Miniature magic inspired by Disney Parks.

LEGO mini builds can surprisingly hold a great deal of detail in such a small package. Gregory Coquelz has created a series of mini-builds based on Disney theme park attractions. Here, we see the “Swiss Family Robinson” treehouse. Despite its minimal size, we can still appreciate the arboreal dwelling with its multiple structures, elaborate path, and a water wheel that I’m sure helps the family with everyday activities. As a frequent LEGO builder myself, I wonder if Gregory dealt with any ‘broken branches’ during this build, considering the amount of Dark Brown pieces used in the build. Surely this would look great next to LEGO’s current line of miniature Disney products, especially LEGO 40478: Mini Disney Castle.

Mini Swiss Robinson family treehouse

A flower with the power to brighten your day

What do LEGO pterodactyl wings, a minfigure butterfly wing, and half an asteroid field have in common? Each of them have been beautifully repurposed to create a LEGO “butterfly flower” by the aptly named nicepartsusage. The aforementioned elements come together to create a model that’s lovelier than the sum of its parts.

The model’s genesis came from a desire to commemorate “You Day”—an unofficial self-care counterpoint to Mother’s Day for those who might struggle to find something to celebrate the latter holiday. No matter what you’re celebrating, however, there’s something about this bright, striking model that’s almost guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

A wasteland blowout by a master of LEGO sci-fi

The future is bright in Bart De Deobbelaer‘s LEGO world, even as the world turns to rust and ruin. And when the time comes to venture into darkness, you needn’t go alone. In his latest epic sci-fi scene, Into the Sunset, Bart reminds us why he’s the LEGO master of sci-fi worldbuilding. Character, composition, color and incredible building technique combine for the perfect shot that suggests a story that extends far beyond the borders of the image. The tunnel itself is a wonder, an almost perfectly circular icositetragon of grey bricks interspersed with orange rust and sand green patina. The smooth surface is pocked with tube stubble and stubborn weeds. Bulbous trans blue minifig heads sprout from the floor as part of the post-apocalyptic ecology. Most striking of all is the lighting, with a backdrop so bright it blows out the edge of the model, creating an illusion of parts floating against a white sky.

Into the sunset

Let’s give a special callout to our wasteland wanderer’s unwavering robot friend. Here, in studio lighting, we can better apprecaite the greebles and tubes that keep him scuttling. Even though there’s technically no mouth on this friendly bot, I can’t help but see a big smile. The future is bright indeed.

Wasteland buddies

Put this LEGO head down on your desk

I’m a big proponent for the LEGO-built desk ornament. Whether a real set (like LEGO Icons 10331 Kingfisher) or something custom built, a wealth of LEGO encircles me at my workstation as I write this. But none of these assembled curios are as useful as this Easter Island-themed desk caddy by LEGO 7. With one sporting tissues and a second ready to hold your pencil, these monolithic statues are there when you need them! It’s part of a larger collection by LEGO 7 of brick-built creations with real-world applications.

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A new Red Baron

This red baroness may not prowl the skies, but with that rapier, I know that this LEGO model by Eero Okkonen means business! Eero is an accomplished builder of figures and other structures, and you can check out our past articles on his work here. This baroness duels in style in her cape borrowed from the Chirrut Îmwe constraction figure, while her trans-red skirts were only available in the 2022 set 80035 Monkie Kid’s Galactic Explorer. The Baroness shows off her station with a wealth of golden trinkets on her outfit, but I’d like to draw special attention to the buckles on her cape which – using only two parts – clamp onto the fabric. Would you dare challenge her?

This nursery rhyme just became a nursery ride

“There was an old lady who lived in a shoe, who had so many children, she didn’t know what to do.” On the other hand, LEGO builder Julie vanderMuelen‘s version of the footwear-dwelling senior citizen clearly knows what she’s doing. The old shoe has been upgraded to a fancy new roller skate, with all those children strapped in and ready to go. The old lady herself has settled behind the wheel, which rests snugly above the delightful curve of the roller skate’s tongue. It’s not hard to imagine those exhaust pipes belching whimsical smoke as this tricked-out skate rolls out to beat Mother Goose and Little Bo Peep in a drag race.

