Tag Archives: Dinner

The king’s dying to eat

Following builds one and two of this three-part trilogy in LEGO, we see the king finally meet his doom thanks to this quality construction by Micah Beideman. Though it’s not at the blade of a sword that this monarch shall perish, but with the curve of a soup spoon. The hall of his demise is beautifully crafted in light gray bricks. While working so much in a single color, Micah uses the negative space to help break up the walls and pillars, and utilizes some excellent techniques while doing so. For instance, the rows of headlight bricks with studs facing each other is sublime, and I love the deep-set cracks in the stone floor. The throne at the back of the hall fits the rest of the surroundings well, while remaining unlike any other LEGO throne I’ve seen. But, alas, our king may never sit in it again….

The Banquet

So, head or no head?

Guys only want one thing and it’s disgusting. However, in the world of praying mantises, that doesn’t always work out. It’s the lady who gets the head — literally. Expert builder Djokson sets the table for a romantic candlelit dinner, with fancy tablecloth and a glass of wine. Lady mantis appears to have been stood up by her suitor, until her meal is served on a big platter.

Date Night

While this is a fun scene, we have to talk about NPU when we write about Djokson’s many ingenious creations. For example, Lady mantis wears pieces of cloth that can only be from either Scala or Belville — two old LEGO themes full of large dolls. It’s just hard for me to pinpoint which cloth piece is from which. However, the eye sockets of each mantis are the shoes of said dolls, with the good old minifigure arms wedged inside them. Other pieces include the rubbery Krana and Kraata from Bionicle, which Djokson uses in the head and stomach respectively. I also enjoy the use of the fantastical key element from LEGO Elves, which gives the elbows a spindly look.

I guess you could say Djokson’s builds make me… lose my head.

Build your own LEGO pumpkin napkin rings for Thanksgiving dinner [Instructions]

Last year, my family requested that I build some LEGO napkin rings for Thanksgiving dinner. I eagerly set out experimenting with LEGO turkeys, Pilgrim hats, brick-built pies and more, but those all were too complicated for an already-full dinner table. The design needed to be simple, stable and instantly evoke the Thanksgiving spirit. The idea struck that a simple pumpkin ring would work perfectly for a harvest table.

I experimented with a few options, since the opening had to be big enough for a rolled napkin but strong enough not to split when holding it in place. After trying and failing to get the right shape using a studs-up technique, it became apparent that rotating the whole build on its side was the way to go. TBB’s Chris Malloy provided a final moment of brilliance suggesting the curly whip for the top, and the design was complete. Continue reading →