Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Hi all,

What can I say? I've been working on a little project that's close to the heart of most red-blooded survivors of the 80's - that most beloved of childhood toys... Castle Grayskull!

I know there's plenty of fan-made customs out there of differing scales and details. For my take on the original "Fortress of Mystery and Power" I decided to focus on designing a playset that was both;

A.) faithful to the original concept model and artwork of the castle (do a google images search on the original box artwork and the unreleased 'concept' model with the portruding mouth to get my meaning), as well as being

B.) in scale and totally playable from a miniatures/wargaming/Heroscape perspective.

By reducing the scale to that of 28-54mm figures it allowed me to go a little crazy and actually make a complete four-sided castle (as opposed to a two-sided version like the original, or simply a facade as other fans as resorting to).

The following two pictures are works in progress - don't ask me when this baby will actually get finished! I'm intending to include all of the original features from the Mattel playset in my model. This will include; a working elevator, Point Dread and Talon Fighter, throne room, dungeon, arcane computers, weapons rack, and various castle-y accessories.

It's currently in three sections including three levels of play. It's based on a hex-themed layout, but will also be easy to play with other miniature games. It'll also be able to open up and be displayed as a long 'wall' allowing for epic siege-styled games. I'll post more pics as I (slowly) progress further towards completion. It's obviously early days - so please no comments about how I need to paint it! Trust me - it'll all happen in time. Until then... enjoy!

Here's a classic-side on view. Note the size of the objects laying near it - the castle is about 60cm (2 ft) square, and about 50cm tall.

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...lsidephoto.jpg

Squint your eyes and imagine it all painted and impressive looking! The vehicle sitting on my version of Point Dread (the raised tower) is a Starcom toy - I'll actually make a Talon Fighter to hold two figs in time. I'll also make three laser cannons to sit on the other turrets. Inside Point Dread is a custom computer/lab layout - in keeping with the original 'cardboard insert computer' from the 80's...

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...frontphoto.jpg

Thanks for looking. I'll post more pics inlcuding inside shots soon. All feedback is welcomed and appreciated!

G.

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Holy poop! Epic! Can you make one for me, pretty please?:wink: Good job!:up:

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

HUGE, and it already looks amazing without paint & details. You might have already won the "largest HS custom terrain creation" contest before it even happened. ;)

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Wow! That is an ambitious project and it looks like you are going to pull it off. Looking forward to the update pics.

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Awesome! Can't wait to see what it looks like when it's finished!

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see that someone actually has the courage to make a good Castle Grayskull! Masters of the Universe is part of my fabric since 1983 and I admit I have plans to make my own Castle Grayskull. ...someday... My Castle Grayskull would be a ruined one.
I'd love to see what you make of the suit of Sci-fi armour! I'm not too excited about the point dread however. Keep it Powerful and Mysterious like the box art.
And please show us every step in the process with lots of pics.

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Looks great!

I recently found all my He-Man stuff (including Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain) in my mom's attic and my 5yr old is having a blast playing with it. Now I may need to make a Heroscape scenario with the thing.

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

You've done really well as keeping the theme of Greyskull, even down to the side vehicle entrance. I was a huge He-man fan as a youth and had both Greyskull and Snake Mountain.

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Hi,
That is Awesome! I can't wait to see updates. I bet the acoustics in there ROCK! Now I want to watch my He-Man 10 best episodes DVD again.
~P

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

My jaw literally just hit my desk. That looks awesome. I cannot wait for some updates.

Re: Castle Grayskull (MOTU) Custom
 

Hey guys,

Thanks for the comments so far! Keep your ideas/nostalgic memories coming. I'm an old sucker for 80's toys, and have the grand plan of making a detailed version of the iconic playsets that I really loved as a kid for wargaming and display. Grayskull was the top choice for me, but I also intend to tackle Volcan Rock from the Power Lords and The Hyve from Sectaurs among others. I've also a dream of re-producing the epic 'Eternia' playset by including my completed Grayskull with a custom Viper Tower (Snake Mountain) and Lion Tower... I think I need to finish this project first though!

Anyway, here's some more pics... Firstly the castle interior -

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...llinterior.jpg

The 'never-seen-before' mysterious left side (drum roll please)...

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...leleftside.jpg

And, finally, the inside (looking from above) of the raised turret/Point Dread tower.

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...etinterior.jpg

I'm still wrestling with the whole Point Dread idea at present. I want to retain the original look as a craggy cave-like add-on to the tower, but I also need to juggle the feasability of doing it justice from a wargaming perspective. It may still morph into a separate piece to add-on like the original - I just need to not make it too hard on myself, and stick with a design that'll allow for easy construction.

I'll get my butt off the lounge and put some work into it so it'll keep progressing. What you see at present is actually where I'm up to - so don't hold your breath for any 'after' photos arriving overnight!

My overall concept is that the castle is hewn from a mountain. The rear wall will reflect that, whilst also emulating the Filmation He-Man cartoon version of an 'organic' castle. You'll also notice that I've included the 'ledge' - a rocky shelf towards the bottom of the front left tower as well as the 'chess piece/pawn' on top of the castle dome. These are elements included in the original toy prototype that I think would've added to the cragginess of the finished toy!

Again, enjoy.

G.