BDP10: The Dwarf Stronghold
Posted by Huw,
BrickLink Designer Program series 10 voting has begun, so this week we are publishing articles written by project designers. This one is by arselus (@arselus.bricks):
Welcome to my submission the Bricklink Designer Program Series 10: the Dwarf Stronghold
The Dwarf Stronghold is a Dwarven bastion nestled in the snowy Wheldhyal Mountains. Its green stone doorway and golden doors herald the splendour of the Dwarven Realm. Before the gates stands the white stone guardian: Kir Dremdol, ancient protector of the Dwarf Lands. Can the ancient Dwarf rune powers bring him to life? Or is he simply a stone statue? You must decide.
Fires roar within the hold. The smithy is never idle. Goat roasts on a spit, jewellers craft industriously. Miners delve ever deeper into the rich belly of the mountain. Beside the hold the waterfall of Tingdol Alin brings glacier water down the mountain. It was named by Elves ages ago, and has kept its Elvish name, though drawing disapproval from the stubborn and proud Dwarves.
Above the hold stands the lookout tower of Tor Bardun. Its chambers are amply stocked with arms and armour and an astronomer’s looking glass peeks heavenwards. A red wyvern descends from the North, eyeing the Dwarven riches. A traveller ascends the mountain with his pony and cart. Don't miss the brewery atop the mountain, the throne room where a wise Lord ponders the course of his realm, or the store rooms - after all, Dwarves enjoy their food, drink and song. Finally, beware of the thieving goblin that has come to plunder what he can.
The Inspiration
The idea with the Dwarf Stronghold was to bring to life a Dwarven Realm that was carved into the mountain itself. Dwarves are a beloved folk that spread across many worlds of fantasy. They are well known for their stout and sturdy nature, their love of riches, ore and jewels, their mountain dwellings, and their axes and hammers.
I wanted to showcase grand, towering entry doors, the rough rocky mountainside, a crowning tower, and also more gentile elements like the waterfall, trees, flowers and mushrooms growing from the mountain. These details help to pull the build even further into the fantasy theme.
My inspirations come from various sources in high fantasy, from literature, movies, games and art, all blended together in my imagination. My most prominent influences are the works of J.R.R Tolkien, namely the Silmarillion and LotR. Some notable visual influences include the Doors of Durin and grand halls of Khazad Dum from Peter Jackson’s LotR trilogy, Tolkien’s own illustrations, and the art of Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and John Howe. Art and design from Markarth and Dwemer Ruins from the Elder Scrolls games has also influenced me, as well as Ironforge from WoW, the animated Hobbit film from 1977, dozens of brilliant LEGO builds (both official sets and AFOL builds), art from early editions of MTG, namely Mark Poole’s Dwarven Ruins, and numerous other sources. This has all cooked in my mind as I’ve tried to synthesize something new and original, and fit it into the BDP design prompt with limited part count and a pre-determined palette. The goal of this build was to create an authentic and grand Dwarven Realm that many fans could add to their collection.
The Design Process:
I typically begin my designs by sketching various concepts. The layout of the Dwarf Stronghold was first explored in 2024/early 2025 under the plan of designing an Orcish Stronghold (does this incur a grudge?), however I never completed the design of this original concept.
In mid-late 2025 I sketched the general design of the Dwarf Stronghold and numbers of the key shapes for various elements like doorways and pillars. Then came the build process in Bricklink Studio, and finally the renders.
The finished build
The finished build can be opened or closed, showcasing different display and play features in the two modes. When opened, the interior of the Stronghold is accessible. When closed, the hold appears truly carved from the mountain itself. The wyvern was particularly fun to design, as I'd never seen a LEGO wyvern before (dragons yes, but not wyverns). Its styling was inspired by 31161 Medieval Dragon Medieval Dragon, which I was honoured to win in the Summer Joust 2025. I hope you enjoy the Dwarf Stronghold, and I hope it adds something new and accessible to the world of LEGO Fantasy.
Please support the build by voting before February 20 at Bricklink.com!
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14 comments on this article
Nice. Good Luck
Very nice. Only major issue I have with the design is that the architectural flourishes block the staircase too much - but it's not a deal breaking issue.
I know this is a fantasy setting with dwarfs and a wyvern, but the amount of water streaming down this lightly snow-covered mountain seems unrealistic to me. The wonky staircase up the mountain itself reminds me of the Snake Mountain and Frightzone play sets.
All in all, it's alright, but not for me.
I know is not the main topic here but I would love to see another Lego Smaug and Lonely Mountain set!
Thank you Huw for posting this article!
Here is a link to the build: https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-10/3794/Dwarf-Stronghold
Looks good, how many figures does it come with?
Also Dwarves Rule! :)
But dwarves don't give a stronghold... they only have little arms
Everything that 7036 Dwarves' Mine got wrong, this gets right. The mountain truly feels like a dense mountain, with clear distinction on whats inside and outside, and architecture that unique to Dwarves. It sounds like a low bar, but again, 7036 was such a mess.
@Are said:
"Everything that 7036 Dwarves' Mine got wrong, this gets right. The mountain truly feels like a dense mountain, with clear distinction on whats inside and outside, and architecture that unique to Dwarves. It sounds like a low bar, but again, 7036 was such a mess."
7036 is a fantastic play set, while this model aims for breadth & display similar to other LOTR UCS models. Let’s not forget 7036 is one of the highest rated castle sets of it’s time.
That's a lot of gray parts in very good variety. Not as many uses of BURPs as I would have thought.
Very interested!
@arselus - great job yet again. If approved, this would be a very difficult one for me to pass up.
Shouldn't the inspiration really just be Norse, Germanic, Celtic, Egyptian and Welsh mythology and folklore? Tolkien's books were basically just re-interpretations of these. The plots for both the Hobbit and the Ring are taken almost directly from them--including what he named a lot of things. I'm not sure if he introduced any new ideas as much as just helped bring them to younger generations. The same is equally true of the Elder Scrolls and Warcraft as well, albeit with an expanded pool of inspirations that includes even more mythologies.
To be fair, I suppose the same can be said for basically every major or well-known franchise these days.
That aside, I think it looks pretty good.
@Are said:
"Everything that 7036 Dwarves' Mine got wrong, this gets right. The mountain truly feels like a dense mountain, with clear distinction on whats inside and outside, and architecture that unique to Dwarves. It sounds like a low bar, but again, 7036 was such a mess."
It is hardly surprising that a design made 20 years later with about six and a half times as many parts is better than an old set.
@Huw, though you cite Khazad Dum as an inspiration, I immediately thought of The Lonely Mountain! It’s a fantastic submission and I wish you the best of luck with it.