Posted December 31, 20222 yr

Majisto's Tower Reimagined

I reimagined Majisto’s Tower #1906 for the CCC’s Return of the GOAT contest. Dragon Masters has always been my favorite LEGO theme (and favorite castle faction). Initially, I planned to re-do Majisto’s Magical Workshop #6048, after building a micro version. But others have created their renditions of it and Majisto’s Tower seemed more fitting for a castle contest.

Original Majisto’s Tower; Set #1906

Released in 1994, Majisto’s Tower, set #1906, was sold only in (North?) America. I came with many terrific parts (190 pieces total) for the price ($20), including:

Printed wall panel and 8-wide arch pieces
Dragon Masters Flag & Shield
Spiral Staircase
Tower roof
Two BURPs
Several castle wall/corner panels
Horse
3 figs
Castle-printed box with play features

Castle on the Back and Side of the Original Box

That last one, the custom printed box, has some awesome castle designs, which I incorporated into my build. The color scheme of the paved ground came from this depiction while the foliage covered ground came from the green baseplate of the original set. Sadly, I do not have the box anymore (or cannot find it).

Comparison of the original set and my reimagined MOC

My recreation is approximately twice the size of the original in each dimension. The building portion is about 60% bigger; I expanded the ground and landscaping to fill up the rest. I kept the prominent features: the two towers and gateway as they were in the original and the rocks are in approximately the same place as the BURPs.

Comparison of the back side

I imagined this tower being built at the top of a hill with a cliff drop-off to the left and behind. For this reason, I built the rockwork along the whole back side without a proper wall, true to the original.

Spiral Stairs

A key element from the set is the spiral staircase up to Majisto’s tower. I built mine in the reverse direction as exiting the stairs off the model seemed strange. But to make it fit, I added a balcony off the back of the tower.

Workshop

I added some potions, candles and a bookshelf to the expanded tower. Like the official set, I kept this room open. This makes it both easy to see the magical equipment and keep the play features from the original set.

Bookshelf

Gold Dragons Above the Gate

As a kid, my eye was quickly drawn to the printed dragons over the entry arch and tower window. Rather than reuse the printed pieces, I brick-built them.

Gold Dragons around the Tower Window

Stable

Another change I made was to add some space for a stable under the tower for the horse - complete with a manger.

Chariot

And speaking of the horse, I scaled down the chariot while still keeping its flamboyant wings. The chariot design was inspired by GJC15344.

The Front Door

Besides the chariot, there are two other movable pieces in the original set: the front doors and the secret passage. While the front doors do open and close, they are a bit stiff and fragile.

Secret Exit on the Right Side

The secret exit of the set opened with a horizontal hinge. I used a vertical one (using a Mixel joint). This allowed me to blend in the hidden door fairly well.

Guard Tower’s Inner Door

Another change I made was to the front guard tower. I decided to enclose it. There are three non-functional doors: one at the base of the tower, one leading out to the parapet over the gate and a trap door to the top of the tower.

Parapet over the Gate

I had planned to build the tower with the corner wall panels, but I didn’t have enough pieces for a 1x4 panel technique and the large corner panel this achieved the look I wanted while staying true to the original set.