Vitroleum is a master of the “character” style of LEGO building, creating larger-scale figures imbued with heaps of personality. This model is no exception — a delightful pirate captain carrying a whole boat-load of panache. What’s not to love about this cheeky rogue?
Proving that even in the scariest of swamps one can find a place to call home, TBB mainstay Vitreolum has recreated the gorgeous shack dwelling of the sorceress Tia Dalma from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Contrasting the dark branches with bright green plants and swampy water really makes this creation pop. Jack Sparrow might be frightened by its overgrown appearance, but everyone else is in wonder of its whimsy and character.
It doesn’t take much to keep out unwanted guests; just some steep walls with spikes on top, and a few cannon. Best to have lookout tower too, so you know when to man the guns. This wonderful stockade by Jonas Wide packs all that into a tiny package — just enough to keep a bit of border safe.
Tired from a long journey by sea? Stop on by the Imperial Port, by Issac S. The build features a sturdy fort to protect the harbor, and plenty of commerce to browse while you stretch your weary sea legs.
I particularly like the water; it’s simple but effective in showing the ebb and flow of the waves. The commercial district is full of life and details as people go about their business. It conveys a great sense of densely packed shopping on the harbor.
There aren’t many places more picturesque for a castle than on a cliff by the sea, so that’s precisely where Alex Jones has placed his new fortress. Giant walls encircle this palatial castle, and the king even gets a strip of beach to relax on, as well as his own ship anchored in the harbor. You can see more of the diorama on Alex’s website.
W. Navarre ended the year with a flurry of activity aimed at the 13th Colossal Castle Contest and might have a shot at the Master Builder prize with the breadth and variety of his entries. My personal favorite is one of his last, this foreboding fortress built into a cliff that appears to be spewing lava!
In addition to the fearsome skull on the front, the fortress has an interior. Behind the door is a working portcullis.
Following on from Jennifer’s recent post on waterfalls, here are some more creations with brick-built “special effects”. This ramshackle Laketown house by David Hensel features a convincing fireball rolling up from the roof…
It’s difficult to depict fire with bricks without it looking like a pixellated explosion from the 8-bit era of gaming. I think David has pulled it off here, with the outer layer of transparent bricks and the darker colors at the edges simulating an expanding ball of flame.
I recently spotted another brick-built explosion which used very different techniques but created a similar sense of energy and motion. This fantastic tower explosion was part of Marc Gelaberto‘s pirate display at a show in Barcelona…
![[MegaMOC] Fortaleza de Santa Catalina](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/22909109706_0e75c667dc_z.jpg)
It’s like a still from an action movie – the fireball blossoming, shattering the tower’s masonry as soldiers are flung into the air. Check out the priceless expression on this unfortunate soldier’s face!
![[MegaMOC] Fortaleza de Santa Catalina](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/22516864818_8e51dbf401_z.jpg)
I’ve always shied away from building scenes like these, worried they wouldn’t live up to the image in my head. Seeing these great examples of fiery disaster, I feel some explosive action coming on in my building!
Halloween is still a week away, but the festivities are already well underway at the Port of Hampton. I’m a big fan of the LEGO Minifigures Series and soccersnyderi has put them to good use in this colorful little build. My favorite detail has to be the minifig poking his head out of the tiny barrel. Soccersnyderi built this for the Halloween Contest at Forbidden Cove which ends on October 31, 2015.
Back in 1989, LEGO released 6276: Eldorado Fortress. This set originally sold for $66; now, a sealed set will set you back $849 (a used set will set you back $160 or so). Bangoo H presents this adorable microscale version, complete with 6274: Caribbean Clipper.
TheBrickAvenger has posted his most ambitious LEGO diorama yet, with this scene inspired by the heyday of piracy in the 17th-century Caribbean. While one’s eye is certainly drawn to the steeply slanted roof, clock tower, and minifig action, the standout detail for me is the studs-out half timber construction. The builder also uses three completely different techniques for windows, including an ingenious but incredibly complicated bay window shared back in March by Sheo. Spend some time poring over the picture — I’m sure you’ll find something I’ve missed that’s even cooler.
On the last rock in the south, there lies a great fortress. Bustling with Imperial Guards and fortified against bloodthirsty pirates, this fortress by Greg Dix stands a monument to the Imperial might flexing its power across the globe.
Actually, I don’t know what empire LEGO’s Imperial Guards are meant to represent. I’ve always thought of them as the plastic manifestation of Britain’s colonial-era power, but I’ve seen some evidence that the line grew out of LEGO’s attempt to create a Napoleonic theme, so they may be French. Greg’s title implies the setting for this bastion is Portugal, so perhaps they are Portuguese here. Provenance aside, the fort has working winches and is rigged to light up. Greg built this in March, and I’m not sure how we missed it before, but I’m happy I stumbled upon it today, because it’s lovely.
I grew up with the sea, and am an absolute sucker for pretty pretty ships. Aardwolf_83 delivers with this lovely galleon in her four-masted glory. I love the little details, like the beginnings of rigging, and the lines of this beauty are just lovely.
