Ids de Jong invites us into the fantastical realm of Dawnward as a terrifying earth dragon approaches the castle. This microscale scene makes terrific use of parts to convey shape and texture – from the grill tiles forming battlements along the castle walls, to the minifigure chopsticks working as the dragon’s head. The result is a serene autumn day that is about to end in fire and blood. I hope those wagons at the castle’s entrance can make their escape in time.
Posts by Norm Harper
A LEGO Quantumaniac
The first trailer for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania dropped less than two weeks ago, but it has already inspired some LEGO homages. Case in point, this build by flambo14 of Scott Lang going giant in a microscopic Quantum Realm city. Scott’s brick-built proportions are a little more realistic compared to his minifigure-esque giant-form in the 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle, which allows him to take a more natural pose in this shot. And the microscale city gives us some charming Classic Space vibes thanks to the use of the inclined supports and old school loud speakers. Check out more of flambo14’s sci-fi movie homages in our archives.
Are you ready to see the dessert menu?
Martin Gebert has served up some delicious looking brick-built creations that would make even the most seasoned pastry chefs drool with envy. The four-tiered cake, with its layers that get darker the higher you go, is decorated with a generous serving of minifigures beards. And this fruit tart is sure to delight even the most discerning of sweet tooths. Be careful, those reddish-brown plates have a tendency to snap, and the fragments can get caught in your teeth.
This alien shaman has a few tips for getting ahead...
Eyrezer digs deep into the lore of Star Wars with this Joddar shaman, who hails from the Valley of the Wizard Warriors on Endor. While the shaman himself looks to be just a Killer Croc big fig in a cloak, the alien terrain he stands on perfectly calls to mind the sci-fi trends of the early 1980s, with its Dr. Seussian plants growing out of the harsh rocks. The decapitated heads on chains are probably not something that would have flown in a kid-friendly Ewok adventure back then, but I bet there are several modern days fans who don’t mind seeing Rotta lanced.
Eat your heart out, Buffy Summers
A vampire’s thirst for blood draws him into a cunning trap in this clever Halloween creation by Lego_nuts. This sleeping damsel is actually an experienced vampire slayer, lying in wait for her prey with a whole chest full of useful weapons at the ready.
Lego_nuts has a history of photographing intricate builds with atmospheric lighting, creating images you want to spend extra time looking over so you can catch every detail and building technique. Thankfully, there’s almost always a corresponding video so you can see the build in greater detail.
A broom that zooms
Keep your eyes on the skies this Halloween. You never know when this witch by Dan Ko might dive-bomb you. This tiny build is big on character, with just a few lime green pieces forming a gloriously grumpy witch’s face. Cleaver use of cleavers make the perfect pair of arms. And it’s all suitably suspended in the air with some of Spider-Man’s webbing. (It just occurred to me, I bet Peter Parker can decorate for Halloween in no time flat.)
Crashing waves and toppled treasure
A group of privateers have brought their plunder to shore in this amazing vignette by Nicholas Goodman. Nicholas has achieved one of the best wave effects I’ve ever seen, sculpting foam so real I can smell the salt air. The slight incline in the shore and the line between wet and dry sand help sell the effect of being on an actual beach. Environment details like that really help sell the storytelling going on with the minifigures. I have a feeling that even though eight men came ashore, after spilling that chest only seven are leaving…
The best decorations mean the best confections
LEGO builder Julius Von Brunk has constructed an homage to the yearly quest for candy that brings back fond memories. Navigating a neighborhood on Halloween night in search of treats can be a tricky business. You need to look for a porch light, at the very least, if you expect the occupants to open the door. A jack-o’-lantern on the porch is a sure sign that a house has got some candy on hand. But if you want the good stuff, you have to find the most elaborately decorated domiciles. Julius illustrates that here with a lovely trio of townhouses. Each home has its own unique character, but repeating motifs like window placement and roof shape suggest that they were built as part of the same community. Still, it’s the house in the middle that the kids are really lining up for. Because they’ve gone all out with decorations scary enough to send some kids running away in fear (after collecting a full-size chocolate bar, of course). C’mon, Green House Guy, your pig mask is cute and all. But you’re handing out fruit. Get your head in the game.
Need a hell-ping hand?
This five-fingered demon by Nathan Hake is an unconventional monster that makes for a suitably spooky way to celebrate Halloween. Inspired by cover art from an album by the Dead Pirates, Nathan has crafted plenty of character into this gruesome glove. The use of curved slopes and hinges creates a surprisingly anatomically accurate hand shape that feels like it could grab hold of anything. And a fortuitous lighting mishap gave the final pic a classic horror movie feel.
An RPG tribute that will make you say OMG.
This digital creation by Dale Harris pits a trio of unfortunate adventurers against some skeleton warriors and a massive dracolich. (For those of you not familiar with Dungeons & Dragons – and I count myself among you – all you need to know is that a dracolich is sort of an undead dragon thing. Although Dale’s work makes that pretty clear.) The massive skeletal dragon is obviously the immediate eye catcher in this build, but I’m particularly drawn to the work on the curved stone staircase on which our heroes find themselves trapped. Hopefully the die rolls their way.
A keetchee-a buoild zeet vill meke-a yuou sey ‘Bork Bork Bork!’
We recently covered an impressive Muppet Labs build by martin.with.bricks. And now it’s time to light the lights on the Swedish Chef’s kitchen. Poor Camilla is about to get turned into a serving of “Chickie in the Basket” unless something in that kitchen eats the Chef first. Martin’s perfectly captured the set from the original The Muppet Show, with lots of round tiles replicating the unique wall paper, and all the shelving and kitchenware that the Chef used to cause his culinary mayhem.
We’ve fallen in love with this Tumbler variation.
In the movie Batman Begins, the Batmobile is a prototype military vehicle that never made it into full production. But, had the Tumbler been put into military use, there’d probably be all kinds of variations on it in pop culture, like this Mass Effect 2 inspired version by Slick_Brick. The Tumbler’s trademark wheels and back fins make the vehicle instantly recognizable. But the details like rooftop lights and four minifigure seating give it an identity all its own.
And as a nice bonus detail, the display base has a clever set of tire tracks built into it. And check out that jet booster.