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... tonite at midnite. You won't be disappointed !!
The Eastern Invasion begins from the Land of the Rising Sun.
The Year is 1600...The Keicho Era...
The Place is Kyushu, Japan...
The Setting...Fuedal Japan
It is a legendary time ...Samurai warriors and Ninja assassins of
rival warlords (daimyos) are vying for control of this Island nation.
Kumamoto Castle has just been completed...The Lord of Kumamoto mobilizes
his soldiers in anticipation of the coming battle...He carefully tours
his new fortress surveying it's defenses and inspiring his soldiers with
ancestral stories of honor and glory...
The Sekigahara War was fought between the opposing forces of east and
west Japan and Kumamoto castle stands in a key area.
This will be a 3 part post.
The first wave which starts Sunday Apr 16 will feature the exterior
pics of Kumamoto Castle MOC & include the following features:
- historically accurate (as I can) of the double donjon castle
called Kumamoto which is a 5 tier donjon connected and
integrated to a 3 tier donjon
- many Japanese fortification features from stone-throwing windows,
barred/marksmen windows, observation areas, etc.
- large and imposing. It is 96 studs x 54 studs (30 inches x 17 inches)
and stands 18.5 inches tall and weighs about 21 pounds.
- building sets include the better part of five 6093 (FNFs), two
6089 (Stone Tower Bridges), three 3053 (Emperor Strongholds), eight
6033 (Ninja Treasure Transports), black and white bricks from two blue
tubs, 4 large green baseplate, 1 large gray baseplate, two red roof
bricks from dacta 9265, two service packs black roof bricks 5216,
and more black bricks from an ebay auction.
The second wave which starts next Sunday (April 23) will be the
interior shots of Kumamoto Castle MOC which includes:
- fully removable tiers and modular roof sections to show all
aspects of the interior.
- interior walkway access to all fortification elements
- details of the overlapping roof/gable designs
- details of the access between the different castle tiers
The third and last wave which ends the following Sunday (Apr 30)
will be the webpage which I am working on which will spotlight
the various elements and details on how I put them together to
form the castle fortifications. It will not be a brick by brick
instruction but will be detailed photos/discussion of elements that
make up a Japanese Castle - this is in hopes that others would
enjoy building their own Japanese castle and give some ideas in
that direction.
This is a collaborative effort between KK Quah and John Kanehl to
demonstrate the Building and story telling possibilities of the
Lego Ninja theme ...
John will be following up mid-week with his designs.
For those who have not seen my initial castle the link is:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=191
Note: Kumamoto castle MOC is about 3 times the base area and
4 times the volume of the initial version.
It was a pleasure building it.
KK
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In lugnet.castle, Kung-Khoon Quah writes:
> ... tonite at midnite. You won't be disappointed !!
<snip a whole lot>
Wow! Sounds great, I can't wait!!!
(too bad I'll be out of town for the next few days, I'll be dying to see it!)
-Shiri
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In lugnet.castle, Kung-Khoon Quah writes:
> ... tonite at midnite. You won't be disappointed !!
>
> The Eastern Invasion begins from the Land of the Rising Sun.
> The Year is 1600...The Keicho Era...
> The Place is Kyushu, Japan...
>
> The Setting...Fuedal Japan
> It is a legendary time ...Samurai warriors and Ninja assassins of
> rival warlords (daimyos) are vying for control of this Island nation.
>
> Kumamoto Castle has just been completed...The Lord of Kumamoto mobilizes
> his soldiers in anticipation of the coming battle...He carefully tours
> his new fortress surveying it's defenses and inspiring his soldiers with
> ancestral stories of honor and glory...
> The Sekigahara War was fought between the opposing forces of east and
> west Japan and Kumamoto castle stands in a key area.
>
> This will be a 3 part post.
>
> The first wave which starts Sunday Apr 16 will feature the exterior
> pics of Kumamoto Castle MOC & include the following features:
> - historically accurate (as I can) of the double donjon castle
> called Kumamoto which is a 5 tier donjon connected and
> integrated to a 3 tier donjon
> - many Japanese fortification features from stone-throwing windows,
> barred/marksmen windows, observation areas, etc.
