Built for a local LUG (LEGO Users Group) challenge in the theme of postcards, this miniature scene by Dale Harris looks like a tribute to all things fantasy, from the castle by the water to the swooping dragon… I guess we can see where the town gets its name. The dragon is nicely detailed for such a small build, and that uncommon red binoculars make an interesting snout. Let’s hope the dragon is friendly, or that castle will melt faster than Harranhall from Game of Thrones.
Last September, we highlighted the Surefoot TR3 Rover by Dale Harris. And now we know where that rover was roving. Dale has just unveiled the massive Ice Station Icarus – a tribute to the Ice Planet 2002 theme that leaves us (snow)blown over. Dale has added a few new colors – and building techniques – to the Ice Planet we know and love. The result is a Krysto-set adventure that feels more real and lived in, with rusty browns and steely grays helping out the usual blues, whites, and trans-neon orange.
I’m particularly fond of the base’s semi-dome section, which makes use of plenty of bars and hexagonal flags. It’s the kind of detail that might not have come together if Dale had held strictly to the original colors. But, if these color changes don’t suit the purist in you, then click here to hyperspace your way over to see Dale’s similarly impressive (but more faithful to the original) Neo-Classic Space base.
This digital creation by Dale Harris pits a trio of unfortunate adventurers against some skeleton warriors and a massive dracolich. (For those of you not familiar with Dungeons & Dragons – and I count myself among you – all you need to know is that a dracolich is sort of an undead dragon thing. Although Dale’s work makes that pretty clear.) The massive skeletal dragon is obviously the immediate eye catcher in this build, but I’m particularly drawn to the work on the curved stone staircase on which our heroes find themselves trapped. Hopefully the die rolls their way.
Classic Space has had a well-established revival among AFOLs in the form of Neo-Classic Space. Recently though, another vintage LEGO space theme has been having its own revival – Ice Planet 2002. Dale Harris has come up with an excellent idea for the story behind this resurrection! Rather than referring to it as Ice Planet 2022 (too obvious), he has coined the term Ice Planet Badlands. It’s described as a ‘post-apocalyptic Ice Planet’, which sounds frankly awesome. This Surefoot TR3 rover is part of this proposed future, with the classic blue, white and neon orange colours paired with some more utilitarian rusty metal. Perhaps the intrepid minifigure explorers got stranded on the Ice Planet, and have had to use their increasingly out-dated vehicles to try and find a way home. I cannot wait to see more!
The kingdoms and castles built by fans have provided its many factions a stable home since the last Castle-themed sets were retired. Builder Dale Harris provides two such fortresses in this massive build, complete with lush scenery. Inspired by the original sets including the Forestmen and the Black Falcons, this model is a blend of childhood nostalgia and adult builder expertise. Named for the two factions that call the area home, this had to take a massive amount of planning.
You may recall a prior post featuring Dale Harris and his Neo-Fabuland concept. It was Boris’s Post Office, an adorable little scene, and while it may have looked like big, clunky Fabuland pieces designed for littler hands, it was actually meticulously constructed out of “regular” LEGO bricks. Back then he alluded to the fact that it was merely a small module that would eventually be part of a much larger layout. Well, feast your eyes on Edward’s Island! The aforementioned Barty’s Post Office is there about centered on the island but that is accompanied by a whole assortment of adorable Fabuland denizens and their primary-colored buildings.
Fabuland…pfffft, that was sooo 1980’s! If you want to get with the times you need to get with Neo-Fabuland. But before we do, let’s explain what Fabuland was about. It was a line of LEGO sets first introduced in 1979 that was aimed to fill a gap between DUPLO and “regular” LEGO and featured anthropomorphic animals with names like Roger Raccoon and Freddy Fox. Fabuland sets had a primary color scheme, were simple to construct, and often topped out at under a hundred pieces. Now along comes Dale Harris with this Neo-Fabuland idea called “Boris’ Post Office”.
The most impressive aspect I think is Dale’s ability to replicate the look of big clunky plastic pieces by using lots of not-so-clunky little pieces. What looks like a large one-piece roof assembly are actually lots of these elements in red. These round corner tiles help replicate the signature Fabuland whimsical look over the attic windows. He also incorporated all the pieces from the original Boris Bulldog and mailbox set. It turns out this isn’t Dale’s first go with this Neo-Fabuland idea. Be on the lookout for more as he intends this to be just a small part of a much larger layout. Incidentally, the official Fabuland line ended in 1989, the same year this post’s title became synonymous with early internet users.
At 96×168 cm, this sprawling space layout is a phenomenal build. Creator Dale Harris notes on his harrisbricks blog that the display is a personal love note to the Classic Space theme’s limited colour palette and retro tech aesthetic.
