From fragile facades to vibrating elevators, New Hashima offered Blake Foster a chance to push his building skills and engineering prowess to the limit. The result? A LEGO tower that tested his creativity, patience, and the laws of physics.
Read MoreThe Ancient Gate of Qarava is a mysterious place… but join us for a look behind the facade at the Technic structure that made this LEGO creation possible.
Read MoreI don’t know much about this creation. It’s from builder Smoker, has no description and the image names are just alphanumeric strings. The only reason I know the name is because there’s an album name and I’m familiar with the tower that inspired this build. What I do know is this is an absolute masterpiece, an incredibly intricate example of classic Chinese architecture and as beautiful as the tower that inspired it.
This tower has an interesting story. It started as a dark creepy tower, but over the month or so builder MinifigNick worked on it it magically morphed. I’ve endured a UK winter, and I know exactly what Nick means when he says it was an “antidote to the dark wet winter evenings”. LEGO was my therapy when I was there too, it has pretty magical healing properties.
While the first word that leaps to mind to describe this wonderful keep by Brother Seven would probably be "tall", I'm going to go with "clean". While I truly appreciate a craggy, richly textured castle build, it seems they're all that way any more. That makes this especially clean tower stand out all the more, and it's a gleaming while treat for the eyes.
If eyes are the windows to the soul, are doors the window to the...wait a minute, buildings have actual windows, that doesn't work. How about the way to a man's heart...no, that's silly. I like the door on this tower...yeah, that's pretty lame too. It's just amazing to me how there can be so many details in a diorama, but most of the time there's just one thing you hone in on, in this case it's the door of this lovely tower by Dwalin Forkbeard.
I've seen the famed Hearst Tower in real life, and while this brilliant micro scale recreation from builder Dan_Sto isn't as shiny, the real one doesn't have hotdogs integral to it's structure. Think about that the next time you're wandering in Manhattan. Luckily there's usually there's a hotdog cart for the inevitable craving.
Thanks for the head's up Vince
This one might ruffle a few feathers of the purists out there. No, there's no Kreo or Mega infiltrating this amazing MOC by Derfel Cadarn, but there is a little non-LEGO present. Some of the vines and creepers you see are actually fishing tackle. But it's used to such great effect and only as a subtle decoration, I'll implore the more emphatic out there to grant him a pass, this thing is gorgeous.
It takes care and skill to pack this much detail in a footprint this size. Many builders confuse detail as "more stuff" and that's simply not the case. Everything should have purpose and serve the MOC. This diorama by Cesbrick strikes an excellent balance between foliage, structures and equipment to make it super detailed, but not unnecessarily "busy".
During my time in England I assumed I would see more castles, as it was I only really saw two, and only one up close. Neither of them were as cool as this one from lego_fan. OK, Tower Of London was pretty cool, but I wouldn't want to live there. But this one...you see that little balcony? That's my room.
This is a gorgeous MOC, beautifully photographed. All black creations are notoriously hard to shoot (tip: it's all about the reflections) but Zceberus nailed it. I love the undercut rock work and the overall proportions. This thing is loaded with detail too, click through for many more pictures.
It is time to take to the skies to see all the LEGO floating islands that populate our imaginations. Check out these gravity-defying rocks and learn why they might be one of the best ever collab ideas.
Old LEGO magic still has its charms. We revisit Borgin and Burkes and Dumbledore’s office to compare how their buildings, curious objects, and magical creatures have changed across generations of Harry Potter sets.
Want to customize a minifig without fancy printers or toxic fumes? Learn how to use the dark art of reductive design to literally erase the line between official and custom LEGO parts.
LEGO meets tabletop combat in the Brassbound universe. We talk with creator Paul Antoine about designing microscale armies, turning builds into game pieces, and developing games with a growing community.
When a legendary archaeologist minifigure meets the spin cycle, adventure calls! Follow along as we reclaim the lost fedora of Indiana Jones and uncover how to repair a LEGO keychain.
LEGO adventurers need somewhere to unwind between quests. We talk with Sleepy Dragon Inn designer Marin Graux about classic Castle, medieval hospitality, and how his design evolved for the BrickLink Designer Program.
From sketches to superglue, see how this custom LEGO motorcycle earned its street cred. We chat with Jean-Yves about the design, prototyping, and even heat resistance of his LEGO customizations, taking them from prototype to the pavement.
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Monet painted his garden many times, exploring changes in color and time of day. Meredith Najewicz follows his lead, rebuilding the LEGO Art Water Lilies set with a darker palette and some creative part substitutions to cast the lilies in a different light.