Category Archives: Building Techniques

Not sure what SNOT is? Want to learn innovative new ways to create awesome LEGO models of your own? Peruse our posts about LEGO building techniques to pick up tricks & tips from the best.

Brotherhood lost or Anakin’s inferno?

Two peers, brothers in spirit, pitched against each other above the flowing, roiling lava of a devastated planet. This climactic battle is full of intense moments between these iconic characters, such as the one captured here in diorama form by TheCreatorr. Moments before Obi-wan defeats Anakin, they balanced atop shielded platforms and hovering droids battling for their fates. The lava swelling below them is brilliantly built with various gradients while black patches of burnt materials rise to the top.

Duel on Mustafar Diorama MOC

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Non-toxic but still inedible

Deep in the forest, far from the beaten tracks, a colony of fungi fruits from the remains of an old tree. Builder Paulo Loro brought new life to some old table scrap mushrooms by integrating them into this natural display. Fungi can be difficult to identify so its hard to say if these are based on enoki, shiitake, or something else—I’m no mycologist. All I can say is there’s a certain magic to the twists and turns the mushrooms make. Tail pieces are used to represent the stalks of the fruiting bodies while dish pieces represent the different stages of caps. The most mature of the species use the rock elements with eggshells underneath as gills.

The Mushroom Tree 04

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The miraculous and magical Casita Madrigal

Can’t seem to get enough of Disney’s Encanto? Neither can we! The official LEGO Encanto set is lovely but it is just not big enough to satisfy my Encanto cravings. This is where Martin Harris comes in. Martin is no stranger when it comes to building big. A lot of his creations are on quite a large scale. Same goes for the Casita Madrigal. It took Martin 4.5 weeks of building, which considering the size, sounds like quite a lot of work. Martin didn’t spend any of that time counting pieces. Considering that each roof shingle is a bread loaf tile, the piece count has to be quite high.

Encanto movie Casita build

Casita Madrigal is covered in lovely detail. From the lush foliage to the vibrant colours. Martin even designed a different window frame for each of the sub parts of the house. That’s what I call dedication. This build really deserves to be zoomed in on. There are loads of lovely details that you would miss otherwise. There is a flock of toucans nesting on a balcony. An amazing brick built door complete with door knocker. Waving shutters and cracks in the walls. Martin even managed to incorporate a light-up brick to make sure the miracle candle in the window is burning at all times.

Want to read more about the creations by Martin Harris we featured? Just click here.

Jazz up your Porsche

The treasure trove of parts in the 10295 Porsche 911 set have made their way into the capable hands of yet another builder. This Transformer by Adrian Drake resurrects a generation one star of the series, Jazz. Originally a Martini Porsche 935 Turbo, this version still shares some of the same body designs as many of the iconic original toys sought after by collectors today. The Porsche’s front end makes up most of his torso while the doors swing out from the back like wings or down with the rest of the body to form the legs and feet. Making a functioning Transformer with LEGO is no easy feat but Adrian sure did well here.

Jazz 00

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VO-Eighty gets an overhaul after 13 years

After an almost five-year hiatus on his Flickr, builder Rob Dasnewten is back with another ship that almost blows the rest out of the sky. He must’ve been traveling the cosmos during that time, because the level of detail he’s returned with seems almost hands-on. Rob, are you actually from the future, or are you just a sentient being from a space-faring species? Yet again resurrecting the green cockpit design from several of his previous builds, he developed a ship that seems like a perfect upgrade to the VO-Eighty we covered back in 2009. Thirteen years is a long time in the LEGO world when you consider the number of new pieces and colors that have entered and forever changed the System. Even though it’s been five years since his last post, it’s clear that Rob hasn’t forgotten a thing and maybe even learned some more. Let’s see what this legend has to teach us.

VO-80 MKII

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There’s so much to do in Grandpa’s attic

As the LEGO inventory of pieces grows each year, we often end up with parts that can seem too specific to have versatile uses. But a great way to transform parts that might seem too specific is to use them in a different scale, as César Soares demonstrates with this attic scene that’s full of innovative parts usage. The potted plant on the right of the scene is made from two Carnival Dancer headdresses. The legs of the hat rack are minifigure monkey tails. And the plant next to the telescope repurposes yet another minifigure hat for its leaves. But perhaps the most innovative technique is building a hole in the floor and filling it with chopsticks to create a shag rug.

Grandpa's Attic

After you’re done exploring this attic, take a look at some of the other innovative LEGO parts uses we’ve highlighted right here on TBB previously.

