About Luka

Luka is a Slovenian LEGO builder and a member of Kocke Klub. He is most well known for building dragons, but does not shy away from other themes when time is right. In the community he goes by Deus "Big D." Otiosus (D. stands for "Destiny") and has been around for quite a few years. He is one of those builders who went through their life without a dark age. Besides LEGO he is a biology student that wastes a lot of time in the local forest or in interesting urban areas. MOC Pages Flickr Bricksafe Youtube

Posts by Luka

Welcome the cold embrace of steel or the sea

I often look at LEGO creations as art or interesting technical accomplishments, but this 13th century naval battle scene brings something different to the table, which we don’t see often in LEGO… education. James Pegrum of the Brick to the Past team shares some interesting information about an important moment in European history in the photo’s description (accessed by clicking the photo below).

The build itself is very interesting. The technique used to achieve the round hull shapes is not new by any means, but I have not seen it used for ships very often and the smoothness is quite impressive. As expected of Brick to the Past creations, the ships are indeed very historically accurate. Opinions about the sea in this build may be quite diverse, as people tend to either love or hate loose pieces on builds – but can anyone deny the impression of movement that the water gives?

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A picturesque house with a noble goal

This looks like a very pretty house in a warm climate, but as builder Ayrlego explains, there is more to it than quaint architecture. Built for the Brethren of the Brick Seas role-playing game on Eurobricks, this house is a medical research centre where the doctor is trying his best to defeat one of the Imperial soldiers’ greatest enemies: scurvy.

There is a lot to love in the research centre, from the texture of the walls and quite realistic tile roof design (based on round 1×1 bricks) to the more subtle details like slightly tilted tiles above the windows. The terrace, vines and two minifigs taking a walk give the creation a great sense of atmosphere.

A one-two punch of pure mecha

Sometimes LEGO mecha designs are based on existing concept art, but occasionally they feel like their inspiration came from a particular piece or a certain idea for a shape. These two mechs by Khairul Nizam seem to fall into the latter category. The dome-shaped heads and stout limbs are key elements in the design, with the body widening towards the top to emphasise the curve of the cockpit cover.

The mecha are nearly identical in the design of their structural frame, but despite their similarity, each has interesting parts that make them unique. This gives them each an individual character, but also a sense of belonging in the same universe.

The wild west can be a cruel place...

Following up on a previous excellent wild west-themed creation, Brick Surgeon brings a very different, less action-packed view of life on the frontier, while keeping the building and composition style very similar. This latest vignette has a very morbid feel to it, with muted colours, dead trees and a freshly dug grave.

There are many details to appreciate here — the trees are excellently built of course, as they seem to be the focal point of the build. Other parts of the creation are not lagging behind much, with the cleanly built tent, very interesting rocks, and a brick-built vulture on one of the trees. An apropriate choice for the background colour connects all this into a very cohesive whole.

Release the... snail?!

In the old days, animals were often used in wars — most often horses, sometimes hounds and even elephants. Alexander Blais throws all the historical realism out the window with this crazy creation of an “escargoliath” with an archer tower on its shell to beseige the city of Boldiron. The animal has a sense of motion to it, and slow motion at that.

The spiral on the shell is simple, but it gets the job done and the round organic shapes are captured very well, although the studs possibly give it too much of a “fuzzy” feel.

Huge LEGO version of the siege of Bastogne

With so many LEGO D-Day dioramas out there, it is easy to forget other important battles of the time. The siege of Bastogne was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during WW2 and an important turning point. Lasting from 21-26 december 1944, the battle took many lives, as did the frigid cold. This collaborative display depicting the battle, directed by Ekjohnson1, won multiple awards at Brickfair Virginia.

There is so much to see in the diorama, but some of the highlights include the excellent battle damage on the houses, the church, and the forested area just outside the town. Collaborations can be very hard to do with builders of different styles and skills, but the team managed to create a seamlessly flowing whole, a respectable feat indeed.

