Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Château de Chenonceau shines in LEGO

In between competing in another Iron Builder competition and contributing to New Hashima, builder Gerrit Gottschalk (gGh0st) spent much of 2024 working on his microscale masterpiece — a model of Château de Chenonceau. The 16th-century French castle sits in the Loire Valley with its bridge and gallery crossing the river Cher. Gerrit’s model consists of about 6,600 LEGO elements and is 80 cm long.

Building in the Architecture style at this scale was a new adventure for Gerrit but you wouldn’t guess it from the end results. It’s a remarkable build filled with innovative parts usage and a high level of detail that remains virtually seamless.

Click for a detailed look at Gerrit’s majestic microscale castle !

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Fall leaves when snow falls in LEGO

There is so much to appreciate about Mark van der Maarel‘s Edo-era Japanese diorama in LEGO, but it’s the red leaves against the newly fallen white snow that draw me in like an ukiyo-e woodblock print. The central cottage is charming and full of details of everyday life. A bundle of reeds over the window made from broom elements is a great touch. Towering over the cottage is an incredible wall made of interlocking brick-built stones (Mark gives credit to collaborator Marshall Banana for this technique). Down by the river, a woodcutter kneels as a samurai approaches on horseback. While Mark doesn’t offer a story, I imagine the woodcutter has a blade hidden in the cottage and soon leaves won’t be the only red splashes in the snow.

Mark’s build was part of the Rogue Ronin collaboration displayed at the Bricking Bavaria event in Germany where over 30 members of the Rogue Bricks community participated. We also adored felix-workshop’s award-winning contribtion.

Digital distortion in physical LEGO

Inspired by a painting from an unknown artist in a Korean hotel, Luka set about trying to capture distorted reality in LEGO with a work titled “Error.” The results are stunning, as pastel mountains and a city skyline get stretched at the horizon into abstract color lines. The shadow box frame looks to be about 5 bricks deep to allow for the stacked layers of the diorama. The distortion lines would have extended even further had the builder not run out of time and pieces. Luka (aka First Order Lego) is a builder who continues to impress and inspire with both abstract builds like this one and minifig scenes like his recent Witcher 3 tribute.

Forgotten LEGO Hockey heroes reborn as Tiki totems

One of LEGO’s oddest experiments was a short-lived, Bionicle-adjacent collaboration with the NHL that saw robotic hockey players like Puck Passer and Slammer Goalie slapping pucks into Technic goals. Sakiya Watanabe (N.A.B.E _mocs) resurrects these esoteric elements to create a tiki-style totem pole. Hockey masks aren’t the only clever parts usage; the builder also employs a pair of troll arms for mossy rocks, and the gear racks from Lloyd’s Golden Ultra Dragon hint at further ruins hidden behind the tropical vines. A new builder on the Flickr scene, N.A.B.E _mocs has only shared three builds so far and each employs new techniques and parts. We also loved the builder’s spot-on General Grievous bust.

Remote Dantooine outposts make for an effective demonstration of LEGO craftsmanship

Dantooine is first mentioned in the very first Star Wars film, a throw-away bit of worldbuilding that made George Lucas’ galaxy feel so much more lived in. Since then the world has shown up in games and books, and now, thanks to builders Jonas G and WG Productions, we can explore the outer rim world in LEGO form. First up, Jonas shares an industrial farming outpost run by Republic sympathizers. Jonas absolutely aces the monolithic Imperial architecture with gorgeous curved corners, a thin window, pinstripes of red, and a mandatory dose of greebles. The massive Blba tree is just as impressive, insanely dense with leaves. Minifigs tell a story of resistance with Republic troops securing thermal detonators, while a Sith helm is used on a scarecrow.

While Jonas’ many Star Wars builds focus more on the galaxy’s heroic forces, WG Productions favors the Dark Side. Here we see the Sith troopers seizing a transport station for the Sith Empire. Using dozens of rollers skates for the rail is a brilliant technique. Both builders coordinated on the terrain to ensure consistency in the Dantooine ecosystem.

Dantooine seems like a lovely planet, whatever side you’re allied with. What a relief the planet was too remote for Grand Moff Tarkin to use as a demonstration for the Death Star’s power.

