Tag Archives: Geneva Durand

A precarious castle high above the sea

When building microscale LEGO creations, you have to look at common parts a little differently to discover new and interesting uses, like this castle by Geneva Durand perched high above the sea on a rocky cliff. They use a small, rounded element with a hollow stud on one side as the perfect base for turrets mounted to the sides of the tall gray walls. Another part that caught my attention was the white minifigure forks inserted tine-down between grill elements. And several tooth parts attched sideways make perfect arched windows.

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Huzzah, LEGO Castle fans! Your Summer Joust 2025 winners have been crowned [Feature]

For fans of LEGO castles and medieval life, the Summer Joust is one of the biggest events of the year as dozens of incredible builders construct incredible models on the year’s themes. The judges have made their decisions, and this year’s Summer Joust champions have been named. We’re excited to present the list of winners. Many of the models we’ve spotlighted on the site before, but some come from talented builders we’ve yet to feature. Check out the amazing models and be sure to follow and congratulate the winners on their amazing builds. For the full list of runners up, visit the Summer Joust flickr page. A big thank you to -soccerkid6 for organizing the event and prizes.

See the amazing winning entries after the fold

Tributes roll out for set designer and pillar of the AFOL community Markus Rollbühler [Feature]

Markus “Rolli” Rollbühler is a force of nature in the LEGO world. Having made the transition from AFOL to professional set designer in 2016, Markus remains a community icon, generously giving back to and creating alongside a global community of builders. Some of his “hobby” roles, even as he designs sets (like my all-time favorite set Ninjago City Gardens), include organizing epic collabs with the amazing Rogue Bricks LUG, contributing to BrickNerd with Contest Roundups and other community spotlights, co-hosting the Iron Builder competition, offering set design commentary on BrickSet, and providing brick-built trophies for the Brickscalibur competition.

At last week’s Brickworld Chicago convention, some of the builders who have gotten to know “Rolli” over the years paid tribute to the legend with mouse-themed MOCs in reference to the tiny animal that has come to symbolize the big-hearted builder.

Kit Nugent recreates a Tom and Jerry gif with some wonderful parts usage for the popped kernels and mouse ears. Kit remembers the first time they encountered Iron Builder challenges with the crazy amounts of oddball parts – and not long after Kit would go on to compete in the competition as well!

The tributes keep rolling after the fold

Unleash your imagination with Calvin and Hobbes

Cartoonist Bill Watterson has always been protective of his magnum opus Calvin and Hobbes, to the point where it’s tough to find any approved merchandise of the characters, but I like to think he’d smile kindly on this charming LEGO build of his two titular characters. Geneva Durand captures the boy Calvin and his tiger pal Hobbes crossing a log bridge in an image from one of their most iconic panels. Tiny white frogs make up Hobbes’s outstretched fingers, while Calvin’s characteristically touseled locks look good as sloped bricks. A red pot makes Calvin’s torso. Rocks and foliage spring up on either side of the bridge. It makes you wonder, what adventure are they off to next?

Two hot takes on the dog days of summer

In a tradition old as time, Iron Builder competitions see two top builders in the LEGO community face off with a serious of dueling creations based around a “seed part” that must be featured in each build. As summer 2024 comes to an end, two fresh-faced challengers vie for the title of Iron Builder in “Battle Red Cauldron.” After coming out swinging with a cool Harley Quinn, Eann “Miscellanabuilds” McCurdy turns up the heat with slice of backyard life. Cauldrons are cleverly employed as a propane tank for the grill, while also appearing as chimney and dogfood dish. It’s the brick-built pets who steal the show. Their personality, combined with the slick studs-free setting, evoke a stop-action cartoon more than a LEGO model.

Maven of microscale Geneva D ripostes by doubling down on the dog – hot dog, that is – with a life-size frank made from interlocking cauldrons. Minifig arms make for surprisingly effective mustard, and Wolverine claws in green, used by Eann for grass, return here as relish. A pair of cauldrons make for a convincing ketchup lid, but it’s the recessed cauldron representing a tomato on the label that scores the knockout punch.

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!

Hats off to this microscale Neuschwanstein Castle

This wonderfully detailed model of the famous Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany by Geneva Durand is packed with nice part usage for sure, from the many different sizes of cone-shaped elements forming the tower roofs to the gears and teacups for the towers themselves. But one of my favorite details would have to be the many non-tree elements used to surround the castle with nature. Archer hats, ranger hoods, and the bottom jaw of a dinosaur are among the many cleverly used parts.

A tiny LEGO home to evoke cozy feelings

What makes a house a home? Mostly the people living in it, I’d argue. But if the house is too small to actually fit people inside it, outstanding architecture – like that found in Geneva Durand’s microscale LEGO home – will suffice. I’m particularly drawn to the use of various flat bricks in dark orange, dark red, and two shades of brown to evoke the rougher brickwork at the front of the house. I’m a little concerned about those dogs though; I estimate they may be over 6 feet tall. They’re liable to eat you out of house and home!

Cooking up a storm in the castle’s kitchen

This cool castle kitchen LEGO build comes from Geneva Durand, and is a revamped version of a previous build. This time around the kitchen has more room for cooking and less cluttered storage. Now the chef and the other cooks can get around quicker and easier for more focus on their cooking. The kitchen appears to be brighter too, despite fewer light sources. Though I imagine part of that is the light color of the castle’s walls and the warm colors of the fireplace. I appreciate the healthier food options found around the kitchen. Between the original build and this new one, the kitchen table is much improved, using a cooler design. I also love the hanging plant in the upper right. It’s always nice to see some greenery involved with interior builds.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, which baby is the fairest of them all

LEGO is not just great for building. It’s also great for storytelling. This is exceptionally well done by Geneva Durand. We are witnessing an evil Queen on her way to kill a newborn who is said to be destined to one day end her reign. It almost sounds biblical with just a touch of Snow White. I guess the evil Queen also sometimes dabbles a bit in magic because her knights appear to be floating down from the village walls without being crushed. It is their task to find the little baby and end it. On that note, can you spot the little infant?

A regal ruler of the skies

Looking for inspiration for what to do with your pick-a-brick stash of curved window frames? Look no further than this beautiful airship by Kai/Geneva featuring several of these window frames as the perfect curved fuselage. I’m also a big fan of the crisscrossed LEGO strings wrapped around the fabric envelope. The majestic airship also features some Bionicle blades to deter any passing pirate who thinks this ship is easy prey.

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.