Tag Archives: Gus

A LEGO encampment where legends train for battle

As much as we love a colossal castle, a brick-built LEGO encampment can be just as inspiring when depicting life in the Middle Ages (see our thoughts on the latest Bricklink Designer Program Siege Encampment). French builder Gus (Faëbricks) erects a training camp for House Austren in what promises to be the first chapter of a LEGO roleplaying scenario called Féodalis. Duke Galdric, accompanied by his wife Elyanna, trains for a joust against the Duke of House Clawthorne. The scene is packed with details of camp life like serfs unfurling a tarp over an a-frame tent and crossbow training.

I love the colors of House Austren, pairing the Forester stag crest with fur collars and dark green capes.

Click for a video tour of this model!

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LEGO Steampunk “Swallow” takes to the skies!

“L’hirondelle,” a mighty LEGO creation by Gus (aka Faëbricks), is the fastest vessel in the Royal Navy. Its name is French for “The Swallow,” a bird known for its ability to feed mid-flight, so what better name for an airship in search of prey? Mighty wind turbines and a streamlined hull (love the hidden rowboats giving it the curved shape) work with the elongated balloon to keep the airship aloft and stalking the skies. Its crew are hard at work, having repurposed Fremen stillsuit masks as breathing apparatuses in the thin air. I also love the cannon on the gear swivel, ready to unleash hell in any lateral direction. There’s also that wicked-looking blade at the prow, ready to poke holes in anybody who comes too close. All in all, it’s not an airship I’d want to mess with.

Steam on!

“In a world of floating islands, Elias . . . knew every lever, every pipe, and every sound it made. But his eyes often wandered atop the workshop, where his air balloon stood, waiting to lift off.” That’s how Gus (aka Faëbricks) begins the tale surrounding this tall vignette called “Sogno di Volare,” and personally, he had me at “floating islands.” The model has clear industrial, steampunk vibes from the brick foundation to the moored airship—and speaking of that airship, how cute is that thing? It’s a compact, one-seater model perfect for gallivanting around those floating islands.

As Gus continues: “One day, he promised himself, he’d set his balloon free, leaving the steam and noise behind, and float into the wide, open sky.” Here’s hoping our little engineer gets his chance.

It’s just a flesh wound . . .

Fresh off the heels of the epic Dune vignette we featured a few days ago, builder Gus brings us another iconic movie scene: the confrontation with the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Arthur, King of the Britons, has momentarily defeated the enemy knight, whose arms have been comically shorn from his shoulders. (He’s had worse.) The scene is instantly recognizable, thanks to authentic details like cream puffs standing in for the coconuts Patsy claps together to simulate a horse’s hooves. Now Arthur, believing his foe vanquished, prepares to cross the bridge. After all, what’s the Black Knight going to do, bleed on him?

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Long live the fighters!

There’s a lot to love in this dramatic depiction of Paul Muad’Dib’s final speech before the battle of Arrakeen. Builder Gus (aka Faëbricks) captures the moment just before Paul launches the family atomics to destroy the Shield Wall so well you can almost hear Hans Zimmer’s throbbing soundtrack. But aside from the faithfulness to the movie moment, two things stand out. The first is the stunning arrangement of the rock pieces, which jut out at impossible-looking angles to make a truly natural-looking cliff for Paul to stand on. The second is the perfectly round base, achieved by stacking rows and rows of plates on their sides, each one just slightly tilted, until they reach full circle. Forget desert power—it’s the power to create angles like this with LEGO bricks that’s really impressive.

A LEGO swamp full of stange mushrooms may hide a secret or two

When wandering through a LEGO landscape strewn with ruins, you would be advised to watch your step. Just ask Gus. who, as the cereator of this scene, probably has a good idea where it is safe to step to avoid the deep swamp water among the mushrooms. The whole scene is elevated, allowing fern fronds to barely emerge from the surface. With so many kinds of mushrooms you probably should also check your pocket guide to make sure you pick the right ones for your stew.

