The Artful Brick

TL;DR: Original Price:   $99.99 Pieces: 613 Minifigure(s): Dahlia, Asha, Star, King Magnifico Sticker Sheet: Yes Pros: some good architecture and interesting pieces Cons: cost and...Wish Assembly:  Bag #1 - Dahlia, first floor Bag #2 - Asha, Star, second floor Bag #3 - bakery wing Bag #4 - kitchen wing Bag #5 - King Magnifico, tower   Leftover Pieces Interesting Steps: Note: each sub-build is confusingly numbered separately, which means that the oven has steps 1-13, and then the first floor has steps 1-24. So, instead of calling out specific steps, I'll refer to the book and page number on which the step appears. Book 1, Page 34 makes good use of SNOT brackets to create the bottom of the Moorish-style arch in the facade, completed with two 4x4 round corner "macaroni" tiles on Page 51. Interesting Techniques: Book 2, Page 21 (and Page 27, with similar steps in Book 3) uses a round 1x3 with open studs to prop the arched segment open, at roughly a 45° angle ...

A few years ago, for the Christmas season, Dollar Tree started selling these little 2.5" photo cubes (currently out of stock ) that caught my eye. At first I was using them for miniatures storage and display, but after measuring I found that they were exactly eight studs on a side. Score! So now I grab a few whenever they have them in stock. I've also used the 32x32 stud baseplate they sell as baseplates (each cut down into 16 8x8 stud squares) as the bases within the cubes, since 1) they're cheaper than actual Lego 8x8s and 2) they're thinner by about half a plate. This means that I can build 6 bricks + 1 tile on top, which is enough height to create a minifigure-scaled diorama. In an effort to push how much space I could fit in such a small footprint, I created a micro-scale version of Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (with a nice little nod to a certain historical castle ), as well as a replica of Vermeer's The Geographer (which act...

TL;DR: Original Price:   $99.99 Pieces: 757 Minifigure(s): Monkie Kid, Monkey King (prison jumpsuit), Mr. Tang, Nine-Headed Beast, Mei (dragon bag) Note: this is the only set that has this Monkey King fig, which is missing from the full cast lineup in the 80058 Celestial Pagoda set Sticker Sheet: Yes Pros: Unusual pieces in unusual colors, creative bird-y monster build Cons: Feels like a small set for the price   Assembly:  Bag #1 - MK, Monkey King, mini mech   Bag #2 - Mr. Tang, mini temple   Bag #3 - Nine-Headed Beast, beginning of body   Bag #4 - Mei, wings & small heads  Bag #5 - main head & tail   Bag #6 - legs   Leftover Pieces Interesting Pieces: Pearl Gold Tile, Modified 2 x 2 with Studs on Edge, Rounded Corners and 1 x 1 Half Circle Extension (what I'm calling the "double-cloudlift tile" based on the Greene & Greene craftsman stylistic element) & Monkie Kid Color Stones in blue and red Pain Points:  B...

  TL;DR: Original Price:   $15.99 Pieces: 138 Minifigure(s): Stormtrooper, female nougat head Sticker Sheet: No Pros: Compact and sturdy Cons: A little expensive for the part count and play features Assembly:  Bag #1 - Stormtrooper & cockpit Bag #2 - legs   Bag #3 - arms   Interesting Techniques:    a 2x2 jumper plate used to prop up the minifigure stand ("Panel 1 x 2 x 1 with Rounded Corners and Center Divider") given the spacing from the SNOT technique   SNOT build for the feet, allowing for tiles and ball joint both on top     Interesting Pieces:    2x4 oval tiles (4) are great for bath mats or Alderaanian wall decor 1x2x1 half cylinders are also useful and rare "vehicle base 4 x 7 x 1 triple inverted slope with wedge plate and 3 axle holes" (according to BrickLink) I've never seen before, but it looks very useful for small craft Pain Points: the reliance on modified 2 x 6 x 2/3 bent plates means that kn...