Helm's Deep Custom Instructions at Brickstruct

klatu003

After building Kevin's wonderful Golden Hall of Edoras, I have been waiting for him to finish his promised Helm's Deep. The first book as been released on his web site. It will take a couple more books to make the whole thing. The first four sections are covered in Book 1, which calls for 4,718 parts! He anticipates that Book 2 will be ready late this year. The final Book will depend on getting time and funds to build. He builds and develops the instructions in tandem.

Ok - which one of us are going to build it first? @samiam391? @Renny? @alijoezac? @emilewski ?

Here is the link Helms Deep Book1

alijoezac

Thanks for the heads-up @klatu003. Certainly up to Kevin's usual high standards.

Diggydoes

Hmm, very tempting! Problem with those custom instructions is when you can´t see the parts-list before you buy and realize that you can never finish the set due to some rare/expensive pieces! I´ve built some sets with custom Instructions (Anio´s Slave I; Polo´s UCS Venator and the next will be Cavegods AT-AT) but usually i try to ask if there are any hard to get pieces built in!
Does it mean if you want to complete Helm´s Deep you have to buy/pay every new book?

samiam391

Kevin has done it again, it looks great.

Tempted from the get go, but I'll probably wait until he actually finishes the entire project before going all in. After failing miserably at minimizing my costs for the Golden Hall I'm really focused on doing a better job for my next project (which might be this Helm's deep). Therefore, I imagine that waiting until all 4 books and a master pats list are released would severely minimize costs (figuratively speaking considering this thing looks to be 15,000 pieces eventually and will cost a fortune).

Besides, I need to wait for @klatu003‌ to build it first and then revise the parts list ;o)

klatu003

^I assumed that each book would be a separate purchase, but didn't ask. Contact Kevin through his email on his web site, he is very responsive. He might send you the parts list to contemplate before purchase.

samiam391

@klatu003‌ - Would he have the whole parts list ready though for the entire 4 piece modular? From what you wrote, it sounds like he is still working on it?

I was beating around the bush a bit. What I meant to say was until he's done with all 4 parts of the modular and has a parts list for each one, I won't buy it. That way, I can order parts for all 4 modulars at once, rather than buying the pieces one modular at a time.

klatu003

@‌ samiam391

Here is what Kevin said about the overall build when I asked him some of the same questions. (I asked if it was ok to share here and he said - ok, no worries)

I plan to release three books, to build the entire thing. Maybe around 10 - 12 sections total. I think 10 are planned for sure.

Book 2 is pretty much done. It's already 257 pages long with just sections 5, 6 and 7 outlined….so may do one more section for this book….not sure yet. This book consists of Right section mountain entrance (with interior mountain details), Left wall and tower, down stairs to culvert wall, and the GIANT Hornburg. Release maybe sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas….possibly sooner depending on if I add section 8 to this Book.

Book 3 has not even been started yet…model wise, CAD wise or otherwise. This one is a ways out. Completion date for everything undetermined at this time. ( More money to develop more sections needed…so have to see what happens with Brickstruct sales to determine how quickly more gets built).

Renny

Count me in @klatu003‌ :) I was actually planning on building my own MOC of Helm's Deep. I had bought around 8 or so Helm Deep sets (w/o minis) on ebay and a whole mess of wall sections in preparation for it, not to mention a crap ton of figs. I guess I can scratch that idea now :) It's nice to see it looks like he is using a lot of those pieces found in that set. That should hopefully offset some of the cost for me.

I will likely go ahead and order the instructions and the associated pieces as they are released. @samiam391‌, brings up a great point about minimizing cost by combining all sections when it's final. It looks like he is leveraging a lot of pieces from the existing Lotr sets though. I would be concerned that as the Lotr sets retire, the price of these pieces will also start going up. It's for that reason I prefer the pick up the pieces as soon as I can. Just my 2 cents though.

Renny

By the way, do any of you know if it's "Legal" for me to take custom pdf instructions (that I have bought) and create a hard copy for myself through a service like Office Depot? Or is that crossing a reproduction type clause?

I ask because it's easier for me to build from an actual manual instead of using my tablet.

hantot

^ guess it depends where you, some reasonable countries allow "format shifting" for personal use to be perfectly legal, so your use case should be covered under that. Although I'm no law speaking type of guy.

klatu003

@Renny I too tried to MOC a bigger Helm's Deep more or less stacking two sets and adding several walls and building up the base - then cheated with a painted background. I think Kevin's will be more satisfiying, although I did put in a bigger feasting room and the lower level had a nice stables for the beloved horses of the Rohirrim.

samiam391

@klatu003‌ - I don't know what you're talking about, that looks pretty good to me. I think you did a really nice job.

Nelly

@klatu003 - I am very interested in the Golden Hall of Edoras that you have mentioned. Can you share the piece count and approximate cost to construct? Also, any chance anyone has taken some detailed photos of the completed project? I was trying to get a grasp of its size from the photos at Brickstruct.

Renny

I'm with @samiam391‌ , that looks pretty good to me too :)

klatu003

@samiam391 @Renny Thanks for the positive feedback, cleaver camera angles and lighting can cover a multitude of building flaws!

