Tag Archives: Fantasy

How much is two oxen in horsepower?

According to Linkedin, the illustrious Bibliarius Zakharius Glockta is a certified adventurer, chronist, scientist, and inquisitor. Left off that resume, he’s also an entrepreneur, green energy innovator, and tiny home enthusiast. LEGO builder Dwalin Forkbeard captures this enigmatic and larger-than-life minifig as he roams the land peddling arcane artifacts from his ox-driven mobile hut. With its wonky angles and wheels akimbo, this rolling cottage is a delightful mash-up of Warhammer and Dr. Seuss. The printed wood tiles evoke Seussian ink, and you can’t tell me Biliarius hasn’t crossed paths with a Onceler.

The wagon hides a few brilliant uses of unusual parts like a turkey tail arch over the window, but the real LEGO miracle is how Dwalin Forkbeard managed to capture this barely-together ramshackle build without it falling apart!

Revisit our Dwalin Forkbeard archive to see why this Ukrainian AFOL has become one of our favorite fantasy builders.

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The details run deep in this mine

Descend to the depths of imagination with “The Echoing Mines of the Mountain’s Heart” by syrdarian. This fantastic cross-section of some fabled dwarven caverns is a ~~gold mine~~ mithril mine of detail, conveying a sense of scale from the faint light at the top of the staircase all the way down to the rivulets of lava far below. A big part of any great model is presentation, and these mines are no exception, with superb lighting in the right places. Thanks to that light, along with the combination of natural-looking rock formations and easily recognizable dwarven architecture, it’s easy to see the dwarves’ masterworks deep within the earth. Let’s just hope these particular dwarves resist the temptation to delve too greedily and too deep.

Bootstrapping a botanical brewery in LEGO

Scandinavian folklore is full of tales of little people living in the woods and meadows. Swedish builder Peter Ilmrud gives us a glimpse of one community of fairy folk who have made a lingonberry cidery out of an old boot. Peter incorporates DUPLO and Scala elements alongside wildflowers from the Botanicals line and many custom flowers and berry bushes in the vibrant display.

Break out your magnifying people for a better glimpse of what these wee cider makers are up to!

What do you get when you cross knights in shining armour with the frog prince?

If you want to bring a bit of whimsy to a fantasy LEGO creation, a good place to start is making your characters animals. Oh, and giving them a massive sword. That’s the angle that Dan Ko has gone for in this charming duo. Both the frog knight and his snail steed are full of character – and clever parts use! Our knight in croaking armour has some fantastic leafy webbed feet, and the ski for a cross-guard is a neat idea for this asymmetric sword. The snail, meanwhile, has caterpillar tracks wound up to form its shell. Although I must admit – and this might be a niche reference – that with those bright yellow eyes, it reminds me of the slugs from the LEGO Rock Raiders video game. Perhaps they’re distant cousins?

Mini LEGO centaur isn’t horsin’ around

Kamil Karpiński is a master at working minifig parts and accessories into complex creatures bursting with personality. As much as we loved Kamil’s Aarakocrans, this centaur druid is a contender for his most impressive figure yet. While LEGO has made a molded centaur body before, Kamil’s brick-built solution offers more realistic proportions and posability. Using the head and hairpiece of Beorn from the LEGO Hobbit line brings appropriate animal rage to the build. Packing in around 100 elements, the centuar might be mini in stature but it’s a major building feat.

When all you have is a hammer...

If you need to nail down how much great building you can fit into a little vignette, look no further than this fantasy LEGO scene by Cora! Lets start with the real main character of this build: hammers. Cora has created an deeply authentic piece of brickwork out of enough hammers to make Thor drool! As for character design, Cora has kit-bashed a great minifigure out of parts from a bunch of different action lines. And with all that heavy equipment, I do wonder whether the crocodile has delved deep to find this treasure, or if it’s the reason it’s lying there in the first place?

The Great Grape Chapel Showcase

Medieval marketplaces are a popular theme with LEGO castle builders, but you’ve never seen one with colors and creative lore like this! Tabaya‘s bustling scene introduces the Fellowship of the Wine, a sacred order dedicated to the fermentation of the sacred grape. The monastery is built from a distinctive mix of flame yellowish orange, medium lilac, sand green, and brick yellow. It’s a color combination I’ve never encountered before but really sings, especially paired with fall foliage. Tabaya’s model is filled with playful architectural choices, influenced, no doubt, by limited parts in the chosen colors. But the builder also celebrates the playful connections possible in LEGO without the constraints of historical accuracy or realism.

