Tag Archives: Sailboats

Life on a LEGO sailboat looks like paradise

Tales of life at sea have long cast a siren spell over many a landlubber and LEGO builder. Real-life heroes like Thor Heyerdahl, Ernest Shackleton, and Steve Zissou Jacques Cousteau captured the imaginations of past generations; with many followers on YouTube, Lauren Landers and her feline first mate Mak are new stars sharing the ups and downs of life on the waves. Builder Kevin Wanner was inspired by Landers’ home, the Soul de La Mar, and recreated it in LEGO. The sailboat is a 1993 Oceania 510, decked out for long-term life at sea.

Soul de La Mar

Kevin proves an able LEGO shipwright, creating impressive curves in dark blue. He first planned to build only the above-water section of the boat, but felt driven to complete the keel as well. The end results, with the full ship “floating” on a then patch of sea over a coral reef, is nothing short of stunning. The sea alone includes 1,900 1×1 tiles with clips to achieve the undulating effect. Kevin calls it a “don’t bump the table” build on account of the entire ship and sea resting on three fragile contact points. I hope he never learned that the hard way!

Soul de La Mar

Kevin’s gallery features many more angles of this exquisite ship. The build is an amazing tribute to the Soul de La Mar that just might have you dreaming of trading in your house or apartment for sailboat of your own.

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LEGO Ideas 40487 Sailboat Adventure is the new fan-designed Gift with Purchase [Review]

A few times a year, LEGO dips into the vast sea of fan-designed content on the Ideas platform to find a smaller set suitable for a free gift with purchase for customers, such as 40448 Vintage Car. The Summer 2021 example is 40487 Sailboat Adventure, designed by fan Yan Chevalier as part of a LEGO Ideas fan competition. The 330-piece set is available to LEGO VIPs starting today with minimum US $200 | CAN $200 | UK £200 purchases from LEGO stores and the LEGO website— check out all the new LEGO sets for August 2021 available today. Starting Aug. 4, it will be available to non-VIP members as well, and the promo is slated to run through Aug. 29. Let’s take this set for a sail and see if it’s seaworthy.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read the full, hands-on review

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This sailboat goes with the motion of the ocean

Barthezz Bricks has a repertoire of highly detailed LEGO dioramas combining land and sea. His latest build is no different, focusing on the historical accuracy of the 15th century Mediterranean tartan ship as a part of a larger ongoing project on 1486 Venice. Let’s dive into some of the techniques used in this build.

Venice 1486 - Fishing Sailship (main)

The composition captures the rhythmic movement of ocean waves with varying shades of blue underneath translucent cheese slopes and 1×1 tiles. A net technique is used to render the waves, a subtle addition that goes a long way. The hull of the ship features a clever use of two-stud 1×4 plates for just the right amount of texture. Other details include a ragged flag made of 1×1 clips, debris caught in the currents and above all, the magnificent sail of the fishing boat. I don’t know what kind of bar-clip magic is happening behind that sail, but it’s certainly holding together for this photo! Using triangle road signs, Barthezz Bricks has pieced together a wonderful tessellated surface for the sail. Overall, there’s splendid dynamism in this diorama– the movement of the ocean, the flag, the fishermen pulling up their crab traps. Now I can’t help but think that some movement in the sail would have been nice to see, but that might be a greater challenge for another day…

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Water, water, everywhere

This summer, I’ve had watercraft on the brain. Moana’s Starlight Canoe is the latest LEGO build by Letranger Absurde that follows my stream of reality shows I am currently addicted to watching. Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Sailing Yacht are in heavy rotation. This fantastical route inspired by Moana, the 2016 Disney film, is a nice change of pace. Letranger Absurde does another solid job at modeling her figures with realism, adding stylish details of the character’s dress. This is the sixth installment in her Once Upon A Time series that recreates iconic scenes and characters from the annals of Disney (i.e. The Little Mermaid and Snow White). Building a real-life canoe is a feat unto itself. So the recreation of the bamboo deck along with other wooden-like textures gives off the appearance of a watercraft ready to take on the elements. The kicker in the canoe’s rigging is the string of beige battle droid arms supporting the mast. I’m already over my head in nautical terms. Ahoy!

Once Upon a Time VI - Aquamarine

Check out more cool creations by Letranger Absurde (vitreolum).

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.