Posts by Norm Harper

It’s a fairy tale in microscale

We’re all familiar with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Probably everyone reading this can sum it up in just a few words: Magic beans, giant’s castle, golden goose. But how many of us could tell the story in brick form as well as Markus Rollbühler has? Considering this vignette sits on just a 12×12 footprint, it’s amazing how much technique is packed into it. From the books and their detailed pages, to the microscale farmland, to the magic castle in the clouds. I’m particularly enamored with the use of Clone Trooper helmet antennae as a windmill. And that brick built “J” replicating a medieval drop cap is the sort of detail that makes this small vignette a giant-sized success.

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The plan to pilfer the potion proceeds perfectly.

Spinning us a magical tale, Chris Perron has built a 12×12 vignette depicting two thieves stealing a magical potion from the storeroom of a busy wizard. Chris was inspired by Harry Potter and Hero Quest, and the influences really shine through. There’s a lot to love in this whimsical build. Chris makes great use of color throughout, and there are plenty of wonderful details like the slightly askew boards on the trap door. The stack of scrolls on the top floor, made by attaching 1×1 cones together with a trio of One Rings is a great touch. One has to wonder what these thieves plan to do with the magical elixir. Restore a fallen comrade? Win the heart of a fair maiden? Or maybe they just think it’s booze…

A mountain sanctuary as big as a mountain

After a long journey, two weary travelers have finally set their eyes on their destination – and what a destination it is. Builder Joe (jnj_bricks) is no stranger to working with effective forced perspective, and this time he’s delivered such a large model that it’s hard to fathom it isn’t actually to scale with the minifigures in the foreground. But this amazing build has more going for it than size alone. The lighting of the scene is incredible, and the mountain sanctuary looks suitably carved from the rocks that surround it. The pillars and arches offer enough variety to keep your eye entertained, while repeating enough shapes to make the location feel cohesive. But I think my favorite detail is the two streams of water falling in the background. The layering of trans-clear plates and tiles to create arcs of water falling off of and away from the cliff is in an incredibly clever touch that adds to the model’s overall feeling of realism.

More than twice the power of traditional Grayskull

The original Masters of the Universe figures stood about 5 and ½ inches tall. Robert Lundmark’s take on four of the series’ major characters measures more than twice as high. Standing at 32 cm (a little more than a foot), these brick-built versions of Man-At-Arms, He-Man and Battle Cat, Skeletor, and Beast Man would take the power of Grayskull to new heights if they found themselves transferred to Eternia. Robert’s done an amazing job at capturing these warriors in LEGO form. Every detail from Battle Cat’s armor to Skeletor’s havoc staff is instantly recognizable. Plus, the use of the Bionicle shin guard on Man-At-Arms’ neck armor is so close to the actual thing that it made me do a double-take.

This variant-based Loki variant is very antagonistic

There’s no doubt that one of the stand-out characters from Disney+’s hit show Loki was the adorable Lokigator, a reptile-based variant of the mischievous title character. Although he was only in one episode, Lokigator obviously struck a chord with builder Claudio Tavella, who drew inspiration from both the show and LEGO set 76190 to give us a Mech Lokigator. As a digital adaption of the Iron Monger set, this mean machine is loaded with tons of weaponry, as well a chest-based cockpit for any additional Lokis to pilot. He Who Remains might think he knows everything that’s going to happen, but I’d love to see how he handles this beast coming through the door of the Citadel at the End of Time.

Don’t miss more of the LEGO Loki cast that we featured recently, too!

Flames amongst the ocean

Myleth Dorei is under attack by a vicious dragon. His terrible flame breath has bisected the island, cutting off the small fishing village from the castle with a trail of charred forest. Will the islanders survive this brutal attack? Only builder Andreas Lenander knows for sure. Andreas has done an excellent job at rendering a complex story in a small space with this microscale vignette. It’s full of lots of clever details, like using some Harry Potter wands still connected to a spur as the castle gate. And the dragon is effectively rendered in very few pieces, so that it’s light enough to be suspended in the sky by the fire that its breathing. But my favorite detail is the hollow space in the center, covered with trans-clear plates that allow the light from an iPhone to shine upwards, creating a true sense of a raging inferno.

