The original author of this article is AiDaN , the designer of MOC-74625 Married with Children

MOC - 62288 The Medusselde Palace by Legomocloc

Parts: 7868

Weight: 8.9 kg
Dimensions: 49.6 x 75 x 33.8cm (wxdxh)
Price: €499.99 RRP (can be discounted with code: brickmocs)

With a total of 7868 pieces and almost 9 kg, the Golden Hall (The Medusselde Palace) by designer Legomocloc arrived at my home in 2 neutrally printed LesDiy boxes. It took almost 30 days from ordering to delivery and the set came directly from China. A big advantage of LesDiy is that the sets are first sent to the Netherlands and from there to Germany, so you don't have to worry about customs or import sales tax.

When you open the boxes, you'll see the partially pre-sorted interlocking bricks in reusable zip bags. The package also includes a 4GB USB stick with the instructions in PDF format. After an initial inspection of the interlocking bricks, no consistent manufacturer could be identified, but the quality makes a very good impression despite all of this.

In order to build the Golden Hall, a total of 1177 construction steps are required and the set is built in 6 construction phases, which I will now look at individually.

Construction section 1 ( The base )

In the first construction phase, you start by building the base of the set. Several 8x16 plates in dark tan are framed with a wall and filled with 2x4 bricks, which are clamped together alternately in white and red. This construction phase is very quick and easy, but you should think about where you want to build the set, because from this point on, the transport of the base is hardly possible due to the statics, as the plates push upwards in the middle when lifted and are only connected to each other with 2x4 studs. However, it should be noted that the base already takes up a base area of ​​49.6cm x 75cm (wxd) and you need a decent amount of space for the other construction phases.

Construction section 2 ( The Throne Room )

In the second construction phase, the throne room of the "Golden Hall" is built. This also explains why the building has its name, because the set contains a lot of golden interlocking bricks, which are installed both on the facade and in the interior. This part of the building is really beautiful to look at and impresses with some of the details that fill the interior of the throne room. As the name suggests, in addition to a fireplace and 2 bookshelves, the king's throne is also installed. The hall is also decorated with many flags in green and gold as well as blue and red hanging from the ceiling.

The construction techniques used in the throne room are, with a few exceptions, very successful and pose little to no difficulties during construction. Only the flags on the ceiling have to be pressed with force into opposing studs (here "1x2 bricks with studs on side" are used), as these are only attached after the hall has been completed and the structure is already so rigid that the gaps leave no room for maneuver.

Construction section 3 ( The roof of the throne room )

In the third construction phase, the middle roof of the “Golden Hall” is now being built.

Visually, the roof is really well done and the structure, which is originally made of straw, is very well recreated. The details on the gables and the horses depicted on the roof ridge are also beautifully constructed and a visual highlight.

Unfortunately, this is where the set has its biggest weakness, which leads me to only recommend the set to very experienced "clampers", because a lot of foresight and experience is necessary to be able to complete the construction section, since simply following the instructions would not achieve the goal here.

But let's start with the easy part: the gable and the roof rafters are very easy to build and do not require much effort or a particularly keen instinct.

But now the hard part begins:

Now you start to cover the roof and build the sides of the roof. These are each built in one piece and supported and held together underneath with “2 x … Plates” (“…” because different lengths are used here).

( HERE'S AN IMPORTANT TIP : In the next construction phases , two "1 x 2 Plates " and a "1 x 2 technology brick with hole " will be attached to the brown "2 x ... Plates " . DO N'T DO THAT !!! In order to be able to put the thatched roof on the substructure that has already been built , the two " 1 x 2 Plates " and the "1 x 2 technology brick with hole " must be attached directly to the gray "1 x 2 Bricks with pin " used in the substructure and only connected to the "2 x ..." plates when the cover surface is finally put on . The instructions require something different here . )

Unfortunately, the instructions do not indicate exactly where the plates should be attached underneath the thatched roof, as the instructions only show them in a row without specifying the width of the gaps between the plates (in this case, an indication of the distances would be absolutely necessary).

Now larger plates in dark tan are placed on the “2 x … plates”, whereby there are repeated construction steps in which parts are floating in the air and are only fixed later on.

Once you have mastered these construction phases, you now need to be very tactful and the entire roof must be connected with the brown plates to the technology bricks attached to the substructure, as mentioned in the tip. The best way to do this is to take the entire roof in your hand and attach the technology bricks individually to the plates.

It can happen again and again that something falls off, but don't give up, once you get the hang of it, it will be easy.

Now that you have completed the roof, I would recommend that you place it on the throne room built in construction phase 2 as quickly as possible, as the connection is what creates the necessary stability (normally the roof can be removed to view the interior, but I would not recommend this as otherwise the laboriously clamped construction will fall off in some places).

Construction section 4 ( The left wing of the throne room )

In construction phase 4, the left wing of the throne room is now being built. In this section there is a beautifully designed dining room with some small details such as golden cups or barrels that stand in the corner for the delicious mead.

This section of the building is again very easy to build and here too the construction of the thatched roof is much better and very stable.

At the end, the construction section is then placed on the base and attached to the throne room, so that the left wing represents a seamless extension of the room.

Construction section 5 ( The right wing of the throne room )

In construction phase 5, the right wing is now built. This is a mirror image of the left wing and is built identically. In this area there is a small armory, although it should be noted that although the armor mounts are included, the armor is missing.

Since this construction phase is only a mirrored version of the left wing, it can of course be built in a similar way and is therefore completed relatively quickly.

Finally, the right wing will be attached to the throne room and the “Golden Hall” will finally stand on the pedestal and can be viewed in all its glory.

Construction phase 6 (cladding of the base)

In construction phase 6, the base will now be covered with walls and rock parts, so that the beginning of the mountain on which the “Golden Hall” stands can also be seen here.

This construction phase is ultimately completed very quickly and the end result is really impressive.

Finally, I would of course like to give a conclusion, which I would like to split into a conclusion about the set and a conclusion about the bricks used.

Conclusion about the set:

All in all, the MOC 62288 The Medusselde Palace is a very visually appealing set and, apart from the roof, is a really easy-to-build model. Depending on how fast you are, the construction time is around 30-40 hours (ideal for watching the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films as well as the Rings of Power series). Due to its enormous width and size, it is an eye-catcher in any hobby room or apartment and the ultimate MOC for all fans of the films and especially of the people of Rohan. Apart from a few minor errors in the instructions (which I already mentioned in the construction sections), I have not noticed anything that would make it impossible to build the set. The only thing I would wait to transport the set is until the entire MOC is finished, as otherwise the base plates could be pushed through and the set would fall apart. I definitely do not regret having built this MOC.

Conclusion about the bricks used and LesDiy:

As I mentioned right at the beginning, the bricks do not come from a single manufacturer and are mixed by LesDiy, which leads to color deviations, especially in the dark tan. However, since the set is a wooden castle with a thatched roof, the color deviations are not a disadvantage; in fact, the overall picture is very harmonious and realistic. Apart from the missing lances (since these are very difficult to get from the market leader even in the form to be used and do not appear in the parts list on Rebrickable, I suspect that LesDiy was unable to obtain them or that they did not appear in the designer's parts list and were therefore unknown) and the missing armor parts, I had no missing parts and even still have a lot of bricks left over. The clamping force is excellent and I had neither miscast nor badly scratched tiles. All in all, LesDiy is doing a really good job here and is constantly developing over time.

PS: I received the set from LesDiy at a discounted price for a review, but of course this did not influence my opinion of the set.