Tag Archives: Andreas Lenander

A desert dwelling worth gold ingots

As any builder knows, the release of an existing LEGO piece in a new colour provides lots of opportunities for building. Such was Andreas Lenander‘s thinking when getting hold of the gold ingot in tan, a new colour for the piece. His build of the aptly named Kumi’dia residence utilises this part all over the middle-eastern style dwelling. The ground is packed with these ingots to represent cobblestone brickwork as well as the textured base of the build. But my favourite is their combination with masonry bricks and 1×2 rounded plates for the textured wall. With a sprinkle of dark tan here and there, it perfectly conveys the weathered wall of the desert retreat.

Some gold and transparent light blue parts adorn the top of the building, conveying the resident’s wealth. In addition, Andreas uses a Bespin hemisphere part (from the Star Wars: Planet series) for the dome. Aside from the building itself I really like the small tree in the courtyard. It uses lasso and whip parts connect the leaves, which is a unique building technique and difficult to get right.

See more of Andreas Lenander’s builds here on TBB, as well on his Flickr, where he has similar architectural builds.

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LEGO brick shows its true colors

No matter what color we are on the outside, inside, we are all the same. If you crack us open, we spill our bright and beautiful ABS plastic filling out into endless possibilities of shapes and forms. Andreas Lenander reminds us that many beautiful and amazing things can be created from LEGO elements, which have certainly come a long way since that first 2×4 classic red brick.

A welcome shelter from the cold

If you are traveling across the land in winter, a place to shelter for the night and get out of the cold can be a true treasure. In this scene by Andreas Lenander, a humble stone tower provides a place for weary travelers to escape the harsh temper of winter. The use of stacked mason bricks at the corners provides subtle texture, along with the simple choice of a few green plates. I also love the river breaking out of the base, with some transparent plates to give the brook a babbling appearance.

Chubby Grimlock is the best Grimlock

So…anyone else finding that self-isolation has lead to needing to let a notch or two out on your belt? It can’t be just me, as this LEGO Grimlock by Andreas Lenander seems to have put on a few ounces as well. Personally, this cute and cuddly version of the leader of the Dinobots feels like an upgrade. I like the highly-articulated tail, the use of ingots to break up the the curved slopes, and those cute little arms.

At least he’s venturing outside, based on those flowers. I should probably do that, too.

Minifig springs from the original LEGO brick

In the beginning, there was Brick, and it was good. It was smooth, perfect, and devoid of all color. Then one day, a great rumbling was heard deep within the brick and a wonderous sloshing sound. With a mighty crack, golden yellow life burst forth from the brick and spilled color into the universe. So goes the legend of the first Minifig, captured in all its glory by Andreas Lenander

A tiny escape from the world

Are you looking for an escape from the day to day grind, but have only a modest LEGO budget? Maybe you can take inspiration from the Teeny tiny treehouse built by Andreas Lenander. It’s just as sweet as a large Ideas set, but at a fraction of the part count. Andreas hasn’t shared any instructions, but we can still make some guesses as to what supplies you’d want. First, you’ll want to snag a decent amount of minifigure lassos, as they form the basis of the tree. You’ll also need some cheese slopes, headlight bricks, modified 1×1 with rod plates and rounded 2×2 plates for the ladder and treehouse. Oh. And some various bits of greenery. I’m sure it’s a super easy build. I’m also sure that the last statement was a complete lie. This is some skilled and imaginative craftsmanship.

Still, if we all give it a go, we could be on the verge of a giant (albeit microscale) treehouse boom. Think of how relaxing that could be!

The portal drew him onward

Out for a walk in the forest, and you stumble across an ancient inter-dimensional portal. What to do, what to do? Only one thing for it — grab your gear and see where it takes you. Andreas Lenander‘s LEGO portal gate is nicely weathered, creating a sense of age and decay, and the tree is wonderfully gnarly and twisted — a result of it being constructed mostly from minifigure lasso pieces. However, the eyes are drawn inexorably to the glowing blue portal, a collection of around 600 stacked lightsaber blades, backlit to create a stunning effect. It looks great, but I dread to think what happens when Andreas tries to move this thing!

