As much as I love the LEGO Harry Potter sets I have to admit one thing. The scale they are built in does not lend itself to adding the amount of details I’d love to see. LEGO fan creations however never stop to amaze me. One of these creations is Moaning Myrtle by Caleb Schilling. Caleb built the prefects’ bathroom from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The use of the white half round tiles to add marble details to the bathtub wall looks splendid. It is also nice to see the Fabuland flask being used in a modern day creation. It is a bit bigger than minifigure scale but it works perfectly in this setting. Using old school lace fences to create the stained glass windows is a really nice touch. I love how the light appears to be peeking through all the trans clear plates.
Tag Archives: CheeseyStudios
An explosive meeting of two great LEGO themes
Two LEGO themes come together in this cool vignette from CheeseyStudios. Steve seems to have a love for the explosive lure of TNT–maybe he’s found the secret joy of creepers… The knight seems unsuspecting of the danger waiting outside the castle gate, but his horse is vigilant. This vignette is built for the day 2 Vignweek prompt of ‘Theme Mix’, and CheeseyStudios’s has a great love for the awesome themes of Castles and Minecraft. The two blend together wonderfully with their blocks and bricks, most obvious in the rocks, land, and wall near Steve. I also admire the castle banners with their dual blue and the clever use of the Friends theme horse saddle. Another great use of the horse saddle is for the underside of the brick-built horse and its raiment. The horse towers over all with its long legs, ideal for catching Steve before he lights any TNT!
The Era of the new Castle Bros has begun....
When you put a title like Castle Bros on the line, you better be ready to back it up eventually with some epic, medieval models. After he and his brother succeeded in securing the victory, LEGO Masters contestant Caleb Schilling was well aware of this obligation. Compelled to revive the build that won the bet, Caleb did so with style. The Joust of Sir Bob and Sir Leon takes place high on the bridge above the castle gates, surrounded by colorful citizens celebrating the competition. Red and blue banners wave above their heads for their favorite knights as they look on from various levels of this towering castle. The molding of the bridge is brilliantly detailed, emulating carved stone with gold inlets. Honestly, the parapets of each tower and turret are beautifully designed with wonderfully textured walls and arrowslits dotting them. My absolute favorite portion is the entryway. This design is honestly gorgeous. The use of sand green and dark orange contrasts nicely with the highlight of white and peek of yellow from above. The plants adorning the windowsills, the ivy climbing the left turret, and the bright tree atop the entryway add an organic element to the stone and mortar.
Caleb Schilling, and Jacob for that matter, have impressed me so far in their tenure as the Castle Bros. Their use of bright colors to contrast the greys and browns common in castle designs breathes life into the concept. This model and that from the show seem almost animated with how the characters and buildings complement each other. I can’t wait to see Caleb’s next castle.
Rescue from the Merpeople
Rescue from the Merpeople was released in 2005, that’s right, 15 years ago! It was a small build but it contained 5 unique figures. It was the first set, and still one of the only sets, containing sleepy faced minifigurs. On top of that LEGO gave us their first mermaid minifigure. Whether or not you think the mermaid is pretty is a matter of taste. In 15 years a lot has changed in the world of LEGO and Caleb Schilling shows us a peek of what the set might look like if LEGO would ever decide to redesign it. I am really fond of the demure use of colour in this creation. The only vibrant colour comes from the vegetation and some of the characters’ outfits. The base is especially well made, showing little to no studs. The skirts on Hermoine and Cho further add to the flowing underwater feel of this creation.
We used to build LEGO spaceships and wonder at our place in the stars
Going by the latest reports, Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited Tenet will finally hit big screens less than a month. While we still wait, it might be the best time to re-watch another movie by one of the greatest directors of our time. CheeseyStudios suggests the 2014 epic sci-fi Interstellar. His build of The Endurance spaceship is much more complicated than it looks. Note it consists of 12 sections, which means that the angle between them is 150 degrees. Caleb managed to find just the right piece for this task, giant flex joints.
And if you are interested in the design of the Ranger shuttle, note a brilliant use of ninja swords. Thanks to the curved swords, the otherwise somewhat blocky model becomes very recognizable.
What a great day for a spacewalk
Just because there’s no air in the cold vacuum of space, doesn’t mean there is no style. CheeseyStudios proves this with a space outpost which is not only colorful, but it has a wonderfully eclectic aesthetic, as though a product of many different peoples coming together. The blue and yellow sections are giving me a classic space vibe, while the white top could be right out of Cloud City, and the scaffolding on the right could be NASA surplus. Wherever these disparate parts came from, they certainly come together nicely.
Aragog, the king of arachnids
In my opinion, one of the most terrifyingly fantastic beasts in the Harry Potter series was found in Aragog. Although he was friendly to Harry and his friends, he was still a giant spider and that’s just all sorts of freaky. LEGO builder CheeseyStudios brings us a small vignette of the entrance to Aragog’s lair, making me wish any of the several official LEGO sets had looked half this good. The massive toppled tree has the heft it should, with lighter color wood exposed where it cracked. And Aragog himself feels more spindly and spider-like than his official counterparts, But the best detail, in my opinion, is the little mushrooms sprouted from the log. They’re a simple design combining a radar dish and a beveled gear, but together they make the smooth top and fluted undersides perfectly. Combined with a black sausage for a curving stem, and you couldn’t ask for a better LEGO fungus.