@Nelly - look at this thread bricksetforum.com/discussion/15386/questions-regarding-custom-lord-of-the-rings-temple-of-rohan-castle-realm-set I think it covers most of your questions and has links to finished pictures.

The overall size is really impressive. It covers a large base plate.

samiam391

@Nelly‌ - It's a 5,266 piece monster. I did a terrible job consolidating Bricklink orders, so I think the project cost me around $650, but I think it can be done for $550. The biggest cost you'll have is some reddish arches. I was able to save about $50 by substituting them with a smaller sized arch and placing 1x1s underneath. Not much of a difference in aesthetics either.

I attached a few, very poorly taken, pictures of mine. Kevin did a really great job at adding a lot of detail. Do note that the construction of the roof will probably be one of the most frustrating and difficult builds of your life.

JAWS

Ok, Helm's Deep instructions downloaded, thank you Kevin, 50% of the bricks already scavenged thanks to a cupboard of LOTR sets now off to Bricklink :)

samiam391

@JAWS‌ - Lucky you, I'm going to have to start completely from scratch on Bricklink. Good luck and be sure to post results!

Poochy

@Renny I too have 8 #9474 and more #9471 than I can count with the intention of MOC'ing a larger Helm's Deep. Given that I have never MOC'ed anything in my life, that plan has instantly gone down the toilet with the release of these instructions :). Once you've started on the project, please let us know how many more pieces do you have to BL outside of your 9474/9471 collections. Thanks!

Nelly

@klatu003, @samiam391 - Thank you.

I think I will be jumping into this very soon! My LOTR craving has been building for some time now, and now that it seems the LOTR line is dead, I will be counting more on these custom instructions to get some decent builds for my collection.

emilewski

I have all the pieces for Kevin's Hall of Edoras MOC, I just have to start building it. I have two Helm's Deeps with the intent to expand...I could instead go for this. Or, I am holding off for a Minus Tirith MOC as that is something that I don't have and really need!

KevBrickstruct

Hello All, being the guy that designed the Golden Hall, and the new Helm's Deep modular build, just thought I would drop in on the buzz. I don't have a lot of time to watch threads and enter a lot of posts, but thanks very much for the comments, and feedback. I try to read in-between designing when I can.
Designing anything in this scale ( both the Golden Hall and Helms Deep) is an enormous task to set out with. As you may have noticed , I tend to build a bit "large"... Replicating the model simultaneously in CAD ( which I do as I build the real Lego model) is a whole other hurdle altogether, but it keeps you in check with what "can" and " really shouldn't" be done while attaching things together. Some things may sort of work in real life…but the computer will quickly let you know…" you shouldn't really be doing that!"
Big Thanks to Klatu003 for posting and so much support!
Samiam391, I hear you loudly, and clearly on the Golden Hall Roof. Very hard to design, and build , not only with the REAL parts, but VIRTUAL bricks and plates too…Well, mostly plates and hinges. This was a huge issue, and took weeks to sort out. Overall, it came down to the look…and I wanted to get something as big and seamless as I could. And, I did not want to dump the little watch tower at the top. I would have loved to have added more tiles…but the piece count was insane enough already.
Helm's Deep is proving to be a challenge as well. I thought I would never finish the Hornburg…and it's the center point of the build for what will be , BOOK 2, once completed. Book 1 gets the ball rolling…and you're talking over 4,000 parts just on those first 4 sections alone!
Thanks guys for keeping the Lord of the Rings alive and building!

samiam391

@KevBrickstruct‌ - About time you joined! Welcome aboard!

As you can tell from the comments, your custom creations are highly thought of around here. Looking forward to seeing the rest of Helm's Deep as you progress with the build.

klatu003

@KevBrickstruct - Great to see you here. We grouse a little about the roof on the Golden Hall being tricky to build, but the result is glorious and a challenge is fun. Also, if we could could come close to designing as well as you do, we would be off MOCing our hearts out, instead of commenting on internet forums.

Now stop reading posts and finish Book 2 of Helm's Deep. ;-)

Diggydoes

Just bought instructions from @KevBrickstruct, the Instructions look pretty awesome!
I just have one question (not only for him but maybe anyone who´s more into BL), can i mass upload the piece list (txt. file) into my BL wanted list w/o having to type in everything manually? I just wanna check how many of the over 4k Bricks i already own ;)
Can´t wait to get it started!!!

klatu003

Here is a little tool to convert Brickstruct's part list into Brickstock and Bricklink XML formats. Patrick Brans, who is updating Brickstore as Brickstock, kindly provided a web page to convert from Brickstruct to other formats. His version did not convert the part ids to Bricklink standards. So, I decided to learn a little C# and added the part id conversion.(for those I've encountered, not a complete list by any means.)

http://klatusklutter.blogspot.com/

Here is how you use it;

1. Open Brickstruct's list with Notepad (image 2)and select and copy all (CTRL-A, CTRL-C)

2. On the Converter page Paste(CTRL-V) into the top text box. Make selections for
New, Notify etc. (image 1)

3. Click on the Button for Bricklink or Brickstock format (image 3 and 4)

4. Select and copy the xml data in the bottom text box.

5. Save on your computer as a .txt file for later upload to Bricklink or as .bsx file to open as Brickstock.

Hope this helps. No guarantees, YMMV and all those other disclaimers. Sometimes Brickstruct will list the same part with a valid Bricklink id and sometimes with LDD id. So after conversions you might have two entries for the same part id. Add them together for correct quantity needed.

alijoezac

^Could you help me after step 3? I briefly see the bottom box populated with the XML but then the screen asks me to log into my Google account. I do but then it says I don't have access to view this page. Thanks.

