The Shipyard

I always love a good collaborative build, and this one by Si-mocs and Zachmoe is no exception. Zach built the spaceship and Simon built the shipyard around it. Both parts are equally fantastic: the ship has wonderful color blocking and gorgeous shaping, and the shipyard is packed with lots of clever micro-scale details. I especially love the little trucks made from roller skates and the genius two-piece tanks.

Rivers of Hell

I've been waiting for this!  Two renowned LEGO artists, Mihai Marius Mihu and Tyler Halliwell have joined forces to create a stunning collaboration entitled Rivers of Hell.

"Eight months ago we began to share ideas and develop a visual style representative of the horrors of Hell. Concepts for each of the rivers were created by Mihai, concepts grounded in Greek Mythology yet open to our own creative interpretation. As the months went by we carefully decided upon the final designs for Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx." 

Their goal from the outset was to create something both horrifying and beautiful.  They have clearly accomplished that.  I just hope another project is already in the works!

Around the World in Eighty Days!

Okay folks, hold onto your bowler hats, and tighten your corsets!  It's VirtuaLUG's award-winning rendition of Jules Verne's classic adventure tale!  Beneath the massive globe in the center, the epic story begins with Mr. Phileas Fogg's bet at the Reform Club, and circumnavigates all the way back to London.  In between you'll find multiple modes of transportation: trains, steamships, a balloon, the Nautilus, even an elephant!  The layout consists of a contiguous topographical map featuring scenes from the movie, plus various landmarks along the way.  The collab is flush with Easter Eggs:  Gandolf and the crew in the Himalayas, a micro Mount Olympus, and Dorothy and Toto (in India?); all to pay homage to past VLUG collabs.  There were over 20 members who contributed to the project, including myself.  The Man In Charge, Heath Flor, writes, "With contributors from 5 countries and nearly a dozen states, it's a collaboration that truly is from Around the World." 

Check out  VirtuaLUG's Flickr group for all of the scenes and their builders.  

Beyond the Brick was on location at Brickworld with Heath's guided tour!