While you’re waiting for the sixth Game of Thrones book to arrive, check out this LEGO build by /Sam\! For those of you looking for a new haircut, you might not need to look that far. The snowbanks on either side of the entrance to this cozy windmill are made from minifigure hairstyles! There’s also a couple helmets detailing the top of the chimneys. Don’t forget to take a closer look at all the work that went into shaping the windmill tower and the neat use of bars on the windmill blades!
LEGO builder Peter Revan tells us don’t piss of the ogre. Upon mulling that over I filed that under good sage advice. Upsetting an ogre can result in your teeth suddenly being where your feet should be and vice versa. Hopefully, this particular ogre is made sweeter and more sedated by compliments because I genuinely like his shaping and clever build techniques. I’m also rather fond of the horse, cart, windmill, and scared little minifigure occupants that help establish the scale of this massive creature. If you feel like you’ve seen the ogre, horse, and cart around the neighborhood before, that is because you have.
Why rehash a previously featured LEGO creation, you may ask? Is this the result of lazy writing? Well, perhaps. But I genuinely believe the addition of the windmill and diorama offers an excellent setting that better illustrates the world this ogre lives in. Plus once you’ve squeezed out a title that fiendishly clever, there’s really no putting a cork in it once you’ve let loose that bout of genius flatulence humor into the world. Can you find it in your hearts to forgive me?
LEGO Builder Mathijs Dubbeldam has constructed this fantastic-looking windmill stationed out on the open sea. Kelp and seaweed cling to the lower part of the structure with a drone hovering nearby, overlooking the ocean. The small platform features a crane with what appears to be an underwater detection device hanging from its hook. In the habitable part of the windmill, a conical glass roof is represented by a windscreen piece from Lando’s Millennium Falcon set. The hints of dark blue against the plain white of the windmill are also a nice touch, and it’s the little details across the model that add a lot of character to the whole build.
If you’re a weary ocean traveler in need of food and refreshment, the High-Rock Café is to place to go. Stephan Gofers has crafted a cozy seaside eatery and balanced it precariously on a twisted hunk of rock, rising from the sea like something Dr. Seuss has drawn. While this makes for a great ocean view, we imagine the motorized windmill can cause the place to shake a bit on the edge of that crag. But, hey, you’re an experienced sailor. You’ve got your sea legs. And if you drink a little too much and can’t make it back down the rickety steps on your own, the staff will be happy to lower you to your boat in the crane.
Building with LEGO in microscale is something you either like or you don’t. I personally do not navigate towards it but I do really appreciate it when it is done by others. Kitkat1414 is no stranger to building in a small scale. When building in this style, you have to be a lot more creative when it comes to the parts you use. Builders also have to think outside the box when it comes to the construction techniques used to keep their creations together. This specific work by Kitkat1414 contains a lot of minifigure posing stands, although none of them is showing. I also really like the use of swords for the windmill blades. Also noteworthy is the use of the roller skates for door hinges. Last but not least, the Nexo Knights spider transformed into a cobblestone well also deserves a quick mention. Now all I need is a part small enough to pass for a coin to throw into that wishing well.
This one might be worth zooming in for a second. There’s a lot of fun stuff packed into this little LEGO build by Roanoke Handybuck. Where should we start? We’ve got chain links for the water wheel, bridge, and windmill. There are also hands, horns, and wands galore used for a variety of things. We even have full arms (minifigure and tauntaun) here as part of the cobblestone pathway. Let us not forget the reddish brown crown in the tower. That part only came in the 71040 Disney Castle in that color. Finally, can you find the paintbrush and frog?
Actually, those aren’t ALL the cool things. But I encourage you to see what else you can find on your own. Just the colors and shape of the base are fun by themselves. The only negative points for the purist in me are the cut-up pieces used for the grass. Added points, though, for the fact that apparently the water wheel and windmill spin! By crankshaft? We’ll have to stay tuned for a video! In the meantime, check out more of Roanoke’s work in our archives.
The last time I watched Howl’s Moving Castle was at least 10-12 years ago, and as nerdy as I am, I only did because my best friend dragged me away from ultimate frisbee and into my high school anime club one day. Admittedly, I barely remember it. But what I do know is that it was the first thing I thought about when I saw this LEGO windmill built by Alexey Tikhvinsky. I have lots of pull-back motors in my collection, but I never know what to do with them. This is the most clever use I’ve seen thus far. When the winds shift, and your windmill won’t whirl, why not build one that walks?
