The Iron Forge contest challenges builders to make mocs (and puns!) showcasing a specific LEGO element to demonstrate skill and entertain judges alike. We spotlighted builds from the first round here. With Round 2 complete, here is a selection of the amazing creations built using the eggshell/crown element. Twenty builders participated in Round 2, eight of whom advanced to Round 3. We’ll start with them. Grant Davis unearths this happy Count in a delightful build packed with one eggshell… two eggshell… three eggshells… twenty eggshells, ah ah ah! Using them as teeth is bitingly clever. Xiheng Xu creates a perfect Forgge entry that is also a tribute to one of Xiheng’s favorite creators, Eli Willlsea. BriKKs cooks up this clever miniature scene, proving you can’t make an omelet without LEGO eeggshells. Erin Dempsey proves that it’s not the quantity oof seed parts that make an Iron Forge build, but how you...

Anyone who’s a castle fan – LEGO or otherwise – has surely pictured a glamorous knight riding astride a horse towards fame and glory. But not everyone has access to horses. Sometimes, you just have to make do with whatever creatures live nearby. Simulterious has not just one, but two terrific examples of some alternative beasts of burden for us! On the right, we appear to have a variation of a deer. This makes sense – they’re kinda close to horses right? Just be careful not to hit the antlers when swingin your sword. On the left, something altogether more terrifying: an orc riding a spider. I love the effect of the flaming fireballs being launched from the back-mounted catapult! I dread to think how tricky it must be to tame a spider though. Then again, I suppose orcs are made of stern stuff. The post When life won’t give you...

Hot on the heels of LEGO’s Charizard reveal, a wild Loke (byggi_l) appears with a personal spin on Pokémon #0006. Loke is a phenomenal character builder who packs every build with personality drawn from surprising parts.  Take, for example, the LEGO skateboard used for Charizard’s lower jaw, the wheel clip of which creates the appearance of teeth. Loke was inspired by the stunning Charizard build from Mitch Builds, but whereas Mitch blends Tehcnic and Bionicle elements into the build, Loke sticks with system parts and those loveable Mixel eyeballs, comically crossed for added goofy charm. The post A charming Charizard to tide over Pokéfans appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

The Last of Us may have garnered more acclaim with its prestige trappings, but Amazon’s Fallout is the most video-gamey show to grace screens, and it’s much better TV for it! Season 2 lets “plot” take a back seat to side quests and larger-than-life NPCs, which is very on brand and always a hoot.  Just in time for the new season, Philip T (brick_head_nz) returns to the franchise with new slices of Wasteland life, like this immersive scene showcasing New Vegas. The impressive sign utilizes some brilliant techniques, such as a star made from minifig hands clipped to a drone. Using feathers for the “S” is a trick borrowed from last year’s LEGO employee gift set. Down on the ground, Philip brings back his excellent Deathclaw build. Tauntaun horns pair perfectly with a Ninjago dragon helmet. A behind-the-scenes reveals how a brick-built skyline and setting sell the perspective. A gap in...

In her LEGO creations, Kat (@klegofan3000) regularly switches between tiled mosaics and modernist architectural creations. For her latest work, Kat blends her skills into an evocative sculpture that contrasts busy zigzagging lines with negative space from round holes.  I love the unusual color combination of pink, orange, and green, and how the mosaic pattern wraps down the sides while being gloriously asymmetrical on the top. The build was created for the #letsbuild26x26 challenge running through the end of the month on Instagram. Click here to learn how to join in! The post Color and form and contrast in brick appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Hey, remember those robot animals from when you were a kid? No, not the Dinobots and Insecticons. The ones that had pilots, I think they started with a “z”. No, not the Power Ranger Zords. The other ones, that were like model kits. Zoids! That’s them! Okay, I might not have remembered Zoids, but thankfully Aido Kessler does. And Aido’s love for the franchise has given us this amazing Liger Zero Jager build, a ferocious looking feline with wings on top of wings. Aido has also built a terrific looking display base for the Liger Zero, but don’t think that means he has to stay put. There are almost one hundred joints packed into this thing, which means this cat can move! The post Zounds! A zippy Zoid with zest appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Norm Harper

In recent years, the LEGO castle building community has seen an explosion of mocs looking beyond Europe for inspiration. Andreas Leander researched the medieval Nubian kingdom of Makuria for this amazing immersive scene in which a merchant transports Nile-grown grain with an ox-drawn cart. Everything on camera is built from LEGO, including the equatorial sky and cloth headwrap. The earthen road is a beautiful effect created from a mosaic of brick yellow between sloped nougat bricks (with no connection points, I would be terrified of bumping the table!). I’m impressed by the wheel, created mostly from 2×1 round ties. The driver’s headwear includes a few fun elements, like a pool ring and tutu. But the highlight (appropriately, as this was made for Brickscalibur’s “Beasts of Burden” category) is the ox, whose looks both strong and soft with that textured broad back. The post Rush hour in Makuria appeared first on The Brothers...

John (J.R. Snotly Builds) has a penchant for Star Wars ship builds, and it shows with this smooth recreation of one of the most iconic ships in Star Wars history. In a world full of white X-Wing builds, it’s refreshing to see a gray X-Wing with proportions that more closely resemble the original ILM miniatures. We’re specifically in love with the brick-build cockpit and the build technique to expertly capture the quad laser cannons. With this model, John has made it easy to adjust the markings on the wings, nose, and sides of the X-Wing to convert it to Luke’s infamous Red 5. The dismembered hands used for the striping really give it that ‘Luke Skywalker’ feel. The post Red Squadron Standing By appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jarrett Gercken

Is there anything sweeter than a fantastical creature built out of bricks? The Frosted Valley Viper, a confectionary creation from BigBrickStan, bares the sweetest teeth this side of Candyland. The serpentine shaping is incredible, especially with the use of pink quarter-circle tiles with sprinkles that cover the body, giving the beast the look of a frosted donut when coiled. Speaking of donuts, those glazed eyes are quite menacing! Icing aside, Stan works in a few other cleverly employed elements, like a raptor’s jaw for the tip of the mouth and an array of capes for the menacing head frills. The result is a sugary build that temps one too take a bite, if only the viper wouldn’t bite back! The post A fantastic fanged monster with sprinkles on top appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King, or just plain Monkey, is the most enduring mythological hero in the world, inspiring so many retellings, including LEGO’s own Monkey Kid franchise. Chinese Builder Jin Chen took on the legendary character at the height of his power, armed with theRuyi Jingu Bang staff and standing atop a fallen demon. Monkey’s white face markings are based on the traditional depiction seen in Chinese Opera. Jin’s makes excellent use of the range of elements in pearl gold to sculpt Monkey’s ornate armor, tightly packing every surface with horns and shuriken. The tattered cape is especially dramatic with its mix of rounded tail elements and angular plates. Jin’s skill at mixing elements from across the full LEGO range really comes through on the base, where dragon jaws and constraction armor mingle with plates, bananas, and even minifig hair. The builder deliberately tried to avoid the techniques on...