Tag Archives: Ocean

Bricks on the High Seas

If you enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, then you’ll love this seafaring LEGO creation by Henjin_Quilones.

A drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm

Do ye know what a pirate’s favorite letter be? Ye’d think it would be “R”, but his true love will always be the “C”. All jokes aside, this is truly a wonderful little build. Ship hulls are difficult to contrive out of most bricks, but Henjin manages it by using a variety of angles. The sails are made of sloped bricks and automotive spoiler pieces definitely give off the vibe of being pushed by the wind. My favorite part, however, is barely visible. If you look at the deck very closely, you can see a windowpane lattice doubling as the deck grating.

This flight’s been grounded…except on the water.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about getting whisked away somewhere on a plane. But hopefully not a plane that uses an actual whisk to hold its propellers on, like this one does. But I suppose the whisk is the least of this pilot’s worries, as Grant Davis has constructed quite the impressive belch of black smoke coming from the engine of this seaplane. The texture of the smoke is quite impressive, and I particularly like the black smoke near the engine, made from what I think are a couple of TIE Fighter pilot helmets. The use of the small ship in the background to create a forced perspective horizon really makes it feel like this pilot is isolated, which adds a wonderful additional element of drama to the scene. I don’t imagine making engine repairs while rocking on the open ocean is an easy task. Hopefully his radio still works.

Unscheduled maintenance

Living atop the wave-worn coastal rocks

Grant Davis never ceases to inspire with his exceptional LEGO creations. This adorable cottage is far from some craggy shack. The color combos and shape set the stage for visions of a quaint ocean hideaway. But it’s tough to decide if the best details come from the sand blue spoilers used for clapboard siding, or the magnificent rocky outcropping upon which it sits. The seamless transition from the smooth boulder foundation to the building is excellent. One can also appreciate the conical hat used as a barrel lid, and skates used as door handles.

Life On The Rocks

While you’re here you should check out some of Grant’s other work. Also, take a peek at some other excellent cottages and all sorts of landscape techniques.

There’s lots to explore in this coral forest

Coral reefs are some of the most interesting and intricate ecosystems on the planet. Kris Kelvin has been able to capture this in Lego form thanks to his creative use of parts. There are a lot of hair pieces placed in the display, such as pink mohawks and bushy hair parts which are used to represent a variety of plant life. Curved elements, including sausages and claw pieces, portray the swaying tendrils of the aquatic vegetation. You might also spot some cheeky critters hiding within this coral forest. All these little details culminate in a beautifully built display. The model is great fun to look at as you can find something new every time.

Coral Reef

Sailing the open “C”

Ralf Langer is on a roll. Using a technique he’s employed previously in some sci-fi builds, Ralf has created a gorgeous display piece worthy of a shelf in any captain’s quarters. And, while the shape of the build is bound to monopolize your attention, there are some smaller details here that are worthy of a second look. I particularly like the way he’s used color beneath the transparent light blue tiles. The ocean gets darker the further out from the land masses you go, creating a sense of ever deepening water. If you’d like a chance to build this yourself, you can sail over to the LEGO Ideas site to lend your support.

Land Ahoy!

Just keep swimming with this LEGO fish creation

This LEGO creation from Brickleas is deceptively simple and colorful, to say the least. The bright colors play off each other beautifully without taking over the scene, and the variety of underwater vegetation is well done, especially with the implied, yet peaceful, movement. This build was a submission for an Iron Builder contest, where the builder had to use this odd shield holder part, and Brickleas did a great job incorporating it into a well-textured fish.

Don't swim with big fishes

The mysterious black nautilus

Currently, our study of the nautilus suggests their shells are traditionally white and dark orange. But then again, we understand less about our ocean depths than we do about the moon’s surface. For all we know, there are beautiful black nautiluses residing in the murky depths beyond our reach. If there are, I hope they look like this one built in LEGO form by Moko. Sleek and mysterious. The unique curvature is made using the crane jaw element from recent space-themed sets. Not only does the swirl look cool, but the design made by the axles in the Technic brick holes does as well.

Nautilus

Curious where the baseplate came from? This particular base only came in the 2009 Pirates set, 6241 Loot Island. While you’re here, stick around for some more animal builds, as well as other creations made by Moko.