The attention to detail on some of the buildings is impressive. Check out the frontage on this townhouse…

Raise your swords up high, hear the black birds cry

We do not often see battle scenes built out of LEGO, for multiple reasons. First of all, amassing a vast number of identical minifigures for an army is not in every builder’s budget, but also arranging them into a convincing action scene is more difficult than it appears. ~The Maestro and his brother in arms Joshua Wilson were as brave as the little plastic warriors of the diorama for taking up this challenge, and they emerged victorious. The battle looks very believable, but more than that – the setting does not lag behind whatsoever.

This diorama of a raiding party attacking a defensive settlement has everything you could wish for; a burning village, tactical fortification, and a realistic landscape, where a battle like this would really happen. I should point out that there are many very well-built parts of the diorama that may go unnoticed with the battle as the focal point – especially the houses of the village and the old windmill.

The wheel of time is a game of roulette, and the Roman Empire lost

Sometimes, history is quite literally the foundation of the present. This creation is one such example, but with an interesting duality: not only does it represent medieval structures built upon ancient ruins, but it is also literally a rebuild of Antonio Carretti‘s earlier LEGO Forum of Nerva, which we also featured here on The Brothers Brick. The creations very obviously represant the same structure, despite the contrast between a shiny new temple and fortified ruins.

The dark red and orange tower blends with the remains of the temple beautifully, and the white details in the house on the left really show how the stairs of the temple were used to build it. My favourite part is definetely the overgrown and decrepit temple itself, with its former glory hardly recognizable anymore, replaced with an impression of great age and a long and tragic history.

When generations intersect in a weird theme mash-up

I didn’t grow up with the classic space sets, so naturally I was never overly inspired to build in the colour scheme and building style. I did, however, grow up with classic Bionicle sets. Having built a 1:1 Toa Onua replica a while ago, I contemplated the comparison between the two themes as core nostalgic focal points of LEGO fans from different ages, which gives this casual looking MOC some surprising symbolic depth. Toa Enstau wasn’t started with an intention to be a Classic-Space/Bionicle mashup, but since I had borrowed a blue Hau kanohi mask and light gray is the easiest colour to build robotic details in, Classic Space turned out as the only logical choice.

The build is based on my experience from my earlier system-style bionicle, but since it is a completely original creation, I had less restrictions in recreating details and shapes. I realize the solar pannels don’t fit very much in either of the stlyes, but I still decided to use them, as it makes for a more unique character and I personally like them. The figure is well articulated, but fragile. There are more pictures of other angles and poses in my Bricksafe folder.

First steps into the wide wild world

There is a sense of playful curiousity in this bear cub creation by Miro Dudas. The effect comes from the animal’s posing, with a raised paw and a tilted head, which really makes the bear look alive. Carefully chosen colours and studs pointing outwards at all sides round off the build as an almost photorealistic recreation. While many builders would stop there, Miro goes an extra step, adding a few rocks and foliage to enhance the presentation. This bear cub is the latest of Miro’s creations for his woodland creatures series.

Obsolescence is the price of progress

Finding beauty in decay may be difficult and an acquired taste, but this scene by Revan New is so realistic, I believe everyone can appreciate the LEGO building skills on display. The photography and editing help a lot in achieving the effect, but the build itself is nothing to scoff at.

The uneven angles, hanging chains, and cluttered floor show obvious disuse, and the metal supports everywhere give it a strong industrial look. The composition is excellent, with moody lighting revealing a few splashes of yellow, around which the whole scene seems to be built.

A quiet summer evening in the Nine Kingdoms

The Nine Kingdoms is a German forum-based LEGO roleplaying game. It often produces impressive Castle-themed MOCs, such as this peaceful windmill scene by Markus Rollbühler. The model is full of details which come together as a realistic slice of Medieval life — the texture of the roof and upper walls, the unique brick-built windmill design, and the stone arches holding up the whole building. But what makes this creation really one-of-a-kind is the action outside — a family enjoying a peaceful summer day together. With so many Castle-themed creations focused on conflict and chaos, you’d imagine more Medieval minifigs wished they had this luxury…