Yearly Archives: 2022

There’s nothing banal about this canal

Ah, Venice: a city of romance. This may not be Venice, but there’s still a lot to love about this canal-side town by Isaac Snyder! Perhaps that wonderful bridge is what made me think of Venice. The architecture in general is beautiful, with the so-called bow plate getting a lot of good use in crenellations and roof design. And how about the foliage! The brick-built lilypads were the first to catch my eye, but my favourite is behind the old white-bearded gentleman. It’s a vine made up of a whip, drawn around some plant elements. A simple yet effective solution that looks great in this setting!

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Giving new meaning to the term “Little Italy”

Check out this duo of microscale Venetian palaces by builder -Brixe! The shaping on these two domiciles is impeccable, perfectly capturing the worn texture of these canal-hugging houses using bars and round plates. The color palette, with its shades of nougat and tan, contrasts the crisp light blue of the water flowing behind and in-between them. But the techniques are really where this micro-marvel stands out. I adore the use of this old school finger hinge to hold the grill plates in place as windows, with this similar piece employed for their associated balconies. And one final detail of note: the bridge joining both buildings is built with studs facing down, allowing for ideal stair construction at this scale.

Hold me closer, tiny dragon

Ids de Jong invites us into the fantastical realm of Dawnward as a terrifying earth dragon approaches the castle. This microscale scene makes terrific use of parts to convey shape and texture – from the grill tiles forming battlements along the castle walls, to the minifigure chopsticks working as the dragon’s head. The result is a serene autumn day that is about to end in fire and blood. I hope those wagons at the castle’s entrance can make their escape in time.

A (chess) piece of LEGO history

It’s been 50 years since this LEGO chess battle began. And now, with the board overgrown and partially flooded, builder Rilbist shows us the resulting armistice in the great battle between the two sides of the checker-print board. I think this is a wonderful concept, especially given the limitation of only using part colors that were available half a century ago. Each of the pieces is instantly recognizable, and ornate without being distracting from the real star of the show: the state of the playing field. The weathering is divine, and I particularly like the pool of water in the center that flows out of the board, connecting this deadlocked game with the outer world.

Not your ordinary Amazon truck

Experts know that delivery isn’t just about time. It’s also about style. And by looking at the colossal MAN TGX41.540 8×4/4 by Dennis Bosman, it’s easy to see: this truck is made for premium delivery experience. Let me save you some time and say that there are 14 wheel axles with 54 wheels on, and most of them are capable of steering.

And although the truck is the true star here, I can’t help but enjoying the enormous trailer. I love its clean look possible thanks to the scale, but there is quite a number of great building solutions for this utility look. And, of course, it looks awesome with any cargo on it.

Space Pirate-ship Keuppia

Presumably named after an extinct genus of octopus, the Keuppia by Builder BetaNotus is also inspired by an ancient expansion from 1994 of the Star Wars role-playing game. The Discril-class attack cruisers from Cracken’s Rebel Operatives may not be canon now but their general shaping was similar to the model that BetaNotus crafted in their honor. Like the once Imperial vessels which fell into the hands of brigands and thieves, this ship is “crewed by pirates seeking fame, fortune, and unsuspecting merchants,” as the builder puts it. Originally built for BrickFair Virginia 2021, there are a slew of techniques used in the shaping of this craft. BetaNotus covered almost ever crack and angle while also creating a frightfully armed front end. The grill slopes used at the front could be large vents or textured armor, either reads well, but the triple gun arms are real heavy hitters. I could see why pirates would like such an craft as it would be great for running down ships and disabling their shields while taking plenty of hits of its own.

