Tag Archives: Opera

A beautifully tragic ending: Madama Butterfly

Inspired by the opera “Madama Butterfly”, builder  Care Creations has combined LEGO elements from the long-retired SCALA theme, last seen in the early 2000’s, with pieces from the recently released “Avatar” theme to create a snippet of this early 20th century masterpiece. The wings from  “75572 Jake & Neytiri’s First Banshee Flight” are creatively used for the main character’s butterfly outfit. However, arguably taking more attention, the builder has also given us another significant character from the opera: the flowering cherry tree, constructed using curved brown elements and purple leaves. In this scene, we see the main character in the 3rd act of the opera, taking her own life as she gives up her baby (a LEGO SCALA element) to her betrayer, the American naval officer.

Madama Butterlfy

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An artistic stretch of buildings dedicated to the arts

Microscale buildings can be a challenge to design, but Luis Peña knows just how to make them sizzle. Inspired by the architectural work of Santiago Calatrava and Oscar Niemeyer, the custom buildings in Opera and Museum are filled with unusual elements and a ton of class. My favorite touches are the Mysterio Helmet orb/sculpture, and the Web-effect railings on the bridge. The curves from the balloon panels create a great sense of motion for the scene, too.

Opera and Museum (LEGO Architecture Project)

If tiny buildings are your thing, take a stroll through our archives for even more compact goodness.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

“Of all the noises known to man, opera is the most expensive” (Molière)

At the end of this month, some 150,000 people will cram themselves into the San Diego convention center to attend San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific about five times that number will be attending Ani-Com (ACGHK) at the Hong Kong Convention Center.

LEGO fans are well catered for at ACGHK, and the members of HKLUG always put on a good show. TKH has taken a break from his usual Anime style builds to create this amazing tribute to Cantonese opera especially for the event…

Pictured here in breathtaking detail and accuracy are two classic historical characters from the genre: the scheming bureaucrat Cao Cao, and the heroic General Guan Yu. If you’re not sure which is which, I’ll give you a hint: Like almost every detail in a Chinese opera, the color of the actors’ masks is highly symbolic. But the color code is the opposite to what Westerners might expect ;-)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.