Five flavors of fantasy from one talented Swedish builder

LEGO fan contests like Brickscalibur can push even the best builders to new creative heights through creative prompts, tight deadlines, and friendly competition. One builder whose creations consistently caught our eye during the latest competition goes by T-86 (Swe). What impresses with T-86’s builds isn’t just the stellar medieval brickwork, but the variety of approaches that capture the breadth of “castle” as a building theme. Let’s take a moment to celebrate each of T-86’s five submissions.

First is “The Traitor,” submitted for the Perspective Matters category. This build is a showcase for brickwork in the modern castle aesthetic, creating walls that are deceptively simple at a glance, but upon closer inspection are a web of clever techniques. The arches on the right, capped with a jigsaw of  “cheese slopes” are a highlight, as is the door with its deep notches. By framing the shot with wall-to-wall LEGO bricks and simulating natural lighting, the immersive scene pulls you in. T-86 sticks to a grounded setting but adds a fantasy twist using elves for the tale of deception playing out in the courtyard.

Next, for the Adventuring Party minifig-centric category, T-86 goes full fantasy in an eye-catching way, using almost entirely black elements. Dubbed “The Shadowmolded,” they make a nightmarish  ensemble, softened somewhat by a mix of animal companions. The brick-built dragonraven is especially nice.

“Outside the Blue Gate” is the builder’s entry for the Capturing Character category and showcases a trend in castle building that has been flourishing of late – Middle Eastern and Islamic architecture. The vibrant colors are a welcome change from the more standard medieval pallette, and as much as we all love LEGO goats in medieval builds, it’s nice to see some camels! As for technique, the door is a beautiful construction, with profile bricks turned sideways and bricks with their bottom grip-side out, some with bucket handles slid inside, giving it a distinctive look.

For the Dwarf Tales category T-86 presents “Precious Stones for Elven Friends.” Magenta leaves contrast beautifully with the bright light orange ground. The stone arch incorporates some fine details, incorporating roller skates for chiseled eyes. Of course the VIPs of this builds are the pack goats!

Finally, we present T-86’s “Tales from the Meadow” entry. The half-timbered cottage includes some wonderful details – especially the use of tightly packed chains inside the central arch for a unique wood texture. Rather than build out full terrain, round tiles are laid out for the photo shoot, which is both a time-saving technique and visually fun. But when it comes to fun, nothing beats seeing all of those animals dressed in clothes. Owl in a hat!

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