[MOC] Medieval World + Village from 10305

[Sebbl]

Just like many others, I would have preferred a full castle wave over a single monolithic 10305: Lion Knight's Castle. While there are other options avaiilable right now, but they contain very few castle-related minifigures.

This is why I decided to split each of the two castle sections from 10305 into a whole medieval world. Now, I finally completed that project!
You can build all 10 models at once from a single set 10305, using 94% of the pieces included and no spare parts.

Read on if you're interested :)

Part 1: from bags 14-26

Part 2: from bags 1-13

 

Review - Part 1

Here it is: my alternate build for the second half of 10305. Considering that this only uses roughly half of the bricks from the set, I think that it shows pretty well, just how much you get for your money with set 10305.

From left to right, you see a forest treehouse, a much smaller lion knight's castle, a tournament that is hosted by the queen, a fortress for the black falcons and Majistos magic hut.
Let's take a look at the details, starting with my favorite amonst the models:

Majisto's magic hut - Tensegrity included!

This model is based on the many tensegrity sculptures you find in the internet. A single leaf element is bearing most of the weight of the model while two chains are used to balance it.
You can see the wobble effect of it in my (german) video on youtube.
Stairs lead from the water level to the entrance of the hut, passing a frog and the sword excalibur that is stuck in a rock.
Using a ladder, Majisto can enter his home. If you happen to have a spare door, you can simply add it.

To get a better look, you can remove the roof that rests on top loosely yet secured in place. Inside, there is a bed and a fire place with a golden chalice. Furthermore, you find a table with some potions.
I also improved on Majisto's staff a bit: instead of the gem, it now features a more organic looking end. Perhaps, a similar design could have been used in the LotR Rivendell set for Gandalf's staff.
What I like most about this model is the "floating" immersion, created by the tensegrety concept. If you poke it gently, it starts to wobbles for a while which is very satisfying to watch.

Let's continue with the fortress of the black falcon knights.

 

Black Falcon's Fortress

The black falcon knights from set 10305 appear a bit lost without an own fortress. Luckily, the set includes more than sufficient parts to fix that.
Using the portcullis from the back gate, the entrance of their home is protected from enemies. To enter, you have to pass an additional wooden door, that can also be used to close Majisto's hut.

Next to the entrance, a stable provides just enough space for two horses.
The 2nd floor houses the portcullis mechanism while the 3rd floor has some simple furniture.
Furthermore, you get a small prison cell, currently occupied by a skeleton. However, if you take a closer look at the first picture, you'll find that there is a break-out function for the imprisoned to be rescued.
On the top of the tower, there is a catapult, used for launching projectiles at any attackers.

As you can see, the fortress can be also be closed.

It seems like the leader of the black falcons is currently not at home. Let's find out where he went.

 

The Queen's Tournament

The queen is hosting a tournament where her best knight is challenged by the leader of the black knights.
From her podium, she can watch the joust whilst enjoying a drink. Once there's a winner, she would ring the bell.
Her guard is at her side, playing the drums or the fanfare to get the attention of the crowd.
The weapon rack provides two swords so the two knights can also prove their skill in close combat.

The forest guardians did not show up, due to the lack of an archer contest.

 

Forest Treehouse

Deep in the dark forest, the forest guardians built a small treehouse next to a small stream.
The forest woman made a campfire to stay warm and to cook. For safety, a water bucket is always nearby.
Using a ladder, she can enter her modest home that features round windows and a round door.

Inside, there is a bed and a barrel with her sword, as well as a table. Her bow hangs on the wall.
Below the treehouse, you can find a beehive that provides the residents with honey.

But back to the civilized world of the knights!

 

Lion Knight's Castle

The last model is the castle of the lion knights that has lost a lot of its size.
Nevertheless, it still includes a working drawbridge and portcullis!
Similarities with the glorious set 6080 continue inside with stairs that lead to the batllements. Behind the stairs, you find the treasury. A ladder can be used to access the upper levels.

Furthermore, the prison cell in one of the towers may remind you of older days. Just like the black falcon's fortress, there is a break-out function.

If you don't like the open back of this castle, you can just hinge both side arms to the back to close it.

 

Modularity

The two castles are not very big. If you like the two factions to join forces, you can just combine them to a single one!

Now that's a castle that deserves the name!
I hope you enjoyed this journey through my castle world from 10305 that offers different locations to visit and to explore. While the official build is like the end of a story, this is merely the beginning. There are so many options for play included in these five models, so many stories to be told.

If you are interested in the instructions, you can find them on rebrickable.com.

 

Now, the only thing that's left is to work on the second half and rebuild the more civil part of the castle.

 

Review - Part 2

Here's a picture of part 2 that is finally complete and only uses the parts from the first half of the set!

I wanted to focus on the civil side of medieval life and therefore created a medieval village scene, complete with a windmill, a peasant's thatched roof cottage, a medieval Inn, a guardhouse and a merchant ship.
Let's have a look at each of the models, starting with the windmill.
 

