Brickistan

Name of Model: Brickistan

Created by: Sandy Cash

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32171754@N00/sets/72157622144870704/

Details: What happens when you combine extreme landscaping, strict Islamic architecture, and the fantasies of a madman in minifig form? In a word: Brickistan. This isn't, strictly speaking, a "purist" creation or family-friendly fare. A few minifigs have been drilled open to let weapons stab them in unusual places. The ambitious and strange nature of this project led its builder to avoid giving it too much exposure - unveiling the full layout was saved for BrickFair this year (smaller sections did make appearances at NCLUG meetings and the NCLUG show LEGOPalooza, but this is the first time the whole layout has been displayed). From a builder's standpoint, there is much to love here: brilliant landscaping, clever vignettes and techniques, great uses of rare colors, and a staggering amount of height. I'm not kidding, though, when I say that this is very strict Islamic architecture. Architectural elements from specific buildings have been carefully touched upon. Sandy will never admit it (I've talked to him about this offline), but even though the modules that comprise Brickistan are supposedly only "loosely based" on the life-size buildings used as inspiration, the details are frighteningly accurate.

Dome of the Rock in Microscale

Name of Model: A temple based on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

Created by: Arthur Gugick (the builder also discussed this work on LUGNET (a site for adult LEGO® fans))

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=301206

Details: This gorgeous shrine is a spectacular representation of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock in microscale (click on the link there to read about the original on Wikipedia). If you're like me (and most other Americans), Islamic architecture probably goes right over your head, but I'm sure you can still appreciate the details in the model here. That dome on the top is not just sculpted - the bottom halves of dozens - hundreds maybe - of minifig switches are used to make it look even rounder. There are a few weird geometry things in here too - the bottom looks like it was done with hinges, the top just connects bricks at odd angles (and uses some mosaic techniques to get the look just right anyway). The lower walls use clip-plates, cockpit-hinge tops, and turntable bases to get other details. The color scheme isn't entirely true to the original (which was built over 1300 years ago and probably has had its colors fade a bit over the centuries), but this still looks amazing.