Eann McCurdy

Miscellanabuilds

Geneva Durand

Geneva D

Season 7 – Round 3 of Iron Builder – starting August 10th!

Welcome to Season 7 – Round 3 of Iron Builder!

Two new challengers for an empty throne – this will be fun!

Who will win? Our five time Iron Forge competitor Eann McCurdy or our Queen of Castle Geneva Durand?

And the seed part is…

This round’s seed part is the Cauldron in red. 

Now our two contestants have 14 days to come up with amazing and inspiring creations featuring this seed part. Wish them luck!

Who are you rooting for? Who will take it home? Whose builds reign supreme?

Only one way to find out! ALLEZ BRICK!

Harley Quinn

Knock knock, Geneva – the round has officially begun! I’m coming in with a small but mighty swing. Don’t get too comfortable, I’ve Harley scratched the surface of my capabilities; interiors, characters, replicase, I gotham all! Can’t wait to see what you come up with- I expect only the quinntessential SPU from you!

Iron Dragon

Cute ponytails! How about a tail that’s a bit bigger and badder? Like the tale of this dragon, who they say eats Iron Forgers for breakfast. Better not drag your feet around this guy, or you’ll be a gonner.

On Diet

The only thing cuter than those ponytails is your little snake!! Pretty sure I saw him in my garden yesterday when I was out grilling. I’d offer you the leftover sausage but I have a sneaking suspicion that my neighbor’s cat got them before I could. But I digress. I can’t tail who will win, but I pawlieve it will be close. Don’t take that as an excuse to get lazy- I’m a propane-ant of putting out only the best!

Hot Dog

While you’re out there grilling, I’m already having lunch. Try to catch up.

Hellboy

Sick entry, Geneva! Not sure how you’ll top that… although I guess you also did top it? A paradox for sure 🤔.

That being said, it’s hard to catch up when you’re already ahead. Speaking of heads, I’ve got my next entry! It was a hell of a grind, and I really had to bust my butt to get him accurate. At this rate, Hellboy may deserve a spot on the Bingo card…

Mad Scientist

This seed part is really sparking some some mad builds. Better hang onto your cigar, because I’m about to blow things up in here!

We’ll need it someday, trust me.

Fun scientist! I know you asked for some pliers, but I can’t seem to find them. We really need to get them sorted here. Regardless, my current build is finished, so it’s time to go back to the drawer-ing board and figure out some more uses! I can’t believe we’re about at the halfway point… the sand’s about to run out!

Frontiers

Just what I’ve been looking for, a Durandcell battery. Those have enough juice to take me to the moon and back. Don’t let my ambitions overshadow you though, I’m sure you’ll find something in that drawer to keep you going. Maybe you can use your two cents to pay someone for a good thought.

Royal Guard TIE Advanced

Very snazzy rocket you got there! It looks like it could go quite far in the universe… although with the Empire around, I don’t think it will have the chance beyond it’s maiden voyage. Better climb aboard your starship and head for the skies!

This round has been flying by, and while there is no clear winner yet, I can assure you there won’t be a TIE, as only one of us can advance. I am already making preparations to protect the throne; after all, every ruler needs their Royal Guard! And if you win, I’ll subcontract them out to you; just make sure to give me a W2 (and no, that’s no droid).

Champion

While you’re out there dreaming of victory, I’m down here earning it. You’ll feel really dumb with a Royal Guard hanging around when the bell rings and I’m the champion.

Potential

Two in a row, oh buoy I’m on a roll. You can wave goodbye to your chance of victory as it slides past.

Jurassic Jeep

Feels like I’m driving circles around you… and around this seed part. It’s been a wheely good time out here but you’re gonna have to hit the gas if you want to get out of this park.

I’d say that you’d better get building because I’m not going to pull back any time soon, except… this is literally a pullback.

Sub_Final_Real_Final_3

Wheel, wheel, wheel, wheel… so you’ve pulled ahead. And in style… I love those waves, and that jeep… just… wow. You’ve really illustrated why you could be the next Iron Builder. Looks like I really need to step up my game. But not before I post my fun retort build for the round. Also, I didn’t realize you had a YT channel… time to sub! Teh seed part was really only used once, but can you spot the other two?

