The story of the Trojan horse is one of the most well known in ancient Hellenic lore. In the classical version, following a fruitless and decade-long siege of the city of Troy, the Greeks constructed a gigantic wooden horse in which they had hidden their finest warriors. The Greeks feigned defeat, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night, the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, ending the war. It was a brilliant coup, though historians have argued its veracity ever since. Regardless of whether or not the Trojan horse actually existed, Martin Harris wonderfully brings the story to life in LEGO form with his depiction of that fateful gift-giving moment.

One has to admire the simple but imposing Trojan walls and gate, which stood up to 10 years of determined Greek attacks (the angled walls are a great touch, though a bit more landscaping around the bottom edge would help break up the abrupt edges). The Trojans lined up along the battlements and the Greeks laboriously pushing the horse depict the sheer scale of this creation.

The horse itself is well-designed, and one can imagine contained in its hollow cavity numbers of eager (and likely greatly uncomfortable) Greek soldiers.

All in all, it makes for a delightful scene, and one I’ve rarely seen recreated in this medium. I almost want to reach in and remind the defenders of the words of one Trojan contemporary (Laocoön) who was killed after expressing his suspicions over this “present”: “Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even those bearing gifts!”