Tag Archives: Wizard of Oz

Iron Builder meets Tin Man…

LEGO Monkey took a big swing with his latest Iron Builder entry, crafting an iconic scene from one of the most well-known movies in cinema history. But you can’t argue with the results. The star of this build is the seed part (the 1×5½ cylinder with bar handle), which clumps together beautifully in a recreation of the Emerald City of Oz. But we have to give a Best Supporting award nod to the landscape, particularly the way the green wedges imply a winding hillside that allows the yellow brick road’s forced perspective effect to work so well. And, even though Dorothy and her three traveling companions all have official minifigures, Lego Monkey pulled this scene off without owning any of them. That’s what we call a special effect!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore

I love books. In fact, I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany. Ok, perhaps I was just imagining the mahogany, but I do have lots of books, and some are leather-bound. I don’t own an e-reader of any kind, and hope never to do so, because the magic of holding a book, especially hardcover, is irreplaceable. People give me strange looks when I pick up a used book at a store and give it a sniff and say, “Ah, that’s a proper year 1900 binding…a good vintage.” Builder Lego_nuts must have a soft spot for books, too, because this build evokes the magic of literacy, the opening of portals to adventure. Dorothy looks worried, unsure if she should continue on with the story, but the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man are encouraging her to journey to the next page. Will she go on? Like, seriously, isn’t there a movie version she can watch instead?

“Don’t be afraid, you will have a wonderful adventure!”

The build is beautifully executed, utilizing a clever camera angle to capture the scene on the right-hand page. The foliage and warm lighting from the doorway are stunningly inviting, drawing the viewer deeper into the moment. The left-hand scene is lovely, too, in a bas-relief kind of way, though far fancier than the house that Dorothy is described as living in (if you don’t believe me, read the text on the pages in the picture). I am impressed by the photography and setup that went into this one, making me want to swing from that rope and journey on with my fellow adventurers.

Just follow the yellow (LEGO) brick road

Thanks to The LEGO Movie 2’s Collectible Minifigures, the full crew from The Wizard of Oz is now available in minifigure form, so the time was ripe to start seeing some great models from the classic film. Enter Livin’TheBrickLife with this amazing diorama that mixes scales to great effect. With the city of Oz a tiny microscale sculpture in the distance, the four adventurers loom large in the foreground.

Wizard Of Oz - Over The Rainbow

The whole diorama is much larger, though, incorporating a variety of iconic scenes, each connected by the yellow brick road, made of sideways bricks.

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A classic crew of BrickHeadz, off to see the Wizard

I have to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what the latest craze with The Wizard of Oz is all about, with the characters even showing up in The LEGO Movie 2 and its latest minifigure line! Nevertheless, I do have to agree that the film is one of the greatest classics of all time. A couple of cool LEGO builders must certainly also agree, because Kendall Brown and Scott Moore have created renders of the cast in expert BrickHeadz fashion.

Lego Ideas - Wizard of OZ Modular BrickHeadz

Click to journey down the yellow brick road!

LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71023 for The LEGO Movie 2 officially revealed [News]

Today we’re getting our first official, high-quality look at LEGO’s newest line of Collectible Minifigures, featuring characters from The LEGO Movie 2, thanks to LEGO’s Chinese and Taiwanese first-quarter catalogs. This series, 71023 The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures will feature 20 characters from the new film, some of which are cross-licensed with The Wizard of Oz. The Wicked Witch of the West and her Flying Monkeys made an appearance in The LEGO Batman Movie with sets such as The Ultimate Batmobile, and it looks like the rest of the gang is showing up in The LEGO Movie 2. Most other sets for The LEGO Movie 2 are already available. The film comes out Febuary 8.

Simultaneously, German retailer B&B published their listing for the new series, providing us with a few extra details, such as the case image.

Friday Night Fights – Yellow Brick Road

Welcome back fight fans, to Kansas, USA for another round of Friday Night! Tonight we’re off to see the Wizard!

In the Technicolor corner Sean and Steph comes out hitting with a micro version of the Yellow Brick Road:
Follow the Lego Brick Road

In the Sepiatone corner we have Tyler and Michaela punch back with their Bricks of Character version:
Follow the Yellow Slope Road

As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding the outcome of this bout by way of comment. On the last edition of Friday Night Fights, Simpsons Spectacular, Mike delivers a 8-0 knockout punch. Tune in next week for another action packed edition of Friday Night Fights!

VirtuaLUG’s Wizard of Oz diorama will knock off your ruby slippers

VirtuaLUG collaborated on a mammoth Wizard of Oz layout for BrickWorld this year. I posted the wizard’s hot-air balloon earlier but the entire diorama definitely deserves its own post. They worked together on a large number of dioramas depicting crucial scenes throughout the story. Each of the sections is an incredible piece alone. Together they form something truly incredible. Every time I go through the pictures I find more details that I didn’t notice before. I especially love how the early scenes were built in tan, black and greys to depict the black-and-white scenes in the movies and the motorized cyclone with mini farmhouse. The vibrancy and technique in the later dioramas is breath-taking. I didn’t make it to BrickWorld but I wish I had seen this in person. Incredible!

The entrance to the Emerald City:
Wizard of Oz collaborative by VirtuaLug at Brickworld 2013

Uncle Henry and Aunt Em’s Farm:

Wizard of Oz collaborative by VirtuaLug at Brickworld 2013

The Dark Forest:
Wizard of Oz collaborative by VirtuaLug at Brickworld 2013

See the rest of the Wizard of Oz layout after the jump!

LEGO Balloon from Wizard of Oz is full of hot air

Dave Kaleta (davekaleta) has been working on this beauty for quite some time in preparation for a collaborative display at BrickWorld. It is a very elegant piece of work. The sleekness of the balloon and the integration of the words into the structure of the envelope are both awesome. I want one of these hanging from the ceiling in my LEGO room!

Oz's Balloon