Sometimes LEGO fans manage to use a LEGO part in a more creative way than it was originally intended to be used. The part I am talking about is the raised snake and the builder I am talking about is Jakub Drobny. To me the raised snake never looked like an animal but more like a statue of a snake. LEGO fans all over the world have embraced this part and started using it in white to represent smoke clouds leaving a chimney. The raised snake used for smoke is not the only part used in a clever way. We get keys for door hinges, bowler hats for grassy mountains and shields for tables. What other smartly used parts can you spot?
Tag Archives: Medieval
The story of the house on the chicken leg and the witch on the big broom
Marcin Otreba drew inspiration from the classic folklore tale of Baba Yaga. And he’s not the first one to use this story as an inspiration for a LEGO creation: we’ve featured numerous chicken-legged cottages throughout the years. Marcin’s is special because it’s so tiny yet so packed with details. It’s so small it almost has you wondering if the witch will actually fit into the cottage. The answer is yes, of course! It is a magic cottage, you silly! The arms with pins introduced in the Super Mario LEGO sets are used to create all sorts of odd angles, and the fact that the cottage is asymmetrical makes it even more aesthetically pleasing. But the most hilarious thing about this creation is the fact that Baba Yaga is riding a Belville broom which is far bigger than her house.
Check out more Baba Yaga creations here!
The Venice of our dreams
We tend to not show LEGO creations that are still a work in progress. However this display by Barthezz Brick has been drawing our attention for quite a while. We’ve been seeing WIP shots for quite some time now, and each of the buildings for his Venice creation looks unique and interesting. We haven’t seen them all together but that is one thing we are surely looking forward to! We hope these early pics get you just as excited as we are to see this model when it is completed.
Yellow castle king under attack
We all love a bit of LEGO nostalgia every now and then and this build by Lars Barstad really hits the soft spot. It’s got a nod to the yellow LEGO castle from way back when, and then there is the Black Falcon king for the generations after the yellow castle. The posing of the minifigures is great and the little baby with the helmet on is too cute. The miniature castle is amazingly well done. It looks like the yellow castle but it also looks like a theatre backdrop. Of course the amazingly brick build heavy curtains also really help to set the scene.
A delicious drumstick tower
Ben Spector thought he could hide LEGO turkey drumsticks in the tower roof of this lovely build and get away with it. Well, this is surely not the case because we did notice this clever part usage. But that is not the only smartly used part. We get ice cream scoops used as smoke and cheese slopes representing stained glass windows. Since LEGO will probably never release non-licensed castle sets with skin-toned Minifigures, I always navigate towards creations that do match these criteria. One of the best things about this creation has to be the base of the tower which grows wider and wider until it is wide enough to support a full-blown tower on the first floor. Chapeau!
Gorgeous crenellations adorn this Black Falcon fortress
I cannot get enough of the beautiful LEGO stonework on this Black Falcon castle by Michał Kozłowski. The long, slender slopes reaching up from its walls and forming the battlements atop them add such height to this construction. Those expertly textured and colored walls reach up to two dark, sleek roofs capping a duo of spires. It almost completely distracts from the enemy horde trudging through the vegetation on the ground below. Festooned with birch trees, this plot is where our invaders have set up a ladder to breach the walls.
Thankfully, this fortress is armed with a heavy duty ballista to take out any enemies that make it over the bulwark. I think this design is top notch, and definitely my favorite part of the build.
A lavender dream over turquoise waters
Ralf Langer is a master when it comes to making bulky LEGO creations. He also is very capable of making builds look very delicate and fragile. In this creation it is almost baffling to me that he manages to make this massive tower look light and airy. The hexagon shaped towers are created by sticking hot dogs into 1×1 round plates with holes. Ralf’s builds always look quite part intensive so my guess is that these two towers actually weigh quite a lot. Yet he still managed to make it look like they are just floating in mid air. The window in the middle part of the build looks quite interesting and Ralf himself is quite fond of it, so I hope he ventures further into that style of architecture because I am most curious what he’ll come up with.
Mushrooms, I spy mushrooms everywhere
LEGO creations by Eann are often inspired by mushrooms. When you browse their photostream, this becomes quite evident. When you take a closer look at this creation, you’ll also notice that mushrooms are somewhat of a theme. There are mushrooms at the base of the building. The minifigures sidekick is a mushroom with a face. Even the build itself looks like the stalk of a mushroom. But maybe that is just the organic shape of the white tower and the fact that it is equipped with a red roof. Maybe it’s me, maybe I am just seeing mushrooms everywhere since autumn is around the corner. Who knows… All I know is that the details on this creation are out of this world and that I need to expand my collection of coral coloured bricks.
Monastery with goats in the shrubbery
Oddly coloured LEGO foliage always catches my eyes. So this creation by Joe hits the sweet spot. Not only is the trees foliage purple and violet, the grass is lime coloured. The path leading towards the monastery is earth orange. So all of the secondary colours are accounted for, which creates a very pleasing aesthetic. You wouldn’t want to roll down these grassy hills, because the high grass is made using lots of sharp katanas. You can see this is not the living-in-poverty type of monastery as they somehow were able to afford a goat.
Peacefull or ominous house on the floating rock
This LEGO creation by Elias Hübner reminds me of all the family trips I went on as a kid. According to my parents, a family holiday was not complete if we hadn’t visited a cave, volcano, mountain, waterfall or lake. Something I’m still grateful for. They opened our eyes to all the beauty nature had to offer. The rockwork on this creation by Elias reminds me of stalactites and stalagmites. Although this little house looks very peaceful at first glance, it does have an ominous vibe. Why is the door wide open and unhinged? Why is there no person in sight? Even the birds appear to be fleeing the scene. What is going on Elias?
The future of the Forestmen
I think LEGO should consider bringing the Forestmen theme back (and castle in general, for that matter). Look at this creation by Sylon_tw. It features the classic light grey, black, and blue colour scheme but it is brought up to date. The blue is combined with dark blue to make it look less primary colorish and lend a mottled look. The grey walls feature texture to achieve an overall worn-down look. And the black is just a little bit less dominant than it was in the original theme. There is lush foliage everywhere and cute little forest critters hiding in it. Best thing about this whole castle creation? It is not conflict driven. At least if you presume the archer is just practising for athletic reasons.
Big detail to be found in this Lilliputian village
Welcome to the microscale marvel that is the LEGO village of Valendiell, created by the brilliant Peter Ilmrud. First things first, we need to address the gigantic tree at the center of this build, which towers over the village, the lighthouse, and even the neighboring castle. I like the natural shape created by the foliage, setting it apart from the minute vegetation scattered around it. Under its massive boughs, we have a darling castle design, utilizing these technic pins as turrets. It’s an ingenious bit of parts usage, but nothing compared to the outstanding implementation of the brown minifig epaulettes on the airship and the small boat. And I’m only scratching the surface of all the great secrets hidden in Valendiell. See what else you can spot below.
