Tag Archives: Fantasy

Looks like meat’s back on the menu: 19 custom LEGO orcs [Minifig Monday]

From Tolkien to Warhammer and everything in between, orcs are the biggest, baddest, and often funniest fantasy baddies of any setting they appear in. This week we’ve put together a horrendous horde of LEGO orcs from the custom community. You’ll find more than a few surprises in this one!

A king of cohesion, capt.dark.shark unleashes Commander Kragg the Cleaver. There’s so much to love here, the new(ish) Viking helmet fits so flush with the CMF Orc jaw, while pushing the ears out to make a unique head shape. The oversized olive green arm is actually from Jabba the Hutt, and sticking an axe on the end of a prosthetic is delightfully impractical as it is fiendishly orcish.

Lessor in the orc kingdoms but certainly not in the minifig world, these night goblins from Karp_brick have some excellent black cape layering and subtle diversity in the heads and headwear. We’ve spotted faces from the CMF Goblin, Star Wars Niamoidian and a Ninjago orc.

Older bigfigs are famous for lack of customisation options, but dwalinforkbeard has expertly used black capes to cover a more scifi torso to create something that is right at home in a medieval fantasy setting. Add that to the whimsical mushroom picking vibe and you’ve got a great looking orc dude.

Where there’s a click, there’s a way… to see more orcs! Zug zug.

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Behold Karak-Mahizrinul, a massive Dwarven Stronghold built in LEGO

Grab your preferred hammer or axe, a pint of ale, and join us on a tour of this Dwarven sanctuary nestled within the Red Mountains. Dwalin Forkbeard brought this imposing mountain fortress to life, and nearly every chamber and foothill of it is bustling with Dwarven activity.

The faces chiseled into the very face of the mountain bear resemblance to many of the characters within, and the sheer amount of gold and stone that is used tastefully throughout this build feels very true to character for these delvers. The water technique here is lovely, and I’m half-tempted to check for a treasure chest behind one of the waterfalls.

Take a sip and join us on the full tour of this Dwarven stronghold!

NPU galore in this stunning fantasy scene

There’s nothing finer than nice part use and unique building techniques in a fantasy LEGO model, and the latest creation from yr_bricks is a sight to behold. From the skateboarding helmet in the rocks to the Ninjago dragon head and Belville saddle that make up a portion of the tree stump, there are incredible parts and build techniques all over this scene.

The shaping and color contrast of the door comes together beautifully, as seen in the close-up shot below. We especially love the framing and almost spiral descent of the path, as nearly every portion of this build has a rounded or angular aspect that brings the viewer’s focus back to the center to fully appreciate this build.

A brilliant lair for the dark arts

Every scene can teach a lesson, and this scene has taught me not to wonder into deep caves. According to Tkytko, that is where Raus’zod has the Weeping Skull Mausoleum. The scene is full of clever details with great building techniques. And all those details come together to create a rather scary lair.

Take some time to look over the entirety of this entry to the Summer Joust competition.

LEGO set designer Wes Talbott gets his dungeon delving on in a trio of fantastic MOCs

As a LEGO set designer for Elves, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Zelda, and Wicked, it’s fair to say that Wes Talbott knows a thing or two about bringing fantasy to life at minifig scale. Last year, the builder’s Fire Breathing Fortress reimagining with Chris Perron took our breath away. Now Wes is back with a trio of vignettes titled Dungeon Dangers. The first scene stars a hideous slime made from trans green macaroni tubes from the Dreamszzz sets. My favorite technique is the spiral columns decorated with thorny vines in metallic silver.

Wes was so pleased with the vignette design of a hexagonal base framed with three columns that he kept the pattern across the full serries. The crystalline spider sparkles, but again its the corners that capture my eye with an innovative technique for stalagnate columns. Apparently Wes came up with the concept a few years ago but never had a chance to use it until now. Spider eggs made from clusters of clamshells is another standout technique.

Wes’ final fantasy vignette follows, along with a bonus from the builder

An elvish bard makes merry on the streets of Dandelume

Swedish builder T-86 never misses a chance to enter a medieval building challenge. And when possible, this LEGO storyteller uses a challenge to reveal a new piece of the fantasy world of Dandelume. The builder’s latest addition is diorama and scenes featuring Bryndon the Bard, a fixture of the sprawling stone city. Here on the steps to old town, we see the city’s oldest wall and the interplay of rich and poor at this busy gate. T-86 references older builds in color schemes and lore while making the location feel specific and new.

Even though the majority of the build is grey bricks, T-86 packs it with sophisticated techniques that keep it visually interesting. The sidewalk mosaic uses a mix of tiles and cheese slopes in alternating orientations to make concentric rings. And the arches made from loosely fitted headlight bricks looks wonderful.

See some earlier builds of Dandelume below

Beyond the spider-verse – these creepy fantasy minifigs and creature builds will catch you in their web [Minifig Monday]

LEGO will soon be venturing into the Marvel Spider-verse for the next line of Collectible Minifigs, but you don’t need to wait until August to find weird and wonderful fig creations of the arachnid (and arachnid adjacent) variety. Today on Minifig Monday we’re catching a bevy of bug and spider flavored figs and mini builds in our web!

