The Legend of Grimwell Manor

Miles away from the desolate town of Grave Stone, somewhere north of the Shadow Mountains, there is a castle that stands alone in the desert. The castle is known as Grimwell Manor, belonging to a wealthy miner who most know as Tex. Many discount the story of how Tex used his wealth to build a grand castle in nowhere, while others have searched for the mysterious structure, rumored to even have electricity generated from a spring and water wheel within the maze-like tunnels below.

Grimwell Manor was built sometime during the gold rush in the fashion of a Spanish villa. Indians from the nearby valley constructed the opulent manor; brick by brick, as Tex decorated the interior with furnishings from England and Spain, sparing no expense.

As Tex's sanity was diminishing day by day, he continued to add rooms and passages to his castle, resulting in doors and hallways that led to nowhere. There is even an old tale of how Tex bricked up a few of his double-crossing friends within a secret room, and that their echoing yells can still be heard haunting the manor.

Years have past, and not many people still left in Grave Stone remember ol' Tex. Some say he retired to the chambers within Grimwell Manor where he died a lonely death, while others believe he continues to haunt Grave Stone. While no one has seen or heard from him in years, torches can sometimes be seen burning within the valley north of the Shadow Mountains, along with the glow of an eerie green apparition atop the large stuccoed tower of Grimwell Manor. :skull:

The MOC

Version 3

Version 2

Version 1

You've done it again I love your western SYSTEMized MOC's.

Its a little too much tan. I wonder if some snotted grey tiles would make it look better. I think it needs one more color to accent it...

Other than that, it looks great. I like the asymetricalness.

Steve

  Genaral armendariz said:

You've done it again I love your western SYSTEMized MOC's.

Thanks Gen. Armendariz. Sytemized - I guess you could just call me a classic builder.

  Athos said:

Its a little too much tan. I wonder if some snotted grey tiles would make it look better. I think it needs one more color to accent it...

I initially had some dark orange; but with tan, black, brown, and white, I thought it was a bit too many colors.

  Athos said:

I like the asymetricalness.

Thanks for the feedback. It's actually still a WIP. I'm going to work on the interior and maybe add a bit more to the exterior.

Initially, I had thought about building something along the line of Fort Legoredo in four sections. I can still add to this forming a circle/donut in the same manner.

INSPIRATION

I almost forgot to mention the inspiration behind this creation. For the past month as I was re-editing all the Grave Stone creations, I had been thinking about something a bit different to build. Last Year, I had visited Death Valley in southeastern California. In Death Valley is a structure actually called Scotty's Castle. I visited many years ago, and have been wanting to build it for some time. Unfortunately, even after two large Pick-A-Brick orders, I wasn't able to create a large tan castle as I had envisioned. The result is this smaller design taking some inspiration from the real thing.

The story behind the real Scotty's Castle is pretty amazing, and I'd encourage any Wild West history fan to read a little more about it. Here's a Wikepedia LINK.

In addition, I've always been fascinated by the old Eagles song, Hotel California (since the late 70s). I love the Spanish mission-style architecture which I can vision as I hear the song and think of the hotel.

Getting a bit more macabre, the inn from the movie Dusk 'Til Dawn Hangman's Daughter helps provide some of the haunting inspiration of Grimwell Manor.

Lastly, there is a house called the Winchester Mystery House that would help provide some of the back-story. Winchester's widow, Sarah Winchester believed that by continuing to build the house, she would not die and/or cause the Winchester curse to fall upon her. Doors and stairs within the actual mystery house lead to nowhere.

In any case, these are a few of the many inspiration behind the Grimwell Manor.

simply wonderful!!!

this is your best moc, IMHO

  medieval_total_lego said:

this is your best moc, IMHO

Thanks MTL. I'm glad you like it.

I love the MOC, I love the series, I love yo...no oops, forget that last part

I like what you've done with the roof and the ghost display is great!.

