Longtime TBB readers might know that we are quite partial to a good LEGO Hobbiton creation. This one by Patrick Bohn deserves to join the line-up. Let’s zoom in on some of the details which make this creation so lovely. The picket fence made of bars and minifigure hands looks lovely. The inclusion of hockey sticks as a fence gate. The window frame and the round doorway look stunning thanks to the use of the macaroni tile. The use of the microscale Hogwarts arched windows looks especially fitting for this setting. The bucket handle makes a perfect door knocker. Using flex tubing to frame the roof of the building is really smart as it makes the building look more organic verses composed out of angular bricks.
Posts by Bart Willen
Why did the penguins cross the road?
To sit on these awesome deck chairs of course! Sometimes an awesome LEGO creation can consist of only one part. This however only happens ever so often. The latest creation by Michael Jasper is a really good example of this. He made three deck chairs accompanied by a little table and a parasol. The deck chairs are made with only one part, the boomerang minifigure utensil. The design is so simple, yet so effective it blows my mind! Michael is an expert when it comes to designing LEGO furniture. And he is not afraid to use whatever piece he can get his hands on as long as it is produced by LEGO. In this picture there is a gear piece hiding. It’s the yellow ring around the parasol dish. It is actually a part of a LEGO watch. All this needs now is a couple of cocktails and we are all set for the summer!
Witch’s Windship gets an update
To answer Librarian-Bot’s question: Yes, you are not alone. Everyone has at least one set they ogled in the LEGO catalog but never managed to get a hold of. For me it is the Hogwarts Castle (2nd edition) and the Sphinx Secret Surprise. For Librarian-Bot this is the Witch’s Windship. To fill in the gap of missing out on this specific set they recreated it. The model features a brick build dragon which strongly resembles the classic dragon from the 90’s. The witch’s windship has gotten a serious update without losing it’s original charm. Since the dragon is a bit bigger the windship can be a bit bigger too. It still looks like the dragon is able to carry it. It is nice to see the CMF shield with a bat pictured on it used to represent the classic fright knight shield. What set’s do you regret not getting?
Well what would you know, another bakery
I have a soft spot for Tudor style buildings especially when it comes to bakeries. This little inviting bakery build by Hubba Blöoba is no exception to that rule. I really like all the different hues of blue used for the roof of the building. The Tudor style top part of the building looks weathered and the shading from tan to dark tan adds to the ‘old’ feel of the building. The stonework on the bottom half of the building looks like it is slowly but surely crumbling away. This build features some clever furniture design that’s not to be missed.
The small round table is cleverly constructed with the crown with 4 spikes LEGO element. It may be hard to spot but the rectangular table legs are made of minifigure hips. The sign of the bakery with the pretzel is a really nice touch. If you look close enough at the tree, you should be able to spot a monkey’s tail. Your guess is as good as mine if there’s an actual monkey hiding in the tree or if the tail is just a branch.
Sometimes just a little bit of DUPLO is enough
I have a soft spot for Tudor-style buildings, brick-built trees, crumbling brick walls and interesting colour choices. This little medieval bakery by Danthefan ticks all the boxes for me. The Tudor style looks nice and simple. It even is used for the round tower, which isn’t an easy thing to do. The building has a little stone porch complete with stairs, and the stonework around the base of the house looks as if it has been there for a long time and has passed the test of time. You might notice that while the roof is bright green, the top of the roof of the tower is medium green. I had a hard time identifying the LEGO piece used for the top of the tower. Turns out, it is not LEGO System, it’s DUPLO! and it is brilliant. I currently do not have any DUPLO at hand but it appears the axle connector with four bars used as the base of a weathercock fits the open stud of the DUPLO part snugly. Last but not least, have you seen the spruce tree made of claws?
Enough internet for today says the Ring-tailed Terrsier
Sometimes when you are scrolling online, you happen to stumble upon an image that screams: Enough internet for today! Mischief Mecha’s latest LEGO creation had that effect on me. And I feel like I need to emphasize that this is a LEGO creation. I personally had to look twice. What gave it away to me was the hands and feet which are made of parts I recognized. The rest of this builds pieces remain a mystery to me. I do know some of the main focus parts come from the LEGO Galidor theme like this fur collar which is used twice and makes up most of the body. Whether you consider Galidor pieces or not to be actual LEGO is up to you, but you can’t deny that this is very clever, creative, and oddly mesmerizing to watch.
Let’s go window shopping
Ralf Langer teased us a while ago with the stern of a beautiful LEGO ship. In the comments he mentioned that it was actually never going to be a full ship, but a city made out of ship parts. And here it is in all it’s gloomy glory. This creation might as well be called a study of ship windows as are several lovely techniques for you to choose from. Let’s zoom in on them.
