Bound within the limits of an old ring, this art nouveau inspired scene by Builder Ralf Langer is an improvised snapshot into a fantasy world. This master of scenery shows us yet again why he’s gained such a legendary status amongst the community. His style is instantly recognizable, especially if you’re familiar with his past works which feature such bright pink, finned trees as we see here, or intricate, almost gravity defying, buildings with life-like stonework. Wanting to work in some Jugendstil ornamentation, the Germanic parallel to Art Nouveau styles between 1895 and 1910, Ralf started with the windows and used thread with stud parts to create curvy and loopy decorations. After abandoning a handful of tower designs that looked like they came from a galaxy far, far away he settled one with a thin, wispy elegance. The fragility of both structures is only visual while the tree itself apparently needs a hidden Ninjago Spinner as a counterweight under the reflective surface of the pool. Another strong suit of Ralf’s is using the sheen of our favorite plastic playthings in a way that isn’t directly obvious. Here he forces our perspective of the flat sides of the sand green bricks he used in the pool so that we see the buildings and the trees reflected in its surface. Bits of blue and white are worked in to break up the monotony and he even adds some red and pink near the tree to help the reflection of the tree’s leaves.

While the greebly ring may be the remnants of his old Halo ring build, Ralf still proves his inventiveness with ornamental statues and sculptures at the base and tops of the two towers. As usual, his strong suit as a builder is making us all scratch our heads at how his work is even possible. I mean, he even tells us that the ring needs an extra frame to hold its structure until the whole thing has been built. That’s a level of dedication that few of us have the space to commit. Keep up the awesome work, Ralf.