Anyway, great work, well done!

Great Job Brickster. You seem to be raising the bar with each sucsessive Gravestone MOC, and the historical basis for this one is really interesting. I would echo those who think it needs another accent color. Perhaps some grey could be mixed in to show wear and dirt on the walls. If not that, then tiling the edges of the battlements on the tower in the same brown that you used for the rest of the railings could give it the contrast it needs.

Other than that, it's really good. The varying levels and facades make for a very visually interesting building that definitely gives the impression that it could hide secrets.

Edited March 16, 200915 yr by Eilif

  TheBrickster said:

Last Year, I had visited Death Valley in southeastern California. In Death Valley is a structure actually called Scotty's Castle.

I thought it looked familiar...

Steve

A fine and pretty arcane looking manor indeed, a fascinating story and a very interesting genesis. Well done!

  Zorro said:

I like what you've done with the roof and the ghost display is great!.

Thanks Zorro. As opposes to a few WW figs, I thought the Ghost of Ol' Tex would be fitting. I had considered a few Indians with skeletons as guards, perhaps as a supplement.

  Eilif said:

You seem to be raising the bar with each sucsessive Gravestone MOC

I really appreciate you saying that, as it's sometimes difficult to create "something better" each time. Thanks you. I'm not sure if this is better than some of my other creations, but it is something different which I always try to offer in my Grave Stone collection. I enjoy building creations that have not been tried before and/or are unusual for the Wild West theme.

  Eilif said:

and the historical basis for this one is really interesting.

I thought so as well, and am fascinated with the historical aspects of the real structure.

  Eilif said:

I would echo those who think it needs another accent color. Perhaps some grey could be mixed in to show wear and dirt on the walls. If not that, then tiling the edges of the battlements on the tower in the same brown that you used for the rest of the railings could give it the contrast it needs.

Believe it or not, I thought it had too many colors, although I can understand the point you and others make. I like the idea of having a few sections of grey (or even red) to represent areas where the stucco have worn/peeled off.

  Eilif said:

The varying levels and facades make for a very visually interesting building that definitely gives the impression that it could hide secrets.

That's definately a common denominator I thrive for with my Grave Stone creations.

  Athos said:

I thought it looked familiar...

Have you been to Scotty's Castle Steve?

  Asuka said:

a fascinating story and a very interesting genesis. Well done!

Thanks Asuka. You always have something positive to say. I enjoy reading your comments. I like the story of this creation as well.

Thank you all for taking the time to comment.

This is really nice, TheBrickster! I like the haphazard structure and mix of styles - gothic, castle, Spanish. I wish we could see inside! I am glad to see you adding to your Grave Stone property portfolio!

Tan and black is a classic combination. I don't think the issue is with the tan walls; I think a tan building on a tan baseplate is just too much tan! Maybe if you plated the baseplate with dark tan (use some of those plates from the Indy sets!) there would be a little more contrast between the building and the ground. Just a thought.

The story and links you provided are also very interesting and add extra dimension to this great MOC!

  TheBrickster said:

Have you been to Scotty's Castle Steve?

No, but I've been wanting to go down to DV, so I've been looking at some websites and have seen several pictures.

Steve

Awesome stuff TheBrickter as usual, I love your Gravestone world. I also really love tan buildings, so this is brilliant to me. The little bits of different architecture are nice and subtle, and I do like that you've broken up the colour with brown and black. My favourite touches are the torches and windows on the second floor. how are they made? A sticker?

It actually evokes as creepy mood too, what with the neat concept of a maze, ever expanding manor. Reminds me of the Castle of a thousand mirrors. And the ghost! I really, really want one of them! Hopefully they make a return in sets.

Overall I love it. Is it finished yet? I reckon the tan needs ot be broken up a littlem ore, but overall another great and freaky entry into Gravestone.

You know what you should do next tohugh TheBrickster? A Gravestone building that isn't sinister, how creepy would that be?

