Tag Archives: Castor Troy

You light up my life

LEGO has released a lot of 1:1 real-world items lately, and if you’re willing to collect them all, you’re well on your way back to a vintage workspace. You’ve got a typewriter and a globe, and even a lunchbox if you’re so inclined. But you’re still on your own if you want to keep working after dark. Builder Castor Troy, in collaboration with builder Max Brich, have found a solution, though. This art-deco inspired lamp is wired with LED lights to shine through that Tiffany-style lampshade. The solid base has just enough detailing to suggest metalwork, which carries up nicely into the delicate curves formed from LEGO plant elements and tubing in the lamp stand proper. It certainly fooled me into thinking this was an antique at first glance, anyway.

LEGO Ideas - LED Lamp

Sadly, this is only an idea at present, as those stained glass bits consist of parts LEGO hasn’t released in transparent colors. But, in the meantime, we can take our inspiration and make our own forays into custom building. In fact, we’ve got a lot to offer in our archives if Art Deco is your thing.

A charmed LEGO cottage

A quaint little stone cabin in the woods is overgrown with vines and flowers. Far from a creepy, stereotypical witch’s home, this project by builder Castor Troy, in collaboration with builder Max Brich, was focused on giving witches a better image. The creatures of the forest seem to love gathering around this witch’s delightful cottage. The builders sought after a more rehabilitated, benevolent witch, emphasizing the magical relationship with nature and their healing abilities, instead of reinforcing negative stereotypes. Wooden accents define the edges of the stonework wall using brown hinges and a little bit of LEGO geometry. Angled roofs snugly cover the home, as a cobbled chimney rises up next to a lovely A-frame roof as tall as the tree next door.

Witch House on Lego Ideas

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Take those galleons to the bank

Watching the Harry Potter films is somewhat of a holiday tradition for my family. Builder Castor Troy has surely seen the films plenty of times because his model of Gringotts bank is spot on. The size and bulk of the build match perfectly to the Minifigure Ron and Harry hanging out by the large front doors. The leaning columns that make the face of the bank so distinct are wonderfully captured. The dome capping it all off is actually Yavin-4 from the second series of the Star Wars Planets. I have to commend that parts usage due to its marbling of greens and gold. It perfectly matches the gold detailing around it and the bank as a whole. The architectural style of the building is well built, full of detail and prestige.

Harry Potter - Gringotts bank

Harry and Ron are probably off to spend their holiday money amongst the shops of Diagon Alley. Hopefully, they get something practical in addition to the sweets, Quidditch gear, and joke supplies. Then again, it is Ron and Harry.

Explore the science of steam in this all-in-one laboratory.

Steampunk is one of those things that I’ve always felt like I would really enjoy. Science-fiction, Victorian England, the American Wild West, top hats, goggles…I love all that stuff. But, for some reason, I’ve never really taken the plunge to familiarize myself with the genre. But this digital LEGO build by Castor Troy and Max Birch might be what pushes me over the edge. A research station where the greatest minds on Earth gather to unlock the secrets of astrophysicists, botany, engineering…and then they go flying around in a bat-winged submarine? What could be cooler?

Steampunk Explorers

This complex can be split into three separate buildings, and inside you’ll find rooms devoted to all areas of study: from a mechanical workshop to a greenhouse, to a space observation dome. And, when you’ve gathered the intelligence you need, explorers can launch off in a hot air balloon from the top floor of the central building.

And speaking of explorers, the building has an octet of adventurers ready to tackle the great mysteries of the unknown together. They look like such inviting people. And I love any excuse to wear a vest. Yeah, I gotta research this Steampunk stuff.

Steampunk Explorer