Marco Cancellieri Posted February 7, 2011 Hello, this is only my second post on eurobricks, but I'm reading this forum from some month. I'm afraid, my english isn't so good and this is a block for me. I hope that you can understand me! I'm an italian Afol and I go on my lug's event, in the last september I weènt to Lego Fan Weekend in Skaerbaek (with a medieval layout). I began to build mocs at the beginning of 2008, and my first idea was to build a very big Hogwarts Castle, including interior decoration and every rooms of the castle. I did some search on web, there are really a lot of Harry Potter's fans! I found a lot of pictures and information about plan and where was rooms. Unfortunately a lot of things changed between films and books, so there was impossible to have a good vision... I look at a lot of mocs and finally I decided to begin and do something like this: I began from great hall. It was a very interesting place and it was "easy", but at that time I hadn't much parts, and I had always to wait for new parcels. On set 4709 there was this place, so I did it bigger: Under I placed the kitchens. You can find this room only in the books, in the 4th or 5th book there is a party there with the ghosts! This room took me only 2 days of work, it was really simple! In september I did the building that was in front of the great hall. In some film this is a courtyard. I'm very happy of this part of my castle, the stair really satisfy me! It was difficult, I prefer two plates than a brick for each step and I hadn't a lot of stud to build. Every plates on height was a conquest! Finally, i had a look of the first part of my castle. After this I had a problem, the big tower. Build something round isn't so easy using lego, but i found something that was really that I need on flickr.com and I have to say "thank you" to lego-tohst for this: The round tower of Lego-Tohst on Flickr.com I hope that he writes on eurobricks! I begin to buy a lot of bricks to build tower and the square building near it, that has a lot of rooms. Unfortunately I had just some month, because I want to take my castle in my lug's event in Ballabio 2009, it was my first event. I did an error, but it wasn't an error for me: I choose to build better the interior decoration, but no one can view it, just some other Afol! The "big square building" was all full of minifigs, rooms, courtyard, but after a lot of time I haven't any pics yet. The tower was really big, with a spiral stairs... look at the windows that follow the stairs. I decided to build two floor to connect stairs at the other buildings, so the tower is not regular, but looks like round. Unfortunately flows down coming back home... The tower's roof is big but has under too plates to build a room under it, Dubledore will be stay is some other place... You can view all in this picture: I have not a real lego-room in my city's home (I live in the city center of Rome, and it's difficult to have a lot of space). Now I have my Hogwarts in my holidays house, where I stay just 20 days in a year. My plan is still, but often I think to complete it better, and do some changes to something that doesn't looks good, adding all baseplates (baseplates, bricks and plates as base, other Hogwarts' building, lake with trans-blue tile, quidditch field, Hogsmeade, ballast on rails... For now they are only dreams! The last year I built a medieval city, and now I'm triyng to build something for our itlug city layout. Here i have all my galleries: My gallery on brickshelf I'm very happy for Winter Break contest, I'll not build anything for it because I have a file already full of ideas to build for events... but I'm really happy to see a lot of very nice mocs on my favourite theme! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Syn Posted February 7, 2011 ohh wow! that's fantastic! and don't worry your English is just fine. Even if you say you don't have a lot of bricks to work with you make what you have work with so much detail its astonishing! A+ job my friend! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vindice Posted February 7, 2011 I love how you've done this. The kitchen is great. It's a massive project as most of us who've attempted it (or are attempting it) can attest to. Great hall is superb and I love the grand staricase tower. Could you post some interior shots of this? I considered following lego-Tohst's great design too but I found it didn't really suit having a playable interior. How have you changed this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrLestrange Posted February 7, 2011 Wow! Thats amazing! My Hogwarts castle is nothing than yours! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artifex Posted February 7, 2011 A-MA-ZING! Way to go, man! Keep up the good work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pompommini Posted February 7, 2011 WOW This is wonderful! Your lucky to have all those Dobby's Pompommini out Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wout Posted February 7, 2011 What a lovely great hall and kitchens you have made. Well done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ceroknight Posted February 7, 2011 Beautiful, That inspired me to get more harry potter sets Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badboytje88 Posted February 7, 2011 This is beautiful, keep up the good work and keep us posted! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrLestrange Posted February 8, 2011 Pompommini out You're always out! ^^ But for now, you're right to be out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tabris Posted February 8, 2011 Welcome Marco. That is an amazong MOC. Keep it up Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tohst Posted February 8, 2011 Well, That's awesome. I'm very glad you found my tower and it helped you with your Hogwarts. It looks like you started with mine as a jumping off point and really made it your own. I especially like the curved rock base at the bottom. I'm very impressed with your Hogwart's overall. It has a lot of busy details which really make it look good. The stained glass window in the room attached to the great hall looks very good. And the whole thing opens! And you did all that in a month. It took me that longer than that for me to get the tower roof to the point I didn't hate it. Now, you have inspired me to go back and do some updates on my castle! And to Vindice, yes, the round looks limits playability to a point. I have stairs going up the inside of mine and a room at top. The angles don't work out perfectly to put a round floor in, but it can be done. Whether it is actually worth it to do just to use this technique, thats a different question. :) -Tohst Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vindice Posted February 8, 2011 Wow, Tohst I didn't know you were on Eurobricks. I first saw your tower on MOCpages I think and i couldn't believe how amazing it was. I am currently doing a tower myself which is nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as either of yours. My castle is built with playability for my son in mind and also it's very open to allow for stop motion filming. I'd love to be able to adapt this design for that purpose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XimenaPaulina Posted February 9, 2011 Mightily impressive creation Marco! The sheer size and highly-detailed nature of this Hogwarts Castle is simply stunningly beautiful. It's also nice to see that not only is this a wonderful display model but also a playable one with the opening functionality of the interiors. Outstanding work and thanks for sharing this with us! