Tag Archives: Mathijs Dubbeldam

The modern Toa for the modern age

I can’t be the only one who was disappointed with the LEGO Bionicle representation in 11021: 90 Years of Play. Thankfully, Mathijs Dubbeldam has provided an excellent example of seven Toa Nuva using current parts. These figures don’t sacrifice any movement possessed by their counterparts from 2002, relying heavily on the Mixel ball joint. And the sculpting of the Bionicle masks in this scale is exceptional! Each Toa feels unique and recognizable by their face alone. But the real victory here is Mathijs’s glorious weapons crafting. Relying heavily on the Ninjago parts library, each of the septet is properly equipped and ready for battle. The display stand is the icing on this ball-jointed cake, pairing a proper biome with each member of the troupe.

Toa Nuva on Mata Nui

Let’s hope it’s a gusty day for this windmill

LEGO Builder Mathijs Dubbeldam has constructed this fantastic-looking windmill stationed out on the open sea. Kelp and seaweed cling to the lower part of the structure with a drone hovering nearby, overlooking the ocean. The small platform features a crane with what appears to be an underwater detection device hanging from its hook. In the habitable part of the windmill, a conical glass roof is represented by a windscreen piece from Lando’s Millennium Falcon set. The hints of dark blue against the plain white of the windmill are also a nice touch, and it’s the little details across the model that add a lot of character to the whole build.

Wind farm maintenance & research station

When your friends turn out to be slime. Literally.

The backstory of Rendevous at Slime Bay by Mathijs Dubbeldam (Exetrius) has the leader of the Black Spire seeking out allies from the Algus, an ancient enemy of man. Which, honestly, sounds like a pretty stupid move. But I guess if you’re the leader of something as grim sounding as “The Black Spire” it’s just another Tuesday. On the LEGO front, this build is very far from “stupid”, as it incorporates some really skillful tricks like a stone arch made with a ball-jointed infrastructure. I also love the construction on the cross at the top of that span. The water has some excellent white-top crests made from transparent cheese slopes, and there’s plenty of shades of transparent green elements to bring the goopy nature of the island to life.

Rendezvous at Slime Bay (main)

If you’re looking for more immersive scenery, check out our dioramas tag!

It takes a village to raise up good builders

Back when I was first exploring the world of online LEGO fandom, years ago now, one of the first places I landed was the Guilds of Historica, a medieval fantasy-based role building forum on Eurobricks. It was an eye-opening experience for me, then just a novice builder fairly fresh out of my dark ages, seeing all the incredible castles and villages that talented builders the world over had contributed. I quickly joined up and contributed my own creations, getting invaluable building and photography feedback along the way, and Mathijs Dubbeldam was one of those helpful folks giving me feedback and support. His latest build feels like a medieval piece of Ninjago City, with the blue water and grey walkway along with the tower and colorful buildings. The varied roofline and angled walkways give it a wonderfully organic feel, like a real city. Fancy a visit?

Merodaquinas - Trout's Crossing

Don’t forget to browse other LEGO fantasy builds while you are here! Perhaps you’ll be inspired to build your own, especially with the new LEGO Ideas 21325 Medieval Blacksmith shop out now.

LEGO EVA Unit 02 has activated

Mathijs Dubbeldam had a goal: to build the world’s most accurate EVA Unit 02 from the anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. The head in particular reads strikingly accurate to me, but I am also impressed with the iconic long limbs, lanky frame, and spot-on details right down to the fingernails.

EVA Unit 02 in Tokyo-3

See more of this intricate model, including one of the building’s interiors.