Both brown ships feature the same technique using a net between a layer of trans plates and trans tiles. This creates a stained glass effect which is just stunning. A lot of variation in colour can be achieved by using different colored trans elements. The dark brown ship with the blue glass windows uses a different technique. Here we have the 1967 fence filled with bars stuck through a technic pin.
The last window technique I want to highlight is the one on the building on the right. It uses small smooth tires filled with trans cheese slopes. This city of ships also features a lot of cleverly designed lanterns with some clever parts usage. I can spot wands, link chain and link tread. The only question I have now is: Will this connect to my Ninjago City?
Just some light reading
Alex’s latest LEGO creation is nightmare fuel and not only because it looks scary. This reminds me very much of the series Hannibal. In the show, a stag man-creature appears to the main character. It is a reference to the Wendigo. A Wendigo is a mythological creature or evil which originates from the folklore of the First Nation. It is often said to be a malevolent spirit which possesses human beings and invokes feelings of insatiable hunger. Is has a desire to cannibalize other humans. I am not sure what Alex’s inspiration for this creation was, but this is what it invokes for me. So as if that is not nightmare fuel enough I felt it necessary to look up some of the parts for you. With Bionicle and Hero Factory not being my field of expertise, it took quite a while. The head itself is a true work of art using only two pieces. The Hero Factory Witch Doctor was used for the lower part of the face. The top part was realized using the Bionicle Mask Iden. One of the best things about this creation is the small peekaboo the ribs give you. You can see the internal organs right through them. I love how even a touch of pink can’t make this thing look cute.
The Hiding of the Druid Shrine
I am an absolute sucker for LEGO photography where all that meets the eye is LEGO. Hardly no backdrop visible. Just bricks. For me this helps me stay in the scene a lot better versus seeing it as a creation made of bricks against a nice backdrop. A good example of this is Benjamin Stenlund’s latest creation. It depicts a druid in a sacred shrine. For the druid Benjamin used the sorting hat, which to me always looks like the sorting hat. Therefor it always looks kinda out of place in non Harry Potter creations. However in this case it works perfectly fine thanks to the shadow cast on the druid figure. Benjamin made a rocky landscape covered in foliage. The rock work looks really intricate and I would have no idea where to start when making them. The trees give a nice pop of colour to this creation. There even is a waterfall that lights up in the dark. My guess is this is where the secret treasure is hidden. Somehow this creation gives me strong Lord of the Rings vibes, but this is not the case. You can read the backstory to this creation in Benjamins caption.
Hornworm
I could write a whole feature about this hornworm by Moko to tell you all about how magnificently they used the Crane Grab Jaw with Axle and Pin Hole. That the axle looks just like little caterpillar legs. I could tell you that the use of the sport helmet for a little nose is cute as a button. Hedwig’s eyes work perfectly for this little fellow as well. And that it is really nice to see the binoculars and the horn in orange make an excellent mouth while continuing the colour pattern. I could do all that, but I am not going to. I am just here to point out that Moko used not one, not two but three types animals on in the twig the caterpillar is walking on. It is a frog, a rat and a dog. And to me that is just golden.
Every canvas is a journey all its own
Sometimes I am too fast when it comes to labeling LEGO pieces as useless or at least single use pieces. When I first saw the Disney Storybook Adventure sets I liked the small parts that came with it and the Micro Dolls. I couldn’t care less, however, for the book covers or the big 6 x 8 oval plates that came with it. Keith Reed has proven me wrong by using these pieces in a lovely way. In their latest creation the oval plates have been used as paintings. Displayed in a very lovely and well lit hallway. I may be reading too much into it, but my guess is that even the foliage outside matches the paintings. I see red roses in front of Belle and a shell in front of the Ariel painting. In front of Mulan we have the azalea and the magnolia. And last but not least, in front of Elsa and Anna there is… nothing to back my theory up except for two different flowers that might represent the different princesses. As I said, I might be reading to much into it. Whatever the meaning, it’s a beautiful and elegant scene.
All this needs is a chair
Some images need no further introduction. This goes for Calin’s latest LEGO creation. The scene of Mr. Bean in his armchair on top of his little mini is just iconic and it would truly surprise me if there was a soul on the internet who had never seen it or wouldn’t recognize it. Or maybe this will just be a not so gentle reminder to me, that I am getting old. And that there is an entire younger generation who does not have the same frame of reference.
Rowan Atkinson reveals that he actually did the stunt himself. There however was a second person in the car doing the actual driving. As Calin mentions in the description they are currently out shopping for parts for the armchair to complete this model. I can not wait to see this one topped off with an armchair and a mop/broom contraption to put the pedal to the metal.