Tag Archives: floating islands

Come mine the LEGO skies!

Sky islands have been a favorite subject for many a LEGO creation. And it follows from logic that when all the rocks are floating up in the air, then so, too, are all the precious metals and minerals contained therein. Builder John Snyder shows us what a mining operation might look like suspended amongst the clouds with this glorious bit of steampunk-ery. The outpost is abuzz with gears, vents, winches, and pipes. And located right at the center of the whole shebang is the furnace, about to smelt another load of aerially-harvested lode. It was no-doubt uncovered in one of the neighboring rocks using that hot air balloon/drill combo. It’s one of the most ingenious uses of the LEGO ornament bulb I’ve ever seen!

Buckle’s Mining Outpost

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A pottery studio in the sky

This LEGO creation by Abe Fortier has it all; great textures, excellent parts usage, and a fantastic color scheme. Lately, I’ve been interested in creative spaces that are separate from the home such as a detached art or music studio or even a LEGO building space. So this scored points for being a pottery studio and even more awesome points for being a floating pottery studio. I totally want a pottery studio now, which is interesting considering the only thing I know about pottery is the vase you are spinning can sometimes be ruined by an overly handsy and shirtless Patrick Swayze if that movie Ghost is to be believed. But still, who wouldn’t want that? In a floating studio, no less!

Floating Pottery Studio

Abe says he pushed himself with the rockwork, tree, different angles, and the use of unusual colors. I just hope he didn’t push himself over the edge of that floating studio because that would be a mess to clean up. Or would it? I suppose he’d just float off until he arrived at Patrick Swayze’s floating bungalow or something.

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Miniature LEGO floating island sports a hoot of a nice part usage

Using only 92 LEGO elements, this whimsical model of a floating rock with a miniature windmill by Mbricks packs quite a lot of nice part usage, or NPU! While hair pieces make great foliage as they come in a rainbow of colors, my favorite part is the white owl used as a cloud. A couple of flexible whips make excellent roots.

Floating in the Clouds

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From the arena of Iron Builder comes Iron City

The competition is heating up over at Iron Builder and we’re all pretty thrilled about it. That means job security for us and entertainment for you bloodthirsty readers. This time esteemed builder LEGO Monkey has constructed Iron City where I presume the competition is held and all important Iron Builder decisions are made. I love the overall lofty city-in-the-clouds feel and the Monkey makes excellent use of the seed part 41 times in this particular build. For those who may not know, Iron Builder has two renowned builders duke it out for a month or so building some amazing LEGO creations all while using a specified seed part. It’s kinda like Bumfights except without all the controversy and litigation. Speaking of jokes that peaked in 2008, I went a couple of bouts in the Iron Builder arena way back when I had other haircut choices but I won’t link the results here because I’m still recovering from the mental trauma. Instead, check out how other Iron Builder competitors have fared lately.

Iron City

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We all float up here

LEGO builder Jesse van den Oetelaar must have his head in the clouds as evidenced by this stunning new creation. Fall colors, hot-air ship, floating islands, great build techniques; what’s not to love, really? There’s been a good deal of floating island-themed builds gracing the pages of The Brothers Brick lately. Not that we’re complaining! Sometimes the best place to be is a fantasy world high among the clouds. Take a lofty trip into our archives to see more floating island creations by talented builders all over (or way above) the world.

Floating Island

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An inventor whose mind wanders the skies

In the steampunk-esque LEGO world of Wandering Skies, floating rocks make up the land… sorry, sky-scape. And Okay Yaramanoglu shows us how one inventor makes a home amid the levitating boulders. I adore the cartoon quality of Okay’s creation here. The tudor-inspired walls of the inventor’s abode contrast well with the golden shades of its roof. And the green highlights from the surrounding vegetation and window shutters add brilliant pops of color against the blue background of the sky. There is some fantastic parts usage throughout, including the cloud sculpting using 1×1 curved slopes and all the mechanical contraptions coming out of the building’s roof. But the best by far is the rock on which this “church” is built. The large rocky baseplate and craggy wheel from Nexo Knights for the two islands fit perfectly into this scene.

The Inventor's House

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Relaxation in the sky

I’ve seen a lot of unusual fantasy floating islands, but this has to be the one I’d like to vacation at most. This lush LEGO Steampunk hotel and spa by Kai/Geneva looks perfectly tempting to spend a few hours soaking in the infinity pool—provided you’re not scared of heights, anyway. And just like the floating island concept itself, I’ve seen a lot of techniques for water, but the addition of some subtle lights built into this pool makes it look absolutely stunning.

Queen's Resort

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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.

Chicken Island

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Fair weather and a tiny patch for your garden... in the clouds

Floating islands have even more need of a strong beacon to warn airships away from dangerous rocks. This tall beacon by Ids de Jong is more than just another lighthouse, with an industrial revolution aesthetic and a factory in the far distance giving the scene a clever bit of forced perspective. One thing this beacon keeper doesn’t have to worry about is groundskeeping, aside from a few herbs and flowers, there’s not much room for gardening

Iron Point Beacon

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Take a trip to this peaceful floating platform

In this mystical scene by Alex_mocs, a tree wraps around an elevated structure. The shadowy figure of a deer stands next to a wide chalice with a wing piece sprouting from the bowl. The smooth shape of the deer’s body is formed of rubber bands, closely slotted together. A stud shooter represents the creature’s neck and the head is actually a droid torso piece. The stairs also have an interesting build with a staggered construction created by placing plates sideways.

Tranquility

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And then the camera pulled back...

When this image of a forgotten temple came to my attention, I knew I wanted to feature it here. Nathan Hake has created an immersive scene that ticks a lot of my favorite boxes. There’s lovely organic building in the trees and vines. There’s interesting part usage in the idol made primarily of golden weapons. And I’ve just got a thing for ruined architecture. Add a dollop of the depth of field from the minifigure in the foreground, and you have something pretty special. But when I visited Nathan’s photostream to learn more, I found that this is only a detail shot of a much larger build. Keep reading to find out just how much bigger!

Forgotten Temple
Continue reading →

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Precariously perched upon the precipice

Usually, floating islands include, well, an island. Something in the way of solid ground, albeit ground that floats mysteriously above the clouds. Not so with this stone tower topped with a timber-framed structure by Ralf Langer, who took a minimalist approach to the base of the model. There’s nothing minimal about the rest of the building, from the cracked and weathered stone base featuring unconventionally colored doors, all the way up to the black roof with a scattering of quarter tiles which provide a great texture.

Living on the edge

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