A troubled bridge over troubled waters from Game of Thrones

Two LEGO warriors face off in the center of a rundown stone bridge in this LEGO model by Faëbricks and Brickscaalibur! This creation is based on the third season of Game of Thrones during the duel between Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth. And what a bridge it is! Gus and Raphaël have gone for a maximalist greebling-style of brickwork, meaning there’s plenty of cobbled texture to the stonework. If you get the chance, you should try to zoom in and spot as many techniques in there as possible! The bridge arches get their curve due to the 1×2 grated slope, stacked vertically to create each support. Also, I want to complement the greenery along the top of the bridge. These plants are both show-authentic and provide contrasting color to the rest of the bridge. I hope Faëbricks and Brickscaalibur get the chance to work together to impress us again!

In the Shire, there’s always time to take a break from your chores

J. R. R. Tolkien imagined Bilbo Baggins’ door as a circular construction, green and impressive in size (for a hobbit). Peter Jackson ran with the description and the gently rustic feel of the Shire and created an organic-and-tudor style mix that Gus has wonderfully captured here in the blocky medium of LEGO. There are so many details to love in this scene; the fence is made from a pair of whips, while the circular window to the right of the door is a bicycle tire! The organic side of the hobbit style is on full display as Gus has achieved both a cobbled circle for the windmill tower, and a smooth roof-line mimicking the slope of the of the hill – not to mention the striking red of the wood slats in the door. With all of this excellent building on display only one question remains; are these two folks Bagginses or Tooks?

Where’s a Strider when you need one?!

We’ve had a glorious wealth of LEGO Lord of the Rings builds lately, thanks in large part to a contest going on right now over on the LEGO Ideas site. As a result, we can see builder Faëbricks ply their expert rock technique in this beautiful recreation of the Weathertop scene. Faëbricks does an excellent job of distinguishing between two types of weathered stone. There’s the ruins of the watchtower, built in light gray and retaining evidence of man-made features: crumbling arches, a few ruined statues, and so many clean lines intentionally broken with a crack or crevice tell the history of this place. Juxtapose that feel with the rocky terrain in dark gray, dark green, and brown. The weathered earth appears in larger “chunks” and involves far more slopes and natural shapes than the construction atop it. And yet both sides of this metaphorical coin coexist wonderfully in this exceptional recreation from the movie.

Beware the cannonball in this LEGO Pirates battle

The LEGO Imperials are totally overwhelmed in this Pirate battle scene by Faëbricks. The design of the black and brown sloop is exquisite, lean and ready for a fight. And yet, it still doesn’t steal attention away from the scene as a whole. The same can be said of the port structure: beautifully textured and colored, it looks as if it’s seen its fair share of weathering. But it’s clear that the current cannon fire is creating a bit more damage than years of wind and water. Gaping holes in the gate and foundation show that the pirates are clearing winning this fight, with one more cannonball about to make contact in this frozen slice of the action. Good luck, Imperials! You’re going to need it….

Time to take a tour of Tortuga

LEGO construction styles collide in the pirate town of Tortuga by builder Faëbricks. First, there’s the excellent rock work creating the cliffs of this craggy isle at sea. So many large slopes in shades of gray positioned at just the right angle such that they blend perfectly into an organic wall. Second, we have the ramshackle houses built into these cliffs. Set at odd angles and built with uneven or off-colored shingles, this is clearly a town that sprung up from whatever was available, not the finest building supplies. Then finally we have the expert use of minifigures. This tiny town is full of stories, told by figures in action poses. One posse is on lookout and manning the cannon, another works to raise a chest with a crane. My favorite is the man aboard the beautiful sailboat coming around the island. The whole scene is given agency by their individual stories, and Tortuga’s buildings and crags come alive as a result.

When you see a serpent

I don’t know about you, but I like my placid meadow villages free of marauding sea serpents. However, the folks were not so lucky at this fine farm by LEGO builder Faëbricks. The dark water looks ominous rather than tranquil, and the sand-green serpent rears his head in a pose that might be an easter egg for LEGOLand’s Brickley. As for the whole scene, I don’t know whether this builder was inspired by Valheim, but this moment seems to be drawn straight out of one of my games, from right after my boat got wrecked by a serpent and I’m swimming furiously to shore hoping my stamina holds out.

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