Batbrick Away!

That's again an absolutely amazing MOC, TheBrickster!

I really it!

Its architecture is brilliant and looks very realistic! The most I like the big gate with the roof pieces on it, the Harry Potter windows on the second floor and the little tower with the lovely ghost in it!

Only one suggestion I'd made (which already was mentioned before): I'd add some few grey bricks in order to that the manor looks a bit "run-down" since how you created it now it looks like there are living a lot of people which "treat" their house very well (sorry for the bad expression but I don't know the right words ) - and that does imo not look that gloomy. And I'd add some more minifigs to it - e. g. some cowboys which are passing by the manor and which get very frightened. Otherwise it's perfect!

Very, very well done!

  Batbrick said:

And the ghost! I really, really want one of them! Hopefully they make a return in sets.

I totoally agree with you, Batbrick!

I really like that classic ghost, too, since it does look that . So I, too, am hoping that TLG will re-release this minifigure soon - but then not please with yellow hands (like in the "Classic" Caslte ) but with its nice original white hands! Some sets where this ghost would fit perfectly would be a big caslte in classic design and classic style and all species of ghost town sets!

Klaus-Dieter

  svelte_corps said:

I like the haphazard structure and mix of styles - gothic, castle, Spanish.

Interesting way of describing it. I didn't give the architecture much thought, aside from trying to blend in elements from the real thing in Lego. I suppose it does blend in a few different styles.

  svelte_corps said:

I wish we could see inside!

I'm not quite done and haven't worked on the interior at all. I'll share some pictures when/if I complete.

  svelte_corps said:

I am glad to see you adding to your Grave Stone property portfolio!

Now that I've re-edited the old creations, I feel an interest to add to the series once again. Thanks for the nice feedback.

  Athos said:

No, but I've been wanting to go down to DV, so I've been looking at some websites and have seen several pictures.

It's been many years since I visited the Castle. During my last visit to Death Valley, we were not able to make it. I understand that there is a tour of the undergound tunnels. I'd like to do this.

  Batbrick said:

I love your Gravestone world.

Thanks Batbrick. I'm glad you enjoy the series.

  Batbrick said:

My favourite touches are the torches and windows on the second floor. how are they made? A sticker?

I had considered changing the torches with something different and interesting. I may just do so and see what it looks like. The large 2nd floor windows are actually from the Shrieking Shack - some of my favorite pieces to work with for Grave Stone. I used them for the Shady Inn as well as the Abandoned Station. They are window stickers like those from the WW sets.

  Batbrick said:

It actually evokes as creepy mood too, what with the neat concept of a maze, ever expanding manor.

I liked that too, and may try modifying the back to show this - perhaps with even a tunnel.

  Batbrick said:

And the ghost! I really, really want one of them! Hopefully they make a return in sets.

The Ghost came from 10176 King's Castle, released in 2006 (supposedly based on the old 6090 Royal King's Castle). He's a great minifig and even glows in the dark.

  Batbrick said:

Overall I love it. Is it finished yet?

Not yet. Still need to work on the interior as well as a few modifications to the front.

  Batbrick said:

You know what you should do next tohugh TheBrickster? A Gravestone building that isn't sinister, how creepy would that be?

Now that's just scary!

  Klaus-Dieter said:

The most I like the big gate with the roof pieces on it,

From Fort Legoredo. I actually wanted some large tan arches, but the pieces are in Jabba's Palace burried in my garage. I had originally used a red roof later replacing the pieces with black which gives a much darker look.

  Klaus-Dieter said:

Only one suggestion I'd made (which already was mentioned before): I'd add some few grey bricks in order to that the manor looks a bit "run-down" since how you created it now it looks like there are living a lot of people which "treat" their house very well - and that does imo not look that gloomy.

Yes, part of the mystery of the old manor. It seems to restore itself without human hand. I almost wrote this into the story, but decided not to mention it.

