One of the things that I look most for in LEGO related books is inspiration. There is so much to be learned from examining the work of other builders and sometimes my favorite part of a model is the ideas that I can mine from it. So, it could come as no surprise that I was excited to hear about this book of nothing but ideas, just waiting to be used.
I know Alice Finch in passing. We attend some of the same LEGO conventions and so we’ve talked a few times. If you aren’t familiar, Alice builds huge (and hugely detailed) architectural models. A few of these models are featured in the book, but that is not what it is about.
Simply put, this is a cookbook. Each chapter covers a category, such as walls or windows, consisting of page after page of full-color examples. Where necessary, there is text and diagrams, but mostly Alice steps out of the way and lets the elements do the talking.
I’ve had the book for most of a week, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what it contains. Really, I suspect that this will become an important book on my reference shelf. There is a place in almost every build where I as myself how to complicate it, how to add the details that will turn a stack of bricks into art. This book is there to stimulate that creativity.
Now all these awesome ideas do come with a small downside. There is a quiet assumption with many of these techniques that money is no object. There are many cases where Alice has used elements that I’ve never even seen before, elements that haven’t been made in decades. Make sure to do a bit of math before you get too excited about those big builds.
All together, this book is a must buy for anyone who builds architecture. Honestly, I think it is a solid buy for any builder, as there are so many of these techniques that could be used in any genre.
So, yeah, do yourself a favor and pick this one up!
Buy at:
- No Starch Press (buy the book and get the ebook for free)
- Amazon
- Powell’s Books (support an independent bookstore)
Keep building and enjoy!
Great review! I agree — this book is set up in an easy-to-reference way. Love that I can easily flip to a specific page to get ideas when I’m working on a certain feature of my building. While I love any LEGO book, I see this one becoming one of the more heavily-used ones on my shelf.