Tabaya excels at fantasy minifigs and has created the perfect ensemble to bring the scene to life: The Fellowship of the Grape. I like to think that consuming the magical wine grown by the order turns the hair purple. The six statues, each holding a different sacred object, give the fictional church specificity. This is great world-building.

Tiny talons are major minifig feat

Thanks to the newly-released Dungeons and Dragons Collectible Minifigures, filling out your LEGO scenes with fantasy races and epic loot is easier than ever. Kamil Karpiński picked up a couple of Aarakocrans (aka birdfolk, aka “Jarnathan”) and using just 13 tiny elements built new legs to amplify their avian qualities. As wings and quivers clash, Kamil gives his ranger a hip solution.

Kamil’s fantasy-focused creations show how even minifigures can become the foundation for clever building techniques. (His take on Sauron rules them all!)

LEGO-built Dungeons & Dragon idol summons tabletop nostalgia

Before Tieflings or Githyanki, before Strahd took his first bite or Tasha so much as hideously chuckled, there was the Advanced D&D Player’s Handbook adorned with a red demon idol with jewel eyes who sparked the imaginations of a million young adventurers. Derek Bourgeois pays tribute to the OG D&D icon with a LEGO model of D.A. Trampier‘s classic illustration. Derek deftly captures the mix of menace and grandeur in the demonic statue, putting macaroni tubes to good use as fingers that clutch the flaming brazier. Third-party lighting elements make the flames dance for extra dungeon ambiance. Those jeweled eyes look quite tempting for treasure hunters. Perhaps a party of heroes from the new Dungeons & Dragons Collectible Minifigures will attempt to pry them free.

This LEGO troll means serious business

Is it a coincidence that Steven Wayne Howard shared this spectacular LEGO troll bust on the same day that World of Warcraft unleashed The War Within? Even though Steven isn’t a WoW player, his Day-Glo-colored troll, Ves’Panak, has so much personality that it has me itching to roll a new Zandalari Troll of my own. Steven was inspired to create this troll in light royal blue after acquiring a copy of LEGO Creator Expert 10298 Vespa 125, and only parts from that set are used for the blue skin. NPU (Nice Parts Usage) abounds throughout the build, from the dragon wing mohawk, dino tail tusks, frog teeth, and Banshee wing torso. My favorite element has to be the dark grey skulls, accented with orange eyes, teeth, and tusks.

This isn’t Steven’s first Horde-inspired fantasy bust, and hopefully, it won’t be his last. Perhaps a Tauren next?

Sisters of the sword forge LEGO blades

For the Geneva sisters Anna, Sarah, and Geneva (aka Three Little Mice, Tayaya, and Geneva D), creating with LEGO is a family affair. The three talented builders collaborated on a series of life-size swords to showcase at this year’s Brickworld, each forging a personal blade with its own personality.

Geneva’s broadsword, dubbed Kalypso, is the largest of the three, requiring two hands to hold. Using brown and metallic silver (and a touch of Spinjitzu!) on the hilt for a studded leather look, this is clearly the blade of a warrior. She pairs the sword with the smaller and more play-friendly dagger, Acheron, which boasts a serrated blade and a menacing Hero Factory spiked ball on the hilt.

Read on to see unsheath the other blades!

A herbalist’s homey haven

“In a mystical chamber adorned with an array of glass jars, bubbling potions, ancient scrolls, tomes, and exotic flora, the air is thick with the scent of arcane knowledge and potent enchantments.” So begins Syrdarian‘s description of their spellbinding LEGO herbalist’s workspace. Everything you need to cast a spell or heal a malady is right here in piles and stacks, from the crystals on the floor to the jars on the shelves and the cut flowers on the worktable. Boxes and baskets of berries and flowers sit next to the staircase, while tomes of arcane lore rest where they can be readily perused.

The herbalist’s hobbies clearly range beyond plant lore, judging by the lute carefully placed against the wall and the pie and sweets tucked away on a shelf. Joining the herbalist are three different frogs, a rubber ducky, and a hungry mouse. The plates and brick elements in the wall (along with wands for the spindly table legs) give the dwelling a lived-in, ramshackle appearance. And lastly, we can’t fail to remark upon the clever way the windowpanes are formed—minifig hands in several colors.