So, the name “Veggiesaurus Rex” in the title might be my own doing, but the LEGO-built Cyatheales Carnivorous is most certainly the work of Bionicle builder Toni A. The lovely color scheme of black lizard parts meshed with dark green vegetation is adorned with plenty of white claws and teeth. Plus those six red eyes – at least, I’m guessing they’re eyes – have finally locked onto the beast’s next meal. It might be a good idea to get out of here now before this raptor of roughage strikes.
With the great success of the LEGO Botanicals Collection, it’s obvious the line is here to stay for good. It’s a smart move, seeing as there are a bazillion plants out there to act as inspiration. The latest kit in the series, LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10329 Tiny Plants, is certainly keen on checking a handful off the list. In this installment, nine miniaturized plant favorites find themselves immortalized in brick. Join us as we determine if LEGO did them justice. The 758-piece set is currently available for pre-order and will be widely released December 1st, retailing for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
On the heels of his blue-based LEGO build, Casey McCoy goes from a creation lamenting death to one that surges forth with life. A brown figure, back overgrown with shrubbery, ponders a butterfly underneath a beautiful, verdant archway. The path before this figure drops off in a cascade of greenery, a wonderous building technique utilizing nets underneath the sea of studs. You can catch a better peek at the underling technique where it’s also used on top of the arch as well. This lattice of 1×1 plates is bounded by a verge of innovative flower designs, relying heavily on the five-pointed eggshell/crown piece. Even the gorgeous white railing falls away at the edge of the scene, the pattern decaying more and more as it approaches the void.
If you’re a fan of the LEGO Botanicals collections, you’ll love this creation by Ralf Langer. Seven spectacular plants spring forth from pots that are every bit as elegant. There are great techniques everywhere you look, from the robot-arm wicker casings to sides made from layers of 1×2 rounded plate. If you look closely you can spot tank treads, Technic flex hoses, and even a few standard sloped bricks. Also noteworthy are the muted earth tones and olive-green foliage. These choices make the reds, bright greens, blues, and lavenders really stand out. Altogether this is one of the most naturalistic-looking recreations I’ve seen in quite a while.
Finally, take a look at that great wood-slat furniture. It makes me want to take a trip through our archives for more home furnishings. You might even spot some other builds from Ralf in there!
As someone who is constantly striving for natural shapes in my LEGO constructions, I’ve definitely taken notice of the techniques employed by James Zhan in their beautiful orchid plant. The simple yet elegant yellow and brown stripes on the flower’s petals are perfect here. And I’m in love with the use of this constraction armor part for the interior of the bloom. Following the lime stems down, we see some delicate leaf construction thanks to clips, bars, and curved slopes in green. Even further down, the cleisostoma paniculatum is held in a gorgeous black planter adorned with six large LEGO studs. I especially like the natural effect of the olive green roots partially covered by the “potting soil” made of 1×1 round plates.
And if you want to see more builders we’ve featured showing off their green thumbs, you can find them here.
People who collect LEGO tend to collect other things. My boyfriend calls this hoarding. For me it is plants, mid century furniture, vases and pots. It is nice to see Abe Fortier manage to put all these elements into one amazing LEGO creation. We have a green house inspired by the Batman franchise. We get tall glass windows in a white building covered with lush foliage. Propagation stations on teak mid century design furniture and lots of pots and vases housing various plants and flowers. If you look closely enough you might even spot a sprouting Groot somewhere in this creation.
Check Abe’s photostream for more LEGO Batman creations.
Big LEGO castles are the bomb, but small really detailed medieval scenes also tickle our fancy. This scene by Eli Willsea is a great example of a small castle setting packed with little details. We are treated to a lovely balcony scene featuring a young woman looking out over a room filled with greenery. There is a trellis for a climbing plant which happens to be two green snakes. The integration of the bar with 3 leaves into the wall to turn it into a climbing plant is lovely. The brown flex tubing intertwining between the leaves works amazingly well as a plant stem. I love how this continues over the wooden beams hanging over the balcony, giving it a patio feel.
