Miniland-scale Hittite Chariot and Horses

Name of Model: Hittite Chariot

Created by: Lego Monster

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legomonster/sets/72157624722171210/with/4890836756/

Details: While this miniland-scale rendition of a Hittite chariot differs a bit from the source material, it's still an exciting piece as a LEGO construction. To start with, there's the level of detail on the horses - minifig screwdrivers stick into click hinges to form the tails, studs in all directions to build the imposing face of each horse, and proper harnesses and manes. The builder posted an overview shot of just the horse design, which brings out other details - sculpted legs, hoofs, the angle of the head and neck (I'm going to guess Technic bricks are used to hold that in place) and even half-stud offsets in the middle of the horse's body. There are also two great miniland-scale figures riding the chariot. I don't think we've seen bearded figures at this scale before, but the technique is as effective as it is simple. The tree and plain landscaping are just the icing on the cake.

6x Scale Sized-Up Horse and Rider

Name of Model: 6 Scale Horse

Created by: gizmocom from Scaled-up LEGO Bricks

Found at: http://bigbricks.blogspot.com/2008/05/6-scale-horse-finished.html and http://www.flickr.com/photos/gizmocom/sets/72157601301371655/

Details: There is a lot to like in this one great horse - the fluid look of the legs, the use of texture to capture the mane, the brown plates for the harness, the perfect eyes the use of studs-not-on-top methods to give the sculpted sections a high-resolution look, the use of tiles to make those sections blend in...really this whole thing is a masterpiece. There are even nostrils on the sides of that face! I highly recommending looking at the very large picture to see the construction details. I don't think any of the side-by-side comparison shots really show just how good of a likeness this is of the original minifig-scale horse - this is one of the best up-sized sculptures I've seen.

Bionicle Horse

Name of Model: BionicleHorse (I need to build four legs creature.)

Created by: LOVEJOINT

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=317177

Details: This gorgeous horse sculpture is made entirely with Technic and Bionicle pieces - it looks like there might not be a single stud in it. The dark red color scheme isn't exactly a natural color but it works well (and shows off a sizeable collection!). I would have preferred a longer nose, but that probably would be very difficult to add. I love the way that various "tentacle" elements were used to create a mane. The reins, tail, and legs all look great, but the perfect touch is definitely the horseshoes. Stuff like that just proves that the naysayers are wrong about the amount of detail you can get in a model made with Bionicle parts. If you're into this model, you'll also want to check out the rider made by the same builder - which can ride this horse or a few different motorcycles. No word, though, on how long it will take to line up the ball-and-socket joints to get a front-legs-in-the-air money shot of the horse and rider.

This is Tuesday's model of the day