Tag Archives: Cab ~

Putting the vest in vestibule

This collection of towers proves you don’t need a towering collection to produce memorable LEGO creations, and that a little expert part usage goes a long way. Flickr user Cab ~ shows us how it’s done, by repurposing some well-known minifigure accessories, saying they “felt bad for the parts that never get any use”. At first glance I questioned whether the rocket-to-rodent connection was legitimate, thinking there might be some photo trickery at play or perhaps a gravity fit (that’d be some feat of balancing), but it checks out! So, no matter where you stand on such techniques, these Lilliputian landmarks can be enjoyed by all.

Little Castles

Going out on a limb for a good view from home

From the imagination of Cab ~ comes a LEGO cottage held fast above a flowing river. Did the land form in such a fashion, or did the wizard shape it with magic? Who’s to say, but the end result is certainly an eyecatcher! Built for the Summer Joust contest, for the Bridging the Gap category, the arm stretches across more than 32 studs. The arm is supported by way of technic pieces hidden in the structure, with only 4 technic pins holding it to the base. The background and surrounding landscape use forced perspective to achieve some wonderful depth, but my attention is pulled to the foreground details. The wizard’s goat has broken free, making a dash for the nearby woods. The wizard chases after it along the arm’s length. The shaping of the terrain, from the wooded area up to the land, is absolutely gorgeous! It features great use of slopes, tiles, plates, and hinges to achieve a really standout build.

In Good Hands

Of course, that’s not to mention the cottage itself! The walls of the home contain a plethora of rounded pieces, including some minifig headwear. Can you spot them? I personally like the use of croissants for the chimney’s smoke and the red kite flying in the wind. There’s also a skunk hiding somewhere in the scene. Take a look, but be careful lest it sprays you!

At least it wasn’t just whitewashed

A limited color palette can be tricky to work with in a creation. I’ve done LEGO builds where I only used one color, and it was challenging. Cab ~ here has limited the palette in this cathedral to just three: light bluish grey, transparent red, and transparent yellow. The back-lit stained glass is beautiful, each window unique and telling part of the Easter story, according to the builder, if in an abstracted way. The vaulted ceiling, held together by interior flex tube, looks great, too. It does look a little bland with only grey, however, or maybe just incomplete; so perhaps now that the masons have finished their part, the rest of the artisans can get to work adding paintings, gilded ornaments, and tapestries to outfit the cathedral for its intended purpose, glorifying God.

Tri-color Cathedral

Like church architecture? Check out some more churches and cathedrals in the TBB archives.

Will anyone trade me two bricks for one sheep?

I’m trying to build the longest road here, folks. I need those bricks. Anyone who has ever played the board game The Settlers of Catan will instantly relate to this build by Cab ~, with the hexagonal board tiles and the wooden game pieces. This one is built in three dimensions, however, and with LEGO bricks. Impressively, the whole scene is LEGO, including the cards in the background, the table, and the dice. I happen to love mosaics, and the work that went into those cards is well worth it. I also love Catan, so this build has me wanting to have a game night. The only problem is the social distancing. Maybe if we all sit six feet apart it will work…

Game Night

It’s also an entry to the Iron Forge, the open-to-all-comers entry competition to the famous Iron Builder, so you can see lots of minifigure legs in the build. They give the hexagons their distinctive shape. I also love the clips for the sheep’s grass and the grille tiles for wheat. Now if only I had built my settlement on the bricks.