Tag Archives: Mountain Hobbit

A new take on a LEGO house boat

If you ever wondered what you would get if you crossed climate-change, Star Wars, and the legend of Baba Yaga (c’mon, we’ve all been there) then this wandering house on giant robot legs by Mountain Hobbit may just answer your question. The house itself may not be as terrifying as that chicken-legged shack, but it is certainly as visually interesting. There is everything you need in a post-apocalyptic setting where fetid swamps have covered the land, with great mechanical legs that would give an AT-AT a run for its money, a collection of radio dishes, a utility pole, not to mention a steady source of food from fishing. Even the swamp is wonderfully detailed with a variety of green plates, bricks, and slopes, with a few well-placed plants.

The Swamp Walker

A peaceful scene from just 32 pieces

When we last checked in with Jake Hansen (Mountain Hobbit), we were blown away by the intricate detail of his snow-covered mountain inn. But I’m equally impressed by this similar scene that Jake created from just 32 pieces. A couple of minifigure books and a handful of table scrap come together to craft a winter retreat that looks just as cozy and inviting.

Cozy Cabin

LEGO Creation of the Week (#4): “The Inn on the Mountain Pass” by Jake Hansen

Every week readers of the The Brothers Brick Telegram channel choose the Creation of the Week: one project that impressed all of us the most. Week #4 brings us the second winner of 2023, The Inn on the Mountain Pass by Jake Hansen. In a tight contest his charming inn beat the next nominee by just one vote!

The inn’s lovely design coupled with cozy light inside creates such a special mood. Come enjoy a mug of something warm as we take a close look at the build in our post.

Meanwhile, the new vote is already on! Join our Telegram channel to follow all the best LEGO creations, latest new, and, of course, vote for your favorites. See you there!

This snowy inn takes medieval construction to new heights

In this frozen wilds scene, Jake Hansen (Mountain Hobbit) has brilliantly captured the feel of a rough and snowy wilderness. The fatigue of that poor traveler comes right through in this image, thanks in part to the steep stone stairs with the snow collecting in their cervices. Thankfully, the traveler has reached a warm and inviting inn and can now claim a well-earned night’s rest. But, were I the traveler, I might take one lap around the inn and enjoy its shades of blue, and the intricate roof awnings. There’s always time to appreciate good craftsmanship. Besides, if you just climbed 1000 feet, what could a lap around the inn hurt?

The Inn on the Mountain Pass

A break from the heat

Nothing feels nicer in the depths of summer than a glimpse of a snowy landscape. Jake Hansen (Mountain Hobbit) leads us to Winter’s Gate, an early seasonal treat.  Filled with great techniques like mostly connected candles to form bamboo poles, inset cheese-wedge designs, and unusual angles, this build rewards you the closer you look. Case in point: that weathered staff the figure is holding is made from an umbrella and a minifigure hand. How many of you missed that at first glance?

Winter's Gate

If you want more cold-weather relief, our Winter tag is here for you.

The Iron Starhopper

Certain parts show up a lot throughout the year thanks to LEGO fans’ tendency to challenge each other’s ingenuity, such as the recurring Iron Builder challenge. For his third model using the red hexagonal windscreen part, builder Jake Hansen went for a space angle. This multifaceted spacecraft might not hold much by way of cargo but it can certainly get you from Planet A to Planet B in good time.

Fe Starhopper

Ships like these are intricate puzzles that show off the nontraditional or unexpected ways that builders find to fit pieces together. Triangular clip plates in the nose snuggly fit in the area between the red windscreens while grey domes of reducing size fill the space behind. The light blue ski poles in the front, along with the other uses of the color by the engines or along each side of the body, perfectly compliments and contrasts the red of the windscreen. Stacks of minifigure skates in grey are built into each arm of the body, providing an industrial texture that works really well in this ship. This swift little starhopper is just another example of Jake’s prodigious skill.

A tree whose bite is worse than its bark

Animals often evolve to look like plants in order to avoid predators, but have you ever seen a plant that looks like a predator? You have now, thanks to Jake Hansen and his tree built primarily from crocodile parts. The seed for this idea was planted when Jake and some friends were playing around with the pieces from set 70419 Hidden Side – Wrecked Shrimp Boat. The tan crocodile that debuted in that set makes for a perfect tree trunk base. With the help of a few droid arms and plenty of leaves and flower buds – not to mention extra tails and jaws – the final model works as an eerily beautiful centerpiece to this dark swamp scene.

Croc Tree

If termites lived on Mars

Maybe it’s the choice of dark orange and nougat that made me think of Mars when I saw this microscale build by Jake Hansen, and maybe the tall chunky shape reminded me of termites, but whatever the inspiration behind this model, the part usage is off the charts. One of my favorites is the older wheel axle holder attached to the upside-down steering wheel. The chrome cylinders, as well as the many stacked gears, create interesting textures when combined with multiple sizes of wheel rims.

Colony

A very smooth Halloween cottage

Okay Halloween might be over but that is no reason not to post an amazing LEGO Halloween themed build. This creation by Jake Hansen sure is something else. It is completely studless (not counting the studs on the foliage). This makes this creation almost look like it is not made out of LEGO bricks. Not building on a base but placing each element loose on paper also helps. Jake uses some interesting techniques. There are treasure chest lids hidden in the tree trunks. The best part has to be that cute fence and the balcony made with umbrellas. There is a stash of pumpkins next to the house. If you look closely you’ll spot that the ones in the back are not orange but red. This creates more depth as they look like there’s a shadow cast upon them because they are further away. Very clever. Another clever technique has to be the tombstone made out of a 2×2 round tile with hole and bar holders with clips attached to the back of the round plate. The effect is amazing!

The Crooked Cottage

A celebration of the humble LEGO frog

When I first joined the online LEGO community about 20 years ago, I had to choose an avatar to represent myself online. I decided to draw the LEGO frog in MS Paint and use it as my avatar. The frog piece was released in the year 2000. Over the years some LEGO parts get redesigned. It is however my honest opinion that there is no way to improve the iconic little frog. For its time it is very detailed and still very cute. Four amazing builders decided to celebrate the piece and I could not pass it up the chance to take a closer look at them.

Roanoke Handybuck’s frog is currently visiting the Swamp with a lovely dock featuring some paint brushes and a beautiful architectural sculpture using red parrots.

Fred's Adventures: The Swamp

Read on to see the rest of the models

It’s a Viking life for me

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been playing so much Valheim for the past few months that you’re going around muttering things like “the bees are happy” in your sleep. So naturally, when I saw this LEGO longhouse by Jake Hansen, I immediately thought of the game. Jake doesn’t mention that this was built with Valheim in mind, but it’s a beautifully simple Norse scene regardless. There are lots of great details but I think the best one here might be the wooden doors with handles made of bucket handles.

This temple of the rising sun is shining bright

There’s something mysterious about ruined temples weathered by years, and the forces of nature, like this sun temple by Mountain Hobbit, while the steps and the path have fallen apart and the broken pillars no longer hold up whatever it was they help up, the symbol of the sun is completely undamaged. The patchwork arrangement of plates and bricks at 90-degree angles gives a very man-made touch to the wall, and while the sun may be the focal point of the model, I think the real star of the show are those rocks, constructed with multiple separate assemblies with studs pointed in all directions, intertwined with brown vines.

Temple of the Sun