A pair of LEGO birds, built from tiny feather elements, have found a home above a cozy hideaway in the woods. The contrast between the autumn leaves and bold blue roof are what immediately caught my attention, but jsnyder002 has packed this fantasy hermitage with little details and clever building solutions that I just keep finding more of every time I come back for another look.
Paul Trach takes inspiration from the World Of Warcraft movie for his latest LEGO creation — a scene depicting The Guardian Font. Here, Medivh, the titular Guardian, takes a break from creating a stone golem for a refreshing dip in the rejuvenating Mana Pool. Or at least that’s the story I’ve made up in my head around this fabulous model.
The tan and sand green colors work beautifully — a pleasant change from the traditional gray and brown of much Castle and Fantasy LEGO building. And the curved wall and double staircase are obvious highlights. But that backlit pool and the floor command all the attention. Normally I’m not a fan of the loose-brick “crazy paving” flooring style, but when it’s used like this, allowing the creation of an epic circle of runes, then I’m all in favour of it.
The other side to this year’s MOC Olympics finale madness was built by none other than Slovenian builder Deus Otiosus. Check out this amazingly detailed and rather mossy arena. The crumbling brickwork and throne are quite impressive, but my favorite details are the wonderfully expressive brick-built characters and the and fire-breathing dragon. Just look at that cone of flame erupting from the lizard beast’s mouth!
I think that the character sitting on the throne looks more jester than king, but that only adds to the madness of this LEGO creation. Deus Otiosus’s opponent in this LEGO duel to the death is W. Navarre, with his stupendous arena battle between a gladiator and a tiger. I certainly don’t envy the judges this year. To find out who was victorious, head over to MOCpages.
The final round of battle of the 2016 MOC Olympics is here and the top two contestants have been thrown to the lions and forced to build spectacular scenes of gladiatorial combat. For his final entry, W. Navarre built a gladiator facing off against a fearsome man-eating tiger.
The most impressive thing about this build is not the beautifully sculpted figures (though those are amazing!), but the fact that the entire scene is completely filled with LEGO. There’s so much texture and even a bit of gore, it feels like I’m sitting in the front row of the great Colosseum. Mr Navarre’s opponent in this LEGO duel to the death is Deus Otiosus with his fantastical arena battle between a knight and a dragon.
Although there is no snow in this little ravine scene by Lukasz Wiktorowicz, it certainly looks like a chilly day to be on that Asian-inspired covered bridge. The composition and muted color palette of this build are both remarkable. I love that Lukasz ingeniously used the old LEGO rope bridge piece upside down to add a beautiful curve to the bottom of his wooden bridge. But my favorite details are the roots and autumnal leaves on those stunning gray trees.
Marcel V. has built a wonderful microscale LEGO castle in a box. The fortress itself has hints of Disney in its soaring spires and color scheme, but for me it’s the classy brown and gold of the casket which elevate this model into something special. The silky lining within the box lid — achieved with a nice pattern of curved slopes — is excellent. It’s so good when a microscale creation is more than “just” a tiny version of something else. Here, the micro-ness fits with the setting to conjure up something altogether more magical.
I had a go at building a LEGO kingdom in a box myself a couple of years back. However, Marcel’s brick-built box is much cooler than the slightly scabby wooden chest I used for mine!
Ben Andrews describes this large LEGO diorama as a labor of love, and it certainly is lovely. An enormous tree stands atop a hill, full of treehouses, its trunk surrounded by winding staircases. Across a pool into which drains a broad waterfall sits a beautiful red-roofed watermill.
Full of stunning details and interesting little scenes, you don’t want to miss a single picture of Ben’s Observer Tree. At the top of the tree, there’s a small structure with a telescope, which is presumably where the tree gets its name.
See more of this excellent LEGO creation
jsnyder002 takes a trip East for his latest LEGO creation — a series of minarets and domed towers strewn across a rocky island chain. The architecture has a wonderful Middle-Eastern flavor, without being the stereotypical desert scene these kind of “Oriental fantasy” settings often take. I really like the two-tone rocks of the islands — it gives the impression the ocean around these outcrops might sometimes get quite rough.
There’s a nice sense of activity and bustle with the minifigs moving around the towers and docks. And don’t miss the intricate brickwork used to lend texture to the town’s walls, bridges and steps…
Most of the LEGO castles we’ve featured here on The Brothers Brick lately have started to all look the same — messy rockwork, roofs akilter, and plant life that looks like it’s going to strangle you if you look at it wrong. Greek LEGO builder Giorgos Solomonidis has gone a different direction, placing a pair of Viking boat hulls atop his gatehouse as its roof, and embellishing the wall with studs-out paneling rather than just messy brickwork. The windows built from hinge bricks are a particularly nice touch.
Brother Steven appears to enjoy a getaway in the woods. At least that’s the message I take from his latest LEGO scene, a forest hideaway lodge. The rock base is lovely, and the light gray bricks make a nice change from the usual darker shades used for stonework. The waterfall is well done and the lodge itself looks suitably rustic. The only bit I’m not sure about is the square-trunked trees, but even though I might have employed round bricks, it’s not a deal-breaker when everything else is so nicely worked.
And don’t miss the lodge’s interior and the hidden tunnel entrance when the model is viewed from the rear. This is a wonderful piece of LEGO building — I could look at it all day.
Out of necessity, most LEGO castle builders stick to a regular color palette of light gray or dark gray. Sometimes we’ll use tan if we’re feeling particularly frisky. But Patrick Massey has kicked this old convention out the window and assembled a medieval inn out of beautiful autumn colors. The end result is a stunning and unique creation that looks well lived-in (if not a little spooky).
Temperatures are dropping in the northern hemisphere and winter approaches quickly. Gerard Joosten has helped the black falcons prepare with this lovely Winter Fortress. As a long-time Castle fan, I love the traditional Black Falcon colors which make it highly recognizable. The walls themselves manage to mostly avoid the “great grey wall” syndrome with nice texturing and architectural elements.
What I love the most, though, is this gorgeous Black Falcon mosaic decorating the back tower. The details are fantastic, and give a lot of character to the build.