Kicking off this week’s lineup is The Seamstress by Brennan (brickbot_studio). Animation fans might recognize this wicked weaver from the film the post-apoc “stitch-punk” film 9. Brennan has made some incredible mini character builds but this might be my favorite thing he’s ever shared. Excellent use of the Samukai minifig head from Ninjago.

Keeping to the spinstress theme, we have the Song Weaver by Aris (bricks.for_bricks). This arachnid character brings an aristocratic air to the spider theme, with One Ring bangles and an impressive headress mixing cloth, plastic feathers, and rubber bands.

Eight limbs? Ha! This Friendly centipede from Dicken Liu has arms to spare! Who would have guessed that minidoll toros make such grotesquely perfect bug segments? I haven’t been able to unsee this amazing creation since Dicken shared it a few months back, and if it’s new to you, you’re welcome.

the creepy creations continue after the fold

Is this temple big and close, or small and far away, or just built at microscale?

I love LEGO builds that mess with your sense of scale. Mattia Careddu is the latest to discombobulate me with a mysterious, watery fantasy world. Clearly that temple in the middle is massive: there are rocks floating around – literally – with waterfalls coming out of them. But hang on, those birds look like ibises, making excellent use as they do of some dinosaur tail elements. And I recognise those leaf elements too, which means this build isn’t actually that big. But then you see the steps up the side of the temple… Wait, how big are those birds?! And that’s to say nothing of the great big serpent tree deity thing that looks ready to devour the lot. Whoever’s on that little boat sure is brave going wherever here is.

Majisto’s magical island retreat

This magical island by Ids de Jong is framed by a shimmering trans-light blue base. But don’t let this small island fool you, it is home to quite a few animals (nine after I triple checked). After the great base, the feature that calls to me is the small, sandy beach. It fits snuggly in the build and offers just enough room to sit-down and do your reading. The impressively tiled rooftop and SNOT stonework is a step up from Majisto’s other hangout while keeping to the wizard’s color scheme.

Summoning a friend to take down Elden Ring bosses for a LEGO Collab

From Software has fully embraced co-op with their latest release, Elden Ring Nightreign, all but requiring players to team up with a couple of friends in order to take down waves of bosses. So it’s only fitting that to bring down some of Elden Ring’s most iconic enemies in LEGO form, a team-up is in order. Joe (jnj_bricks) leads the charge against Godrick the Grafted, the first big mandatory boss in your journey through the Lands Between. Joe perfectly captures the decaying Stormveil Castle, especially the shattered road that subtly undulates off the LEGO grid. While he doesn’t often build characters, Joe nails Godrick’s grafted form with his monstrous arm. I’m having flashbacks to the first (and second, and tenth…) time I battled the boss.

Joe’s friend and collaborator Brickelangelo travels beneath Caelid to Mohgwyn Palace for a face off with Mohg, Lord of Blood. Mohg looks imposing atop the brick stairs, but also quite dashing courtesy of robes borrowed from Queer Eye’s Fab 5 Loft.

This collab has me itching to get back to Shadow of the Erdtree, but I’m not sure I’m ready to die again and again. Maybe I’ll just stick to bricks and enjoy this Elden Ring classic boss.

Geralt of Rivia takes to the sewers to hunt Zeugl in this Witcher LEGO tribute

Before The Witcher became a global phenonmenon thanks to the GOTY winning third game and a hit Netflix series, the adventures of Geralt of Rivia were the pride of Polish fantasy fans with elaborate worldbuilding infused by the folktales of Eastern Europe. Polish builder Mihał Ch brings the famous monster hunter to LEGO for an immersive battle scene in which the Witcher takes on a Zeugl in the sewers beneath Vizima. Mihał’s creature design is wonderfully loathsome with its wide maw of teeth and crasping arms. My favorite technique is the copious ichor splattered throughout the scene as both discolored brickwork and goopy pools.

Mihał created this fantastic diorama for the “Where No One Dares to Go” category of the Summer Joust competition and to honor the 10th anniversary of The Witcher 3 from Polish game studio CD Projekt RED. It’s not his first time exploring Geralt’s world in LEGO. Here is Mihał’s take on the game’s core characters:

There’s nothing fishy about this fantastic undersea LEGO palace (except for the fish)

Jakab Kovács doesn’t color inside the lines when it comes to castles. Sure, he built a traditional tribute to the Black Falcon fortress that was hosted at LEGO House, but he’s also made a purple castle, cloud castle, and, for his latest project, an undersea castle.

Jakab eschews the typical Atlantis or mermaid tropes, finding a look that draws on an almost Czech Baroque style with its pointed domes. I love the subtle angle of the castle wings, the orange and yellow accent colors, the undersea garden plots and their fences, and the minifig faction with the wispy bodies and white hair. I wonder what a full series set in this world would look like? Are there manta ray mounts and pet eels? Do these folk trade with surface dwellers? I’d happily spend more time in this undersea haven, but alas, it’s time to come up for air.