Jaap Bijl rolls a natural 20 on creativity with this D&D inspired LEGO scene

Sometimes castle-themed builds can lean heavily on the grey bricks to the exclusion of all the other colors in the LEGO palette. That’s definitely not the case with Jaap Bijl, whose fascination with color has made us big admirers of his LEGO creations. For this latest work, “New Area Discovered,” Jaap plays with negative space rather than a central building, taking inspiration from the towering architecture in Balder’s Gate 3. Jaap brings in his favorite color, purple, to contrast with the gold, including an unusual Ninjago snake blade. Greenery is blow-out bright, with ghostly beards adding otherworldly texture. For vines, Jaap unfurls round sprues. Looking past the splashy parts, the model demonstrates some wonderful castle brickwork, especially the round mosaic courtyard. The scene looks deserted, but I would suggest making a perception check with those 20-sided dice just in case…

New machines and a new ally for Aloy! LEGO reveals new Horizon Adventures set [News]

Hot on the heels of the LEGO Horizon Adventures video game, LEGO has announced a new playset in the Horizon universe: HORIZON ADVENTURES ALOY & VARL VS. SHELL-WALKER & SAWTOOTH  (77037 ). The set follows 2022’s LEGO Horizon 76989 Tallneck and lets fans assemble new machine beasts with added play features. While the Tallneck set was designed for builders aged 18+, the new set is rated for ages 9+ and, like the new video game, should be accessible to younger fans while still looking great alongside the older model. Containing 768 pieces, it offers one of the highest piece-to-price ratios from a licensed set. ALOY & VARL VS. SHELL-WALKER & SAWTOOTH is available on March 1, 2025 and can be pre-ordered now for US $44.99 | CAN $59.99 | UK £39.99.

Steady your bow and read on for more details on the machine beasts from the Horizon world!

Bootstrapping a botanical brewery in LEGO

Scandinavian folklore is full of tales of little people living in the woods and meadows. Swedish builder Peter Ilmrud gives us a glimpse of one community of fairy folk who have made a lingonberry cidery out of an old boot. Peter incorporates DUPLO and Scala elements alongside wildflowers from the Botanicals line and many custom flowers and berry bushes in the vibrant display.

Break out your magnifying people for a better glimpse of what these wee cider makers are up to!

Mind if I barge in?

New Hashima, the sprawling cyberpunk LEGO fan collaboration, is known for its towering buildings, but thanks to builders like Gerrit, the futuristic city is home to some impressive vehicles as well. The Aerox C-1 Heavy V8 Twin Engine ICS is a powerful flying tug that can move hover barges around New Hashima with ease. I love the blend of futuristic tech and mundane utility in models like this, but what I love most about Gerrit’s creation is the colors! Purples, azure, and bright yellow orange all contrast nicely with the dark grey utility. Those anime engines and the purple tower evoking a tug’s steam pipe give the vessel an eye-catching profile.

Santana starship is a smooth addition to the Star Wars fan canon

While Star Wars fans eagerly await more reveals of the next season of Andor, over in the Factions role-play community, LEGO builders are busy adding new stories and ships to that galaxy far, far away. Simulterious introduces the Santana light freighter, a ship built for speedy hauls and avoiding Imperials. Based on concept art from the artist Spacegoose, the Santana features smooth teal curves and four impressive ion turbine engines. Simulterious incorporates chain links for a ring of greebly texture, a technique also used in their brilliant take on the classic B-Wing Starfighter.

Mindblowing LEGO Warhammer 40k Space Marines reporting for duty

As a fledgling tween nerd, I really wanted to get into Warhammer, but unlike my main plastic hobby, LEGO, the models didn’t look great without some serious painting skills and they weren’t much good for building anything but battlefields. If LEGO and Games Workshop had offered build-your-own miniatures half as cool as this squadron from vic mk2, there’s no way I could have resisted the call! These gold-clad warriors are no mere Space Marines — they’re the Adeptus Custodes, ultra-elite fighters who answer only to the Emperor. I believe they’re joined here by the angelic Primarch Sanguinius. Each of the 10 units has a unique weapon and power armor, which is all the more impressive in how Vic captures the Warhammer style so perfectly using mostly gold elements. There are some deep-cut parts, like Hero Factory robot heads.

As imposing as the Adeptus Custodes are, Vic has also assembled heavier firepower in LEGO, like this Blood Angels Leviathan Dreadnought. Vic achieves incredible curves in the mech’s torso without any constraction elements. Interchangeable arms allow for a range of configurations. This beast could give the Hulkbuster a run for its money.

Botanicals becomes its own LEGO theme; Four new Botanicals sets announced [News]

Today LEGO revealed the next four sets to join the thriving Botanicals line of life-like plant models. Coming on January 1st, LEGO Botanicals Mini-Orchid (10343) and LEGO Botanicals Lucky Bamboo (10344) complete the “Four Gentlemen” quartet alongside the Chrysanthemum (10368) and Plum Blossom (10369) sets that were released earlier this year. They are joined by LEGO Botanicals Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet (10342), a loose arrangement of flowers like the Wildflower Bouquet (10313). On February 1st comes LEGO Botanicals Flower Arrangement (10345), which features some of the largest flowers yet in a decorative vase.

Additionally, Botanicals moves from Icons to its own theme, complete with a new logo.

See what’s blooming in these four new Botanical sets!