When you think of floating islands, fantasy scenes may be what comes to mind, but I like the look of this tiny shop by sukhodolov_nikita, complete with some questionable utility pipes and wires. I also love the small cat looking for a snack of its own. Props for the use of an alien chef from the 2012-2013 Galaxy Squad theme.
When LEGO introduced a new scale of buildable figures for characters like Wednesday Addams, the sets introduced interchangeable printed faces with big eyes. As builder lavishlump points out, these faces are quite similar to the ones used for the popular Japanese Nendororoid figures and work great for LEGO anime characters too. Lavishlump used the Glinda face for a model of Alice Margatroid, a magical puppeteer from a Japanese PC game.
LegoWyrm uses the same techniques for a very different video game Alice – the heroine of American McGee’s Alice. Wednesday’s goth expression is a perfect match for this dark spin on Wonderland.
Time will tell if LEGO continues to release buildable figures at this scale and expand the face options for anime fans, but for now it’s great to see a specialized part spur creativity in the community.
Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is a jewel of Kyoto with a storied history. It burned down several times since the site became a Zen Buddhist temple in 1399, most recently in 1950, but it was always rebuilt with its top stories covered in gold leaf. Now it’s been rebuilt in LEGO as well, courtesy of Lasse Vestergård. Unlike the original, Lasse’s version isn’t just gilded but uses pearl gold bricks. With a limited range of elements in that color, the builder had to find creative solutions and work with small 1×1 and 1×2 plates to build the large structure. (Lasse has some experience with golden temples!) The temple looks incredible as it sits at an angle on a placid lake surrounded by gardens. I appreciate the brick-built hills in the distance, keeping every element on screen made from LEGO.
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a MOC of Kinkaku-ji. 18 years ago we presented a version by Japanese LEGO legend Jumpei Mitsui.
I was just telling anyone who would listen (friends, neighbors, courtroom judge) that it’s been awhile since LEGO produced a (wicked huge) UCS Tantive IV. Then LEGO Star Wars builder Mr. Idler comes along and fills the Tantive IV-shaped hole in our hearts with this amazing new creation. He nails the odd 11-engined corvette with perfect shaping and some rather clever build techniques. We all love Minifigures and I applaud LEGO for including them in their 2009 and 2019 sets but they’re rather improperly-scaled when posed next to the ship. Mr. Idler takes care of that with Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 microfigures that seem just about the right size for this model.
The Heartlake City Candy Store is a sweet addition to the LEGO Friends line built from bubblegum colors and packed with fun printed elements and sporting adorable mascots. But while it’s a good value for a playset, the shop is only a facade. Builder Suzies_bricks was inspired to give it a major upgrade to integrate into her Suzieville city of colorful custom modulars. Combining two copies of the Friends set and a whole lot more pieces, Suzie added an en extra story and adapted the interior to be minfig-friendly. Speaking of, Suzie assembled the most colorful characters possible to try out the new sweets. The building stretched Suzie’s supply of dark azure elements to the limit (nice assist from Ninjago City Gardens with that lovely pointed arch).
The best part of this sweet shop? There’s a slide into the ball pit that loops outside the building, a feature sorely lacking in LEGO’s official modular sets.
LEGO modular interior decor can be pretty cozy, but this next-level furniture setup by Oshi Builds could be straight out of a high-end design catalog. The builder employs a mix of familiar and new techniques while drawing on a very on-trend color palette to make a move-in-ready living room ensemble. Just look at those bowl chairs, formed from flower petals, and that console with bucket handles tucked away and slim legs held in place by rubber band. The only drawback to the room is there’s not much space for displaying one’s LEGO collection. We’re going to need a few more of those wonderful bookshelves.
LEGO builder Martin Spunkt presents a satisfying amphibious Volkswagen Schwimmwagen. It’s rugged features, heightened stance and oars assures us that this little beast can do some serious off-off-off roading right into the water. It’s a far better ride to haul band equipment around than the ’54 with a mashed-up door. He situates the vehicle in a grungy garage setting; a white zone, so to speak, which I presume is for loading and unloading only. My question: Is Martin even aware of the Frank Zappa reference staring us right in the face? Sound off in the comments if you’re in the know.
