Barthezz Brick returns to Venice and the world of Assassin’s Creed 2 with another epic diorama of Renaissance life in LEGO. Last time, Barthezz created markets, military towers, and a bustling harbor out of 250,000 bricks. For this epic encore, Barthezz focuses on a single building, but what a heavenly building it is. And of course, the diorama is bursting with character moments and amazing details.
The centerpiece church looks great with a white marble foundation and grey accents. Boomerangs and hockey sticks make for unexpected details in the church’s ornate stonework. In front of the church stands an angelic fountain, one of a handful of elements that Barthezz brought over from the last build. I love the mosaic under the fountain, incorporating cut-out tiles. We can also start to appreciate the many stories transpiring beneath the assassin’s watchful eyes, like the out-of-work builder who is about to lose his lunch to a hungry gull and a pig herder, leaving behind some stinky surprises.
You can’t have a Renaissance church without at least some scaffolding around it, even during the Renaissance! Barthezz’s scaffolding is delciously rickety, making life difficult for the painter. Meanwhile, a pedestrian is about to have an unpleasant encounter courtesy of those passing pigs. There are so many great sub builds throughout, like the bundles of grain made from a pair of mop heads, or the ribbons rubber banded to the halberds.
Barthezz’s previous gondola design makes a return, here passing under a lovely bridge with rails constructed from wands on their sprues. Along the sea wall, antennae bases make for clever barnacles. Just as in the last diorama, a Venetian bridge is the scene of a marraige proposal. Barthezz is such a romantic.
On the other side of scene, an overladen boat pushes off. The brick-built sails look amazing, cinching where the rubber bands hold them to the boom. Barthezz deserves special commendations for that rippling water, so full of life.
We end where Barthezz began this journey, with the rogue Assassin Darion Aiulf da Fortebraccio and his owl companion Gaita. You might be wondering, where’s Ezio, the hero of Assassin’s Creed 2, which brough the story to Venice? What I love about Barthezz’s creations is that they aren’t just a recreation of a beloved video game — they reveal an original story from the builder’s imagination. Barthezz’s Venice is set in 1486. two years before Ezio arrives, making this build a prequel to the game. LEGO continues to be a thriving place for fan fictions, like Star Wars Factions. It’s a great way to share your passion with something familiar while adding something new.
Barthezz titles this creation “Interlude” which suggests more to come. Ezio’s Assassin’s Creed games formed a trilogy, so it’s only fitting that Darion and his owl return for their own finale.
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