This brick-built cat is life-sized…and it loves you just as much.

I’m a cat guy. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs, but they can be a tad needy. That’s why I appreciate the independent streak of a cat. Sometimes you need your pet to go entertain itself for a while, right? You can’t always be hugging and cuddling and… Well, anyway, that’s why this life-size cat LEGO creation by Ed Diment has got me thinking I might need to trade up. Why shouldn’t I have a LEGO cat instead? It takes up the same amount of space as my cat, and it’s got those cute tufts of fur in the ears made from teeth plates. But it doesn’t need to be fed or taken to the vet. And it will shower me with just as much affection as my cat does. Which is to say none. Rascal, I don’t know if you’re reading this, but…I just want to cuddle. Why do you have to hurt me so?

Is there this much room in your mushroom?

Eat your heart out, Papa Smurf. Whimsical mushroom homes don’t come much better than Mushroom Manor by builder valerius_maximus. An artisan stone walkway leads to a front door that’s all charm, thanks in part to its turntable-based decorative window. Go inside and make yourself at home by tending to the windowsill planter, then wind your way up either of the branching towers. It’s the towers that really set this home apart from other mushrooms in the neighborhood. Decorated with a lovely winding vine, these towers say, “this is where you want to get your medicinal elixirs/a new clue about your side quest.” And don’t forget to spend an afternoon in the surrounding gardens with a gorgeous bouquet of wildflowers and…smaller mushrooms? Huh. Is this area zoned for a detached guest house?

Initiate happiness protocols or face termination…

Your smile is your most valuable asset. That’s why Bob Droid, by Simon Liu, is going to make sure it stays on your face by eliminating anything that might make you frown. Bob Droid is a prototype Ansui VIP protective drone unit, which no doubt costs a bundle. But it’s worth it to keep away any would-be assassins. By adding a printed emoji tile to a futuristic mech, Simon’s made something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. With a super-articulated frame and a smile as bright as the explosions from his rocket launcher, you’ll never feel happier than you do with Bob Droid at your side.

The Fast and the Fellowship

In 2016, LEGO introduced the Mighty Micros line, featuring heroes and villains doing battle in tiny, individually-themed supercars. Unfortunately, as fun as those sets were, the line was limited to the Marvel and DC licenses. But now builder Milan Sekiz has now offered us a glimpse at what might have been, had the line expanded to Rivendell and beyond. Who cares if there are no internal combustion engines in Middle Earth? These things are adorable. And they perfectly blend the Mighty Micros spirit with the heroes and villains of this epic saga. From Aragon’s horse-powered horse to the Uruk-hai driving a literal white hand, it’s the cutest Tolkien’s work has ever been.

This build really gets my goat

One of my favorite creatures of folklore is the Chupacabra, an animal known for draining the blood of goats and other livestock. Builder Joss Woodyard has created a post-apocalyptic take on this cryptid with the Gamma Sucker. No doubt livestock is harder to come by in the wasteland, so this nuclear-powered techno-beast drinks the radiation from whatever it can.

The use of color here creates the sense of a mechanical creature that’s coursing with energy and life, despite its dirty and rusted frame. And I love the implied function of the “digestive system.” It’s so easy to imagine the absorbed radiation flowing through the trans-clear/lime hoses, into those processing tanks on the side, and then getting fed into the rear-mounted engine to drive those giant treads, which just push the monster forward in search of more radiation. It’s a vicious cycle, but a guy’s gotta eat.

Rejectz of the Universe

Netflix is about to debut a brand-new “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” cartoon, and the Rejectz are here to commemorate the occasion. Builder Iain Heath’s Rejectz are a “so ugly they’re adorable” alternative to LEGO’s official Brickheadz. The heroes and villains of Eternia have definitely fallen under Iain’s spell, as Man-At-Arms, He-Man, Orko, and Skeletor are replaced by Arms Guy, Heh-Man, Urhg, and Boner.