Checkers

You’re really diving deep for ideas, aren’t you? While you play with your toys, I’m setting out my cauldrons in rose and taking this game seriously.

Last time I checked I had you cornered.

Let the Games Begin

“While you play with your toys”… Geneva, we’re in a Lego competition, we’re both playing with over-glorified toys.

You might think you’re in the lead, but check your rearview mirrors, mate… I’m right behind you! The end is nearly u-pawn us; is it making your heart in your chess pound yet? Anyway, I am certain we both have a few more builds up our sleeves- with my experience in Iron Forge, I’m no rookie when it comes to speed building, and you seem quite a-queen-ted as well.

We still have just under 52 hours left, and the knight’s still young. I’ve done myself a bit of shopping and am ready to get the ball rolling on my last build. Let’s give the audience one hecc of a finale, Geneva!

Red Baron

One-up me, will you? Let’s take this battle to the skies. I’m acing this competition and you’d better prepare your parachute.

Beyond

While you’re hobbling across the finish line I’m not tigered at all. (Okay, maybe just a little.)

Season’s Greetings! (Scene Version)

I’ll admit, I was hobbling for a bit there, but then a nice little conductor took me on a ride! I may be “Miscellana”-builds, but there are a few niches I find myself coming back to time and time again. Characters? Of coruse! Interiors/Exterior scenes? You got it! Micro Star Wars ships? Every once in a while, yeah. Christmas… well, it’s summer, so I don’t know what you expect me to do…

…Of course I’m doing a Christmas build! And depending on how you look at it, you could consider it two Christmas builds …

I commend you, Geneva; you have (unsurprisingly) done a spectacular job and shown why you could be the next Iron Builder! That being said, I’ve been training for this for years now, and I’m al-rail-dy to claim the throne! While I may have had the first laugh (6 laughs, if you count them), I give you the chance for the last! You can dle-ay your post, but you can’t delay the end… once the 10 PM bell rings, it’s all in the hands of the judges!

And with that, I shall bow and take my leave! This past fortnight (great, that’s stuck in my head now) has been both exhilarating and exhausting, but you know what they say; don’t be sorry it happened, be happy it’s over! I hope I’ve given a few people some solid bingos, and if not, there’s always next time!

Parting Shot

I’ll take advantage of your offer to send a parting shot your way. Incoming!
Regardless of the outcome of this battle, it’s been a pleasure to fight this piece with you and I cannon’t wait to hear what the judges think of our efforts.

Round 3 is officially over!

It is now in the hands of our judges to decide who has won this round!

Good luck to both our builders!

Caleb Schilling

Cheesey Studios

I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t even know this recolor existed. It brings me great joy that after all these years, this part finally got a shiny makeover in red! And what a glorious way to bring it into the spotlight as the star of Iron Builder. It was especially delightful seeing the many characters the builders brought to life using this element.

Parts Usage
Both builders absolutely excelled at parts usage. Every single build seemed to make the cauldron essential, and Eann and Geneva used the bright red color to its fullest advantage. Standouts for me include the elegant simplicity of Geneva’s “Checkers,” which quite literally flipped the piece on its head and had me seeing it a new light; and Eann’s use of the element in “Hellboy” is the definition of seamless. Overall, I feel Geneva demonstrated a better mastery of the part, consistently integrating it in a believable way in each of her builds.

Build Quality
Red cauldrons aside, there are clearly spectacular builds on both sides. Eann really did come out swinging with “Harley Quinn” and there’s no doubt an organically shaped part like this really plays to his strengths. The best build of the round though is Geneva’s Jurassic Jeep. An Iron Builder build that stays together?! WHAT?! Everything about the model is perfection. Even so, I’ve awarded the point to Eann, whose scenic builds and presentation remained top notch through the competition. From the dynamism of “Let the Games Begin” to the beautifully composed “Season’s Greetings”, each of Eann’s builds was a treat for the eyes.

