IvanStorm Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) After over 15 years of not touching the bricks I suddenly found myself yearning for a LEGO experience. So I went on a shopping spree, buying most of the existing Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit sets. Very soon I was browsing the internet for building techniques and marveling at the amazing MOCs people were building. I decided to give it a go myself, and 6 weeks later here's my first creation. Flickr gallery (12 photos) It's an expanded version of Helm's Deep, based on the official set and Eurolock's version. A few key decisions separate it from these sets. - I didn't really like the sand green bricks, so I got rid of them and kept to the grayscale palette. - I wanted the ramp to have a gradual incline and a gentle curve, without any stairs. - While most Helm's Deep MOCs display the moment before the battle (or battle in progress), my favorite moment was always Theoden's desperate charge and Gandalf and Eomer's arrival. So I tried to replicate that. - The wall is not anywhere as long as I'd like it to be, but the size limit was set by my shelf space. Theoden leads the charge. Gimli's not supposed to be here, but I didn't want to leave him stranded in the tower after blowing the horn. He's demonstrating to the elf that he doesn't need to be tossed and can make the jump just fine. One of the trilogy's most powerful moments. I did my best to do it justice, but the scale is just not the same. This orc has had enough! He's going back to his family in Lithlad. Unfortunately, some huorns are on the way, he'll never make it... Two Mordor orc engineers with their wicked ballista. I had to radically scale down the ballista included with the Uruk-hai Army set, as it stood almost as tall as the walls. Haldir and the Lothlorien elves are making their last stand. This event occured much earlier in the movie, but I really wanted to include it. And there seems to be only one Uruk-hai attacking them, so Haldir will probably live. Phew... The keep. The door on the right leads to the Glittering Caves (not included in this product), the door on the left to the Hornburg tower. The stairs up are hugging the round wall and were a pain to design, but I'm rather happy with the result. There are a few more pictures on Flickr Edited March 24, 2014 by IvanStorm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kinggregus Posted March 24, 2014 This is a great MOC, and what a first MOC! Your Helm's Deep is really fantastic. The rock work you did is really adding to the structure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFOLguy1970 Posted March 24, 2014 Well done! You have really captured the scene well. This is really your first MOC? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IvanStorm Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) Well done! You have really captured the scene well. This is really your first MOC? Thanks! As I mentioned, last time I touched LEGO was 15 years ago - the only notable 'MOC' I can remember from that period was a big truck (I was into Town) :) Edited March 24, 2014 by IvanStorm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jodawill Posted March 24, 2014 Very awesome! In terms of magnitude, it would be tough to beat this one. But I think yours has nicer details. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eurolock Posted March 24, 2014 Its a fantastic diorama. I'm frequently tempted to remove the sand green from my version too. Just can't face the amount of work it would require.... Did you try making the rock above the keep a bit less flat? Might look better than the the flat horizontal line that you have at the moment. Oh, and I think Helm Hammerhand deserves a bigger statue! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLegoDr Posted March 24, 2014 Very nicely done! I've been wanting to do some LOTR scenes justice and I think this fits well. I never put together the official set yet, but I may have to now having seen this. I like the rock work overall. The only change I would do for my own MOC would be to make it higher, which I may do in the future. I like that you tried capturing multiple scenes within one scene. Very clever. I like the arrival of Gandalf. Very well done with the incline. I will bookmark this and check back for inspiration if I ever get around to building one for myself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deskp Posted March 24, 2014 Fantastic, love this scale! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce n h Posted March 25, 2014 Hey Ivan, This is a really great MOC. I blogged it on TolkienBricks. I really like how you stayed true to the design aesthetic of the official set, but greatly expanded and improved it. Great rockwork, and also the place where the hole is blown in the wall is really effective. If you want some constructive criticism, my only real critique is the plate turned at a slope over on the left where Gandalf and Erkenbrand are coming down the hill -- you did so much effective working building detailed slopes in other parts of the canyon, just taking a plate and angling it down seems a bit of a throwaway. Awesome photography on the figs-eye-view shots of Gandalf charging down and also the one of the orcs with their ballista looking up at the walls. Bruce Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sigolf Brimabane Posted March 25, 2014 What an entry! This is great for a first MOC, and it really captures the feeling of the scene from the movie and at the same time retains the overall feeling of the Lego