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Models

Northwestern Watchtower of Hwaseong Fortress

Suwon, Gyeonggi · Joseon, 20th year of King Jeongjo (1796)

1,798 parts · 86 kinds · 23 steps

Parts by step

  1. Step 1: Baseplate

    16 parts · 2 kinds

    Make a 32x28 base from twelve 8x8 plates and four 8x4 plates.

  2. Step 2: Ground

    129 parts · 5 kinds

    Lay grass in front of the fortress wall and a dirt path in front of that.

  3. Step 3: Name plaque

    2 parts · 1 kinds

  4. Step 4: Fortress wall

    174 parts · 6 kinds

    The fortress wall at the back. The front row is bricks with studs on the side; the back row and the inside are plain bricks.

  5. Step 5: Fortress wall facing

    40 parts · 17 kinds

    Attach tiles of different lengths to the side studs to show large stacked stones.

  6. Step 6: Stone base

    256 parts · 5 kinds

    The stone base of the watchtower. The first course is plain bricks; above it, bricks with studs on the side go around the edge, with walls inside.

  7. Step 7: Stone base facing

    151 parts · 29 kinds

    Attach tiles of different lengths on the front and both sides.

  8. Step 8: Stone base and wall-walk cover

    34 parts · 3 kinds

    Cover the tops of the stone base and the fortress wall with plates.

  9. Step 9: Wall battlement

    53 parts · 7 kinds

    Build a battlement of dark gray bricks along the front edge of the fortress wall, leaving a loophole in the middle.

  10. Step 10: Stone base top finish

    34 parts · 1 kinds

    Finish the edge outside the brick section with tiles.

  11. Step 11: 1st-floor brickwork

    138 parts · 6 kinds

    Build four courses of bricks with embossed brick pattern. Leave single gaps in the front and side walls for gun ports, and put two rows of black walls inside.

  12. Step 12: 1st-floor band

    24 parts · 2 kinds

    Cover with plates one stud wider to make a band between floors.

  13. Step 13: 2nd-floor brickwork

    169 parts · 6 kinds

    Build five courses and make gun ports the same way.

  14. Step 14: 2nd-floor band

    24 parts · 2 kinds

  15. Step 15: 3rd-floor battlement

    42 parts · 7 kinds

    Build one course of brick battlement around the edge, with two gun ports in front and one on each side.

  16. Step 16: Sentry post walls

    94 parts · 6 kinds

    Put red walls between reddish-brown posts. The middle course uses grille bricks for windows.

  17. Step 17: Purlins and ceiling

    14 parts · 3 kinds

    Ring the tops of the walls with reddish-brown purlins and cover the inside.

  18. Step 18: Rafters

    144 parts · 7 kinds

    Lay 1x4 plates outward for rafters, and fit tan rafter ends under the edge of the eaves.

  19. Step 19: Eaves

    140 parts · 7 kinds

    Run 4x1 curved slopes around for the tile rows and the curve of the eaves, and lift the corners.

  20. Step 20: Roof base

    8 parts · 2 kinds

  21. Step 21: Lower 45° roof

    36 parts · 5 kinds

    Add 45° slopes on all four sides for the lower part of the hipped-and-gabled roof.

  22. Step 22: Upper 45° roof and gables

    56 parts · 5 kinds

    The upper tier slopes only front and back, so a triangular gable shows at each end.

  23. Step 23: Ridge

    20 parts · 5 kinds

    Put white plates on dark gray bricks for mortar lines and cap with double slopes. Stand white end tiles at both ends.

About the building

This watchtower projects from the wall of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon and was built in 1796, the 20th year of King Jeongjo. Its base is square stone blocks, and the outer walls of the first and second floors and the lower part of the third floor are brick. Three walls on each of the first two floors have six gun ports each; the third floor has a battlement with four gun ports and a sentry post two bays (kan) wide on the front and side, topped with a hipped-and-gabled roof (paljak jibung). It is designated a Treasure.

Model details

Size
25.6 × 22.4 × 31.0 cm high
Difficulty
Medium
Updated
2026-09-24
Set history
Every part and color has a set record since 2020 (Rebrickable 2026-09-24)

Design notes

Following proportions measured from a photo (the stone base, the brick section, and the sentry post with its roof are nearly equal in height), the model has a 20-stud front, a 33-plate stone base and a 32-plate brick section, for a total height of about 97 plates (about 1.9 times the front width). Tiles of different lengths on bricks with studs on the side show the mottled large stones of the base and wall, and bricks with an embossed brick pattern form the brick section. Six gun ports (two rows of three) open in each of three walls on the first two floors, and four in the third-floor battlement. The inside is hollow, with two rows of black walls holding up the floors and roof. The sentry post has a hipped-and-gabled roof over rafters and curved eaves. Stairs and the rear entrance are not modeled. Every part passed the automated build check.

References