Tag Archives: Fantasy

There are secrets hiding in this library’s collection

There’s nothing like going to the library to discover something new, even if the library is made of LEGO. Jesse van den Oetelaar presents a small window into a magical library chock full of secrets and rarities. Made for this year’s Brickscalibur contest, this build has great textures from top to bottom, with details galore to explore. We see two stories to the building with books and artefacts from floor to ceiling. Let’s take a closer look at some of the details on the second floor and its railing. There’s some nice parts usage with wand elements standing in for the railings filler spokes. The bookcase has colorful tiles for the books filling the shelves, a classic method for full bookcases. I love the use of tan Technic pins for all the candles. Their unique shaping is perfect for such an illuminating portrayal.

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Bridging the past and the present with a royal redesign

Builder -soccerkid6 goes to the drawing board with this new vision of the classic LEGO Castle set 6078 Royal Drawbridge. The original set is from year 1995 and features a bridge that’s less draw and more sneaky. It could drop anyone on it into the water around it–it’s a trap! Of course, being a set from 1995, the details are rather sparse with limited parts in existence at the time. This redesign, on the other hand, is rich with details and parts. First, the drawbridge is the spitting image of what we expect a drawbridge to look like, complete with the chains. The towering battlements are fuller now, featuring lovely detailing in the exposed brick textures of the walls. The spires are stronger with the blue drill pieces for the points, but my favorite little touch in the whole build is the inclusion of flowers with the greenery.

See the turtle of enormous girth, on his shell he holds the Earth...

Giant turtles appear throughout works of fiction: Discworld, The Dark Tower, and The Neverending Story to name a few. Here, Gino Lohse realises one of these beasts in LEGO form. The castle, itself a great micro build, sits proudly atop the colossal reptile as it makes its way through the forest. The subtle detailing through grill pieces as crenels demonstrates some exceptional part usage here, as do the binocular window and minifigure-hand flags. But its “vehicle” is a great build too! I love how the brown colour of the shell gives way to a grey rocky outcrop ensconcing the fortification. Both the creature and its payload blend so well into the forest that they traverse.

Keeping watch over the colorful terrain

There are so many bright pops of pigment in this goblin outpost LEGO scene by Carter Witz. Terrain of lime and yellowish green is dotted with golden flowers and trees sporting pink leaves, standing in stark contrast to the brilliant blue of the cascading waterfall and rich brown of the gobbos’ watchtower. The palette is incredibly immersive, reminding me heavily of the Elves theme from years ago. And amid the colorful scene, Carter sneaks in some terrific designs with the round concrete foundations of the outpost, the cute cave entrance on the left, and the craggy textures of exposed rocks utilizing studs in all directions. The use of slopes and exposed studs in trans-clear throughout the waterfall is a real triumph, too. I can almost hear the rushing water as it cascades down the goblins’ hill!

A happy little dragon with a hobby

Humans aren’t the only ones who like to build castles out of LEGO! Sometimes dragons do too, like this cute little red one from Dan Ko. This nerdy dragon, Nurdley, comes to us for the BrickNerd Nerdvember contest. This year’s theme is High Fantasy, which means this dragon will feel right at home with his custom castle. I just love this build! It’s a small build, but that just means there’s got to be all sorts of clever parts usage. It’s easy for things to take on a blocky design with LEGO, but there are some really cool parts that can add curves and shape to a build. Take for example the minifigure phone pieces for Nurdley’s arms. Or the excellent usage of car seats for his wings. Even the castle uses some cool parts for further texture and definition, like the pieces making up the tower.

Now it’s a party

We’re seeing a lot of Dungeons & Dragons-themed builds lately thanks to the LEGO Ideas D&D contest, and I’m a fan of this miniland-scale build by Miscellanabuilds, which depicts a party of adventurers. A good variety of races and classes are represented from the human wizard to the orc barbarian and halfling bard. The D&D logo is what really makes the whole build shine though. And don’t miss that tiny mimic!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

There’s the age-old question of why the chicken crossed the road, but it appears it doesn’t apply at this tidy chicken farm by LEGO builder Carter Witz because there are no roads here. Instead, these birds are stuck at home with their tiny wings, because this chicken farm is on a floating island. With lovely autumnal colors and a rustic vibe, this build has everything we’d want from a floating island habitat. The stone doorframe on the house is a great detail that makes the structure feel sturdy despite its precarious location, and there are lots of other great details like the shingled roof and the adorable chicken coop.

D&D’s latest LEGO bad boy is also a Strahd boy

As the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons builds continue to spill forth, builder Plastic Pauper has a great take on one of the game’s first monsters: the vampire lord. I have to commend the character construction here. With sharp lines for the count’s suit contrasted by the more flowing contours of his face and cloth cloak, this dark noble feels alive wielding his menacing rapier (that’s 1d8 piercing damage, folks!). And I adore all the gold filigree and tan ascot adorning his chest. Such a well-crafted villain is further complemented by the dynamite background in this vignette. The ornate stone walls surrounding the figure feature a ring of keys, a pair of candlesticks, and quite the imposing gargoyle. But my favorite detail has got to be the spiky ends of a portcullis in the doorway to the vamp’s rear. What an excellent homage to the fantasy role playing game!

Ready to encounter some more great D&D builds? Check them out in our archives!

The Ryatan Island

Sometimes LEGO fans manage to use a LEGO part in a more creative way than it was originally intended to be used. The part I am talking about is the raised snake and the builder I am talking about is Jakub Drobny. To me the raised snake never looked like an animal but more like a statue of a snake. LEGO fans all over the world have embraced this part and started using it in white to represent smoke clouds leaving a chimney. The raised snake used for smoke is not the only part used in a clever way. We get keys for door hinges, bowler hats for grassy mountains and shields for tables. What other smartly used parts can you spot?

This LEGO bust isn’t trolling

LEGO’s given us lots of science fiction busts of Stormtroopers and comic book characters, but how about a fantasy creature? This amazing sculpture by Ghalad is epically awesome and exactly the sort of crazy fantasy sculpture I’d love to build. From the impressive tusks to the teal warpaint, the model is expertly realized, and the large plinth with a skull and crossbones just sets the mood. It’s also possibly the best use of the 1×1 tooth plates that I’ve ever seen–they’re being used as the teeth, but the scale feels spot on to give this troll a disdainful growl.

Tree of the dragon

Bonsai has been done in LEGO before but this wonderful take by Isaac Wilder gives it new life with this stunning dragon shape! At first glance this could just be another bonsai tree but closer inspection reveals it’s true nature. Isaac uses some fantastic techniques to create the dragon head shaping like the use of the rubber band to hold various bars to keep the organic design. And the simple transparent green stud blends in well while still serving as the eye. The base is the same as the official bonsai set so this will look right at home on any fantasy bookshelf!

A trophy that deserves a trophy

If you are a fan of big building competitions enjoyed by the global LEGO community, you don’t want to miss Brickscalibur starting next week. And if the very idea of competing side by side with the best LEGO builders isn’t enough, just look at what Markus Rollbühler has to offer! This cute orc is a custom-built trophy promised to one of the winners, and it’s such a neat build. I wonder why Markus sent it to some icy territories, but with these fancy boots and pants this orc is a star on the battlefield.