> - large and imposing. It is 96 studs x 54 studs (30 inches x 17 inches)
> and stands 18.5 inches tall and weighs about 21 pounds.
> - building sets include the better part of five 6093 (FNFs), two
> 6089 (Stone Tower Bridges), three 3053 (Emperor Strongholds), eight
> 6033 (Ninja Treasure Transports), black and white bricks from two blue
> tubs, 4 large green baseplate, 1 large gray baseplate, two red roof
> bricks from dacta 9265, two service packs black roof bricks 5216,
> and more black bricks from an ebay auction.
>
> The second wave which starts next Sunday (April 23) will be the
> interior shots of Kumamoto Castle MOC which includes:
> - fully removable tiers and modular roof sections to show all
> aspects of the interior.
> - interior walkway access to all fortification elements
> - details of the overlapping roof/gable designs
> - details of the access between the different castle tiers
>
> The third and last wave which ends the following Sunday (Apr 30)
> will be the webpage which I am working on which will spotlight
> the various elements and details on how I put them together to
> form the castle fortifications. It will not be a brick by brick
> instruction but will be detailed photos/discussion of elements that
> make up a Japanese Castle - this is in hopes that others would
> enjoy building their own Japanese castle and give some ideas in
> that direction.
>
> This is a collaborative effort between KK Quah and John Kanehl to
> demonstrate the Building and story telling possibilities of the
> Lego Ninja theme ...
> John will be following up mid-week with his designs.
>
> For those who have not seen my initial castle the link is:
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=191
>
> Note: Kumamoto castle MOC is about 3 times the base area and
> 4 times the volume of the initial version.
>
> It was a pleasure building it.
> KK
~ yumm! i feel like the waiter just read me a list of great dishes at my
favourite restaurant! now, i'm looking forward to being served! i've enjoyed
what i've seen so far, kung khoon!
later ~ craig~
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I can't wait to see it. I'm working on my own Japanese castle, so I'm very
excited to see what you put together. I loved the last one.
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In lugnet.castle, KK Quah writes:
>
> The Eastern Invasion begins from the Land of the Rising Sun.
> ... tonite at midnite.
Thanks to all especially Shiri, Craig and Justin for the very
kind and enthusiastic reception. With this kind of response, a fella
can't help staying with the castle theme and building them all day.
Been taking photos all morning and afternoon now and I am getting to
the final posting set. Should be done in the next hour .. Wait! just
one more to highlight the corners .. and one more to ....
When I do post I would be interested in what elements of the castle
someone would like more details on. That way when I launch my website
I can tailor it a little to the audience. Thanks in advance !
KK
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In lugnet.castle, Kung-Khoon Quah writes:
> Here it is ... Next time I will not wait till midnite. Getting sleepy
> here ... The link for Kumamoto Castle MOC is ..
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=353
>
> Credit for the inspirational photos that helped me complete the project
> goes to Mr. Yasuyaki Oka who has a web site for castles listed here ..
>
> http://www.tooshi.naniwa.osaka.jp/siro/english.html
>
> Stay tuned for the next installment next week. (earlier time)
> Enjoy !! =)
> KK
Wow... It's all big... and huge... and cool! I'm sure the minifig that owns it
is very happy!
Alan
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In lugnet.castle, Kung-Khoon Quah writes:
> Here it is ... Next time I will not wait till midnite. Getting sleepy
> here ... The link for Kumamoto Castle MOC is ..
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=353
Excellent attention to detail, I especially like the roof design. I can't
wait to see the interiors...Very good photography as well... I really like
your combination of colors...
> Credit for the inspirational photos that helped me complete the project
> goes to Mr. Yasuyaki Oka who has a web site for castles listed here ..
>
> http://www.tooshi.naniwa.osaka.jp/siro/english.html
This is a great link with inspiring photos and great detail...
> Stay tuned for the next installment next week. (earlier time)
I am looking forward to it!
> Enjoy !! =)
> KK
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In lugnet.castle, Kung-Khoon Quah writes:
> Here it is ... Next time I will not wait till midnite. Getting sleepy
> here ... The link for Kumamoto Castle MOC is ..
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=353
Wow! Looks great!
