Many Shades Of Grey

When asked to describe the medieval times, as you do in any normal conversation, it is often difficult to focus on a single aspect of this important historical time period. I mean making the choice between discussing knights in shining armor and the bubonic plague is terribly difficult! Nonetheless, next time i find myself immersed in medieval history I might just want to refer to this castle by Aaron Newman, which depicts a mighty fortress while retaining the perfect color scheme for the hardships of this not-so-fun time to live in.

Filia's Bakery Is A Feast For The Eyes

Since those very early days when people figured out mixing crushed wheat with water and getting it hot made for a pretty good snack humans have been baking. And it wasn’t long after that the art was perfected and the baker was born. Fast forward to medieval times and we meet Filia, star baker of the nine kingdoms, built by roΙΙi, and making me crave some pastries.

Impressive Even When Tiny

Dwalin Forkbeard unveils a rather well designed microscale castle and accompanying landscape creation. What instantly caught my attention was the excellent execution of the castle's curved walls, and the main gateway. It's also really nice to see the inclusion of the different buildings that would house important figures, considering the small scale. 

A Powerful Medieval Vignette

The ~Maestro brings us this medieval vignette depicting feudalism in medieval Europe. For those unaware, feudalism combined customs in both military and legal matters hundreds of years ago between the 9th and 15th centuries. Hey, look at that! You looked at a cool LEGO creation, and learned a bit of history! That is one thing I appreciate about some LEGO creations that depict historical events: you learn more in a fun way! I think I'll wrap up this post, though, because those guys on the bottom are no doubt getting rather tired (not that the lord cares). 

Elegant Medieval Parts Use

Markus Rollbuhler is currently one of my favorite builders on Flickr. There are many builders today recognized for their excellent experimentation and re-imagination with the typical combination of LEGO parts. Markus comes up with new techniques, but he stands out to me because each presentation is so elegant. Take this brand new model, for example. How many incredible uses of elements can you pick out? Personally, I love the use of hockey sticks, and the green feathers to create that incredible tree (one of the most interesting I've ever seen!).  

Who Needs SpaceSHIPS When You Have Medieval Ships?

With the 5th annual SHIPtember already starting, many people are producing large spaceships at this time. Not James Pegrun, though! Instead, this builder is going a more classic route by building some old, medieval boats in the middle of a battle out at sea. James has done an excellent job at shaping the boats, while still keeping them smooth at the same time (so many brown tiles!). These boats are so excellently built, it will be a shame to see them crash into each other. . .

The Return of a Knight in Shining Armor

A very popular knight is returning home, to his wonderfully crafted village built by Guy Smiley. We love seeing beautiful and complete LEGO scenes here at BrickNerd, and this scene fits that category. This scene seems to show so much, yet little at the same time. It's very nicely designed and captured by the builder. It also showcases simple techniques to create realistic medieval structures and details. Nicely done!

Feather Dragons Are Fierce

How many of you have those dragon-shaped minifigure helmet plumes? Well, have you ever thought of using them as a tiny dragon attacking a castle or village? Neither have I! This tiny medieval layout that is only a mere 6x6 studs (plus SNOT border) is being attacked by two terrifying dragons. The design of this creation may be simple, but the plumes are such an excellent idea brought to us by Jsnyder002!

A Symbol On a Hill

Simon NH takes a break from showing us techniques, and instead reveals an entry for the Summer Joust medieval building challenge hosted over on Fickr. This medieval church is truly well done, incorporating an interesting choice of colors for the stonework. Though the church has a clean appearance, it still seems to appear as if it were standing on this hill for easily 100 years. You truly must zoom in to fully appreciate this building, so that you can find all sorts of hidden NPU examples, like the use of the standard row boats. Very well done, Simon! Looking forward to possibly some more medieval buildings from you soon.

Life On Wheels

Builder Brick Surgeon gives us a little peek at what it must have been like to be upwardly mobile in medieval times. It's sort of the distant equivalent of caravaners, or the RV crowd. Pack up all your possessions in a relatively tiny, wheeled space and hit the road, sort of a romantic concept huh?

Thanks for the head's up Vince

To The Gate!

These poor knights do not look like they'll be celebrating Christmas any time soon. . .  Builder Cab ~ has his hands full with a siege at his front gate.  There are many iconic weapons of war throughout history.  Some crafts were massive, some were simpler and smaller, but served an equal importance just the same.  This particular scene is a clean and lively build (well, except for the occasional arrow and dead soldier), while still portraying the urgency of the invading soldiers, and those defending their keep.  I'm seeing clean castle walls like this less and less lately, so this was a pleasant castle creation to witness.  Hopefully these soldiers can come to some sort of truce before the holiday. . .

Falcon Shield

When going into battle, it's important to let the other guys, enemy or ally, know who you are or represent. You can fly your coat of arms or family symbol on banners, drapes on your horse, even your armor or tunic. But the best effect is on your shield, like this MOC by ~Brick, so when you use it to stop your enemy's blow, he knows who stopped it, and with any luck, you'll land your next blow. 

Dudes on Duty

Another fascinating pair of character builds from creator Eero Okkonen.  What really interests me is all the pieces and techniques used for the armor construction.  My favorite part use is the actual LEGO chain used as chainmail, which is a great and realistic detail.  These two fellows speak for themselves.  Well done all around!

Sergeant Colon

Corporal Nobbs

Cobbley Cobblestone

Cobbley...that's a new adjective. 

But it describes this build perfectly!  Jonas has managed to capture such a beautiful scene in a limited space, with common pieces every builder has at home.  The street is what I am really fascinated by.  I've seen many cobblestone roads made out of LEGO before, but I've rarely seen the layered stone effect that he has done here.  By not showing any studs, the builder has created a smooth road that seems to make the surface of this build pop.  The other details, such as the sign and wagon, are also well executed with common elements.  All in all, I think that wagon has a smooth ride ahead!