There are a lot of trans-clear tiles used to represent a propagation station. I absolutely adore the use of the Captain Marvel mohawk used to represent a box of presumably hay. The use of the Minions hair as table legs is stunning in its simplicity. The best feature of this creation has to be the use of the minifigure action pose bar with stud to make the railing of the balcony. So clever and visually appealing!
Those with a green thumb are often on the lookout for new intruders in our garden beds, ready to weed deep to keep our leafy babies safe. LEGO builder Galerie d’Antha recently discovered this peculiar perennial popping up amongst the spring blooms. Its sweet smell seems to be attracting a crowd but that alien eye-stalk makes me think those spiders are marching to their doom. The builder filled this model with gold, creating a filigree-like plant that I imagine would wiggle and writhe in Lovecraftian ways. You might recognize the large, golden leaves in the center as the wings from the Snitch in the Hogwarts Icons set. The tentacle portions come from the Gargantos Showdown set but, combined with the gold eggshells and leaves, the whole thing kind of feels like a Kylothian from Men in Black 2. You know, that little alien from that little ship that turns into Serleena? Hopefully, this one isn’t as malicious though.
It’s a cold winter here in the US, and as I look out the window I can only wish that the snows would be replaced with the warmth and sun suggested by this lovely botanical creation from Andreas Lenander. Oh, sure, this Piranha Plant from the words of Super Mario may be classified as an invasive species, but look at the great detailing and construction here! From the fun flower pot/pipe, to the organic-yet-spiky stem, to the “V for victory” mouth, there’s just a lot to love. Its enough to make you forget that this plant wants you, and everyone who looks like you, dead.
Built as part of the Iron Forge completion, Andreas has gone one step beyond by also sharing a great video that shows just how this chompy friend was constructed!
You know, Andreas wasn’t the first LEGO builder to take inspiration from the worlds of Mario. Check out some other super Mario-related sets and creations in our archives!
You’ll need perfect timing to get past the snapping jaws of the lovely and deadly piranha plant unless you’ve got a power-up or an extra life up your sleeves. This pixel-perfect model of the most deadly of deciduous plants from the world of Mario, by ZiO Chao is packed with great details. From the gently curving leaves to the rounded Mario-munching mouth to that shiny pink tongue.
Nature has been manipulated by human hands for centuries. While certainly nature always finds a way, seemingly so do we humans. Simon Liu’s LEGO bonsai model which was entered into Brickset’s bonsai contest, inspires the philosophical mind to produce musings on the relationship between humankind and nature.
Simon’s model is visually striking and compositionally different from most bonsais I have seen so far. Instead of the tree growing out of the typical rectangular pot, this plant is growing out of the palm of a grey hand fashioned out of a number of small elements including 2×2 tiles, diamond shields, and ingots. The bonsai itself is shaped by a number of wiry black elements most notably the whip and twig pieces. The flowers featured on this build are rendered by baby minifigure heads – an unusual but effective choice. This handy bonsai rests on a sea of 1×2 trans-clear blue bricks, which was a nice touch. For whatever reason this model reminds me of the film WALL-E, with the robot’s little hand carrying the plant – the key to our planet.
There’s something special about a family building LEGO together. Dave Kaleta and son, Elliot, collaborated on this slice-of-life diorama. It was a gift to Elliot’s grandmother, celebrating one of their favorite shared activities: watering the plants in her back yard together. The quality of the build is stunning, but the sentiment behind this is even more touching. But…since this is a LEGO-focused site, let’s take a moment to appreciate the offset between the tiles in the patio, the use of fences in the chairs, and the expressive characters. Even the watering can is a tiny bit of joy.
If you like this collaboration between Dave and Elliot, you’ll be amazed at the work they did together on their Alphabet fleet.