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marco Cancellieri Posted February 10, 2011 Thanks for so much positive comments! I'd like to reply to everyone. The plan now is still because I haven't enough space to build the castle as it is in my mind. I'll need a room to place it. But now I have a lot of parts to build, and probably so much HP minifigs, so I'm selling someone of them on bricklink! Now some replies. I love how you've done this. The kitchen is great. It's a massive project as most of us who've attempted it (or are attempting it) can attest to. Great hall is superb and I love the grand staricase tower. Could you post some interior shots of this? I considered following lego-Tohst's great design too but I found it didn't really suit having a playable interior. How have you changed this? I also like the kitchen, maybe isn't the best room but it is a totally new room! I haven't other pics of the tower, because it fell down coming back from that exhibition. At the beginning I was thinking to build another tower in the same time behind the big building... and now I have in a box the floor of it (I keep all my mocs built). In the next days I'll do it some pics and I'll post them in this topic. Unfortunately is really difficult to split a round building built with bricks and round bricks: you can place tiles over the bricks, but you need also tile round 1x1 that doesn't exist, because you cannot place an 1x1 tile! So the interior is all running, there are passage everywhere, but unfortunately you cannot open the tower, only the roof. If I'll not have a better idea, I'll built the tower again, leaving some plate missing to split it and see the interior. Another bad thing is that if you want try to insert windows or doors (like I did), you lost the round shape and it only seems round. Maybe you can see that bricks 1x3 and round brick aren't regular. Maybe build it with 1x4 brick can correct a big number of problems (surely for the windows), but the tower will be really too big... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marco Cancellieri Posted February 10, 2011 Well, That's awesome. I'm very glad you found my tower and it helped you with your Hogwarts. It looks like you started with mine as a jumping off point and really made it your own. I especially like the curved rock base at the bottom. I'm very impressed with your Hogwart's overall. It has a lot of busy details which really make it look good. The stained glass window in the room attached to the great hall looks very good. And the whole thing opens! And you did all that in a month. It took me that longer than that for me to get the tower roof to the point I didn't hate it. Now, you have inspired me to go back and do some updates on my castle! And to Vindice, yes, the round looks limits playability to a point. I have stairs going up the inside of mine and a room at top. The angles don't work out perfectly to put a round floor in, but it can be done. Whether it is actually worth it to do just to use this technique, thats a different question. :) -Tohst Hi Tohst, I'm happy to find you here! Thank you for your comment. Build the tower was really very instructive about round forms, but the problem is that you cannot do everything you want. I had a lot of problems on the top, where there is a flooding. And also on the roof, 3 days of works to complete it and because someone bought the most of 33° slopes in sand green before me ... The rock base is really easy, it is outside the tower and they are together using hinges. Simple, but good shape. Another idea is to change all dark gray roof in sand green slopes, but I don't know if I'll try. I really hope to see some news on your Hogwarts! This building also is really interesting, and near at the films Hogwarts Every 2-3 month I search for new Hogwarts' on brickshelf or on flickr, looking for big models. There are many good mocs on little parts of the castle (that I look attentively) and just few big mocs about Hogwarts like the mine or the yours, that are similar to films. These other two are excellent: Hogwarts - but interior design is really simple Hogwarts - I saw it here only after post my topic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vindice Posted February 11, 2011 Hi Marco, Out of interest where did you get all your sand-green bricks? I've been having a lot of trouble finding them. Thank you for the links I hadn't seen the pictures from brickshelf before, that is a very nice castle! I actually prefer yours, I know everyone has their own tastes but i like sets that have a good amount of interior detail. Having said that i have an enormous amount of respect for anyone who takes on a project of this size! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marco Cancellieri Posted February 11, 2011 Hi Marco, Out of interest where did you get all your sand-green bricks? I've been having a lot of trouble finding them. Thank you for the links I hadn't seen the pictures from brickshelf before, that is a very nice castle! I actually prefer yours, I know everyone has their own tastes but i like sets that have a good amount of interior detail. Having said that i have an enormous amount of respect for anyone who takes on a project of this size! Thank you! I had some slope 33° in sand green parting out many HP sets, but I also bought other 500 Sand Green Slope 33° 3 x 1 on bricklink, there was a shop in Europe where I found them and they was very cheap (5 cent Each). Normally I look for parts in European Union, parcels arrives faster and there aren't fees to pay at the customs office. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
j30spiff Posted February 11, 2011 Very good job with your Moc. Seeing all the awesome creations on Eurobricks has been exciting. Your Moc is my 8yr-old daughter's favorite. Thanks for sharing your work and we look forward to seeing some more pictures in the future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
