For Summer Joust, Metarix Builds had to create a build limited to a single-color gradient. The result is this wonderful tavern with all manner of browns and tans, but nothing else. Even the pub patrons stick to the rule. But there’s no loss of detail or interest because of the limitation. In particular, the Studs Not on Top construction of the floor has an effective ramshackle wood vibe. I’d love to grab a pint in a place like this. Definitely a darker beer, like an amber or a brown ale.
Confession time. I know Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones is one of the most well-known rock anthems ever, but… I prefer the cover that pop singer Vanessa Carlton did. (She’s just an incredible artist, OK?) Before you accuse me of blasphemy, let’s take a look at this creation by another incredible artist, Woomy World. This build is inspired by the lyrics from the song (“I see a red door and I want it painted black”), with the black rose rising from the door forming the title of the piece. The rose looks fantastic, using everything from macaroni tubes to a dragon wing to give an ethereal, almost other-worldly feel to it.
It sits in contrast with the other everyday elements of the build, but they are no less impressive for it. I love the umbrellas representing drips of paint from the bucket. The painter would also be worthy of a feature on his own! The suit jacket uses Technic panel pieces which are an inspired choice and look fantastic. The hair is where I keep getting drawn to though: there are so many different pieces but they all seem so carefully placed. I can see flintlock pistols, a minifigure satchel and at least one minifigure arm. The Rolling Stones might be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but this creation surely belongs in an art gallery!
The Star Wars Prequel trilogy is old enough now that the original target audience’s nostalgia has begun a full-scale reevaluation of how those films are perceived in the culture. And Okay Yaramanoglu has taken full advantage of that to give us this microscale rendition of Otoh Gunga, the underwater city that is home to Jar Jar Binks and his fellow Gungans. While my own perception of Episode 1 hasn’t changed much in the last couple of decades, I’m in love with this build in part because it’s a refreshing change of pace for Star Wars builds. Don’t get us wrong, we here at The Brother’s Brick will never tire of Star Wars content. But, that said, sometimes all the shades of gray in the spaceships or the hues of tan in yet another desert landscape can start to feel a little monotonous. Here, Okay has broken that pattern to capture the unique bubble design of the city and even paired it with the departing Bongo sub, taking a couple of Jedi to Theed to see the queen.
Dan Ko has packed a lot of detail into this 12×12 vignette of a medieval butcher’s stand. Inverting the tiles in the awning lets the anti-studs add a pop of texture, and the use of a few 1×1 round plates amongst the round tiles on the ground help give a sense of rough and uneven cobblestone. But the most interesting technique is the way the minifigure roller skates are holding the bars in the underside crevices of the 10×2 brick being used as the butcher’s workspace. It’s details like that which can pack a small build with a smorgasbord of visual intrigue.
As part of LEGO’s AtoZofAwesome campaign, Dave Schefcik constructed a 16×16 vignette to celebrate the letter C, for Coming Out. Dave’s done a lot of impressive building in this small space, from angling the house, to the framing of the whole scene in a variety of plants offering up a rainbow of blooms. And the selection of minifigure pieces perfectly captures the feelings Dave was looking for.
“Discovering your identity is a lifelong process, and coming out can be a defining moment. In this build, I’ve tried to capture the feeling of coming out–the moment of tranquility when I finally accepted who I was. To me, coming out represents a new beginning to a beautiful journey, stepping forward into a more colorful world full of possibilities.” – Dave, New York
Sometimes a LEGO build can take you to unexpected places. Clemens Schneider initially found inspiration for this scene from the Horse and Groom from the Series 22 Collectible Minifigures, but eventually decided on a brick-built horse. I like how the theme is a little ambiguous — sure, these could “just” be cleverly built microscale knights, but don’t they also look a bit like robots? In my head canon, this is a scene from one of those alternate universes where technology and magic comingle — but it looks like these robo-knights need to decide if their wagon is a bit too heavy for the road. Those wheels are clearly embedded in the muck. Maybe walk a bit until you’re back on pavement, lads.
Castles are cool. We all know that. But you know what’s even cooler, and coincidently in our archives? LEGO castles.
