Nearly 100 years after his passing, Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi remains one of the most singular voices in design. No trip to Barcelona is complete without stopping to appreciate his iconic buildings, especially the Casa Batlló, which Toltomeja thoughtfully recreates in LEGO for the Marchitecture building challenge. Gaudi decorated the façade of Casa Batlló with a colorful mosaic meant to evoke lilies on a pond, here recreated with clever SNOT brickwork in pastel shades. Building such an organic-inspired design at micro scale couldn’t have been easy, but Toltomeja pulls it off, capturing the many bone-like balconies with inverted goggles and using a mix of horns and boomerangs to assemble the distinctive curvaceous windows on the lower floors. Look carefully at the colorful dragon-spine roofline and you can glimpse the frosting swirls doubling as chimney stacks. Gaudi’s amazing buildings are certified UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but sadly have never been released as official LEGO architecture sets. For now, we have builders like Toltomeja and others paying tribute with amazing micro creations.
Tag Archives: Toltomeja
Kraków, Poland in microscale LEGO
When tackling a subject as large as a city in LEGO, it’s best to bring things down to microscale. While you’re not able to capture every inhabitant, many of the metropolitan details can be preserved with clever part choices. That’s exactly what builder Toltomeja has done with the city of Kraków. Let’s take a tour of their tiny city, and explore all the sights within.
Peach Blossom Lake
When it comes to building with LEGO our creations tend to 3D most of the time. Toltomeja chose to go for a 2D approach with their latest creation. My knowledge about Chinese culture and art is not that strong, so if I use the wrong wording, please excuse me. Toltomeja made a scroll with a decorative landscape painting in Chinese calligraphy style. The artwork is filled with little details and parts used in a very smart way. For instance, there are sausages, horns, a sextant and a t-bar used in Chinese characters.
The horns also get used as a part of the clouds and to represent the flying birds. Which is really simple, yet really clever. There are bananas disguised as a small waterfall. There are also bananas incorporated in the clouds. I do not know why but apparently, frogs are the latest fashion when it comes to foliage. Towards the bottom of the scroll, this creation slowly goes from 2D to 3D. The clouds make this ‘painting’ look very calm jet a bit mystical. And the cracks in the rock give the mountains an amazing amount of depth.
A peaceful house in the Greek countryside
Γεια! — That’s “hello” in Greek, which is what I would say if I were visiting this Greek house in person. Built by creator Toltomeja, the Greek House is a fantastic portrayal of typical dwellings in Greece.
My favorite part about the house is the white walls and stairwells. It’s such a classical look. The tile flooring on the patio is very well done. I appreciate the variety of colors used to indicate foot traffic over the years. An additional sign of the house’s age is the vine work growing up the side of the stairs.
This was a gorgeous LEGO model to look at. If it was a submission on LEGO ideas, I would definitely throw in my support!
The board game Azul comes to life in LEGO
Toltomeja and I share not one, but two hobbies. We both love playing board games. Toltomeja’s favorite game is Azul, a game which I play quite often myself. Their rendition of the game in LEGO bricks is instantly recognizable. Even if you are not familiar with the game you can still appreciate this creation for what it is, an amazing build with lots of interesting building techniques and a very pleasing aesthetic. They even managed to improve the game board by adding insert slots for the little game cubes. To top it all off they even built the table on which the game board is resting, complete with wood grain and everything.
Paris is always a good idea, especially in LEGO bricks
First time travelers to Paris cannot be blamed for spending the majority of their visit strolling the bistro-lined Champs Elysees or marveling at the wonders of the Eiffel Tower and Louvre. While these sites are staples in Parisian tourism, some of the city’s most beautiful spots can be found up the hill in Montmartre. This village within a city is best known for its rich history, bohemian vibe, and engaging nightlife. Legendary artists such as Renoir, Monet, and Picasso once resided here. Focusing on more recent times, Toltomeja has recreated the steep hills and iconic Parisian architecture in this LEGO diorama of a typical Montmartre scene. It’s a colorful and charming build, seemingly brought to life with plenty of little details (the clock is a personal favorite). This scene is sure to stir the heart of anyone who’s ever visited.