Whatever floats your goat

If you’re like me, you’ve probably lost plenty of sleep wondering if there will be goats in outer space. Thankfully, Andreas Lenander has built a LEGO diorama that ought to squelch our nocturnal worries. It’s a rather neat Goat Transport Facility on Epsilon IV that uses robots and other science-y stuff to make sure the future and outer space still have these lovable and occasionally delicious creatures around to chew your socks or whatever. Amazing details abound whether they be the repetitive use of ingots, well placed tire rims or flex-hoses. My favorite part would have to be the adorable goats in their own floating hermetically-sealed containers. You can say the containers are…totes-ma-goats. Tee hee. Hah! Am I right, people? Hilarious, right? No? OK, I’ll just let myself out. Sorry.

The cutest of sea cows

Did you know that some people hypothesize the name “walrus” originated from the Danish word “hvalros” meaning sea horse or cow? So naturally, walruses and Denmark-based LEGO would go hand in hand! (Or flipper in brick, I suppose.) And this lovely brick-built pinniped created by Andreas Lenander is as adorable as they come. Look at those little tusks!

Speaking of tusks, part of their scientific name, Odobenus, means “tooth-walker” and refers to how they drag themselves out of the water by those giant canines. So now you know! If you would like to check out more animal builds, take a look at this lifesize-(ish) rat, an elegant buck, or a fishing grizzly bear. We’ve even featured the walrus’s vulnerable neighbor, the polar bear.

She’s got it where it counts, kid

Is there a spaceship as universally beloved as the Millennium Falcon? Maybe the Enterprise is close, but then you get into a debate about which Enterprise is beloved, since numerous ships have held the moniker. But there is only one Falcon (even if it’s had a few changes). Maybe it’s the way it looks like a pile of garbage, or a rusty bucket of bolts, the kind of ship that leaves you saying, “Hear me, baby, hold together” whenever you hit a bump, just like the first car you bought in high school. It’s even got those stupid dice hanging from the rearview mirror, and you gotta believe Han’s got a few of those pine tree-shaped air fresheners hung up around the ship. Seeing her fly, somehow, despite being anti-aerodynamic, through the atmosphere, trailing a pretty blue jetstream – magic. Andreas Lenander captures a bit of that feel with his latest LEGO build, showing the Millennium Falcon blasting out of some hive of scum and villainy or other.

It is at a smaller scale, so naturally quite a bit of detail is lost, like the proper number and positioning of the heat exhaust vents on the back or the exposed access hatches on the front mandibles. But who cares when the glowing blue trail is so perfect? The greebles are nicely executed, with a nice assortment of parts, including handcuffs and stickers from one of the official sets. And the city down below looks appropriate for the universe without being tied down to any particular locale. I love the use of the microfighter Falcon’s cockpit cone for a building’s windows. But that LED-lit blue trail is the highlight, fit for the fastest ship in the galaxy, capable of making 0.5 past light speed.

An elegant weapon for a more civilized age

Yeah, with a title like that I bet you thought you were going to see a review of even more Mandalorian-related LEGO creations. Fooled you! This time the “weapon” refers to a selection of Batman’s gadgets, and the “civilized age” is the golden age of radio. And what a radio it is. Builder Andreas Lenander took those accessories and reimagined them as the knobs and feet of a classic set. You have to also enjoy the use of the 1×2 grill tiles to recreate the look of the speaker. The dark tan and orange accent colors are what really tie the build together, though.

Andreas built this as part of a New Elementary parts fest – check out their Flickr album for more great part usage!

A build to watch out for

Most builders seem to gravitate towards the unusual when crafting their LEGO creations, from fantastic castles to spaceships, perfectly maintained and bustling historic downtowns, or superheroes. We all know those things don’t exist. But sometimes a builder builds something mundane, commonplace, and knocks it out of the park. Take this watch by Andreas Lenander. I think the results tock, er, speak for themselves, but I especially love the presentation with the brick-built box and the delightful band that looks properly wearable.

Built for a challenge over at New Elementary, the hands are neatly crafted with a new Batman accessory, though as a result the watch can only ever tell times that have the hands at 90 degrees from each other. Not that a LEGO watch actually tells time, of course, unless we are talking about the line of watches that TLG has released as gear. Rounded 1×2 plates with holes make the band seem supple, and the 4×4 round tile looks like a watch face when inverted, with a little line for 12 and 6 o’clock. This is an ordinary object, perhaps, but the build is extraordinary.

Love LEGO watches? Check out this Rolex from a while back.