Antarctica

Antarctica is the most remote place on earth. There are strict laws on how many people can visit, and it is not cheap to be a tourist! So I built this model to give more people the opportunity to experience Antarctica... with the help of a few bricks!

Among a few things you might see in Antarctica are impressive ice sculptures carved out by the wind, penguins (my favourite animal), or if you are lucky you might even witness the southern lights! I wanted to combine my passion for design with my fascination with Antarctica to create a model which appeals to Lego fans and explorers alike!

I have built a display of the southern lights (aurora australis) into the background, which can be illuminated with a light brick. I have built a stand and a switch for the light brick which I demonstrate in the video below. Glow in the dark bionicle vines and dragon wings from the new dreamzzz line really make the sky stand out, especially in the dark (shown in the video below).

For the water I have taken inspiration from the retired Lego Ideas set 'Ship in a Bottle' by using 1x1 round plates. But to achieve the effect of ice on the surface I added 200 1x1 transparent-clear plates to the 1,300 1x1 transparent-blue round plates. This gives the water an icy texture! There are a total of around 3,000 parts.

I have built the model in microscale, but I chose to build the penguins at a slightly bigger scale so I could give them more detail, as I wanted to represent the most common species found in Antarctica. They can be removed from the stand and displayed in the model if the builder prefers! The 7 species of penguin, from left to right are: Emporer Penguin, (Emporer penguin chick), King Penguin, Macaroni Penguin, Gentoo Penguin, Adelide Penguin, Magellanic Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin.

The 2 microfig explorers are a good reference for scale. They represent myself and someone special to me. I have included a small sailing boat which represents my passion for adventure, and it is a good place to pose the figures!

I know this model can never do justice to the beauty and experience of visiting Antarctica. But I have tried my best to give you a window into what I think is the most beautiful place on earth. I hope you like it, and be sure to watch the video - Thank you!