Post Your Castle Army Here!

Rjbricks · May 9, 2023

Very nice. I always had fun creating my evil army.

Trying to get my head round why army building is so popular. I do it myself and I don’t know why. Recently got a few extra Lion Knights torsos but can’t think of anything new to do with them so they’ve just gone into the spares box…

AmperZand · May 9, 2023

@Rjbricks, Thanks :~)

If by army building, you mean multiples of the same minifigure, I mostly don’t do it myself, but do like seeing the armies of others. There’s something impressive about lots of soldiers in the same livery. It’s true in real life, too; massed ranks of soldiers make an impression.

For older AFOLs like me, there’s another reason. I remember when minifigures were first released. There were only a few per set, so they were hard to get a hold of. Creating massed ranks was practically impossible for most LEGO enthusiasts. And if there were any collectors who had armies, you generally wouldn’t know about them as there was no internet back then through which to share pictures, and few conventions.

The reason that I go for variety in my LEGO ‘armies’ probably has something to do with my other major hobby: D&D. Unlike wargames, D&D emphasises individuality, distinct characters as heroes. As I came back to LEGO as an adult through D&D (D&D -> fantasy toys -> LEGO), I think of minifigures as their own heroes and villains.

Aquila4 · July 3, 2023

My (old) Crusader/Lion Knight army

Archers
These archers use longbows and crossbows.

Axe Guard
Militia from the densely wooded fiefdoms of the east.

The Black Guard
The northern regions of the kingdom are famed for the Black Guard, fierce and loyal guardsmen who form one of the most feared companies when the king calls his banners.

Mounted Knights
The cavalry of the Lion Knights is made up of heavily armed noblemen.

Dismounted Knights
Noblemen from various parts of the kingdom make up the bulk of the heavy infantry in the king's army.

Royal Guard
This is the royal household guard of the lion king. Loyal and well-armed soldiers.

All together

Currently remaking my Lion Knight army using the new minifigures from the new Lions castle.

Rjbricks · July 4, 2023

Nice!

love the different factions and world building behind it.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Rjbricks
Wrong name!

MAB · July 4, 2023

The old school Crusaders / Lion Knights look great. I sold my old ones off when prices went silly and bought new torsos. Rather than use the new printed legs that don't look so good when posed, I've gone with plain blue legs (keeping blue arms on the torsos), black (with black arms) and the same with white, reddish brown and DBG and LBG. The red torsos then look like tabards over other clothes. It is a good way to build up units within a faction in addition to different helmets and weapons. I was never really a fan of the different colours for hips and legs even though they are the classic design, so went for purely plain legs instead. I'd go for "with boots" prints if they become more common / cheap.

GeoBrick · July 4, 2023

Enough to defend a reasonable-sized fief.
Did you in some way paint the original markings on the archers and black guards, or stencil 16 red torso's with the blue/black shield markings?

lenzie · July 5, 2023

@Aquila4 - looking good! I like your use of some of the vintage torsos, heads, weapons and helmets to create variety in your army. : )

No Eyed Girl · July 6, 2023

Here's the humble beginning of my castle army:

Black Falcon army

From left to right there's a mounted knight, wizard, standard bearer and some men at arms, and a falconer.

And here are some elves to act as archers

Then there's the evil armies:

Some orcs and goblins, along with a troll

And a skeleton army with a necromancer

Edited July 6, 2023 by No Eyed Girl
Fixed a link

zoth33 · July 6, 2023

13 hours ago, No Eyed Girl said:

Here's the humble beginning of my castle army:

Black Falcon army

From left to right there's a mounted knight, wizard, standard bearer and some men at arms, and a falconer.

And here are some elves to act as archers

Then there's the evil armies:

Some orcs and goblins, along with a troll

And a skeleton army with a necromancer

That's a nice start. Is the necromancers head from Ninjago?

Rjbricks · July 6, 2023

17 hours ago, No Eyed Girl said:

Here's the humble beginning of my castle army:

Black Falcon army

From left to right there's a mounted knight, wizard, standard bearer and some men at arms, and a falconer.

And here are some elves to act as archers

Then there's the evil armies:

Some orcs and goblins, along with a troll

And a skeleton army with a necromancer

Nice. Like the way you’ve used the thestral. I’ve not been able to think of a way to get it to work with figs mounted on it.

