Tag Archives: Water

These elves literally turn the tide of battle

In the realms of fantasy, it seems like there’s always a horde of orcs taking on a band of elves somewhere. And in this Tolkien-inspired LEGO scene by Graham Gidman, these two groups are at it once again. But this time the battle appears to be more fluid than normal, and I mean that literally! There’s a rush of trans-clear bricks about to knock those orcs right off the bridge. But the shaping of this “water” is only one part of Graham’s brick-built mastery on display in this scene. The smooth white curves of the Elvish architecture feel perfectly at home here, projecting a regal tone. And every bit of plant life dotting the rocky landscape is inspired. But my favorite detail in the whole scene has got to be the darker shade of tan used on the waterlogged portion of the bridge. It’s quite the excellent, and easy-to-miss, detail that sets this build apart!

Attack Goes Awash

A ruin in four LEGO colors

LEGO builder Pan Noda has a stellar record when it comes to color use. Not too long ago, I raved about this monotonal marvel that spilled forth from their mind. And while this creation goes a bit more subterranean than their previous work, it’s still a powerful bit of art composed of cobbled walls, hanging vines, and still water. Even though the palette here only uses four colors of brick (light gray, green, tan, and transparent light blue), their brilliant use of light transforms the scene into a symphony of shades. The uneven textures on the walls create pockets of shadow and reflective surfaces that bring the whole thing to life! Plus, it’s giving me the sudden urge to hunt for jungle temples in Minecraft….

Flooded temple

A dark ocean on an alien world

Builder Ralf Langer has a particular knack for making LEGO bricks feel like fluids. Whether it’s a mind-blowingly impressive curve or a serene tide pool, Ralf always seems to turn the bricks into liquid in his hands. And he’s done it again with this build representing the aftermath of a distant war on an alien landscape. Ralf has made excellent use of reflections so that the rubble of a futuristic vehicle sinks beneath the dark waters with no visible seams. It’s an effect so realistic that it makes my thalassophobia kick in.

After the war

Capturing the legendary King of Fish

Legends are immortal and reach across time to transport us through their stories. Piotrek Przytuła tells one such story through LEGO–the Polish legend of King Sielaw. Long ago, the Masurian Lakes was ruled and guarded by Sielaw, King of Fish. At the behest of the Prussian gods, he protected the waters from greedy fishermen and settlers. Piotrek tells the story through a cross-section so we can see both above and below the waterline. The background is simple, which helps it set the scene and blend behind the impressive action. I do love how the shades of blue grow darker as the water gains depth.

Find out what happens next in the legend

This bridge will suspend your belief of what’s possible!

At first glance, this beautiful scene of steel, earth, and water looks like a photograph! It owes this to Lysander Chau‘s keen eye and clever LEGO building techniques. Truly, this bridge and the surrounding scenes are made up of nearly 53,000 LEGO pieces! The scenes come from Lysander’s imaginative mind, but the bridge itself is modeled after the Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong. While the build lives in a digital landscape, it still considers the constraints of reality. For example, the weakest part of the bridge, the middle, is supported by the cruise ship’s tallest point. No doubt there’s room inside the cruise ship to add light bricks, or a lighting kit, to make the New Year’s message shine! And that water! It’s rendered with such detail I can almost hear the waves lapping around the boats and land.

LEGO Harbour Bridge

Take a closer look at the details

A post-apocalyptic meat buffet

Some visions of the apocalypse involve dark, war-torn cities, some take place in barren deserts, while others speak of…some kind of Squid Game, somehow. This LEGO diorama by Insomnia Builds features a society of people who live in cabins on the ocean’s surface. At a quick distant glance, we see a collection of neat little cabins and even floating gardens. Aside from needing urgent roof repair, the denizens here seem quite content to live within their floating society. But with water comes scary tentacle monsters and that is precisely what they’re dealing with here. This piece bears the uncanny title of Meat Buffet and the apparently sleep-deprived builder serves up the caption of “I’m sure someone will eat meat today”. The thing is, we’re not sure if he means the people of this watery town or the tentacle monster. From the looks of things, it’ll probably be both!

Meat Buffet

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LEGO Ninjago 71754 Water Dragon – Wherein Nya gets the blues [Review]

Ninjago is known for two main things (outside of Ninjas, anyway) – giant mechs and sweet, sweet dragons. The Seabound theme introduces another majestic beast into the mix with LEGO Ninjago 71754 Water Dragon. This 737 piece set is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $69.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £59.99. In addition to the dragon there’s also a mini-sub, five minifigures, and a display pedestal. Sounds like a good mix, but is it really? We picked up a copy to find out – come along as we take our own deep dive!

Click to read the full hands-on review

Over the water and past the finish line

Thirsty? Get a drink from this racer’s wake! Builder aido k created this fantastic racer to fly across the sea and leave his competitors behind.
Sport Racing

I’m enjoying looking at this racer as much as the driver is flying it! With so few parts, aido k managed to pull off a ton of angles and little details. I love the round pieces on the bottom that seem to be what is keeping the racer alight. But the coolest detail would have to be the way the fin is dipping into the water just enough to cause a bit of spray.

I’d jump at the chance to see this racer from a few other angles as well. Here’s to hoping we do!

How to build a swell little well! [Instructions]

Former LEGO designer Tiago Catarino continues to deliver fun techniques in his free tutorials! I’m a big fan of this little well. It’s simple and easy to build, yet the unique roof design gives it character. The best part is that you can put it into a number of settings and decorating around it would be seamless. Of course, it’s probably best suited to a medieval square, don’t you think?

Click the link below to watch the video and see how it’s done!

Watch Video!

Towers over azure waters

Built in transparent blue over white and grey, the sparkling azure water in this scene by Sergeant Chipmunk looks incredibly inviting. The three watchtowers use fantastic color schemes and a not quite “legal” technique to create wonderful shapes, standing on rocks with nary a stud to be seen and dabs of color that bring life to the vibrant scene. But the stand-out feature for me is the organically curved sail made out of leaves.

Standing in the Sea

LEGO Super Soaker 50

This one brings back the summertime memories. Bruce Lowell (Bruceywan) has recreated the iconic Super Soaker 50 in a compact size that retains all the detail and glory of the original. I remember the first time I fired one off. It was so awesome. Everyone who had one felt like they ruled the backyard. I quickly upgraded to a ‘100’ but nothing matched that initial thrill of the Super Soaker 50. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Bruce!

LEGO Super Soaker

A new kind of water

Jonas (Legopard) returns to TBB with a new water technique that is sure to catch on with the hot weather crowd. In “Flooded Barrack“, the builder uses window “glass” supported by various plants and parts to simulate dihydrogen monoxide and the overall effect is very pleasing although no doubt a bit fragile in places. More than just a test bed for his new method, this model is also a nice study in how to build a structure that is abandoned or decayed. More photos are available on MOCpages.

Flooded Barrack