Description

Perched atop a wooded mountain lies Gryphon Keep. Here, the Griffin Knights train to master these mythical beasts. The echoes of eagle cries echo through the red and white stone walls. Many seek an audience with the Griffin Lord, but some may have darker designs for their wards.

Design Method

This build started as a project to reimagine the classic raised baseplate. While the Eldorado Fortress is stellar, I felt the baseplate was simply too close to the original. I wanted a castle that stood on top of a mountain with a winding path leading up. Barad-Dur for the rest of us.

The basement, cave, and winding path help ward off the "only building rocks" feeling; and watching the build gain height is a treat.

I wanted to build a home for one of the new factions. As the base was shaping up, I settled on a griffin design that I was really happy with: reasonably articulate, small enough to ride, and surprisingly detailed. Once the Griffin Knights had been chosen, the rest of the build came together.

Given their "mastery" of griffins and similar logo, I wanted to build in line with one of the 90s dragon factions. Due to the similarity in layout between the LKC and the iconic Black Knight's Castle, I took inspiration from the Dragon Master's FIre Breathing Fortress while mixing in some inspiration from Neuschwanstein

Short Summary:

It's a castle. With Griffons.

Features:

Scriptorium
Throne Room
Normal castle: dungeon/kitchen/bunks
Griffin
Two working portcullis
9 Minifigures
Several Big Ugly Rock Pieces
No Harry Potter References (you'll need to provide those on your own)