No Eyed Girl · July 7, 2023

12 hours ago, zoth33 said:

That's a nice start. Is the necromancers head from Ninjago?

Thank you! And yeah, it's one of the frozen samurai guys from a few waves back.

9 hours ago, Rjbricks said:

Nice. Like the way you’ve used the thestral. I’ve not been able to think of a way to get it to work with figs mounted on it.

Thanks! I initially grabbed it as a last ditch attempt to beef up the army because I didn't have enough skelly legs, but it actually worked out really well.

Edited July 7, 2023 by No Eyed Girl
Grammar

lenzie · July 14, 2023

It took a while, but I finally crafted my phalanx of Pegasus Knights!

I used the 'Knight of the Yellow Castle' minifigure from Lego collectible series #23, and the Pegasus mounts from the Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire Beauxbatons’ Carriage: Arrival at Hogwarts set #75958.

4%20-%20Full%20Phalanx%20-%20Side%20Quar

Link to the YouTube video for this build is below, so you can see how they were made. And a few photos further down also.

Pegasus knights - dismounted. I added full sized legs, alternate heads and hair pieces to the base collectible minifigure to give this group character!

1%20-%20All%20Knights%20v2.png

The lead knight with Pegasus mount. I had to use some 'creative' means to mount the wings of the Pegasus to the saddle. You'll see what I mean if you watch the video. : )

2%20-%20Lead%20Knight%20v2.png

A view of the full phalanx from a rear quarter angle:

5%20-%20Full%20Phalanx%20-%20Rear%20v2.p

All photos can also be viewed here: https://bricksafe.com/pages/SimonLenz/pegasus-knights

Edited July 14, 2023 by lenzie

MAB · July 14, 2023

They are not really my thing, but they look great. The idea of the little bases is nice too as it gives them a setting, they look almost like pieces from a role playing game, or a giant chess set, or miniature display statuettes rather than just a load of minifigures without any context.

It is not immediately obvious what is special about the lead knight, maybe they need something to highlight them, such as a bigger weapon than the others, different armour, an armoured helmet or similar for their pegasus, etc.

lenzie · July 14, 2023

5 hours ago, MAB said:

They are not really my thing, but they look great. The idea of the little bases is nice too as it gives them a setting, they look almost like pieces from a role playing game, or a giant chess set, or miniature display statuettes rather than just a load of minifigures without any context.

It is not immediately obvious what is special about the lead knight, maybe they need something to highlight them, such as a bigger weapon than the others, different armour, an armoured helmet or similar for their pegasus, etc.

Thank you - the bases definitely set the models in some sort of context, I'm happy with them. Re the 'lead knight' not looking immediately obvious as the lead (aside from the larger base) ...fair feedback! I'll keep that in mind for the next squad I put together. : )

Aquila4 · July 15, 2023

On 7/4/2023 at 10:21 PM, GeoBrick said:

Enough to defend a reasonable-sized fief.
Did you in some way paint the original markings on the archers and black guards, or stencil 16 red torso's with the blue/black shield markings?

I actually got them in this condition. (second hand)

I dont think the previous owners painted them (although it is possible, but I think it is far too neat.). You can barely see the crossed axes on their torsos, although not in the pictures. I think the printing faded or something.

AmperZand · July 17, 2023

@lenzie Very cool! Your colour coordination is exceptional - really pops out :thumbup:

I have a couple of heroes riding pegasi: one from Greek mythology (Bellerophoron?) and one more generic fantasy. Perhaps I should post pics.

AmperZand · July 17, 2023

@lenzie's air battalion reminded me that not all armies are terrestrial. Some are aerial, like lenzie's, and some are aquatic like my mine below.

This is my army of the evil Sea Lord.

I go for variety over uniformity in most of my armies. While I appreciate seeing the uniformed massed ranks of other collectors' armies, that's generally not something I do in my own armies.

Apart from a couple of baseplates and a few handheld accessories/weapons that are third party pieces, everything is LEGO.

I have repurposed parts from various franchises: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Ninjago and Space Police among others. They should not be considered as having any story/lore connection to their source material.

The Sea Lord has a magical staff that allows him to control marine creatures. I realise that sharks, octopuses and so on are amoral in real life.

The spirit guardian of the portal is not under the Sea Lord's control. But as he is tied to the archway by eldritch rites and cannot leave, he is left alone by the creatures of the deep.