Just built the LEGO Dragon

[nicoga3000]

About two weeks ago, I placed a total of seven Bricklink orders to obtain all the pieces for this model. I had to substitute all the 2x8 green bricks for 2~2x4's due to the availability. I also had to place a fairly large order from an overseas store in Norway for a bulk purchase of 2x2 green corner bricks (wow were these hard to find!). I finally got my last order in today and spent all evening assembling this guy.

He is effectively as tall as the Tower Bridge. Really nice sized model. Also, there are no special pieces and he's almost entirely solid (there's a VERY small hallow core about the size of a golf ball in the stomach).

I can honestly say that this has been my single favorite model I have ever assembled.

Ever.

I really appreciate the newer sets and the creativity that they've introduced. I love the new pieces and the way it's opened up the doors to some crazy awesome MOC's. I also love the way TLG has put incorporated some really cool brick designs to make possible details that before were left up to imagination or creative interpretation. But holy hell, this sculpture build was a completely new and exciting experience. It was challenging, exciting (watching every layer come together was awesome), and the finished product is truly something to marvel at.

I say this with complete understanding that this was only my first sculpture build - every AFOL should have the experience of building something like this at least once. I built for nearly 6 straight hours after work tonight, completely zoned out!

I didn't know where to post something like this, hence why I've started a new topic. But I don't post this as a brag thread (because this isn't really something to brag about per se), but more a way for me to sort of express my "WOW" moment. I can't put a finger on the EXACT reasons why this build was so amazing, but something about it really struck me.

Has anyone else built models similar in style to this with similar results, or am I going crazy?

[Hewman]

It's great to hear your passion and excitement come through in your post! This style of building with mainly basic bricks brings back the childhood memories of the Lego Exhibitions that I used to see in school holidays.

I wonder if the rumoured R2-D2 sculpture is going to be built like this with generally non-specialised bricks, like the Yoda and Darth Maul sculptures were.

Thanks for the pics, I like the look of the happy dragon hanging out near the bridge, maybe to devour some unwary giant tourists from the van.

Edited January 18, 2012 by hewman

[Steverd]

Looks AMAZING!!

Are there build instructions for this online?

[Vindicare]

Very cool! This sculpture is new to me...where'd you find this and the instructions? He is quite the neat little guy.

Edit: 1441

Edited January 18, 2012 by Legocrazy81

[L@go]

Here's a link to the instructions.

The only sculpture set I've built is 3450 Statue of Liberty, which is a highly sought-after set and therefore sells for ridiculous prices on eBay and BrickLink. It's also got a massive piece count and is a fantastic build. The thing to do if you want to build this is to get the bricks in a different colour than the expensive sand green that the original is made from, although at 2,282 pieces it's going to be expensive either way. But I'll definitely recommend it :)

[nicoga3000]

I ran across him while browsing Brickset one day. There was a list about some of the best sets for value ever released or something, and he was on that list (along with the Darth Maul Bust and the Statue of Liberty). The look of him caught my eye - he's the little version of the big dragon you see in the water at the LEGO Stores/Parks/etc. On top of that, he's all sorts of adorable, haha. One thing led to another and I found myself NEEDING to build him!

The instructions are actually available on LEGO's website as well as Peeron. I would obviously suggest the LEGO instructions as they are significantly more clear (and they opened up in iBooks on my iPad!).

The nice thing about this sculpture is that all the pieces are readily available, minus the 2x2 green corner brick and the 2x8 green brick. The corners are hard to acquire in bulk but necessary, whereas the 2x8's (while also being hard to acquire) are not needed to do the build and can be supplemented.

I was laughing at the picture after I took it - "Revenge of Godzilla's Baby" is the first thing that came to mind.

[Bluecoupe]

Wow! Great job!

Thanks for sharing the instructions... I may take a stab at it too

[wokajablocka]

That's awesome, I have always wanted to do a build like this. I've been very tempted to buy a Yoda or Darth Maul set like this. Looks like a fun but some what difficult build.

[brickie]

nicoga3000

A great job with a wonderful result; it is a fantastic sculpture. I'm glad that you persevered and obtained all of the green elements.

5 months ago, I looked at making the dragon but baulked at the cost of buying all the green 2x2 corner bricks and plates.

I had a few tan and yellow elements so I set to work to copy the instructions from Lego.

I must admit that I modified the colours and the pieces in some parts to adapt to what I had.

If you look inside, mine is a 'colourful' dragon with a weird arrangement of bricks to fill up the spaces.

'Dino' has a distinct' look about him but he guards the house well at night.

This set was a fantastic build.

[AndyC]

Ooh, nice MOD brickie! I too can't quite find the justification in those expensive green parts and have pondered building it in other colours instead. I was thinking of doing it entirely in shades of grey to look like a stone statue maybe. I think I might have a play around in LDD first though to identify all the bricks you can't actually see and maybe try a few other colours too.

[WhiteFang]

Why is this here?

Tsk tsk, this special little dragon has a special home for it! And, that will be at the Special LEGO Themes.

Topc moved and thank you for sharing.

[TLOR FETT]

This is a very sweet build, I have been wanting one for myself for a while. I had been debating building the LEGO Minifigure sculpture, don't know if I would go legit colors or redesign though.