Windmill

Windmills are underrepresented in sets in my opinion, especially in the castle series. There is only a single castle set with a windmill: the 7189 Mill Village Raid. Therefore, it was an obvious choice to include in this project.

I wanted to create half-timbered buildings of different color and this is the first of three: white and brown with blue roof tiles. The roof is made from almost all blue parts in the set.

Both sides of the building can hinge open to reveal the millstone that is driven when you turn the windmill.

Further more, there's a working table for the miller inside and a little bird nests on the roof.

Without farmers, such a mill is of course pointless...

The peasant's thatched roof cottage

The farmer and his son live close to the village in a plain cottage. To do transport, they have an oxcart that offers enough space to hold trees, a chest or some barrels.

Next to their cottage, they cultivate a small field where they grow grain and beetroot.

On the other side of the building, there's a block with an axe for chopping wood and a dry place to store it. A small stream is their source of drinking water.

If you open the building, the sides fit together perfectly at the back.

And you can easily access the interieur that offers a fire place with chimney, a table with dish and a straw bed.

Medieval Inn - "The Prancing Pan"

Let's take a look at the second half-timbered house: the medieval inn with its black and tan colored facade and its black roof.

You can recognize the "Prancing Pony" by the golden pan with the guild sign above the door.

Next to the covered entrance, a vine grows up the wall and a barrel is waiting to be brought inside and tapped. The yellow flag shows that a room is free.

The red-roofed well adds some color to the scene. When opened, it gives the impression that there are two buildings.

Inside, a staircase leads upstairs where a hatch can be opened to the guest room with comfortable bed. Below the staircase, another barrel is stored.

The other half of the building includes the kitchen with tiled floor. Vegetables are being cut there and a pot is on the fireplace.
Upstairs is the heated room with table and stools where guests are served the most delicious dishes.

The Forestmen's Merchant Ship

The village depends on supplies, which are delivered to the dock. This trading ship of the forest guardians is about to arrive. You can recognize it immediately by the coat of arms on the sail.

The bow is decorated with a figurehead that reminds the captain of his missing daughter.

And the steering wheel can be used to operate the rudder.

On deck there is enough space for many different goods.

Including a barrel with fine fruits, some honey and a crate. These goods have to be declared through customs.

Lion Knight's Guardhouse

The lion knights guard the harbor. From the high bell tower of their guardhouse, they can see approaching ships early on.
I'm especially happy with this half-timbering that mainly consists of the nano scale yellow castle from the original set!

Just like the other buildings, this one can be opened for play.

Here you see that the wooden door can be locked with a beam from inside. A well ensures an independent water supply and there is also a target practice.

On the upper level, the guards have a writing table with some very valuable equipment.

I also added the possibility to connect the guardhouse to the Lion Knight's castle from part 1.

But this isn't the only way to connect it to the models from part 1...

Since black and yellow half-timbering is associated with the Black Falcons, you can add it to their fortress too forming an angled building.

Please note that this isn't an exact fit and might stress the clips over time.

You can find the instructions for part 2 here.

The only thing that remains now is to share some pictures of the two parts combined, showing some of the countless stories that could take place here :)

I hope you enjoyed these smaller builds from the Lion Knight's Castle! Maybe it inspires you to wipe the dust off your castle and start building as well :)

Edited April 19, 2023 by Sebbl

[hoppa]

Dude, that is so awesome!

[greg3]

That is so cool! Definitely has the feel of the castle sets of the 80's and I love the wizard hut!

Nice work!

[GeoBrick]

Except for the pricing, the concept and execution are adorable. 

[Sebbl]

On 3/4/2023 at 10:56 PM, GeoBrick said:

Except for the pricing, the concept and execution are adorable. 

I calculated these example prices based on a formula: 5 per minifigure, 10 per horse, the rest divided equally by piececount. Once I add part 2 of this, it will sum up to the price of the castle + my fees for the instructions so might be interesting for those who want to share the set with others.

[Triceron]

Very awesome builds!  I may consider doing something like this with my second castle set. I'm a big fan of mini set builds like this, I think the variety is great!

 

Just noticed the tensegrity build for Majisto's hut.  +10pts!

Edited March 6, 2023 by Triceron

[Sebbl]

1 hour ago, Triceron said:

Just noticed the tensegrity build for Majisto's hut.  +10pts!

Thank you. I added a link to my video where you can see it in action :)

PS: I love the model in your profile picture! It combines so many awesome castle sets and still each is recognizable.

[TeriXeri]

Fantastic alternate split builds.

This shows how much can be done at the smaller scale closer to the "Classic" castles of old.

I love how the 2 castles can form a larger one again, and the treehouse and wizard hut are very original clever builds.

And this is just 1 half of the set, which makes it even more impressive.

[Follows Closely]

Looks great. Well done. I am on the opposite side of the argument here. I prefer a large castle every few years over a full line. Both would be great!

