Without a doubt, the Two Towers is definitely my favorite Lord of the Rings movie. I have fond memories of going to a small town theater with my friend to watch it soon after it had come out. The contrasting story arcs kept my attention in a state of absorbant wonder though I honestly remember the scenes with Treebeard the most. There were plenty of accompanying Lego sets for the movies but in their wake, fans have created intense models of their own to celebrate their favorite scenes. Craig Jansen was clearly inspired by the Last March of the Ents while building this massive model of Treebeard, Merry, and Pippin heading to Isengard.

Just check out the parts Craig used in this model! The first thing I noticed were the eyes. Treebeard’s eyes, almost glowing in the dark of Fangorn forest, have a distinct presence in the film. Craig did really well with them here. I thought those are printed eye studs but upon closer examination, I realized they were black technic bushings with yellow flextubes cut to fit inside. Simple but brilliant, I must say. They give the model Treebeard’s striking glare.

Then I realized that the arms were built with tree trunk minifigure costumes. The connection points available in the costumes, coupled with their barky texture, helped the builder concisely emulate Treebeard’s woody figure. Subtly eye-catching. Of course, this angle also shows off why he’s called Treebeard. The mossy covering below his face akin to facial hair is modeled smoothly with dark green tiles and slopes. Seems like Treebeard likes to keep his hedges neatly trimmed.

I was further impressed with the brown bullhorns used as fingers. The way they curve and twist really gives the effect of branches. They definitely have a good grip on that boulder! The legs are a different story. Those are built with a mix of tubular pieces. Curved tail pieces in his front leg help establish his dynamic forward pose. Smooth tubes of different kinds stabilize him and end with “feet” made of tailpieces detailed with bullhorns and claws.

From behind we have a good view of Treebeard’s beautiful back foliage. Marry and Pippin are perched precariously atop his branches, built up from the legs and modeled from bike handles, tailpieces, stud shooters, bars, and thick elbow bricks. The techniques Craig Jansen uses here are similar to those used in the Bonsai set. His build is a great example of how to employ those within your own creations to show off your imagination!