Some LEGO builds just make you long for good vacations, travel and freedom. Everyone on the planet has experienced or is experiencing the COVID health crisis in some form with many of us still in lockdown. Nevertheless, LEGO is a good way to escape and allows us to glimpse more positive horizons, helping us imagine travel once again. This creation from Gut’s24 reminds me of one of the most beautiful destinations in France: Le Mont-Saint-Michel.

Gut’s24 started the project in January. This project almost remained unfinished but thanks to the perseverance of Gut’s24 and the support of the community, he managed to finish it with vigor and achieve this microscale build in April.

I reached out to the builder to understand the story of this one a little bit better.

Sam: Hello Gut’s24! Where are you from? And why did you build Le Mont Saint-Michel?

Gut’s24: Hello, I live in France (Dordogne), a few kilometers from Périgueux in Department 24 (hence my nickname). Le Mont Saint-Michel is a magical place that has always fascinated me. It is the starting point of my passion for architecture, heritage, history and construction. My parents took me there when I was little and it was a revelation for me. I've been back several times since, and I try not to miss any news about it and I draw its profile everywhere. When I came out of my Dark Age, it was on the list of MOCs I wanted to do. It took me five years to get a better technical mastery to start this project.

Sam: Five years of good training! How long did the model take to complete?

Gut’s24: The maturation of this project was long, and the choice of the scale also and the assembly took me a good sixty hours.

Sam: How did you work and get references? Did you go on-site? Did you use plans or photos?

Gut’s24: I relied on my personal photos and aerial photos on the internet. I also found plans and sections that allowed me to determine the proportions.

Sam: With microscale, there isn’t much room for error. Did you encounter any technical difficulties?

Gut’s24: I fumbled a lot at first. I was looking for the right scale. I ended up choosing a pyramid brick (3688) 2x2x2/75° to make the roof of the bell tower of the basilica. From that piece, I drew on a 48x48 baseplate to shape the island and fixed the height of the spire. I started to build the main building which seemed to be the most technically complicated portion to realize—the basilica with its pinnacles. After several trials and dismantling, I finally found a good balance. And strangely enough, the rest of the MOC went smoothly. I never looked back.

Sam: You shared some WIP (Work In Progress) photos in your Flickr gallery showing some of the different steps. I personally follow all the progress you’ve done. Do you think sharing WIP photos helps to improve your creation?

Gut’s24: I didn’t think I would get to the end of my MOC. Sharing the progress pushed me to move forward and finish it. The encouragement of the other builders helped me a lot and I also followed the advice about the colors, especially the sea color which I wanted to make grey at the beginning.

Sam: It’s not your first LEGO creation in microscale, you also made Hogwarts Castle recently too. Is microscale a style of construction that you like more than others?

Gut’s24: I discovered microscale when I came out of my Dark Age. My first creation was the Cathedral of Périgueux with about fifty pieces. Microscale allows you to make beautiful things with few pieces and it doesn't take a lot of space! It requires more thought than your traditional construction too. You have to find exactly the right part and find the right technique to make it fit. When you find the solution, it’s really rewarding.

Sam: Thank you Gut’s24 for this visit to Le Mont-Saint-Michel! I will now pack my bags for another beautiful destination.

What LEGO destination do you want to travel to in microscale next? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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