Tag Archives: Kevin Wanner

Life on a LEGO sailboat looks like paradise

Tales of life at sea have long cast a siren spell over many a landlubber and LEGO builder. Real-life heroes like Thor Heyerdahl, Ernest Shackleton, and Steve Zissou Jacques Cousteau captured the imaginations of past generations; with many followers on YouTube, Lauren Landers and her feline first mate Mak are new stars sharing the ups and downs of life on the waves. Builder Kevin Wanner was inspired by Landers’ home, the Soul de La Mar, and recreated it in LEGO. The sailboat is a 1993 Oceania 510, decked out for long-term life at sea.

Soul de La Mar

Kevin proves an able LEGO shipwright, creating impressive curves in dark blue. He first planned to build only the above-water section of the boat, but felt driven to complete the keel as well. The end results, with the full ship “floating” on a then patch of sea over a coral reef, is nothing short of stunning. The sea alone includes 1,900 1×1 tiles with clips to achieve the undulating effect. Kevin calls it a “don’t bump the table” build on account of the entire ship and sea resting on three fragile contact points. I hope he never learned that the hard way!

Soul de La Mar

Kevin’s gallery features many more angles of this exquisite ship. The build is an amazing tribute to the Soul de La Mar that just might have you dreaming of trading in your house or apartment for sailboat of your own.

Revamping mummies

LEGO Adventurers was my absolute favourite theme as a kid. Especially the desert theme. Seeing the Jungle Explorer Collectable Minifigure got my hopes up for the theme to be renewed. This might also explain my soft spot for LEGO Adventurer fan creations. This build by Kevin Wanner really hits the soft spot. We get very well put together fleshy minifigure renditions of all the familiar faces. Two very well designed vehicles. However the absolute highlight of this creation has to be the beautiful palm trees. There are dark tan eggshells used to create the trunk of the palm tree. The crown of the tree uses dark tan, green and bright green plant leaves to indicate the lifespan of a palm tree leaf. It looks stunning!

Desert Expedition REVAMP

Dia de los Muertos; the Halloween after Halloween

LEGO builder Kevin Wanner made a trip to San Diego recently, took a few photos, and treated us all to something amazing. In his words; “Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2. It is a holiday of joyful celebration involving family and friends gathering to pay respects to those who have died. Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras and Aztec marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, it is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls.” I love the colors and festivity of it all. The flowers, painted cobblestone tiles, sugar skulls, and various cactus plants are all fun details. Even the photography, with its depth of field, is expertly done. It gives us a reason to celebrate the loved ones who have passed on.

Dia de los Muertos

How about a slice of 1994 nostalgia with extra cheese?

Fresh out of the oven, we have this nostalgia-laden creation by Kevin Wanner, revamping the classic LEGO set 6350: Pizza To Go. The added textures to the white walls of the kitchen feels like something from modern set design, as does the use of dark green in the color palette for the roof. The giant palm and expanded outdoor eating area are both welcome additions here. And I adore the choice to place this vignette on a circular cutout of street and sidewalk, as opposed to your typical, boxy baseplates. But by far, my favorite touch in this restoration is the adept use of the set’s original “Pizzeria” sticker, with part of it remaining as the shop’s sign, and the top slice circling the table’s umbrella. What an excellent idea!

Pizzeria Revamp

Lanterns with tassels!

Tudor style buildings are my weak spot. There, I said it! This build by Kevin Wanner is no exception to that rule. Kevin’s creation features stained glass windows with yellow glass. Using the turntable base for the stained glass windows is a technique that quite a lot of builders have used before, and even LEGO eventually picked up on this technique, featuring it in their Unexpected Gathering set. But there is so much more to love — the macaroni tiles in brown used for the woodwork, the crooked little chimeys, the round 1×2 plate well, the Mjolnir wall, the string net hills, the claws for a straw roof and the tree stump tiles used to show where the wooden support beams in the building are hiding. All lovely techniques, but the best one has to be the use of the old Scala perfume bottle to create a lantern with a tassel.

The Winespring Inn 05