Tag Archives: JS_Ninjnerd

The Mandalorian and some Tusken Raiders encounter the Krayt Dragon

For decades now Tusken Raiders from Star Wars were understood to be desert-dwelling jerks hellbent on harshing everyone’s mellow. However, as we learned in The Mandalorian season two, if you speak their language, if you learn to communicate with them, they have a code of honor and can be cooperative. This stunning LEGO collaboration built by Jonathan Snyder and others (he didn’t specify who) depicts the pivotal scene in which Din Djarin, Cobb Vanth, villagers of Freetown and Tusken Raiders hatch a plan to slay a fearsom krayt dragon. The cavern and highly-textured sandy cliffside are recreated beautifully here. The krayt dragon is also depicted nicely with most of its massive form buried under the sand. I seem to recall the plan involved a sacrificial bantha loaded with explosives though. Oh well. What Jonathan lacks in bantha goo he makes up for in total awesomeness. Click here to see what I mean.

The Krayt Dragon

The Good, the Lad, and the Ugly

Amidst all the detailed and complex LEGO models of our lord and savior Baby Yoda, it’s easy to overlook some of the more subtle renditions of our yiddle messiah. In these trying times though, we still have much to be thankful for, as JS_Ninjnerd has made sure to depict all 8 pounds, 6 ounces of our dear baby Yoda with only a handful of pieces. And though it’s easy to hone in on him, the Child isn’t really the focus of this model. While yes, the scene playing out does depict the good Mandalorian protecting the wee lad baby Yoda from the ugly Trandoshans, the setting built up around them is breathtakingly sculpted. I’m a sucker for good rock work, and this one sucked me right in. While the technique isn’t anything new, it’s executed well here, and the colour combination of dark tan and medium nougat is refreshing.

Protecting the Child

A bridge too far

The most important part of an Imperial Star Destroyer is the bridge. Thus, any LEGO build of it deserves incredible detail, which is exactly what JS_Ninjnerd has done here.

Star Destroyer Bridge

This highly-detailed model includes the essentials for what we’ve seen in the Star Wars movies. Triangular windows and the crew pits are immediately eye-catching, but upon closer inspection you can see the computer panels, angled sloped pieces, and color consistency that give this build a clean, smooth Imperial look.

Another aspect that I like is the amount of Imperial personnel in the display: nine crew members and officers, three stormtroopers and Lord Vader. Any scene featuring the might and technological prowess of the Empire would need to include figures like these.

The Gates Await

If you’re going to build a castle, you’re going to have some guarded gates to go with it. That’s exactly what builder JS_Ninjnerd did with this fantastic medieval creation. First off, we need a round of applause for the incredible amount of landscaping this build has. Look at the tiny details in the rocks and grass! The variety of sloping bricks used to achieve such level of attention reflects JS_Ninjnerd’s LEGO building skills. Certainly, no stone was left unturned.

The castle itself is a marvel of plastic engineering. Personally, I can’t stand having gaps in between my walled bricks, but here they’re pulled off perfectly. The distressing on the castle is equally expert. The sand-green bricks add age to the towers, helping establish the narrative that they’ve been guarding the entrance to the kingdom for centuries.

The Gates of Corvale

Also age-impressive is the tree on the far left of the display. This tree is shedding its leaves as it enters into the Fall season. I love the colors and how they reflect actual color changes in real trees. The leaves on the ground are a nice touch as well, continuing to bring as much realism as possible into this creation.