Star Wars: Visions is a testament to what imaginative and unbridled creativity can do with Star Wars storytelling. This LEGO build by ABrickDreamer continues in this same spirit of creativity. The scene, from the short film The Duel, focuses on the two duelists–Ronin and the Sith Bandit Leader. Both wield their crimson blades with skill while perched upon a log headed for a waterfall. The Sith Bandit Leader deflects a rocket meant to destroy her while one of her bandits watches from the riverbank. This build is all about motion! There’s a flow from the tree in the back to the waterfall in the front, near the Ronin’s side of the log. The water’s movement is achieved through alternating how the transparent clear and blue pieces are positioned. The flower petals in the water also help show the river’s flow.
The log’s shape comes from a pretty cool method–there are flex tubes linked together at the log’s core. The sides and top are clipped on the core, creating the stage for the epic duel. The riverbanks have some nice variations of green in with the greys to capture mossy river stones. A cool little Easter egg is the little brown piece floating in the water behind the log. It’s actually from a broken reddish-brown plate! Above it is some fire dripping from where the log was cut by a lightsaber. The wonderful piece used is from the minfigure blast effects pack, same for the explosion splash by the Sith Bandit Leader. If you want to take a closer look at this LEGO creation, check out this video where ABrickDreamer talks about the build and how it’s constructed:
Can you believe Marvel’s The Avengers just turned 10 years-old? To celebrate the momentous occasion, Okay Yaramanoglu has crafted a vignette replicating the Battle of New York from the film’s third act. Everyone’s here, from Cap to Hulk, keeping the city safe from the Chitauri. (And if you look closely, you’ll even spot a cameo by a certain scribe of super heroic shenanigans, True Believer!)
But my favorite detail is the pavement that’s been cratered in by a good ol’ fashioned Hulk-stomping.
Sebastian Bachórzewski shows us a glimpse of the future with this one block stretch of a cyberpunk city. Futuristic flourishes like the hover police car and the archway made from curved gear racks immediately catch the eye. But Sebastian went above and beyond by creating a working video billboard. Sebastian loaded a phone with custom advertisements made in Procreate and then slotted that into the side of the building.
When the city is all lit up, that billboard helps give this future scene an incredibly modern touch.
This hair-raising crash may have ruined Arodi Anderson’s ship but he’s survived to take revenge on those that wronged him. This scene by builder Mix the Brix makes use of some clever techniques to build a realistic desert scene on an alien world. Emerging from the wrecked starcraft, the pilot knows there’s no point looking back as the smoke rises into the barren skies above the dune sea. He’s more concerned about who shot him down.
![The Crash on the Dune Sea [Quantum Lands]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52022898916_71d6563a2f_b.jpg)
Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and the newly joined Merry travel by ferry in this LEGO vignette by Thorsten Bonsch. This series from Thorsten follows the first part of The Fellowship of the Ring. Here, we see the four primary hobbits traveling across the Brandywine River into Buckland. The color palette of this build is outstanding, allowing each detail to stand on its own among the others. When it comes to the building techniques, the roofing tiles on the structure draw my eye. It’s a simple technique, but quite effective. It’s just tiles on plates, but the tiles aren’t pressed down on the raised end. The rest of the structure is cool too, with the disheveled layers and angled brown supports. This is one of those locations in a LEGO build that I would love to visit if it were a real place. I would listen to the sounds of the lapping water on the riverbank and the nocturnal sounds of nature around the river.
This scene you may recognize from the movie as well, with a Ringwraith bearing down on the hobbits. In the book, upon which this vignette is based, this scene had less pressure on it. The book takes a lot longer to get Frodo and company out of the Shire, but there’s only so long they can take with a movie runtime to consider. Either version, the wraith takes the long way over Brandywine Bridge. Silly Ringwraith, shortcuts are for hobbits!
I’m sure we’d all like to have LEGO collections full of pristine bricks. The reality though is that they are not infallible, and sometimes we’ll come across a broken LEGO element and think it is good for no more than the trash. But as Josh (Sergeant Chipmunk) demonstrates with this underwater scene, broken bits of LEGO do still have a use! In this case, a selection of flex tubes that have seen better days are used to represent a broken mast in a sunken ship. The rest of the scene is equally is good – the shaping of the ship’s hull is great, and the rockwork poking through the bow makes it clear it has been beneath the waves for a long time. Those waves, incidentally, are made up of tiles and clips that allow for a wavy shape that, while fragile, gives a good impression of a sea in gentle motion.
