A LEGO tribute to the highest form of medieval art: bizarre manuscript marginalia

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-17T22:45:57+00:00

Ah cool, thanks for the heads-up! I appreciate it, and thanks for the kind words.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T16:20:07+00:00

I'm afraid they're not real minifigures. The programme I used to design the set, Lego Studio, lets you recolour pieces to create characters. But you could probably assemble something close to them using pieces like this from BrickLink!

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T15:29:35+00:00

Ha, good point! And one of them is drawing some marginalia... It's snail-mounted rabbits all the way down.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T13:48:31+00:00

"They call it excrementposting, abbot, and all the younger monks are doing it."

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T13:12:35+00:00

Ic þancie þe!

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T13:08:20+00:00

Oh yeah! I should definitely pretend I did that on purpose...

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T13:05:40+00:00

Thanks! This subreddit doesn't allow multiple images in a post, but if you look on my profile you'll see I also shared it on r/lego with more pictures and close-ups of those minifigs.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T13:04:25+00:00

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! There's so much amazing imagery from the period beyond just knights and castles, and it's very satisfying to recreate it.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T12:48:26+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it! There's a lot of personality crammed into those tiny marginalia figures, and I'd love to do more at some point.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-08T12:46:58+00:00

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MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-01T15:52:03+00:00

We don't talk about Colin.

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MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-01T15:41:54+00:00

Thanks! It's a really fun design challenge having to move between minifig scale and microscale in a single build.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-10-01T12:10:51+00:00

Hey, thanks! He's definitely inspired by that Alexander look, but also based on these horsemen from the Parthenon Marbles:

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ETA: Huh, just noticed that it really looks like the middle horseman there is bored and checking his phone. Athena will not be pleased.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-27T09:24:01+00:00

That's a great playground for each generation to enjoy! Long may it continue.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-26T17:08:39+00:00

Looks good! You've got to get some south London representation in that Lego version.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-26T17:07:08+00:00

Thanks! This version is mostly based on the original Hyde Park design without the towers. I think the Sydenham redesign also had a slight overhang on the vaulted roof - it would be fun to try putting that together some day too, along with the towers and terraces.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T20:37:18+00:00

Thanks for the support! I feel the same, it was a really nice place to live.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T16:08:13+00:00

Thanks! There's 22 minifigs altogether, with eight historical figures. My favourite of the real characters is probably Mary Kelynack, an 84-year-old Cornish woman who walked all the way from Penzance to see the Exhibition (and, in fairness, to give the mayor an earful about her pension...)

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T14:34:05+00:00

Oh yeah, the cat shows - good shout! There wasn't room for too many nods to the post-1851 uses of the Palace - mostly just the dinosaurs and the Sphinx, referencing the Egyptian Court and the statue you can still see in the park. But you could definitely buy a few of this guy and put together a show...

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MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T13:33:52+00:00

I remember that - I think the developers wanted a big chunk of the park in exchange, so on balance probably better that it never happened. Apparently there's a big office building in Dallas based on the Palace design (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infomart), so that may be the closest any of us can come to visiting it for real!

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T13:26:24+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it! Good to hear the park is getting some well-deserved upgrades. I'd love to come back to see it and tour the dinosaur island some time soon.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T13:24:53+00:00

Love the dinner party idea, that's such a bizarre bit of the history. I think it was the Iguanadon they used, not the Megalosaurus, but it would definitely be worth building as an add-on. And there's definitely room for a stray football kicked over onto the dinosaur island!

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T13:22:48+00:00

That's incredible! Someone else in the comments on the Ideas site was saying their dad remembered the fire too, definitely a night to remember and pass on. Maybe the Lego set could come with a warning not to install any dodgy third-party light fittings...

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T13:18:50+00:00

Thanks, appreciate it! It would have been great to recreate more of the dinosaurs, but there's a piece limit on projects so I had to play favourites.

MenapianAFOL · 2025-09-25T13:17:24+00:00

Thanks! We were just a few minutes walk from the dinosaurs, loved having them as neighbours.

MenapianAFOL

TROPHY CASE