Jennifer Spencer received her very first LEGO set, 6419: Rolling Acres Ranch, at age six. But she found the instructions far too complicated and so she forced her father to build (and rebuild) the set for her. He must have grown weary of looking at that instruction booklet because Jennifer did not receive another LEGO set for several years.
Jennifer builds her own sets now. She has been active in the online LEGO community since 2011 when she first discovered The Brothers Brick. She’s also a member of her local LEGO users group, NEOLug. You can check out her original LEGO creations on Flickr.
Where is this bizarre LEGO creature heading and what does he hope to find once he gets there? Only builder Vince Toulouse knows. Described simply as “the pilgrim,” this alien creature is terrifying, elegant, and beautiful all at the same time. While the overall design is rather simple, it’s the details and unusual parts choices that really elevate this creation.
For example, did you spot the practical fanny pack filled with goodies? How about the scaly green torso which is plucked straight out of Galidor’s Euripides.
SHIPtember may be over, but there’s still plenty more spacecraft measuring over 100 studs in length left in the sea. Feast your eyes on Christian Benito‘s fin-tastic, Spelljammer-inspired SHIP. In addition to a snazzy design, this beast has an articulated tail, exposed “rivet-style” studs, crystallization along the head, and a heavy-duty turret gun. What else could a space whale SHIP ask for?
For more photos of Benito’s creation (including several interior and work-in-progress shots) check out his Flickr page.
We’ve seen a lot of LEGO batcaves over the years, but what of the stately mansion the Dark Knight calls home during the daytime? After all, LEGO Bruce Wayne needs a place to kick up his feet. Never fear! KW_Vauban has built an impressive minifig-scale LEGO Wayne Manor. According to the builder, over 150,000 LEGO pieces went into this massive creation.
The outside of the building is encrusted in beautiful architectural details like columns, molding, and even gargoyle-like relief sculptures. And the inside might be even more detailed than the exterior. Vauban’s bat mansion includes dozens of fully furnished rooms such as bedrooms, dining rooms, a billiards room, kitchens, a spa, art galleries, gyms, and more. To peek inside for yourself, click through to the gallery below.
Continuing with his circle motif, Sergeant Chipmunk has brought us another slice of LEGO adventure. This time, we’re given a glimpse into the old wild west. While the covered wagon, rockwork, and dusty landscape are beautiful, it’s the little details that truly bring this scene to life, like the horses’ reins and bedrolls. Not to mention, the sleeping cowboy on the ridge, with his hat cocked down to block the sun.
Taking a break from his normal pastel art-deco-inspired buildings which look like they belong on postcards, Andrew Tate‘s most recent LEGO creation is something even more whimsical, a putt-putt golf course! There are so many fun details, like the colorful putting greens with obstacles, employees dressed like they work in a renaissance fair, and different colored golf balls for all the players. It’s also impressive how Andrew captured the look of a castle that appears real at first glance, but upon further inspection, seems like it’s probably made out of carved foam and painted wood rather than stone.
Don’t let the random furniture and cardboard boxes in the background fool you, this LEGO roller coaster by Chairudo is one impressively beautiful creation. The meticulous “wooden” beamwork makes this LEGO creation look like the real thing (only in miniature). And of course, just like a real a coaster, this beauty delivers thrills using only a chain lift and good old gravity.
Chairudo says that his roller coaster is made out of 100% LEGO and that the design was inspired by El Toro at Six Flags New Jersey. Altogether, this behemoth uses nearly 90,000 LEGO pieces and took Chairudo over 800 hours to build. It’s 6.5 meters long, 1.2 meters wide, 1.4 meters tall, and has a track length of 26 meters. (Given the sheer size of this thing, it’s impressive that Chairudo was able to take any photographs of it in his home).
In addition to the coaster, Chairudo also built two spinning rides and flowery walkways for the amusement park patrons. I particularly like the tree design with the large leaves and vines creeping up the coaster’s support beams. So how exactly did the builder make a working roller coaster using only LEGO parts? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. Though I’d wager there was a lot of trial and error. Hopefully, Chairudo had a few volunteers to help him.
Best of all, there’s a video showing the coaster in action. Check it out below:
Serbian builder Milan Sekiz‘s miniature Mordor is the perfect finish to the (accidental?) collaborative Lord of the Rings microscale triptych (see also microscale Hobbiton and a microscale Rivendell). Sekiz’s adorable LEGO creation features a tiny Mount Doom, a teeny tower of Barad-dur (where men fear to tread), and a wee Black Gate. Not to mention, the ashy base and background results in a general feeling of gloom that is wonderful.
When creating sentient life forms out of LEGO, it’s generally a good idea to give your creations the means and ability to live a long, fulfilling life. Kodiak Sanders has done just that. Ooh wee! Thanks to his handy tire treads, this little robot can zip from one end of a dining table to the other and he’s even strong enough to lift an entire stick of butter. What else could a butter-passing-robot possibly need?
This little Chinese LEGO village by Toltomeja is adorable. I love the irregular base and the squat buildings. There are some great details like the wavy patterns in the water and flippers-as-tiles roof design. But the real star of Toltomeja’s scene is that beautiful Chinese bridge and winding path.
The main photo doesn’t do nearly enough to show off the sweet curves of the sidewalk, so be sure to check the alternate angles.
Legend says a gorgeous temple is hidden somewhere in these mountains. To find it, you’ll have to cross the treacherous lava and fight giant scorpions. Or so they say. What’s inside? Only builder David Leest knows. But you can bet your bottom copper that any heroes that find the temple and live to tell the story will be richly rewarded.
David’s stunning scene depicts an adventuring group comprised of a blue mage, a red mage, a dwarf, and a thief who have finally reached the temple’s doorstep. The temple itself is quite detailed, including studded textures, bas-relief sculptures, and a pleasing mixture of “new” gray and old gray that makes this building look ancient.
Do you enjoy the soothing sounds of moving water? How about the clatter of LEGO crystals jostling together? If so, you’ll love Jarren Harkema‘s perpetual-motion style fountain. Jarren says his creation was inspired by M.C. Escher’s Waterfall lithograph, which depicts water flowing uphill .
The crystal fountain’s gravity-defying effect was achieved by using two Power Functions L-Motors and six ladders held together with 40 gears. To see the fountain in action, check out the video below.
Once upon a time, the dark fortress of Minas Morgul belonged to the to the world of men. Back then, the city was called Minas Ithil and it protected Gondor from the evil forces of Mordor. John Snyder has built a gorgeous rendition of the city as it was before the Witch-king of Angmar took over.
At first glance, I mistook John’s castle as something out of Disney rather than the Lord of the Rings. Regardless of the source material, from the top of the tower all the way down to the bedrock, this fortress is one of the loveliest LEGO castles I’ve ever seen. According to John, his Minas Morgul weighs 31.2 pounds and is his heaviest build to date. He also says he tried to maintain the architecture (and pointy crenellations) from the original design. The bridge, in particular, reminds me of the scene in the film where the Nazgul ride out in a frenzy to find Frodo.
For more photos, including alternate angles and even an “I Spy” style scavenger hunt, check out John’s flickr.
