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The BrickLink Designer Program has announced the 5 finalists for their Series 1 competition that started back in March.
The next phase of the contest for these sets will being about a year from now in February 2024 when the final designs will be revealed and the crowdfunding campaign begins. Sets that at least 3,000 pre-orders will be produced by LEGO in quantities of up to 20,000 sets. The final orders will ship in Summer/Fall of 2024
The 5 finalists, in alphabetical order are listed below – the titles link to their BrickLink submission.
General Store – Wild West by llucky
The store is a one-story building with an interesting color scheme. Sand blue matches with white accessories. The walls are made of horizontal boarding. Above the entrance, we have a large roof to protect us from the sun. On the side of the building, there is a smaller roof over vegetable and fruit boxes. There is also a rocking chair on the porch – a favorite place for the owner to spend his free time. Inside, we have several shelves. One is full of mining equipment and on another, we can find canned food and bottles of various liquors. On the counter, we can see a cloche of cupcakes – the muffins are baked every morning by the owner’s wife. Right away a classic cash register catches the eye. In the building, we also have a stove for the colder months. On the flat roof, we see supplies of straw for the animals and multiple barrels full of liquor and gunpowder. Behind the building, we have some stock and a large barrel of water. Next to the building, we can also see a cactus and a shriveled tree.
Mountain Fortress by Sleepless Night
“The Black Falcon used to be a powerful baron of the Old Kingdom. After the Lion Knights took over the realm, the arrangement was made for Black Falcon’s daughter, Kunegunde, to marry the king. However, when the baron fell in a joust, these plans came to naught and the king married another baroness. But Kunegunde decided to take matters in her own hands…
A few years ago, together with her younger sister, who was a royal falconer, Kunegunde managed to covertly organize an abduction of the king when he was on a hunting trip. Now the king is being secretly held in a remote and inaccessible mountain fortress, while Kunegunde is readying for a winter campaign against the queen.”
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What makes this mighty fortress design stand out is its harsh winter scenery, including snow caps and icicles. It consists of a lower and upper castle, connected by a drawbridge, which spans a frozen moat.
The build is quite large in size and uses just shy of the maximum allowed 4000 pieces. The building is foldable and contains removable sections to allow for an easy access to all parts of the interior. Gribbling and texturing is used with moderation. The construction process should not be a big challenge but even advanced builders will find some nice and unexpected details and techniques, including the use of Technic pieces in both structural and decorative roles.
The Old Train Engine Shed by Mind_The_Brick
It is almost midnight but everyone here is on their toes…
The Old Train Engine Shed never shuts down and there is always much work to be done! James and Julia have just arrived on a draisine. James is on duty tonight waiting patiently for the next planned arrival. One shift follows the other and tonight a big locomotive will appear shortly for its routine maintenance after a long journey.
Inside the Shed, Robert is hard at work, cutting up wire. Julia is making sure all lanterns work properly and Frank is servicing the old lathe.
Andrea is on a coffee break in the little shack. At the rear, Sam is feeding Oscar, his beautiful and lawful Alsatian dog. Oscar is tasked with guarding the gate, so you better think twice before entering uninvited!
The Old Train Engine Shed is built with masonry bricks and features 6 large windows and 2 large doors, which allow the locomotives to enter and leave freely. Two big chimneys and a fan are used for ventilation.
Inside the shed there is a fully equipped workshop. The large variety of machinery and tools included are: an old lathe, a vice, a bench drill press, an oxyacetylene welder, mallets, hammers and many more useful hardware.
At the very top of the building, and just below the roof, a fully working overhead crane can be used to lift and move the heavy engines of the locomotives. At the front of the shed, a pump supplies the engines with water and finally on the rear, there is a little shack with a small office and a stove.
The Old Train Engine Shed can accommodate a train engine up to 37 studs long, whilst its wagon can pull up at the front tracks. All and all, exactly 2298 bricks were used (including the 6 minifigures).
Parisian Street by Nicolas Carlier
Inspiration:
As a French native living near Paris, it was only natural for me to recreate a classic Parisian street featuring charming shops and elegant facades. Before starting to build the model, I devoted numerous days searching for references like photographs and paintings that would capture the authentic ambiance of a traditional Parisian setting.
Technical Details:
The Parisian Street model consists of 3465 pieces and includes seven minifigures, as well as 16 stickers to decorate the model.
The model showcases Haussmann-style facades of varying heights and floor sizes and also features small interior scenes.
– On the ground floor, there is a large bakery, a small flower shop as well as a Bistrot placed in the corner
– The second floor features a large luxury living room, a small kitchen with a dining area, as well as a billiard hall.
– The third floor offers a two-rooms apartment with a bathroom, an atelier, as well as a small bedroom/apartment.
– On the fourth floor, you can find a small apartment with a rooftop terrace, creating a nice Parisian atmosphere.
In an effort to enhance the visual appeal of the model and to make it interesting as a display model, I built each facade with a distinct appearance, while remaining as close as possible to the Parisian architectural style. A public staircase divides the model into two sections.
The Snack Shack by Skeletuhr
The Snack Shack is the best place in town to get your fried goodness and milkshakes!
This 548-piece build features a fully equiped snack bar with a detailed interior including a deep fryer, milkshake machine, press grill, condiment station and a fridge. The back hinges open for easy access. Beware of the animals though! They might try to get a bite of your delicous snacks.
The build is inspired by a foodtruck I visited during a trip to Key West (Florida) and resembles a classic travel trailer. A great addition to any LEGO city as the trailer can even be easily removed from to base to be placed wherever you’d like.
The next round (Series 2) opens for submissions on May 15, 2023 and will accept submissions until June 2, 2023. More details are available on BrickLink.
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