Dragon Spire

Description

These were days ofgreat excitement at Dragon Spire, stronghold of the House of SilverWings, when Queen Thoraw received visits from King Nolmo and hisWhite Knights.

Dragon Spire stands on the rocks of an isolated mountain ridge. The fortress is accessible from the Watchtower. It features a drawbridge counterweight, portcullis, high crenellated walls, machicolations, and arrow slits.

After crossing it, you can access the castle dungeons or climb the ramp to the upper courtyard.

The dungeons are the beating heart of Dragon Spire.

An ancient tenant, Umbra the Scarlet Dragon, faithful companion of the queen since childhood, fuels the flames of the Forge of the blacksmith Bruno and the Furnace of young apprentice glassmaker Daan.

Continuing the path to the top of the ramp, you reach the upper courtyard, protected by crenellated walls and dominated by the imposing Main Tower.

After crossing the threshold, protected by a sturdy gateway, you come across the kitchens, the armory, and the inner courtyard.

Upstairs, a large hall hosts court banquets.

Further up in the Main Tower, you'll find the Queen's accomodations.

Finally, the Poliorcetic Chambers occupy the top floor of Dragon Spire. These are the rooms of Princess Ninìn, future of House of the Silver Wings and rascal granddaughter of King Nolmo.

Design Method

Dragon Spire's functional design optimizes its 4,000 pieces, guided by a logic that never fails to en gage builders and observers.

All the advanced techniques are solid, easily buildable and evenly distributed with the aim of making the model playable.

An example: the Dragon is built halfway through the model, “consuming” 205 pieces allocable to the structure. But that pieces are movable! Umbra (advanced technique) sparks curiosity as you build it and can also 'accompany' you through the construction process, adapting its shapes to your imagination.

This principle is embedded across the whole of Dragon Spire.🏰🐉

Updates

Dragon Spire has been fully revised, while keeping the core model presented at the previous BDP. Here are some of the key updates.

Structural Redesign: When transitioning from the closed to the open configuration, the Entrance Tower now splits in half. This led to a complete structural redesign of the tower and its internal mechanisms, such as the drawbridge counterweight. The open configuration is now more balanced in its overall volumes.
Themed Roofs: The castle roofs have been decorated according to the original vision for Dragon Spire. The colored 1x1 tiles simulate dragon scales, and the Great Tower features a stylized design of a flying dragon breathing fire toward the top.
The Ramp: The ramp leading to the upper courtyard has been redesigned to better highlight the "Jaws" of the stone dragon.
The Waterfall Terrace: A rotated terrace based on a 3-4-5 Pythagorean triple has been added above the waterfall.
The Courtyard: The inner courtyard has been redesigned to fit the new proportions.
Umbra the Dragon: Umbra has been improved and now features an articulated torso and new hind legs.
Aesthetic Details: Finally, Dragon Spire has been updated with various aesthetic details. Now it’s up to you to find them! 😉

Minifigures

Dragon Spire includes 14 Minifigures, 2 Dogs, 2 horses and a venerable Red Dragon.

Dimension

Open:

W: 62,9 cm - 24.8 in
D: 28,8 cm - 11.3in
H: 54,9 cm - 21.6in

Close:

W: 35,1cm - 13.8 in
D: 39,0 cm - 15.4in
H: 54,9 cm - 21.6in

I'm deeply grateful for the warm support and valuable advice you provided during BDP10; you motivate me to improve. I hope you enjoy this new version of Dragon Spire as much as I enjoyed designing it. 😊