About Jennifer

Jennifer Spencer received her very first LEGO set, 6419: Rolling Acres Ranch, at age six. But she found the instructions far too complicated and so she forced her father to build (and rebuild) the set for her. He must have grown weary of looking at that instruction booklet because Jennifer did not receive another LEGO set for several years. Jennifer builds her own sets now. She has been active in the online LEGO community since 2011 when she first discovered The Brothers Brick. She’s also a member of her local LEGO users group, NEOLug. You can check out her original LEGO creations on Flickr.

Posts by Jennifer

A heap of scrap, assembled to perfection

If you’ve never tried building with someone else’s LEGO collection, I highly recommend it. Everyone organizes their collection a little differently. As a result, you’ll often see strange parts being stored together and inspiration will strike. Or, more likely, you’ll be unable to locate some of your go-to “comfort” pieces and be forced to try something new. Also, it’s just plain fun to build alongside your friends!

I’m not sure if Nooroyd learned any new tricks when he built this scene with his friend Andreas’ LEGO collection, but the result is stunning! The ramshackle building feels very organic and the cluttered composition draws the eye in several directions at once without being completely overwhelming. I particularly love the use of fabric, string, and tubing.

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Virtually probing and roving

I typically shy away from LEGO rendering. Having unlimited access to every piece ever made, in every color, can be overwhelming and often leads to rather ostentatious builds. But Sunder_59 demonstrates with just a handful of virtual pieces (and an impressive level of self-restraint) that renders can be quite dramatic. Sunder_59’s sparse use of fictitious pieces and muted color palette makes for two very pleasing space-themed vignettes.

As a side note, that wonderful light aqua base under the rover is meant to represent Minmus, the smallest moon of Kerbin, from the Kerbal Space Program game.

The hopeless attempt of taking a winter bath

I’m not one hundred percent sure what is going in Simon Schweyer‘s most recent build. Heck, I’m not even twenty percent sure. But I do know, without question, that this scene is superb! The gradation of color on the frozen pond, the irregular SNOT (Studs Not on Top) base, the way the snow hangs on the rocks and tree, and whatever strange feats these minifigs may be attempting — all of it feels right.

Always burn your bridges

Well, burn them if you have an army of undead skeletons at your disposal. If so, you can always rebuild those bridges later if it turns out you need them after all. Dubbadgrim has created a terrifyingly “humerus” siege scene for the Colossal Castle Contest complete with a swampy, stagnant moat, fire ballista, and of course, a whimsical skeleton bridge. Those defenders don’t stand a chance!

In this world, only winter is certain

Whether you’re a fan of the television series or the books, everyone can agree that the next installment of Game of Thrones is simply too far away. Season 6 won’t be here until April 2016 and George R. R. Martin’s final two novels, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, may never be here. So while you’re jonesing for your next fix, check out these sweet Game of Thones-inspired LEGO builds.

Midas Touch‘s microscale Castle Black is perfect. The Wall, a colossal structure built from ice that protects the Seven Kingdoms from white walkers (or “the others” if you read the books), is instantly recognizable, as is the elevator which carries the Night’s Watch to its top.

Speaking of the top of the wall, nameless_member has built an equally impressive scene from Game of Thrones using forced perspective. This haunting scene of John Snow overlooking the lands beyond the wall uses very few parts, but packs a heavy punch.

Hidden in the mangroves

Mangrove trees have a chaotic, almost alien feel to them. In salty, waterlogged conditions, where other trees flounder, they thrive. Tirrell Brown has perfectly captured the majesty of these strange trees in his most recent build. His swampy scene, which was built for Eurobrick’s Guilds of Historica, depicts a hidden croc warrior desperately fleeing a pair of dangerous dark elves. For now, the croc is escaping their notice. Can you spot him?

Don’t go chasing waterfalls

I’ve always found water to be particularly difficult to portray with LEGO. And waterfalls? Forget about it! But three builders over at Lands of Roawia have recently created stunning LEGO waterfalls. Each one has a sense of serenity and of course, falling, frothing water.

First up, aardwolf_83 created a lush waterfall using translucent pieces. The “wet” rock under the falls are an excellent touch that adds to the overall realism of this build. And the bridge has a fantastic amount of detail. Be sure to zoom in and check out those columns.

Next up on our waterfall tour is Joshua‘s heavenly lagoon. The falls are constructed with your standard translucent pieces, but look close at that lagoon and you’ll see that Joshua utilized the jewel piece to create a sparkling body of water. And, if you view this build from the back, you can see that his cave contains stalagmites and sleeping bats.

Last, but not least, Xymion created his waterfall with the “SNOT” (“studs not on top”) technique. Even with a completely smooth surface on the water, Xymion captured movement in his build by cleverly utilizing color gradation and strategically placing a few cheese slopes at the crest of the falls and on the shore lines. My favorite non-waterfall detail is (sorry fishies) that yellow daffodil plant.

Oh rats!

The tomb of Sir Richard, one of the Knights of the First Crusade, is buried deep under the streets of Venice, and the shield that marks his tomb can help you discover the location of the Holy Grail. Well, at least according to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Legophthalmos has cleverly recreated the iconic catacomb scene from the film, complete with Richard’s tomb, ossuaries, and of course, piles and piles of rats.

Just looking at this build makes me feel like I walked face-first through a cobweb. *Shudder*

Cosmik Roger and Xub

I always appreciate it when my interest in LEGO introduces me to something I’ve never heard of before. And that’s exactly what happened here with ledukeniko‘s recent character build. Please meet my new acquaintance, Cosmik Roger, the main character in a French comic book series that ran from 2002 to 2013. From what I can tell, with my limited knowledge of the French language, Roger travels space looking for booze, women, and a new home for the doomed human race.

Ledukeniko translated the incredible art style of the comic into a very pose-able and lovable-looking LEGO build. Roger’s signature messy hair and oversize nose looks fantastic! But ledukeniko didn’t stop with the main character. He also built, Xub, an alien bartender from the comics who apparently buys his clothes from the same stores as Han Solo. You can check out all of ledukeniko’s fantastic builds here.

Capturing the queen in Novvember

We’re less than a week into Novvember and already flickr is awash with vic vipers. David Roberts has started the event off strong with this stunning viper. It’s packed full of interesting details while still maintaining an overall clean appearance. But the real standout features of this build are the dramatic blue and yellow checkerboard-patterned tail and wings which evoke the art of Chris Foss. (If you’re unfamiliar with Foss’s work, check it out here for a some inspiration while you’re working on your own vic vipers this month.)

And if you, like myself, are new to Novvember be sure to read the late nnenn’s instructions on how to build the standard vic viper.

Summoning a stone elemental

When breathing life into the elements, it’s always best to use a bit of caution. In this scene, Charis Stella has brilliantly captured the final moments of an elemental being summoned by a reckless mage. The whirling, smoky area around the last few chunks of stone is my favorite detail.

The tiny city of Acrine

Most builders will admit that it’s much more difficult to build a small scene than a large one. But soccersnyderi makes it look quite easy with his 12 x 16 stud microscale castle. With an eye for detail, soccersnyderi has eliminated repetition in the building styles of his castle walls, houses, and foliage. The tiny waterfall even flows into a pool that gradates from choppy white waters to calm blue ones with the help of the always handy cheese slope.

And if you like this build, then you’re in luck! It’s up for grabs as one of the many prizes of this year’s Colossal Castle Contest.