We cover loads of amazing LEGO builds over the course of a year on the Brothers Brick. In fact, over the course of the past 12 months, that’s over 700 individual creations! Now they’re all great, obviously – but every year, a handful really stand out to us, and we like to bestow upon one of them the Creation of the Year crown. It might be a creation that uses parts in a new and interesting way. Perhaps it’s a collaborative build, combining the talents of multiple builders to reach new heights (just like last year’s winners!). Maybe it’s so epic in scope and scale that we simply couldn’t stop thinking about it. One thing’s for sure: it will have taken our breath away! The TBB staff have trawled through their memory banks and our site archives to draw up a shortlist of 10 of our favourite builds. These won’t necessarily be the most popular – keep an eye out for that list in the coming days! – but we will announce the winner on New Year’s Eve. Read up on our nominees, and check out our previous winners in the archives!
So, in no particular order, we have…
Scott Wilhelm – Leap Year Rover
The LEGO community is full of monthly building challenges, covering everything from spaceships to mechs – and rovers. One of the most awe-inspiring was Scott Wilhelm‘s colossal FebRovery entry: over 100 studs long, rammed with play features, and fully motorised for good measure! February being a day longer surely came in handy for Scott this year…
Kooky Bricks – Medusa’s Lair
One of the best things about the LEGO community is the conventions organised around the world, which allow us to see incredible MOCs in the flesh. And if you saw Kooky Bricks‘ Medusa in person, you can count yourself lucky you weren’t turned to stone! But it’s definitely worth the risk. There’s some seriously cool sculpting at play in the figures both stone and, er, not stone. And look, it even lights up!
Woomy World – Karashishi
Nathan Don, AKA Woomy World, had a terrific year with his Bionicle pieces, taking home first place in the Bio-Cup competition and joining the latest lineup in the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery. And this Chinese Lion is a a perfect encapsulation of his skill! The number of curves on display is astounding, with some really unusual pieces combining to create an eye-catching sculpture. Check out the croissants and bandanas used in the face!
DeRa – LEGO Tiger
But that wasn’t the only big cat to use croissants for eyebrows! DeRa‘s tiger is also chock-full of NPU, particularly in the head, albeit in an entirely different style of build. It’s an incredibly realistic model, helped in no small part by some amazing posability (we recommend checking out their Flickr photostream to see just how wide that range of motion is). This one really has earned its stripes!
Eli Willsea – Into Dungeon Depths
There are many criteria for making a build great, but what we especially love at TBB Towers is seeing builds that tell a story. Eli Willsea is one of our favourite creators for that very reason, and his dungeon descent is a perfect example. Three intrepid adventurers, the light at the top, the foreboding doors at the bottom, a ginormous snake fossil – all combined with some great techniques. It’s already a winner, too, having taken first prize in its category in the Summer Joust contest!
Nannan Zhang – One Fell Swoop
Nannan Zhang has been gracing the pages of the Brothers Brick for what feels like aeons, both as a contributor in years gone by, and now as a featured builder. And this year he created a LEGO build for the ages in the form of this majestic owl! Surfboards, leaves, constraction pieces and a whole host of other parts make for some tastefully textured feathers. But the tube and paintbrush at the base are indicative of a story beyond merely this fabulous feathered friend!
Joss Ivanwood – Spirited Away
That owl feels like it is bursting out of the page – and Joss Ivanwood is going to keep our dynamic theme going! The large scale of his Spirited Away diorama allowed for a phenomenal snapshot of No-Face’s rampage through the bath-house. And although we couldn’t pick one creation for this list, we should also give an honourable mention to Joss’ Year of the Dragon builds. Surely one of the most creative individual projects of the past 12 months!
Donny Chen – Golden Dragon
Speaking of dragons – how could we not mention Donny Chen‘s Golden Dragon? We got wind of it after it was shown off at Brickvention in Melbourne, Australia. The size of the build – over 7,000 pieces! – and the delicious shaping would make it a worthy entry on its own, but the fact it’s all done in gold really takes things up a notch. This model also made the move to Billund to join the Masterpiece Gallery.
Aiden Kessel – Chain Boat
You know what else made a splash at Brickvention? Aiden Kessel‘s chain boat! This is a creation which moves beyond mere LEGO build, and into the realm of artwork, period. It uses chains and tread links to form a very un-LEGO-like piece. It was good enough to earn a spot in the Masterpiece Gallery at the LEGO House in Billund!
Chris Perron & Wes Talbott – Fire Breathing Fortress
And we’re going to stay in Billund for our final nomination. Why? Well, its creators – Chris Perron and Wes Talbott – both work there as LEGO designers! In their spare time, they re-imagined 6082 Fire-Breathing Fortress into this terrific dragon keep. It’s a love letter to the original 1993 set, making excellent use of all the new parts and techniques to have come out in the intervening 31 years. I wonder if they took inspiration from a trip to the LEGO House Vault…
And that’s our list! Keep an eye out on December 31st, when we’ll reveal who our winning pick is. Be sure to let us know what your favourite creation of the year was in the comments, too!
In the meantime, why not check out our winners in (deep breath): 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016?
The post Shortlist announced for TBB Creation of the Year 2024 [News] appeared first on The Brothers Brick.
Leave a Reply