Longboats, Jarls, raiding parties, a longhouse, and those horned helmets. All these things speak to the imagination of those fearsome Vikings. And although not everything about Viking lore is true (like those iconic horned helmets), it’s a fantastic inspiration when it comes to building stories out of LEGO. Just like Josh did with his Village of Skaaldoogh.

This diorama is filled with neat everyday Viking life details like a working blacksmith, warriors in training, a bit of agriculture and so much more. It is a good thing Josh wanted to give us a bit more information because it’s easy to miss something in this detailed MOC!

Marco: Excellent work on the village, especially the edited picture with the Northern Lights that makes it come alive. And it gets even better because that moving longship steals the show!

Josh: Thank you! Ever since I started watching LEGO Masters, I’ve been inspired to try new things when it comes to Technic elements in my builds. This MOC is one of my biggest and most ambitious for trying new techniques. I’m really happy with how it turned out!

Marco: What inspired you to make this kind of village? Did you have a specific setting in mind? Did you get inspiration from certain books or movies? And how long did it take you to build it?

Josh: I was inspired while playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Some of the Norse buildings in the game are very impressive and it got me thinking about building a Viking village. So I started with the great house concept and then planned out the rest of the build from there. I’ve been trying to improve how I frame my MOCs, so I decided to have a foreground ship and three buildings in the background. Not sure if my framing got any better but that’s how the process started! I've been mentally planning this MOC for well over a year. But from when I started actually laying down bricks to finish was about two months.

Marco: Is there a particular story going on or a main character? Does the name of the village have a meaning or does it just sound cool?

Josh: I love the world-building of the Guilds of Historica over on Eurobricks . I have a running story that’s part of the Guilds and this MOC continues that story. If you know who to look for, you’ll see my reoccurring character, Wyndor, talking to some Vikings next to the watchtower. The bigger story is that he’s looking for warriors to help him fit a threat to his own village. But the simple story is that a group of raiders has just returned home and the village is celebrating. The name of the village is completely made up. So if it means anything it’s completely accidental!

Marco: You've used neat techniques, like the trees and the roof made of shields. What is your favorite part of the village and why?

Josh: I really loved adding little stories with all the minifigures. It’s not a clever technique or parts intensive, but having daily life kind of frozen in time makes me feel more attached to the build.

Marco: The technique of the boat going back and forth on the water looks so smooth, did you come up with that yourself? Maybe you have a video of how it runs because I see so many axles and wheels on that picture you posted underneath the ship.

Josh: I borrowed the technique of using nets to create the water. But then I came up with my own to make the water and boat move. It’s just a chain of axles connected by 16 tooth gears, but the end result is pretty effective. You can see a more detailed video here.

Marco: Do you have any plans on expanding the village or putting it on display at events?

Josh: Unfortunately I’m going to be moving soon. So this MOC will have to be disassembled for moving before I can display it anywhere. All my MOCs end up getting taken apart eventually so I can build something new. This one just has a shorter life expectancy than most!

Marco: It was great fun visiting Skaaldoogh—thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing more of your work!

Inspired? There’s a plenty more stories, sagas and tales about Vikings to get some inspirations from!

How would you make a ship move on the water? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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