Dam good microscale

Here’s proof that you don’t need a lot of colors to build an exciting and dynamic model. Simple grays and white convey the power of the water and the feat of engineering in this vignette of a Russian dam by vir-a-cocha. This model is also notable for its excellent mix of studs and tiles, conveying both industrial realism and naturalistic landscaping simultaneously. I’d love to see an Architecture set like this.

Volkovskaya Dam

Amazingly detailed 1966 Batman’s Wayne Manor in LEGO

Holy bananas, Batman! monstrophonic has posted this absolutely stunning, detailed, 1966 Wayne Manor. The facade is just gorgeous, with the mottling and detail work. The landscaping is foreboding, with that sweeping angle up to the front of the house.

Wayne's Manor 1966

But wait, there’s more!

Turn it around to reveal an incredibly detailed interior, including what appears to be an awesome upgrade of the official Classic Batcave set. There are bats in the attic, teddy bears by the luxurious bed, and visitors in the formal living room. While there doesn’t appear to be a fire pole or quick means to the batcave, there’s a lovely hidden staircase to sneak around with!

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Let’s discuss this batcave. It’s lit, and contains the classic batmobile (which you can find for yourself in 76052 LEGO Batman TV Series Batcave), along with another surprise guest scientist and innovator to help Batman figure out how to make the batmobile and batcopter even better.

Scaled model of Charlevoix Public Library

Paul Vermeesch created a model of his local Charlevoix Public Library to be permanently displayed at the library. I very much like the combination of colors including the subtle usage of medium blue and dark orange.

Commission - Charlevoix Public Library

This compilation of side views make sthe model look like it fits in with the Lego Architecture kits.

Profiles

The Great Wall Made Small

Flickr user lisqr has built this wonderful microscale model of one of the most impressive architectural feats in mankind’s history, the Great Wall of China. While the real Great Wall was several thousand miles long, lisqr employs a nifty series of connected vignettes to capture the wall’s serpentine path.

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The Great Wall

Modernist signal box

Signal boxes are one of the most common trackside accessories built by LEGO fans. But I think this beauty by lafabrick is the first time I’ve seen a modernist[1] version done in LEGO. I like it. There’s a lot of clever use of half-stud offset on this one.

[1] I think actually brutalist, perhaps our architecturally inclined readers can inform me.

 

signal box-07 

Lego Trump International Hotel and Tower

Sean Kenney recently built a 10 feet tall model of the Trump International Hotel and Tower with 65,000 Lego pieces. Different from other skyscraper sculptures I’ve seen, this one simulates the effect of the reflective glass on the actual building. This was achieved by building a pattern of the reflected skyline inside the transparent “glass” bricks. The illusion is simply stunning.

 

See more details and the techniques used on MOCpages. The model is on permanent display in the Chicago Lego store.

Petra’s Al Khazneh in LEGO

One of my dearest memories of the summer in 1994 that I spent working on an archaeological dig in Jordan was a weekend trip to Petra. We arrived from Amman late in the evening, but several of my fellow archaeology students couldn’t wait until morning to see the amazing structures carved from the sandstone 2000 years ago, so we snuck across wadi after wadi, avoiding the main paths. Once past the guard posts, we walked through the narrow gorge known as al-Siq — pitch black at night — until the passage opened in front of us to reveal Al Kazhneh, lit only by starlight.

ArzLan built his LEGO version of the Treasury for the Hong Kong Animation Festival, and features Indiana Jones in his Last Crusade visit to this UNESCO Heritage site.

Al Khazneh