Tag Archives: Iron Forge 2026

Iron Forge 2026 Builder Spotlight: Peter

The Iron Forge competition attracts many familiar faces from the afol community, but not all talented builders have an online presence. Peter is one such creator who made it to the top 8 with a mix of builds that impress with color and range. This confectionery treat from round 2 uses the eggshell seed part as a springboard for sweet LEGO delights.

If you’re more in the mood for savory, Peter has you covered with this sushi assembly station where a multitude of minifig chairs act as fish scales, bones, and nori wrappers.

See more of Peter’s Iron Forge creations below

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Iron Forge 2026 Builder Spotlight: Xiheng Xu

Every year, the Iron Forge lets LEGO builders join in a tournament to see whose techniques and creativity will reign supreme, with the winner getting the chance to battle an Iron Builder 1-on-1. The final round just wrapped, during which participants were tasked with making creations featuring the air scoop engine element over two weeks. While the judges evaluate entries and select this year’s champion, we’re giving each of the eight final builders a spotlight, starting with Xiheng Xu (@little_monk_mocs). The builder only joined the afol community a few months ago, but in that short time has made an incredible impression with builds spanning a range of themes and styles. And in the Iron Forge, Xiheng demonstrated both incredible speed and nimbleness, presenting 18 builds, many of which are in dialogue with other participants. Let’s have a look at them all!

Xiheng brings out the emotive quality of the intake engines, using them as eyes for this adorable WALL-E. Supplementing the main build, an engine in brown doubles as the bot’s boot-turned-planter. In Iron Forge tradition, this creation incorporates both seed elements from the previous rounds – the eggshell/crown and the minifig chair.

I am Groot? I am GROOT! I… am groot.

We’re loving this fast food tray with the seed part used to hold golden fries. A torn bag and a piece of an instruction manual add texture to this miniature tableau. This one evokes the miniature food of LEGO Masters winner Ian Summers.

Click to see the rest of Xiheng’s impressive Iron Forge builds

Iron Forge 2026 Round 2 builders break some eggs!

The Iron Forge contest challenges builders to make mocs (and puns!) showcasing a specific LEGO element to demonstrate skill and entertain judges alike. We spotlighted builds from the first round here. With Round 2 complete, here is a selection of the amazing creations built using the eggshell/crown element.

Twenty builders participated in Round 2, eight of whom advanced to Round 3. We’ll start with them.

Grant Davis unearths this happy Count in a delightful build packed with one eggshell… two eggshell… three eggshells… twenty eggshells, ah ah ah! Using them as teeth is bitingly clever.

Xiheng Xu creates a perfect Forgge entry that is also a tribute to one of Xiheng’s favorite creators, Eli Willlsea.

See creations from all 20 builders after the break

Take a seat! The 2026 Iron Forge heats up

If you follow TBB regularly, you’ve no doubt encountered many articles spotlighting the Iron Builder competition, like our interview last month with the participants in the most recent battle. You might be wondering, how does one get to challenge Iron Builder? One path is to prove your skills in the Iron Forge, a January tradition now in its 7th year. As with the Iron Builder contests, a seed part is chosen that must be used in multiple builds. Only for the Forge, builders only have one week per part before a new seed element is chosen. There is no prize for winning beyond the chance to compete against an Iron Builder, but several Iron Forge champions went on to become LEGO set designers, including Maxx Davidson and last year’s winner Dominique Boeynaems. Glory aside, it’s an amazing showcase of creativity and inspired parts use.

The first round, open to all, just concluded, which featured the minifig chair as the seed part. Here are the to-scoring creations from the 20 builders advancing to the next round.

Grant Davis integrates the seed part in multiple ways into this elegant cafe scene. The obvious spot is for the diner stools that flip the chairs on their back, but chairs are also used for the espresso machine and door panel. The biggest flex of all, however, is the sign which uses LEGO rubber bands and string to form the lettering and lines.

See the top-scoring builds from the other 18 advancing builders below