Tag Archives: Netherlands

A LEGO castle where dreams take flight

Three years before Disneyland transported American families to fantasy worlds, Efteling park in the Netherlands brought fairy tales to life with European flare. Dutch builder Lucas Firestone makes his debut with a LEGO tribute to that theme park’s signature dark ride, Droomvlucht (Dream Flight), with his interpretation of the castle. Lucas does a great job capturing the castle’s dreamlike dimensions, with towers that jut out at gravity defying angles. Binoculars make for wonderful parapets. As much as we love the Disney Castle, it’s great to see other theme park landmarks in LEGO.

Dream flight castle

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An American in Amsterdam

Don’t miss the train! This LEGO train creation by Ervvin makes me want to buy the next ticket available for a ride.

NS1202 [2]

In post-World War II Europe, the United States committed billions of dollars to help people resume ordinary lives. Part of that went to rebuilding Europe’s largest transportation network, the railway. This engine here is an NS1200 series electric locomotive, with components built in the United States and shipped to the Netherlands to create the electric powerhouse that helped move the Netherlands on the path to reconstruction.

You have to love this design, no question about it. It’s very smooth yet leaves room for all the little details like vents and wires. The use of minifigure skis on top of the connecting vanes was incredibly insightful.

Next time you’re in the Netherlands, make sure to stop by the National Rail Museum in Utrecht to get a look at one of the last of these engines still in operation!

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Building a remote control police van [feature]

As a child I literally dreamed of having a remote control LEGO car. I’m not an experienced Technic builder, though, and the LEGO electronics I had in the eighties weren’t up to the job. So actually making this happen took a long time.

I had to combine different systems for adding electrical functions to LEGO models, but now I’ve finally done it. My new Dutch National Police Volkswagen Transporter drives and steers using IR remote control. It also has a working siren and lights. Nonetheless, it has opening doors and an interior, so it looks just like any of the other vehicles I’ve been building for years.

Continue reading →

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A fine study in Dutch country life

The Netherlands isn’t only about tulips, windmills and the narrow houses of Amsterdam’s center. For legotrooper501st, his recent trip to the Netherlands inspired this serene and peaceful diorama of a Dutch rural house. I tend to think it’s the colors and the composition that set the mood; there’s a lot in this build that makes it look almost like a painting, while it can boast a whole bunch of brilliant building solutions, like the roof, tall grass by the water and dark water itself.

Dutch Home

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A terrific tower of Amsterdam

Located in Amsterdam, the A’DAM Tower is more than just a simple office block. Sitting atop of the office block is the A’DAM LOOKOUT, an observation deck featuring a restaurant and an “over the edge swing” among other attractions. Originally opened in 1971 as the headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell, the tower’s observation deck and other new features opened in 2016.

According to the builder, Flickr user Erwin te Kortschot, this LEGO model was constructed as the result of a commission by Dutch company Kawneer Netherlands. As in real life, this LEGO model places the central mass of the structure at an angle when compared to both the base and the observation deck. As any LEGO builder knows, building at angles with rectangular bricks can be a challenge. This model serves as an example of what is possible though.

ADAM tower (Polyclose 2)

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