set. :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Cube Posted March 25, 2014 Great expansion of the official set! Very nice MOC. I like the water and all the movie scenes/vignettes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IvanStorm Posted March 25, 2014 Its a fantastic diorama. I'm frequently tempted to remove the sand green from my version too. Just can't face the amount of work it would require.... Did you try making the rock above the keep a bit less flat? Might look better than the the flat horizontal line that you have at the moment. Oh, and I think Helm Hammerhand deserves a bigger statue! Hey, thanks for your comments. Your Helm's Deep was the biggest inspiration for me - it has so many things I wish I was able to add, like the stairs up the mountain, the Glittering Caves, the inside of the keep, a more accurate layout - and yes, a much better Helm Hammerhand statue :) However, I intentionally set myself strict size parameters, to be able to fit it on a shelf - otherwise, I'd have nowhere to keep it and would have to take it apart. That was the reason why the walls couldn't be higher/longer and I only had 2-3 studs worth of space for the rocks on top of the keep (it does look a bit flat, I know). Still, I think the restriction kept me focused and helped preserve the 'LEGO feel' of the diorama. Hey Ivan, This is a really great MOC. I blogged it on TolkienBricks. I really like how you stayed true to the design aesthetic of the official set, but greatly expanded and improved it. Great rockwork, and also the place where the hole is blown in the wall is really effective. If you want some constructive criticism, my only real critique is the plate turned at a slope over on the left where Gandalf and Erkenbrand are coming down the hill -- you did so much effective working building detailed slopes in other parts of the canyon, just taking a plate and angling it down seems a bit of a throwaway. Awesome photography on the figs-eye-view shots of Gandalf charging down and also the one of the orcs with their ballista looking up at the walls. Bruce Thanks! I browsed your blog a lot for LEGO Tolkien inspiration. The sloped plate, while not perfect, was the best solution I found - using the 'stairs' technique or something similar to the rocks proved to be far inferior. After all, in the movie that all it is, just a relatively smooth slope. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gunman Posted March 25, 2014 Hey thats a great moc for being your 1st one after years... Nice job there Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBear Posted March 25, 2014 Very cool, I bet it looks amazing on the shelf. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IvanStorm Posted March 25, 2014 Very cool, I bet it looks amazing on the shelf. It does! I'm really disappointed at how small it looks on the full-view picture - only the close-ups do it justice really. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
large88 Posted March 25, 2014 Looks great indeed Really like how you angled the tower. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mutant Orc Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) This is my favorite MOC of Helms Deep. I've seen some others, mainly huge and all that, but this has to be my favorite. I like the fact that it includes all at a sensible scale, and that means I'd love to try copying this!! I think it's great the way it's been done. Congratulations on the model! Edited March 25, 2014 by Mutant Orc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IvanStorm Posted March 25, 2014 This is my favorite MOC of Helms Deep. I've seen some others, mainly huge and all that, but this has to be my favorite. I like the fact that it includes all at a sensible scale, and that means I'd love to try copying this!! I think it's great the way it's been done. Congratulations on the model! Thanks! Copying would be the highest form of flattery for me. Let me know if you have any questions :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krono111 Posted March 25, 2014 What a first MOC! It's amazing. Nothing occurs to me what you could improve. (Hope you understand that sentence, I'm still not a native speaker . ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IvanStorm Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) What a first MOC! It's amazing. Nothing occurs to me what you could improve. (Hope you understand that sentence, I'm still not a native speaker . ) Thanks! I understand you just fine. I'm not a native speaker myself, I guess that makes it easier I have quite a few things in mind that can be improved, but at some point you have to let go of your creation and move on to the next one (which is what I'm planning to do!) Edited March 25, 2014 by IvanStorm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Missing Brick Posted March 27, 2014 That's a really nice MOC / MOD. It's great that you've captured those 4 key moments from the movie. Also the eye-level photos are superb. Good job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlmdoval Posted March 27, 2014 I really like the scale! Congrats man! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qiadris Posted March 27, 2014 The MOC is great, specially after so many years, but the photography is even better! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bytor Posted March 29, 2014 Great work man. I did the same thing around this time last year too hahah. I really like that you added the dark tan as the ground in the model! Kudos Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