Don’t believe me? Watch the video! This thing actually does walk around. Clever gearing allows for both that and the blades to turn at the same time. My personal favorite part is engine piston elements mounted on axle ball joints for more stable feet.
I really like Alexey’s style, and I’m sure you will too. Check out a couple of totally different builds of his: a Faerie creature, and a modified RC Volkswagon Beetle… I told you they were different…
I know we’ve featured the windmill before, but Hanwasyellowfirst made two additional builds called ‘Ocean House’ and ‘Riverside Scholars’ and they are exquisite! If these were LEGO sets, I would buy them in a heartbeat! There is a lot of creative parts usage in these buildings. I love how the spoked rounded top window look in combination with the ornamental lattice . There are quite a few different roof designs with all sorts of different parts used for shingles. Did you notice the fish ornamental used on top of the roof. I am not sure if Hanusedtobeyellow used it as a nod to the first LEGO ninja sets or if it is just a coincidence, but I am going for the first option. The riverside scholar building has the ornamental fence on it’s side, which looks stunning. The best thing about this building has to be the framing of the door and the foliage on the roof.
I hear it all the time from would-be builders that they just don’t have enough pieces in their collections. “I can’t make anything cool,” they bemoan, as if having a billion LEGO elements at their disposal would make building easier. Now, in some respects, that is true; having more parts does expand the horizons of what you can build. But more importantly, building cool things comes from an eye for how to use the parts one has, rather than the parts one wishes one had, and a small collection is as good as a large one in that respect. Take this windmill by Inthert, for example. It’s not huge. It didn’t take a lot of parts. Granted, there are some specialty parts like the green palettes and the green feathers, but most of what is in the build could come from the collection of anyone who has a few sets. It’s in the art of arrangement, the way the parts are used, that the coolness comes. And that comes not from having a ton of bricks, but from using them a ton and getting familiar with them.
For example, who, having the fence piece, thinks to put it into the bottom of a jumper plate? Not I. And the tiny round tower, the artfully placed foliage of all sorts, the grille tile fence…the list of clever constructions goes on. And the little Heroica figures are just the cherry on top. And it did not take a billion bricks! So what are you waiting for? Go get your collection out and start building something, if you aren’t already. With this quarantine, I know you have time.
This next LEGO render is brought to you by a builder who goes by the controversial name of Hanwasyellowfirst. I know what you’re thinking; thems fightin’ words! But before you go on a righteous rampage it is important to know that there are very fine people on both sides. Now that I’ve squelched that potential disaster let’s take a look at this awesome creation. Based solely on this image, I can imagine this structure atop a craggy mountain in an exotic bygone world. I’m loving the rustic wood finishes and the ramshackle roofs. Brown owls used as gargoyles here are an inspired touch and increased availability of these elements make for some excellent uses. This is a brilliant piece but alas does not come in green yet. (Ahem…LEGO, are you reading this?) In my opinion, the most exciting aspect of this creation is it rests atop a rather small footprint.
A rearview reveals that the rooms within this mountain windmill are just as fun and just as haphazard as I had imagined. I can get lost for hours marveling at all the interesting and fanciful details this creation beholds. How about you?
Lately I’m on the lookout for calming and peaceful LEGO creations; they add a nice balance to the chaos of the modern world. Happily, this windmill created by Sheo is just what the doctor ordered. There are a lot of things to love about the construction, like the curving and tapering rings of stone making up the tower. I also like how the base is incorporated into the main design. The path that leads up to the door curves down, breaking through the stone wall that rings the windmill. It creates a nice illusion that this is only a smaller bit of a larger scene, and not an isolated display piece.
There are also great details created by clever part usage. A minifigure sword serves as a weather vane, turntable bases create windows, and telescopes brace the sails. All in all, a welcome breath of fresh air.
The two most immediately eye-catching bits on this scene are the smoke and cloaks–well, capes, actually; 8 to be exact. Kevin Peeters does a nice job incorporating them into this lovely windmill. But that’s not the only great part about this build. The cobbled-together look of the stone building and rooftops makes for a great medieval homestead.
The foliage, including the fall-colored tree in the back are also nicely done. But my favorite part might just be the white snake element used for the wisp of smoke from the chimney, a technique we never tire of.
If you’re a fan of the medieval theme, check out some other cool architecture, like a seaside market, floating castle, hero’s cottage, or micro kingdom.