Performance
Ah, you know I have quite a soft spot for anyone daring enough to double dip in Vignweek AND Iron Builder! Geneva’s vignettes certainly brought me back to my glory days. Yet it is Eann’s playfulness that wins the day for me. There’s an unmistakeable energy that came through each of Eann’s builds that always got me excited to see what would come next. The chess set response to checkers was also brilliant.

Thank you both for another round well done, and another challenging judgment at that! It can’t often be said, but I think I’ve actually been convinced to add the Iron Builder part to my Bricklink wanted list….

Ivan Martynov

Space Glove

A spectacular round! For me, the cauldron is a rather laconic but charming LEGO element. It has long outlived the theme in which it debuted and has remained unchanged to this day, together with such ""veteran"" pieces such as the treasure chest, the frog and the barrel. This accessory really embodies the toy-like aspect of LEGO and I'm glad it ended up as a seed part. Both of you performed spectacularly and have certainly cooked some not-so-culinary masterpieces (sorry!).

Parts Usage
A hollowed-out cylindrical piece with a couple of attachment points - what else could we ask for? Both of you were eager to explore the untapped potential of the seed element. Geneva's inspired use of the cauldron for organic shaping (I wonder if hot dogs count as organic?) was one of the highlights of this round, but Eann just knocked it out of the park with his wildly varied seed part use. While the Christmas postcard features a lot of cool obscure details, I think it's safe to say that the tool drawer was indeed Eann's magnum opus.

Build Quality
In terms of overall build quality, it's hard for me to pick a definite winner: both of you have delivered incredibly clever, detailed and stylish entries! Geneva's builds felt more complete and self-contained, staying true to the classic Iron Builder fashion, but Eann's models caught my attention with their subtle dynamism and unobtrusive environmental storytelling. In the end, I chose Eann as the winner in this category.

Performance
Eann's consistently top-notch quality was hard to stand up against, but I'll have to give Geneva credit for her no less than impressive productivity. I was swayed by subtle experiments with cartoony stylization and indoor / outdoor photography, and I think Geneva certainly deserves praise for her efforts (and for that one sneaky electric pole!).

Congratulations!

Tom Loftus

inthert

"So many delightfully dreadful puns this round. However, I’m shocked both contestants missed ‘Catch-up’ = Ketch-up’ - it was right there people! Thankfully both builders let their builds do most of the talking, and what a shouting match it was!

Parts Usage
The stand out builds were paradoxically the ones that hid the seed part away. Geneva’s sneaky tomato sauce logo was my favourite subtle seed part usage of the round, followed by Eann’s jar of Christmassy sweet treats. But Eann excelled in inventive centre-stage usage too (Hellboy, Drawer of things, Harley Quinn) and so takes the top spot for this category.

Build Quality
Eann’s judgmental chess pieces were a masterclass in opponent intimidation - I’ve never seen so much sass conveyed with so few bricks. Meanwhile Geneva’s ‘Beyond’ was a charming scene - A perfect mix of choice vocal points and supporting elements. Overall however, Eann steals the show again. A double christmas scene that makes you forget it’s only august, complete with a sweetie wrapper made from capes, is a tough entry to beat!

Performance
As ever, both iron builders exhibit exceptional talent for conjuring up the best-worst puns you’ll ever read - congratulations, you both win in that regard! Geneva’s whopping total of 11 builds is to be commended for sheer build speed and creative variety. However, Eann’s chess line-up in response to Geneva’s checkers was devilishly good showmanship, and was enough to eek Eann over the line for the final category too.

Despite my verdicts, the competition was far from one sided. Both builders can sleep soundly knowing all their creations join the melting pot of past Iron builder entries - a source of inspiration and intimidation for future competitors and nostalgic spectators alike.

Seed Part Usage:

Build Quality:

Performance:

Geneva

Eann

Eann

Eann

Seed Part Usage:

Build Quality:

Performance:

Eann

Eann

Geneva

Eann

Seed Part Usage:

Build Quality:

Performance:

Eann

Eann

Eann

Eann

The round goes to Eann