There was an old lady who lived in a roller skate

One of the classic space blunders

Feeding wildlife is generally frowned upon, even at your local park, but more so on alien worlds where lifeforms have too many legs, teeth, or tentacles and where the only thing protecting your body from asphyxiation or worse is a brightly colored space suit. I’m not sure if the happy-go-lucky LEGO spacefarers in Dicken Liu‘s playful scene are taunting the local fauna for science or just for kicks, but I sure hope they brought enough gems to share with all the locals.  Last year we named Dicken Liu Builder of the Year for his clever parts usage and joyful models and this vignette lives up to that reputation. For the surface of the alien world, he uses hexagonal rotors from the Nexo Knights line, which tessellate nicely with 2×4 wedge plates. Red crowbars make for convincing legs for the insectoid aliens, while Nexo Knights make a return for the larger alien’s half-dome head. Liu titled this build Scavengers Reign, perhaps in reference to the creepy cool animated series which offers many clear reminders of what can happen when you get up close and personal with strange lifeforms.

Scavengers Reign

We return to a brick-built Middle Earth with LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10333 Barad-Dûr [News]

After several teasers released online over the past few days, LEGO has finally announced another large-scale set from Middle Earth: LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10333 Barad-Dûr. Set to hit store shelves this summer, Barad-Dûr rivals last year’s LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10316 Rivendell with 5,471 pieces. Not to be confused with 10237 Tower of Orthanc released back in 2013, this is the first time that we’re seeing the other half of the titular two towers, and it’s coming in strong at 32″ tall (83 cm). The set also includes 10 minifigures from the LotR novels/movies, including Sauron, the Mouth of Sauron, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10333 Barad-Dûr will hit LEGO store shelves on June 1st for LEGO Insiders (June 4th for all others), and will retail for US $459.99 | CAN $599.99 | UK £399.99.

Check out more on this icon of Mordor below!

Find coastal serenity at the Black Falcon’s chapel

TBB regular Andreas Lenander shares with us what appears to be a continuation of his LEGO Black Falcons seafaring creation. Titled “Falcon Chapel,” it depicts what seems to be an island with a coastal structure. Rockwork in the foreground, a sand trail, and coastal greenery (utilizing barrels for the trunks of the palm trees) draw as much attention as the white stone building. This structure’s brilliant color would serve as the focal point of the build, were it not for the flowering vines growing on the side of the chapel and the multicolored roof. It gives the scene a weathered look, bring realism to the building. I assume the lantern-bearer at the edge of the small wooden dock is patiently awaiting the visitors from Andreas’s prior build.

Falcon chapel

History is made in the abstract

At LEGO street level, a tense scene plays out. Orders from the General. It’s time for Major Brickleton to finish up his puddings and bid adieu to the modernist comforts of Seawatch’s beloved Mondrie Inn. The colonel raises his gaze to look upon the half-timbered rooms, blocked in primary colors in the Dutch style. “War is all well and good in the abstract,” he thought, “but I’d rather stick to my puddings.” Evan Crouch is no stranger at progressive builds that fuse history and whimsy, but his latest scene might be his most modern(ist) creation yet from (neo)plastic bricks. I wonder what came first, the delightful play on the name of artist Piet Mondrian for the Mondrie Inn, or the visual pun of fusing half-timbered architecture with Mondrian’s trademark blocks of primary colors? Evan backs the whimsical concept with exceptional technique.

Orders Arrive at the Mondrie Inn

The inn’s ground floor uses a mix of masonry bricks, round plates and SNOT bricks for a nice weathered effect, while dark grey ingots make for effective cobblestones. The color blocking for the upper stories is minimialist in approach, appropriate for the inspiration, with no windows and just a few round tiles to show wear. Evan rounds out the build with a custom sticker for the inn’s signboard and historical characters.

The Empire isn’t afraid to break some LEGO bricks to get what they want

In between my day job and editing all sorts of articles about wonderful LEGO builds, I’m also finding time to work in the last season of The Bad Batch. And it must just have me in a very Star Wars kind of mood, because I am absolutely loving this creation by Jakob Kaiser. While not a recreation of a specific scene in a movie or show, Jakob says he was heavily influenced by the comic Star Wars: Purge when making this vignette. The tank is phenomenal on its own, but the freeze-frame of the statue mid-explosion is what really grabbed my attention. We’ll see if it’ll make these poor citizens comply or rebel.

Purge

Bridging the Gap

Lego castle builds always seem to tell a story at just one glance, or perhaps it’s simply my overactive imagination. Lego builder Taylor has titled this one “Unexpected Visitors”, giving us a starting point to envision the scenario presented here. Is the visitor the king and his personal guard? Or do we see a herald on an important mission delivering a message? The bridge in this scene could tell a story on its own, but the inclusion of the minifigures deepens that narrative to another level. The façade of the bridge conveys both its age and strength while the rockwork and plants create the impression of the bridge connecting two mountains. What do you see? The start of a battle? The start of an alliance between factions?

Unexpected Visitors