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Idyllic autumn shrine

Some LEGO creations we feature are really big and elaborate. Others, like this one by Geneva Durand, are rather small. But that does not mean that they are less impressive. When you build on a smaller scale, everything is in focus. This means everything that you put into your creation has to be thought out thoroughly because everything will be much more noticeable. Idyll by Geneva is a very good example. As the name highlights the creation is meant to look idyllic and it does. It gives you a sense of calm which I love. The autumn leaves give this creation a big pop of colour and I love the addition of the coral pink. Using black or dark brown for the tree, the wooden frame of the house, the shrine, and the minifigure accessories balance out the vibrancy of the fallen leaves. If this doesn’t get you in the autumn mood, I don’t know what will.

Whether day or night, these vans are arockin’ so don’t come aknockin’!

My childhood self in the 70s and 80s saw plenty of elaborately painted street vans, a phenomenon that has been sadly lost to time. But LEGO vehicle builder Isaac Wilder has kept the beautiful dream alive with this retro pair of Dodge street vans. Here’s a fiery sunrise van that I can attest was a common theme back in the 70s. That front bumper is totally sick!

For emissions more nocturnal we have a dark moonlit Dodge street van counterpart. The magic of these is, without even mentioning it, one can imagine the plush shag interiors and the not-quite-lawful activities going on inside. Also the sticker on the rear window that declares; gas, grass, or ass nobody rides for free. While all three may be enticing, clicking the Isaac Wilder link is a free trip so give it a gander.

For the love of money...and chicken legs

You can be forgiven for barely remembering the droid bounty hunter 4-LOM who boasted roughly one second of screen time in The Empire Strikes Back. But for LEGO builder Greg Dalink, 4-LOM (stands for; For the Love of Money) holds a special place in his heart. He’s working on a series of battle mechs that houses the Star Wars bounty hunter for which it resembles. You know, for when a bounty hunter wants to work more conspicuously. I love the greebly details and overall black and gun-metal color of this mech. The Bionicle shoulder pads make great compound eyes and the breathing device (do droids breathe?) is an amazing touch.

The best part is the head opens to reveal a 4-LOM minifig driver nestled inside as seen in this photo. It seems 4-LOM loves money and the feeling of being inside himself…or something. Ahem. Just click this Greg Dalink link to see some of the other bounty hunter mechs in action.

Farmhands down, this is a great trophy

This exquisite construction by the one and only Markus Rohlbühler brings together two of my favorite things in the LEGO hobby: non-minifig scale and trophy construction. Handed out as an award for this year’s Brickscalibur contest, this darling farmhand is quite the amalgamation of curved slopes. With studs pointing every which way, the maiden’s blue dress proves well-crafted. And the little detail of her rolled-up sleeves, made using the bottom of the facemask from Ninjago’s Zane, is absolutely stellar.

If you’re interested in even more like this, check out this excellent orc trophy by Markus that we featured late last month.

D&D’s latest LEGO bad boy is also a Strahd boy

As the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons builds continue to spill forth, builder Plastic Pauper has a great take on one of the game’s first monsters: the vampire lord. I have to commend the character construction here. With sharp lines for the count’s suit contrasted by the more flowing contours of his face and cloth cloak, this dark noble feels alive wielding his menacing rapier (that’s 1d8 piercing damage, folks!). And I adore all the gold filigree and tan ascot adorning his chest. Such a well-crafted villain is further complemented by the dynamite background in this vignette. The ornate stone walls surrounding the figure feature a ring of keys, a pair of candlesticks, and quite the imposing gargoyle. But my favorite detail has got to be the spiky ends of a portcullis in the doorway to the vamp’s rear. What an excellent homage to the fantasy role playing game!

Ready to encounter some more great D&D builds? Check them out in our archives!

The Ryatan Island

Sometimes LEGO fans manage to use a LEGO part in a more creative way than it was originally intended to be used. The part I am talking about is the raised snake and the builder I am talking about is Jakub Drobny. To me the raised snake never looked like an animal but more like a statue of a snake. LEGO fans all over the world have embraced this part and started using it in white to represent smoke clouds leaving a chimney. The raised snake used for smoke is not the only part used in a clever way. We get keys for door hinges, bowler hats for grassy mountains and shields for tables. What other smartly used parts can you spot?