About Chris Doyle

Chris has been involved in many parts of the LEGO community for over twenty years, and has been building most of his life. A love of transparent bricks and pop culture combine in most of his creations, which tend to be pretty large scale. His website, Reasonably Clever, featured one of the longest running brick-based webcomics, as well as one of the first LEGO-themed avatar creators. His photographs and creations have appeared in several books.

Posts by Chris Doyle

Step on it! – A forest drive has LEGO bricks on the move

Have you ever been a passenger in a car when the driver is just going way too slow? Geneva Durand seems to have had that experience, and brings that frustration to life in an expressive, yet tiny, creation. In this scene, brick-built horses pull a carriage fit for microfigure nobility through a dense forest. Every feature is instantly recognizable, which is pretty astounding considering those microfigures are just under 2 centimeters tall.

A Forest Drive

It’s a twisty path, so maybe the driver is justified in a more cautious pace. Perhaps the passenger is just upset that his crown is way too tall to fit inside the carriage, requiring him to lean out the window the whole way. Geneva first designed the carriage back in 2013, and later updated it in 2017. Maybe their next iteration will include a little more headroom!

In the meantime, though, we can appreciate the skill that goes into the current build. I like the “studs down” building approach for the horses, the variety of techniques used for the tree trunks, and the subtle curves in the carriage canopy. There is also some great part usage, including minifigure hands for flags, and helmet plumes for the horsetails.

Be sure to check out Geneva’s blog post detailing the techniques that went into the forest background.

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The high ground – Light and LEGO combine to bring Mustafar to life in this Star Wars diorama

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, one of the most memorable moments is Anakin and Obi-Wan facing off on the surface of the lava-planet, Mustafar. Alessandro Rizzello brings the climax of this confrontation to life with a combination of LEGO and light.

I have the high ground!

Built for the Greatest Battles contest on LEGO Ideas, Alessandro has used LED strip lighting to highlight the danger of a river of transparent-orange crystals. Anakin stands on a movie-accurate hover platform, while Obi-Wan has claimed the high ground. A smattering of 1×1 round plate and flame elements complete the scene.

I have the high ground!

The glow of the lava results in a very cinematic feel. You can almost feel those minifigs sweating from the heat!

LEGO’s Ultimate Lightsaber Duel set coincided with the film’s theatrical release in 2005 and LEGO included a cameo of the scene with Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor in 2012, but so far they are the only official sets to showcase this iconic battle. (Although LEGO did return to Mustafar recently with Darth Vader’s Castle.) We’re lucky that the fan community is willing to make the return trip!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.