Mando’s Naboo hotrod has a lot of engine for a little ship

As The Book of Boba Fett continues to shell out the hits, it’s also managing to throw us all for a loop. Dank Farrik, has it been fun! Chapter 5 had plenty of LEGO fans excited for the Razor Crest’s replacement and it was exactly the inspiration that fellow TBB contributor Mansur Soeleman needed to bust out a quick ship. Not one to take all the credit, he’ll have you know that his version of the Mandalorian’s new N-1 Starfighter is “a severe de-modification” of his dear friend Tom Loftus’ original yellow and grey model, which the curious can find images of only on Brick Vault. It just happened to be sitting on his desk while he watched the episode so it was a natural process. While the bones are there, I’d say Mansur’s efforts moved this far from the original. After all, there are only so many ways to skin a Womp rat. Known by most as Lamborghiniwafflesauce, or Waffles, he’s somewhat of a Greeble King amongst the LEGO fan base. Employing these skills, he opened up the design to show off the interior of the two modded J-type engines, along with the additional rear engine added by Peli Motto.

"Dank Farrik she's fast!"

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The year of Big Cat Energy

The Majestic Tiger set has been a quick favorite amongst LEGO fans since it was released this year. Aptly, this Chinese New Year will mark the Year of the Tiger within the Chinese calendar and Builder Ian Hou is ready to celebrate. Just like last year, Ian brings us the coming Zodiac animal in brick form with a fantastic level of realism. While LEGO’s version is articulated, the builder chose to portray this large, muscular feline in the middle of a biiiiiiiiig stretch. Unlike your cat, Count Mustard von Smittenstein, this kitty’s claws will do some real damage if they come out. One thing is certain, you’d be happy when that tail went down because, just like on the official set, the builder was…very detailed.

2022_Life can be so comfortable_POST_01

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Automotive versus Arachnid

The wild ride that was Harry Potter’s experience at Hogwarts was surely extremely traumatic. Ron was obviously afraid of spiders but even Harry was jarred by this encounter from the Chamber of Secrets built by Stefan Johansson. The trusty, rusty Ford Anglia may have abandoned Harry and Ron after they crashed it into a tree but its loyalty never faded, as it proved by saving them from being eaten. Whether it has a mind of its own from Arthur Weasley’s tinkering or from all that time in the Forbidden Forest, it’s not going to let some giant creepy-crawlies munch on some kids.

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Three cheers for brick-built backgrounds! Ra! Ra! Ra!

I always say it, there are just not enough Stargate builds out there. That seems to be changing more and more, as seen here with this vignette by Builder Douglas Hughes. Somewhat of a double hitter for references, this model follows in the style of our 2021 Creation of the Year with its own distinct character. Capturing some Stargate history, Douglas imagined the false god moving into his new apartments. A Cheops class warship shoots a matter stream down into the Great Pyramids of Giza as the sun sets behind it, the Nile alight with a red glare. Clever building techniques and color-blocking create a gradient that effectively emulates the dulling brightness of the setting sun. The use of black bricks for the pyramids and ship is a great way to achieve the silhouette effect. The translucent red river is my favorite part though, as it’s a perfect way to capture the depth of field with an added layer of realism.

Ra the Goa'uld

This is a great example of the power models like this have and Douglas did a fantastic job with its color and layout. Maybe 2022 will bring us more of these delightful vignettes in addition to more Stargate love. Whatever it brings, I hope its not a bunch of Goa’uld in a Cheops.

Another day in Allanar

For many of us, our first LEGO collaborations are with our siblings. Brother builders Isaac and John Snyder know that life gets away from us as time goes on, but thankfully they managed to get another session in that gave us some great results. After knocking out the Everdell castle they took a little trip to the countryside of Alnya to show us a day in the life of a Dwelf. Lush with wildlife and foliage, this little cottage on the edge of Allnar forest is full of interesting parts usage and plenty of character. That purple door certainly makes a statement, but I love the buckets on the chimney or chainlinks around the well.

Life in Allanar

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Picking up Picard in a LEGO La Sirena

Okay, Star Trek fans, yours truly (Christopher Burden) here with something fresh! For the last few years my best friend Capn.Brickard and I have been exchanging custom models for birthdays and holidays. We love giving each other a challenge, and this year I had my work cut out for me. Out of three options that he gave, I chose to take on La Sirena from the 2020 Star Trek spin-off Picard. Honestly, as soon as it was revealed, I wanted to build it, but at the time, I wasn’t quite ready to take it on — all the different angles and slopes, not to mention that accursed command deck.

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