Not so hermit, hermit crabs

You’ve probably heard the term “hermit” describing someone who lives alone and avoids others. Hermit crabs get their name from the fact that they protect themselves by living and hiding inside abandoned mollusk shells. But what you might be surprised to discover is that these guys aren’t shut-ins. Like the two featured in this excellent LEGO build by Djokson, they enjoy some company! While they do prefer to have their own shell, they’ll even gather together in large colonies. In regard to this creation, it’s a fantastic use of the Duplo pipe elements. I’m also a fan of the large figure armor for the shells!

Hermits, together

Another interesting fact: hermit crabs will graduate shells as they get bigger. When they outgrow a shell, they’ll hunt for a larger one to slip into, just like we do with clothes. And just like us, their choice of attire can sometimes be odd or questionable. Even LEGO! The unfortunate part is that this usually involves human trash.

While you’re here, definitely take a moment to check out some of Djokson’s other work!

What the shell is this creature?

As a kid, I developed a mild obsession with prehistoric creatures, especially dinosaurs, and loved looking for fossils along limestone bluffs. I found a tiny trilobite or two, and a few segments of worms, but never anything cool like a chambered nautilus. That would have been awesome, since all the pictures of plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs had nautiloids, too. And then one day I discovered that animals of that sort still exist, and look almost the exact same as they did 200 million years ago. Mind blown! And then I see that Jonas Kramm built one out of LEGO bricks, and, as is usual for Jonas, the build is amazing. But he also did it with only 101 pieces. Mind blown again.

Nautilus | 101 pieces

It’s a study in concise use of LEGO elements since there is no wiggle room to get complex and piece heavy; every element has to be carefully considered, like a DUPLO plant and a pearl of great price in the oyster. The colors are spot-on, and the cephalopod eye staring at me is perfect. My only complaint is that the shell of Jonas’ model does not exhibit a precise logarithmic growth spiral. Come on, Jonas! Why can’t you do the impossible with just 101 LEGO bricks?

The Spectre haunts the seven seas

Sometimes a builder has an idea but waits for years for the right LEGO pieces to come out. In this case, Sebeus I was inspired by the Queen Anne’s Revenge set that came out ten years ago and wanted to build a ship with a dark brown hull. It took all of this time but finally, his vision could be built. Behold The Spectre! He tells us that it wasn’t smooth sailing though as the 1×2 jumper plate still hasn’t been molded in dark brown. A point of pride for the builder is this isn’t a very flashy ship. Much of what people prefer to build are extravagant seafaring craft but an understated ship like this was more common back then. His main sources of inspiration were the Lady Washington and the HMS Bounty. This is clearly a labor of love well worth the long wait.

The Spectre

A light for the dark waters

The weather is warming up here in the Northern Hemisphere and so are the waters. Beach and boating season is truly upon us as well as maritime scenes which wouldn’t be complete without a lighthouse. Andreas Lenander’s LEGO model surely embodies this summertime energy.

The lighthouse

Lenander builds his lighthouse on top of a rocky island composed of dark grey and olive green slopes, bricks, tiles, and plates of varying types and sizes. There are two smaller islands similarly composed, all three islands rest on top of a vast sea of light blue trans-clear 1×2 tiles. There are a couple of trees on the main island fashioned out of orange 1×1 flower pieces and yellow leaves which pop against the darker colors comprising this work. While the build as a whole seems ominous, the brick-built light house offers a comforting light to those wandering the seas.

I wonder if his garden is in the shade.

Let’s go on an undersea adventure with this great octopus by Didier Burtin. You don’t normally associate great greebling with aquatic creatures, but if you look close there are lots of fun details here. Sure, the LEGO tires are easy to locate, but what about the hot dog? There’s also a generous helping of hinged articulation, making this one poseable critter. It looks like the octopus has claimed a treasure chest as a perch, and the brown of the chest (and the bright orange leaves festooning it) really make the red and black colors of the octopus stand out.

Octopus

It’s great to see a creation that’s based so firmly on an accurate depiction of a real-life animal. That’s not to say there isn’t also benefit from a more mechanized approach.  What sort of octopus do you want to build?