[Sebbl]

On 3/6/2023 at 2:59 PM, TeriXeri said:

Fantastic alternate split builds.

This shows how much can be done at the smaller scale closer to the "Classic" castles of old.

I love how the 2 castles can form a larger one again, and the treehouse and wizard hut are very original clever builds.

And this is just 1 half of the set, which makes it even more impressive.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

On 3/6/2023 at 3:55 PM, Follows Closely said:

Looks great. Well done. I am on the opposite side of the argument here. I prefer a large castle every few years over a full line. Both would be great!

Thanks. That's completely understandable. I also see a lot of benefits of having a single big set over a wave of smaller ones. The biggest downside beside the affordability is perhaps that a castle wave for 200 € total would have the same amount of minifigures as this 400 € castle.

[jan kusters]

I think this is fantastic! I have always been fond of the 3in1 sets, and this is turning the expensive one set into a 6in1, or even 7in1 (half the original is still standing, right?). I love how this is indeed a full world!

[Sebbl]

On 3/31/2023 at 1:42 AM, jan kusters said:

I think this is fantastic! I have always been fond of the 3in1 sets, and this is turning the expensive one set into a 6in1, or even 7in1 (half the original is still standing, right?). I love how this is indeed a full world!

Thank you so much. I appreciate your feedback!

I finally released part 2 on rebrickable. If you consider both parts, you even get 10 sets now from a single 10305!

Part two is a medieval village with different kinds of half-timbered houses. As soon as I find the time, I will add a review here.

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Sebbl

[jan kusters]

Once more fantastic! I have been thinking about getting the 10305 set ever since it arrived, but up untill now I decided not to get it because I think I could have more fun with something designed myself. Now your designs make me think again.

A big set, that costs a lot of money, but now there are 10 more builds to take into that thinking. I have my doubts I could do anything better on my own... I like to 'play' my Lego, and I think these versatile designs offer great possibilities! Time to break put on my thinking cap once more...

[RichardGoring]

These are amazing! Awesome work!

[Captain_SoyBeard]

Seeing this gives me so warm feelings. Why is that?

[jodawill]

I really like the tower with the yellow house. It's funny because I can't even recall any part of the castle that had yellow bricks.

On 4/4/2023 at 7:04 AM, Captain_SoyBeard said:

Seeing this gives me so warm feelings. Why is that?

Because this feels a lot more Lego-like than the actual set.

[Triceron]

These are pretty darn amazing!

 

Quick question, did you have to use any custom parts, or all of these using everything from 10305?  Also how many parts leftover.  I may consider doing this with my unopened box one day

[Sebbl]

On 4/1/2023 at 12:44 AM, jan kusters said:

Once more fantastic! I have been thinking about getting the 10305 set ever since it arrived, but up untill now I decided not to get it because I think I could have more fun with something designed myself. Now your designs make me think again.

A big set, that costs a lot of money, but now there are 10 more builds to take into that thinking. I have my doubts I could do anything better on my own... I like to 'play' my Lego, and I think these versatile designs offer great possibilities! Time to break put on my thinking cap once more...

Thank you!
I appreciate that you actually 'play' with sets after building them.

I hope that my 10 models inspire people to start to modify them. For example, you could easily integrate one of the half-timbered houses into a castle. It's much easier to start from smaller models than from a huge monolith.
If you don't want to apend 400€ on the castle, perhaps one of my next builds suits you well. I'm planning to rebuild a 60€ non-LEGO set soon.

On 4/4/2023 at 1:04 PM, Captain_SoyBeard said:

Seeing this gives me so warm feelings. Why is that?

Thank you for your feedback. I always try to create models that are harmonious. Perhaps, that's part of the answer.

19 hours ago, jodawill said:

I really like the tower with the yellow house. It's funny because I can't even recall any part of the castle that had yellow bricks.

The yellow half-timbered section is one of my favorite parts of my alternate models!
Most of the yellow bricks are from the tiny 375 castle and the rest are 1x2 tiles from the decoration inside the living room.

It was very challenging to achieve a wall that looks finished and I'm very happy with the result.

17 hours ago, Triceron said:

These are pretty darn amazing!

 

Quick question, did you have to use any custom parts, or all of these using everything from 10305?  Also how many parts leftover.  I may consider doing this with my unopened box one day

Thank you!

All the models shown use only parts of a single set 10305. No spare parts, no custom parts. According to rebrickable, 94% of the parts are used. Here's a picture of the remaining pieces:

[KraK]

The Majisto's magic hut is just awesome !

[Sebbl]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:14 PM, KraK said:

The Majisto's magic hut is just awesome !

Thank you :) I will release a similar floating hut MOC for the witch from Fright Knights soon.

I finally added a review of part 2.

[BJE_2358]

This is awesome. Love it!

Now I have a reason to get 10305... 

[Albrick]

Just... WOW! Mind-blowing! 

[MontyMatte]

Pure nostalgia. Amazing!