Studio Ghibli films are known for unusual and fanciful vehicles like the floating castle of Laputa from Castle in the Sky, or the glider from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, but few vehicles are more iconic than the walking, and at the end of the film, flying, castle belonging to the enigmatic magician Howl. The enchanted structure made from buildings, round cannon turrets, fishlike fins, and a large rusty face complete with riveted tongue, all walking along on four spindly chicken legs, poses many challenges to any builder, but Sakiya Watanabe works magic and brings it to life in bricks like never before.
When building something so iconic, choosing the right parts can be challenging, as there is nothing conventional about the outer surface of the castle. How do you form a cohesive model out of such a chaotic inspiration? (I’ve tried myself once before – it wasn’t easy!)
Read on to learn how Sakiya Watanabe weaved his LEGO magic and tamed Howl’s famous castle
Over the last year, generative AI images based on LEGO prompts have unleashed countless colorful images of jungles, ruins, and temples that lack the grace of a designer’s hand but sometimes hint at what could be built. It was images like those that prompted Syrdarian to build a jungle temple in real bricks, complete with the bright colors and flowing water that’s so appealing. I’m impressed by how well the mix of tan, peach, and orange shades blends together, and how two shades of azure blue works better than one. The scene suggests the play of light and shadow. The stonework is nicely accented by subtle details, like the wooden scaffolding and a lone duck peeking out from the corner. Syrdarian’s model makes a good case that while AI slop will never replace the work of a master builder, it can still inspire.
The Iron Builder competition pits two creators from the LEGO community against each other to make amazing models that must incorporate a surprise “seed part.” Like in the show Iron Chef, creators are judged both on their overall creativity and on how they showcase the signature “ingredient.” For Season 7 round 5, which starts this week, the contenders for the Iron Builder crown are Bousker and Tim Goddard. The seed part is Airplane Door in White, a tricky part indeed.
Tim is a TBB legend whose stellar Star Wars creations have made him one of our most featured builders for well over a decade (not that we’re taking sides!). The first builder to create a model, Tim kicks off the competition with a sporty little spacecraft that wouldn’t seem out of place in the expanded Star Wars universe, with the seed part used four times to house the engines.
Bousker is also a Star Wars builder and has been quite active in LEGO competitions in recent years, continually impressing us with innovative parts usage and incredible use of perspective and immerisve photography. Bousker steps into the game with a perfectly staged shoe store scene that features at least 30 uses of the door by my count. There are so many clever techniques on display, from high heels and sandles where the seed piece makes up the majority of the model, to the ingenious pair of Converse All Stars with the doors sunken into the brown shelf so that only a strip appears for the rubber sole.
We’ll be back to cover the results of this latest battle, but for now be sure to follow the Iron Builders instagram to see the builds as they come in, complete with the playful and pun-filled trash-talking that the event is known for.
Here at Brothers Brick we have a soft spot for both vintage vehicles and sleek spacehips, so when a custom sky-fi model comes across our radar, we have to cover it. Thomas Weigelt is no stranger to flying craft that fuse retro and futuristic elements, and their latest creation might be my favorite craft the builder has yet made. First, it’s a seaplane, which brings to mind the dogfights and adventure of Porco Rosso and Tail Spin. Second, it’s a biplane, with curved wings that evoke a dragonfly. And finally, it packs a monster piston engine that you can practically hear firing up.
Thomas’s color blocking is phenomenal, with dark blue detailing, a complementary stripe of orange, and a pop of lime green on the propeller. The piston design uses wheels topped with ice skates and packs big muscle car energy. And the propeller blades are made from Uruk-hai swords, an inspired choice of part. When I see a build like this, I want to know more about the pilot. Was it a hero like Porco Rosso, a pirate like Don Karnage?
LEGO and video games are overlapping more and more, with partnerships with big players like Fortnite, Minecraft, Mario Kart, and even Horizon taking up a growing share of LEGO releases. Of course, no amount of official sets can keep up with all the games being released on PC and consoles. Fortunately, there are plenty of amazing builders making custom versions of game characters we love.
Kamil Karpiński is a builder we’ve spotlighted several times for his bolstered figs that integrate brick anatomy with minifig heads. For this tribute to From Software’s cult classic Bloodborne, the builder sticks with classic minifig parts and perfectly captures the Victorian horror aesthetic of the game. The rubber band wrapped around the sawtooth blade and the extra buckles on the arm really sell it.
beyondb0nes also found inspiration in Bloodborne with this minifig take on Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower.
Free play enabled. No need to insert another coin to continue!
