From Gardens to Gambits: An Interview with Cindy Zhan

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From Gardens to Gambits: An Interview with Cindy Zhan

We travel to sunny Southern California to chat with LEGO builder Cindy Zhan about her massive MOC, The Garden of Flowing Fragrance, and the Huntington Library in Pasadena that inspired it.

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Surfer Babe

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In high school I was a surfer. Well, I had a surfboard and a wetsuit, and we went to the beach a lot. Mostly I would paddle out, wait for the perfect moment to get smashed by a wave, drink a bunch of salt water and get my face dragged on the ocean floor for a bit, you know… surfing! I’m pretty sure if this baby surfer by ted @ndes had been there they would have surfed circles around me.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

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It’s only the beginning of December, but for those of us in the Midwest and Northeast, it’s felt like winter for a month now. My old pal Dave Kaleta has captured that moment of inertia, where you know you need to go and do something outside, but you really feel like staying inside, warm and cozy. I don’t know much about what it would be like if the weather were the same 75 degrees and sunny all the time, (Tommy) but I can certainly relate to this! Okay, Dave, time to get off your butt and go for a run!

Resistance is Futile

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Where Star Trek shines is in how Gene Roddenberry reflected humanity back through the other races: Vulcans and pure logic, the conflict driven Klingons, the military industrial complex of the Romulans, the greed of the Ferengi, the techno hive zombies that are the Borg.  So many good philosophical questions are explored with each race, but I especially enjoy the Borg. Some Borg themes I see are the meaning of individuality, the good of the many vs the few, the cost of war, and the need for hope. Martin Latta captures a Borg vs the Enterprise D encounter in a small vignette. The shape of Federation vessels is challenging to capture at any scale, but he nails the NCC-1701-D and the repetitive use of grille plates, jumpers, and single studs captures the super greebled Borg cube exterior without overdoing it at this scale. Well done, Mr. Latta, set course for Wolf 359 warp 9. Engage.

The Tale of the Three Brothers

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The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a compilation of children's stories from the wizarding world of Harry Potter. One of the most recognized stories in this book is the Tale of the Three Brothers. Aaron Newman has created this awesome representation of the three brothers meeting the incarnation of death itself, as told in the story (and read by Hermione in the films). This is the second recreation of this scene, the first being made in vignette form for the Harry's Magical Journey Project back in 2017. The image of death's looming presence in this scene really attracted me to the build, despite how scary its appearance is in this form. I really appreciate how this scene came together, with some excellent photography and positioning. 

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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

A Powerful Medieval Vignette

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The ~Maestro brings us this medieval vignette depicting feudalism in medieval Europe. For those unaware, feudalism combined customs in both military and legal matters hundreds of years ago between the 9th and 15th centuries. Hey, look at that! You looked at a cool LEGO creation, and learned a bit of history! That is one thing I appreciate about some LEGO creations that depict historical events: you learn more in a fun way! I think I'll wrap up this post, though, because those guys on the bottom are no doubt getting rather tired (not that the lord cares). 

Medieval European Feudalism (in plastic)
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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

Let's Do Some Grillin'

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David Zambito provides us with an excellent example of a vignette. Small build, but packed with techniques that make a large difference. In this scene, a man is grilling his dinner (an activity I'm sure some of us wish we could be doing right now). What drew me to this little build is that grill, which is an excellent design (see separate picture below). So simple, but so effective, and one of the best I've seen. The builder also didn't settle for a simple tile patio, instead he chose to use slopes and tiles to create some great stonework, a rather popular technique. It's the little things that can turn a small build into one that leaves a big impression! 

Grilling
Grill
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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

"...This Is Rogue Two, I Found Them, Repeat I Found Them"

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The snowspeeder is one of my favorite Star Wars ships. It's angular design and no-nonsense style always appealed to me. There's been many attempts to build it this small (just look at all the Star Wars advent calendars) but I think this one by Rogue Bantha is the most successful I've seen. Built for the Star Wars building contest on Brickset.

Good morning

Pour the Tar!

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This medieval scene by Graham Gidman is everything you could want in a vignette. The Summer Joust 2017 medieval building contest is challenging its participants to create a captivating scene on an 8x8 stud base, with minimal overhang. There has been a steady flow of submissions for the category, but this one made me stop and look more than any other. Not only is it just a plain good scene, but its design is executed very well by Graham. There's emotion captured by the minifigures, the action is clear and amusing, and there's just the right amount of detailing here to really make you feel that it's part of something bigger. I also appreciate how the rock formations aren't built in a simple way, rather they have just the right amount of angling to look organic and disturbed. A small build that speaks volumes, for sure!

An All-Encompassing Siege
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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

A Ship Mechanic Turned Jedi

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Inthert is a bit of a mechanic himself, creating wonderful Star Wars spaceship replicas.  However, this time, it seems to be the reverse.  Some spaceships were harmed in the making of this MOC.   Truly, this vignette speaks for itself.  All the greebling is spot-on, giving the awesome appearance of ship engine innards.  It also features some forgotten items of the past, including a Phase I Clone Trooper helmet and parts of old astromech droids (that's sad).  In the midst of the mess, it appears one mechanic has found a very ancient item of immense power.  

Jedi Search - 4/5 : The Trader
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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here.