Diggydoes

alijoezac said:

^Could you help me after step 3? I briefly see the bottom box populated with the XML but then the screen asks me to log into my Google account. I do but then it says I don't have access to view this page. Thanks.

Same problem here :(

Sethro3

Very impressive. I don't think I could ever justify that kind of money on a MOC though. Too many sets out there I want. But this design is quite pleasing.

I can't wait to see more of it in the flesh. Edoras turned out quite well in the brick too. Kudos to all that has done it.

klatu003

@Diggydoes @alijoezac @nelly My sincere apologies. It doesn't work anymore. I have the same issue, but it was working perfectly yesterday (screen shots above). I think BLOGGER (Googles thingee) caught up with what I was doing and didn't like it. I will investigate a different place to host it. PM me with an email address and I can attach files in return.

klatu003

@Diggydoes @alijoezac @nelly
Once more into the BLOGGER. I set the converter up as a gadget. @samiam391 tested it and reported success!! (thanks) Grab it before it breaks again. LOL
http://klatusklutter.blogspot.com/

Nelly

@klatu003 - Bingo!

Diggydoes

klatu003 said:

@Diggydoes @alijoezac @nelly
Once more into the BLOGGER. I set the converter up as a gadget. @samiam391 tested it and reported success!! (thanks) Grab it before it breaks again. LOL
http://klatusklutter.blogspot.com/

Worked for me too! Unfortunately i can´t upload the txt into my BL wanted list, get a error message every time :(

klatu003

Diggydoes was getting an error using "ID of Wanted List". It is fixed now.

Diggydoes

klatu003 said:

Diggydoes was getting an error using "ID of Wanted List". It is fixed now.

It´s working now!!!! Thanks a lot @klatu003 !!!! Now let´s start digging for the pieces :)

CupIsHalfEmpty

I'm loving his helms deep so far. I built my own version to about the same scale but didn't do any interior I figured my total parts count was about 10,000. I couldn't imagine trying to make everything legal and do instructions at the same time. I applaud for your discipline.

The problem is my castle dwarfed my budget for Uruk Hai minifigures. I only amassed an army of about 40 Uruk Hai and they looked pretty sparse set up for battle. Need at least a couple hundred.

KevBrickstruct

Hi Guys, Background on this photo shows you some of what's to come….sections 5, 6 and 7 from Book 2!

samiam391

@KevBrickstruct‌ - Ever since I saw that first picture of the set I've wanted a color image of the background. Looks fantastic! Keep up the great work.

I am curious, what are the dimensions of the finished product from book 1?

Diggydoes

Ok, i guess i´m going to have a space problem soon ;)

KevBrickstruct

Hi SAMIAM391, sorry for the late response but I'm just seeing this question you had. The dimensions of the finished model, ( the first few sections of this build , Book 1) is L20" x W16" x H12". Obviously, as Book 2 sections get added, you're looking at an increase in all those numbers.

klatu003

Book 2 is here!

http://brickstruct.com/Brickstruct.com/Helms Deep book 2.html

Have any other Bricksetters completed Book 1?

Renny

Awesome!  I have all the parts for book one.  Do I get half credit?  :)

Sethro3

I haven't attempted to build any of it(no time or pieces or money) I'm still looking into my own take on it, but I like looking at your work for inspiration. Keep up the good work!

samiam391

I was able to convince Kevin to release it as opposed to adding an additional section to it... sometimes persistent nagging pays off ;)

Ordered the manual immediately. He really has done an excellent job again. I've been holding off on ordering any pieces to try and save money on shipping (and hope for an even larger bulk discount). However, with manual #2 out I'm definitely going to start making a few orders!

Excited!!!

Drone

I've only just discovered this thread. I've always wanted to build a Helm Deep MOC and I'm seriously thinking of doing this.

alijoezac

Very impressive. I'm going to have to start saving the pennies to do this!

KevBrickstruct

Hi guys, Yes, Book 2 is finally finished.  Here is an overhead shot I have not shown yet, which will actually show you some of section 8 which is under construction.  But, you can see how huge this model is becoming.

Brickaholic

I knew i should not of opened this thread  :*

samiam391

I just finished ordering all the pieces for books 1 and 2, about 10,000 in total spanning 477 lots. Will be building it over Christmas. 

Curious if anyone else has made any progress with book 1 or 2?

bluedragon

I have SLOWLY garhered about 4000 parts so still a way to go!

Drone

I'm slowly making my way through book 1 and I'm currently on section 4.