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 Guilder 1-on-1. The final round just wrapped, during which participants were tasked with making creations featuring the air scoop engine element over a two-week period. 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