I am intrigued by the concept of architecture as canvas, where images are rendered with light and texture. The scale of Micropolis doesn’t provide the resolution for landscapes or portraits, it is possible to create geometric designs.
Not every building in the city is in architectural masterpiece. I’m always struck by the offensive beauty of brutalist buildings, and imagine them as great bastions of bureaucracy. When it came time to build a city government building for my city, I had to make it a concrete monstrosity.
Though I have incorporated green space into my buildings, I still felt that I wanted some actual parkland in my layout. This lead to the incorporation of a green belt into the plan.
front
This module came together serendipitously when I found the newer style flower stems and reddish brown antennae in the Pick-A-Brick wall at my local LEGO store. With the addition of a couple other tree varieties, I had a nice little wood.
back
The module is built in two one-block pieces, which makes transport easier. It also opens up the possibility of making a middle section (or sections) to expand the wood for future layouts.
plan
Seen from above, it is easier to make out the path that curves through the wood, crossing the water on a simple concrete bridge. There are cars too, parked at the ends, a mix of visitors and people just taking a break by the side of the road.
This was one of my least planned modules, but I really love how it looks on the table, contrasting (and complementing) the built environment of my other modules.
This model was inspired by a larger, more ambitious architecture. I was struck by a building called The Interface, but the scale of it was much too large to be reasonable in Micropolis. The Silversmith building is my scaled-back compromise.
This model came together from a pair of inspirations: translucent bright green bricks and a lovely building by MVRDV called the Valley. I love the idea of creating architecture that fosters public space and living while still having density.
The foundations of my system for using LEGO to play D&D are the tiles: a system of modular tiles to create maps. I’ve designed a system that is both aesthetic and functional.
My ambitious 2019 project was building a Micropolis module every week. The whole thing got derailed by life, but I still managed to build out my massive display for Bricks Cascade 2020. The final models in the series never made it to photography, so I haven’t shared them online until now!
I participated in the #mapvember challenge again this year, designing LEGO maps for use in Dungeons & Dragons games. I designed 29 maps (I missed a day), expanding and refining my modular terrain.
I really like the Monkie Kid theme. I love that it is based on Asian myth and and has a great playfulness about itself. So many bright colors and wild characters! I bought this set for the minifigs and the parts, but the build really surprised me!
I like LEGO® and I like mechs, so it’s no stretch to figure that I like a good LEGO mech set. Add to that the handsome minifigs in this set, and I had to have one.