Since I first visited Walt Disney World 25 years ago, I’ve been a total Disney geek. As a result, I’m very excited about the recent announcement of the Cinderella’s Castle set. However, it’s not out for a while, and I needed to scratch my Disney castle-building itch…
I figure this one might work out a little cheaper than the official set!
Yearly Archives: 2016
Enormous LEGO Battle of Hastings display [Interview]
Brick To The Past is a collective of UK builders who specialise in large-scale collaborative historical displays at LEGO shows. Their latest model is this thoroughly-impressive layout of the Battle Of Hastings, a key moment in British history…
I was lucky enough to see this display “in the brick” at Bricktastic in Manchester recently. The layout is a monster, with stark yet impressive terrain, and a wonderful collection of minifigs arrayed in battle formation ready to fight.
Brothers Brick got in touch with James Pegrum, one of Brick To The Past’s leading lights, to discuss this display and get more details on the challenges of collaborative building.
Click to read the interview and see more of Brick To The Past’s creations
This bird shoe fits the bill
This angry-looking bird isn’t the star of a mobile game or summer movie, but is actually an ingenious interpretation of one of nature’s bigger-billed birds, the African-native shoebill. The real bird stands a remarkable 4 feet tall with an enormous bill for catching fish. Builder Moko has done a great job using the shin guards from the large General Grievous figure to portray the bill, but my favorite part is the expressive eyes. Be sure to check out Moko’s blog for a cool breakdown of the construction techniques employed.
Giant problems for LEGO knights
There’s always a pesky ogre, dragon or giant hanging around waiting for intrepid knights to ply their trade. In this magical scene by Paddy Bricksplitter, it’s not going so well for the armor-clad heroes though as they fight to defend a suddenly very short castle against an enormous giant. Even the wizard for extra firepower may not be enough.
A medieval market in Ainsford
Ayrlego has been working on some medieval creations and has united them to come up with a larger diorama. The crowded display mainly depicts a market place, but a tavern and a royal building delicately occupy the background. The masonry and roof tiling on the buildings are quite elaborate. A band of pikemen, a small pen for pigs, an eastern caravan, a monument and a nice collection of flags add more detail to the scenery. And a cobblestone pavement perfectly matches the entrance of the angled royal building. Take a closer look and enjoy the special brew of fine apple cider that Ainesford is famous for!
Gotham brick-figures, part 2
The second half (see part 1 here) of my Forms of Gotham collection includes many of the staple Batman characters. The dark knight himself finally makes an appearance, as does his arch-nemesis the Joker. Building such a large group with wide-ranging styles and colors was particularly fun, as was bringing to life some of the most famous faces in comic book history.
Click to see the rest of the characters
LEGO unveils 71040 The Disney Castle [News]
Following up on our post over the weekend, LEGO has provided us with complete details about the forthcoming 71040 The Disney Castle. The set has 4,080 pieces, 5 minifigs, and will retail for $349 USD starting on September 1, 2016.
The LEGO set is a large-scale version of Cinderella’s Castle at the center of Disney World, and the full interior features scenes from many iconic Disney fairy tales, including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, Aladdin, Brave and more.
Watch the Autumn leaves change from Stonecreek Lookout
Sergeant Chipmunk is the master of texture. First, it was insanely beautiful, jagged rockwork. Then, a sleek and stylish castle of ice. Now, it’s a deceptively simple castle with extra-blocky crenellation surrounded by autumn-time trees. The new texture? Well, Chipmunk put a handful of 1×1 round tiles to great use by carefully stacking them into dragonscale-like textured walls for his castle. I can’t imagine the zen-like patience this man must have.
Mission to Space: Official partnership between NASA, LEGO unveiled [News]
LEGO and NASA have announced an official partnership, inviting you to explore space with Mission to Space! This new, interactive program comes after the recently announced Apollo 11 LEGO Ideas set and marks a new chapter in LEGO’s ongoing relationship with NASA.
The vastness of LEGO Space awaits beyond this door
A good solid door. On any space station, it’s the only thing standing between you and the dark, dangerous, cold of hard vacuum. Sad Brick‘s latest model focuses in on this essential part of any space facility — and this door certainly looks like it can take the pressure.
The vehicle and the little droid are cool, and I like the details and texture on the walls. But the door itself is the undoubted star of this show, with huge hinges and the use of slope bricks suggesting an appropriate heft. This is clearly a serious portal — not for casual opening.
Carousel! Carousel! CAROUSEL!
Justin Winn‘s spacemen have been tirelessly going about their day-to-day jobs and even studying for advanced space degrees. So it’s good to see these hard-working minifigs take down their hair and have fun from time to time. Justin spacified Set 10196: The Grand Carousel and his new version is awesome. It has a ton of spacey details but my favorite bits are those custom printed space logo sails that form the carousel roof. They’d look pretty sweet on a space ship too, right?
Let’s play cowboys and engines
Christopher Hoffman brings us an excellent Tech West stagecoach robbery scene. I’m a big fan of the Tech West idea — the mix of steampunk, dieselpunk, space, and cowboys ticks all of my boxes at once. And this creation is a great example of what’s good about the theme — the model is immediately recognisable as a stagecoach, with figures that totally look the part, yet it’s got beefy podracer-style engines which somehow don’t look out of place. Great work y’all.
