second floor, and possibly build up a third level.

However, I still don’t have enough gray pieces. I know I have sacrificed the trebuchet design many times already, what is one more time… well, I had to take it apart completely this time. The counterweight provided the gray pieces, the frame provided five reddish brown tiles to swap out the dark blue ones on the staircase, two reddish brown 1x4 bricks were swapped into the roof of the keep for two dark bluish gray ones to go into the Imperial watchtower, four 1x1x5 solid studs and one 6x6 plate became the core of the roof. Two reddish brown arches went to the ground floor wooden columns to match the arches from first and second floor inside the yellow keep. Two 1x12 bricks are used on the cliff top to free up more grey bricks.

As the tower got higher, I had to increase the height of the corner buttresses to balance it; they went from two bricks high, to three, and finally four, 2x2 corner bricks are used as I do not have enough 2x2 bricks.  I moved the tower one stud inside the cliff, due to the round corner window piece broke up the line of light bluish gray edge, which is visually displeasing and break in weight transfer. Moving the whole tower in by one stud allows me to continue the edge from top down to bottom, with the brown window frame siting on the outside of the 1x1 round bricks, they are linked by two 1x2 round plates. One extra stud of space allowed me to create a nicer dark blue roof with a plate of yellow underneath. I had to take another black door frame from the yellow keep, on the second floor facing the tower, to support the back buttresses. I tend to hold the tower on the buttresses; as the bow window recess, built with 2x2 round corner bricks, is no longer in between the 2x2 bricks, the force of my finger grip would push in the buttresses and nearly collapsed the whole towel; the door frame solved this issue, a simple but very effective fix. The big 1x4x3 window with two pearl gold pane are used to provide the big opening on the third floor, I was literally on the last usable small gray pieces when it was built, the stepped pattern of dark and light bluish gray bricks is for looks and also due to the lack of bricks.

51255443568_950d02c4a1_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

51255924131_8069d0703b_c.jpgImperial Watchtower by R Y, on Flickr

I wanted a pavilion roof originally, but do not have any 3x3 corner pieces left, so made to do with a dark blue gable roof. I was also short of a 1x2 yellow brick for the gable ends, so had to take one from the keep roof, replaced it with a yellow technic holed brick, hidden away from view. Dark blue 3x2 slopes stacked on top of each other with a 2x4 brick inside for support completed the roof with one flag on each gable.

So here it is, after many rebuilds, my Imperial Watchtower made from the spare pieces of my Grand Castle MOD of 2 x 31120 Medieval Castle. Please share your thoughts on comments!

51256285390_831674ea79_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

51255443628_4304cd13b7_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

51255242911_ffaf8ce700_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

51255443718_d81a6b827e_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

51255443598_600cb64e78_c.jpgMOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

Edited by Wurger49

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Very nice for an extra build, I can imagine it as a lookout tower, or even lighthouse (with fire on top).

I really like the green slopes in this set for cliffs, which sets apart the natural terrain to the man-made tower walls.

Edited by TeriXeri

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Great build! I am trying to keep myself from buying that Castle set, I still have enough waiting for me at sea, but it looks like a great set!

The caste set introduces an interesting mix of colours and different greys for walls and rock, which once would have been just all Grey. You made a great use of those new colour schemes.

Edited by jan kusters

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2 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Very nice for an extra build, I can imagine it as a lookout tower, or even lighthouse (with fire on top).

I really like the green slopes in this set for cliffs, which sets apart the natural terrain to the man-made tower walls.

thank you, goes nicely with ships and bays!

That is the original LEGO design from the gatehouse, I built everything up from that corner. 

2 hours ago, jan kusters said:

Great build! I am trying to keep myself from buying that Castle set, I still have enough waiting for me at sea, but it looks like a great set!

The caste set introduces an interesting mix of colours and different greys for walls and rock, which once would have been just all Grey. You made a great use of those new colour schemes.

Thank you, it was great fun doing the different builds with the different colours!

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That’s amazing, i love the build, it’s the ultimate soldiers fort and would perfectly fit as an imperial building!

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On 6/19/2021 at 2:41 PM, eldiano said:

That’s amazing, i love the build, it’s the ultimate soldiers fort and would perfectly fit as an imperial building!

Thank you! yes, as an extension to a coastal defence fortress with heaps of cannons. 

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With time, I try to see if I can improve on my designs, as LEGO blocks do not need glue, a lot of building and dismantling before coming to a satisfying solution. I wanted to increase floor space of the ground floor by filling up the spaces between the buttress corners. I studied the instructions of the LEGO Model B, learning how its ground floor is enlarged.

My main concern is still whether I have enough dark bluish gray bricks for the expansion. Each six stud wide tower wall requires a space of twenty four 1x1 dark bluish gray blocks in the middle; by expanding to an eight stud wide wall, thirty six 1x1 blocks are required, I don’t have enough. I designed an opening with one 1x4 arch and two 1x1 round bricks, that frees up eight bricks of space. I moved one light bluish gray 2x2 brick from the first floor to the ground floor, as I wanted no more than three 1x1 round bricks on each corner of each floor, to create a coherent look. With two 2x2 bricks used as foundations for each corner, this saves another four blocks of space, so I am back down to twenty-four blocks of dark bluish gray bricks for each ground floor wall, success!

51273284306_2723e845b2_c.jpgImperial Watchtower Version 3 by R Y, on Flickr

The door frame is made with reddish brown bricks and arches, the gaps between the buttress are filled in with 1x2 slopes. I expanded the bow window recess by three 1x2 bricks in the middle, I can’t believe I didn’t do that from the start, as my first attempt left a big gap below the corner window frames. The base of the recess is raised by a stud as I pushed the recess out over the cliff edge by one stud, the connection is done by a dark tan 2x4 plate onto the ground floor. The black 1x4x3 window frame is moved down one block, to create a coherent line of light bluish gray blocks beneath the battlement.

51274011809_05f6bec8c7_c.jpgImperial Watchtower Version 3 by R Y, on Flickr

51272534027_57ee5dc49f_c.jpgImperial Watchtower Version 3 by R Y, on Flickr

51273284396_aa0229c2ca_c.jpgImperial Watchtower Version 3 by R Y, on Flickr

51272534097_f52d7663ef_c.jpgImperial Watchtower Version 3 by R Y, on Flickr

51274011909_95dfc0b942_c.jpgImperial Watchtower Version 3 by R Y, on Flickr

51274311190_6c765c69d2_c.jpgImperial Watchtower Version 3 by R Y, on Flickr

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I stare at my creations quite a lot, a bit of self-indulgence really. It comes with the problem of realising things are not in the right place and needs to be changed. When I did cliff base, using the original LEGO corner with dark and olive green slopes, the rest the of the base are made with dark and light bluish gray bricks and slopes arranged with no regard to the tower as it wasn’t built yet. Now I have created base of the tower buttresses using light bluish gray bricks, ones on the cliff base don’t match up for the weight transfer. I had to rearrange the bricks and slopes, so the light bluish gray slopes line up beneath the buttresses on three corners, and left the green slopes as they were. I opened up the base so you can see I used some inverted and slope pieces to fill in the gaps on the face of the cliff.

51277044944_db90b8051f_c.jpgImperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr

51275567407_946168c201_c.jpgImperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr

51276486213_d9afbb7bb2_c.jpgImperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr

51277045134_1f43e90863_c.jpgImperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr

51275567542_51b6c26c2e_c.jpgImperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr

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