Tag Archives: Geneva Durand

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?

Beyond

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.

On Diet

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.

Hot Dog

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.

Kalypso

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.

Acheron

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.

Neuschwanstein Castle

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!

House

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.

Castle Kitchen

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?

Endurance

Idyllic autumn shrine

Some LEGO creations we feature are really big and elaborate. Others, like this one by Geneva Durand, are rather small. But that does not mean that they are less impressive. When you build on a smaller scale, everything is in focus. This means everything that you put into your creation has to be thought out thoroughly because everything will be much more noticeable. Idyll by Geneva is a very good example. As the name highlights the creation is meant to look idyllic and it does. It gives you a sense of calm which I love. The autumn leaves give this creation a big pop of colour and I love the addition of the coral pink. Using black or dark brown for the tree, the wooden frame of the house, the shrine, and the minifigure accessories balance out the vibrancy of the fallen leaves. If this doesn’t get you in the autumn mood, I don’t know what will.

Idyll

A gothic murder mystery awaits inside this glorious manor

As part of a challenge to create a hypothetical new LEGO theme, Geneva Durand opted to make something of a game out of it. The Detection theme’s flagship set is the Greenwold House, an 871-piece home full of classic crime novel fun. The front of the home offers tons of gorgeous detail – thanks in large part to an ample use of microphones and roller skates – while still keeping things at a scale suitable for a set on the shelves at Target.

Detection

The reverse side features six rooms, filled with clues for the Doctor and Detective (and the builder) to examine in hopes of separating fact from fiction and solving the crime. It’s a LEGO build experience and a murder mystery puzzle all rolled into one. Where I can preorder?

A flaming sword is scarier than a regular sword

This new LEGO creation by Geneva Durand begs the question; what is scarier than a regular sword? A flaming sword, of course. No, it’s true; it’s like science-fact written in the annuls of science-y stuff. The same can be said for flaming arrows, a flaming axe, and Flaming Hot Funyuns. I mean, have you seen those things? How are they even considered suitable for human consumption? Anyway, the builder tells us this 1:1 scale weapon is not quite swooshable but you can swing it around a bit if you’re careful. And it is super fun!

Flaming Sword

Geneva borrowed an epic cape from her brother and while we’re not quite sure if this is a real human in the photo, here’s a shot of a human-like figure standing with the sword to show off its imposing scale. It’s an image suitably bitchin’ enough to be airbrushed on the side of a 70s-era van or a Molly Hatchet album cover.

Flaming Sword

What ne’er-do-wells will we find down this dark alley?

I’d love to know the secrets of this alleyway scene by Geneva Durand. The setting itself looks very moody – a dark alley on a rainy day, with only a solitary lantern for light. And then there are the characters… We can only see the back of one, suggesting we’re eavesdropping on this particular conversation. The other does look quite pleased with himself though. What could be in that envelope? Is he delivering good news that they don’t want prying eyes to see? Or is it something more nefarious – an ultimatum, or a ransom payment? There’s real tension in the air thanks to the excellent photo composition, but let’s not take away from the equally excellent model!

The Alleyway

The stone walls are made of tiles inset using brackets, each attached to a hinge plate. This means each ‘brick’ can have its own subtle angle, emulating the haphazard look these old walls often have. The cobbled street, made using round tiles, only serves to accentuate this. The hinge plates on the timber buttresses are functional first and foremost, but also serve a decorative purpose in an area that could otherwise look fairly uninteresting. Geneva has provided an interesting behind-the-scenes shot showing just how the alleyway comes together.

Smug Smaug Sits Smartly in the Spotlight

There are a lot of Lord of the Rings LEGO creations out there, but Geneva Durand brings something extra to this offering. The great dragon Smaug sits atop a golden horde – pretty standard there – but this horde is lit from below with a warm yellow glow. The dragon’s form is excellent, with a good mix of red colors and a solid wing design featuring curved tile to create texture. Triangle tiles are clipped and wedged upright to create the creature’s spine, and golden horns are used to give him a grumpy expression over the Mixel 1×1 round printed tile eyes. The mix of golden-toned elements, chromed gold coins, and under-lit transparent elements, though, is what made this build stand out to me. Mainly because I wonder if Smaug’s body heat is melting that pile of gold, or maybe he just farts fire. Well, whatever it smells like, this build looks great.

Smaug

Want more LOTR goodness? Check out some other featured builds!