  Klaus-Dieter said:

And I'd add some more minifigs to it - e. g. some cowboys which are passing by the manor and which get very frightened.

I've intentionally left out figs except for the ghost - part of the desolate nature of the manor. Having a few scared cowboys might add interest though - great idea KD!

Thank you all for the feedback. I'll add some more pictures with some interior shots as well - still a bit of a WIP.

Nice job Brickster! It's good to see you building more Gravestone. I agree that some mottling could look good, but that might in part be because of the photograph. While your editing is good, it can make it hard to fully appreciate the creation. I think a picture against a brighter background under natural light could improve the appearance of the building.

  Sir Dillon said:

I agree that some mottling could look good, but that might in part be because of the photograph. While your editing is good, it can make it hard to fully appreciate the creation. I think a picture against a brighter background under natural light could improve the appearance of the building.

Thanks SD.

I don't usually do this, but I've been experimenting with a few different backgrounds, with the same image:

Here's the same MOC with a day time background (an image of Death Valley). Unfortunately, the tan ground/mountain doesn't do too much for the same color base. I may try your suggestion and photograph it in the sunlight.

Sorry about the double post (we mods usually frown on this sort of thing ); however, I've been working on Grimwell Manor and wanted to share an image of the new revised castle. Still adding, but this particular image was taken in natural light (unfortunately in the shade). I'll continue to share additional images as I make major additions. the castle is getting quite large (although the picture is a bit deceiving).

Thanks for sharing these new pics, TheBrickster!

Indeed your Grimwell Manor seems to grow and grow and get bigger and bigger - great!

I really like to see that you took one pic of your Grimwell Manor at day and one pic at night since I think that at day ghost towns and abandoned buildings are surely not that spooky. It's only at night. But surely all the good guys avoid Grimwell Manor because nobody knows whether the ghost not even might come out at daylight and walk around - am I right?

Btw: I really would like to see some pics of the interior. Did you already add some interior to it?

Klaus-Dieter

Edited March 28, 200915 yr by Klaus-Dieter

Wow, this is really good. Good enough to make building instructions for it. Yeah... that'd be cool. Then you could make your own Grimwell Manor... I'm always asking that. :P Where did you et the green Ghost? Or did you just Photoshop it?

Captain McSkivvies

  Klaus-Dieter said:

Btw: I really would like to see some pics of the interior. Did you already add some interior to it?

I'm actually still working on the exterior, adding more details. I've about run out of tan, so I'm working on a few accent colors. I'll share more pictures of the complete MOC soon.

  Captain McSkivvies said:

Where did you et the green Ghost? Or did you just Photoshop it?

The Ghost is from 10176 King's Castle. He was actually included in a number of Classic Castle sets.

Although he does glow in the dark, I photo-enhanced the color to make it more green and brighter.

  TheBrickster said:

I'm actually still working on the exterior, adding more details. I've about run out of tan, so I'm working on a few accent colors. I'll share more pictures of the complete MOC soon.

The Ghost is from 10176 King's Castle. He was actually included in a number of Classic Castle sets.

Although he does glow in the dark, I photo-enhanced the color to make it more green and brighter.

Then tell me: How come I got that set and it didn't have a ghost in it?

Wait, mine was different.

Never mind.

Thats umm, amazing. You've got so much sand. Do you have all these connected making a massive display or something?

  keetong said:

Do you have all these connected making a massive display or something?

Thanks Keetong. I appreciate the feedback. The size of the baseplate is currently at 64x96 (or) 6 half-sized baseplates (16x32 each). There is a section toward the left that I can continue to expand. I plan to make another wall and gate on the left side (as you look at the castle).

I'll share some additional images, but here's another:

EDIT:

Here's a few more "behind the scenes" images to give you a better perspective. The central tower is the only component that is not connected. This was intentional as I'm still adding on the castle and may move it.