I love all the little details, like the white bricks sticking out... and the
little balcony...
Excellent job, keep it up! I can't wait for the next installment!
As for things I'd like to see-- is there any interior? If so, I'd love to see
it.
-Shiri
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In lugnet.castle, Shiri Dori writes:
> As for things I'd like to see-- is there any interior? If so, I'd love to see
> it.
> -Shiri
Yes there most definitely an interior and it will be fully furnished with
usable rooms and walkways. Furthermore, the whole donjon can be broken
down into multiple distinct structural sound pieces.
But that will have to wait till next week when I post - part of the
reason is that not all the interior is completed.
KK
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In lugnet.castle, Kung-Khoon Quah writes:
> Here it is... The link for Kumamoto Castle MOC is ..
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=353
Great castle! Thanks for linking to the inspiration photos. You did an
excellent job of recreating the castle. Keep up the good work. I'm looking
forward to interior pics.
John Gramley
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Wow, what a piece of work! I'm not building on quite the scale you are, or the
authenticity, so I quite respect what you've been able to accomplish here.
I have a couple notes, both from my own experience buiding a small multistory
keep more or less in the style of Odawara, and from looking at your reference
photos.
The projecting stones using white "wood" bricks are an interesting
feature. What are their advantages over a smooth wall? (Ooooh, from
the actual pictures of Kumamoto I see that they appear to be low-level
roof supports.)
The vertically-barred windows are great, but if they were lowered a
bit (so they didn't contrast with the white) they'd present less of a
target for archers.
I really like the way you built the red roof over the entryway in
picture 6. As a small roof, it has a lot of class, and models the real
roof well.
The stone throwing windows are well done, that's a great piece for
them.
Oooh, great use of the "ladder" piece as horizontally-grilled
windows in pictures 12 and 15!
Heh. Considering that Sekigahara was Japan's largest Samurai-era
battle, with around 200,000 soldiers, I'm guessing each of the
footsoldiers represents tens of thousands of men. :)
I've more or less given up on trying to replicate the true curves on
some of the castles' lower stone walls. You've done a good job of
suggesting this curve though.
In picture 13, I had a similar problem with the corner of the two
BURPs: I used the same three 45-degree slope levels you did, but I put
a one-brick height between each of them, so it rises at just about the
same rate as the BURP.
All in all, this is an astounding building. I cannot _wait_ to see
the interior!
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In lugnet.castle, Jason Catena writes:
> Wow, what a piece of work! I'm not building on quite the scale you are, or the
> authenticity, so I quite respect what you've been able to accomplish here.
Thanks for this very detailed and analytical reply. I enjoyed reading it.
> The vertically-barred windows are great, but if they were lowered a
> bit (so they didn't contrast with the white) they'd present less of a
> target for archers.
> I really like the way you built the red roof over the entryway in
> picture 6. As a small roof, it has a lot of class, and models the real
> roof well.
> The stone throwing windows are well done, that's a great piece for
> them.
> Oooh, great use of the "ladder" piece as horizontally-grilled
> windows in pictures 12 and 15!
I will be putting some of these techniques on my webpage to be
launched in 2 weeks devoted to Building Japanese castles with Lego.
>
> Heh. Considering that Sekigahara was Japan's largest Samurai-era
> battle, with around 200,000 soldiers, I'm guessing each of the
> footsoldiers represents tens of thousands of men. :)
Oops !! I got tired of just seeing pictures of buildings only so I
threw that in at the last minute. And I don't have a standing army
of Japanese minifigs numbering in the hundreds like John Kanehl.
> I've more or less given up on trying to replicate the true curves on
> some of the castles' lower stone walls. You've done a good job of
> suggesting this curve though.
> In picture 13, I had a similar problem with the corner of the two
> BURPs: I used the same three 45-degree slope levels you did, but I put
> a one-brick height between each of them, so it rises at just about the
> same rate as the BURP.
I will have to try the method above. Actually should have thought of it
as I use alternate double convex slope 45 with regular bricks for two
of the corner joints.
Thanks for the comments and notes. The interiors will hopefully provide
more fodder for discussion - a preview is that the 5 donjon has many,
many layers to it.
KK
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