Fan Recreates the Great Sky Island from Tears of the Kingdom in LEGO
Posted on August 30 2023 by John Piland
LEGO Legend of Zelda set concepts are nothing new to the fandom. Many fan models have even been submitted to LEGO’s Ideas program, in hopes of them becoming a reality. There has yet to be an officially released set, but that hasn’t stopped fans from coming up with new designs.
Following the release of Tears of the Kingdom, LEGO and Zelda fan Octane Thermoplastic has been hard at work designing concept sets for Link’s newest adventure — and what better way to start off this new sub-theme than with the starting area of the new game? The first of 18 custom sets developed for this series, the Great Sky Island teases great things to come in this wave of creations.
With 689 pieces, two minifigures, a few brick-built characters, and three sections, this realization of the starting area has much to offer. The set is built to recreate key moments from the start of the game, including, but not limited to, the first boss encounter, Link’s fateful meeting with Rauru, events at the Temple of Time, and, of course, Link’s first sky-high meal.
The detail here is just amazing, from the cloudy bases for the islands, to the color of bricks to distinguish between rock and Zonai structures. Octane even went as far as to design new LEGO elements for the Flux Construct, allowing for it to be assembled to the builder’s content, mimicking the various forms it takes in battle.
The figures in this set are great. They all look fantastic, and the constructs look like they’d be so much fun to build. The changes I would make would be changing the tunic to wrap around Link’s torso, giving cloth pieces to Link and Rauru, and using a translucent green stud for the “brain” brick of the Flux Construct. Additionally, I would include some birds and fish for Link to hunt.
I’ve been building LEGO my entire life, and if there’s one takeaway from this set, it’s that Octane understands the mechanics of LEGO and how they work. Octane doesn’t play around either, working to realistically imagine the set in the way LEGO would. Even down to the box art, LEGO’s design principles are employed. I see the thought and effort that goes into these creations and really appreciate it. Were this set to be made, I’d be eager to put it on my shelf.
I can’t wait to see what other great Tears of the Kingdom sets Octane has in store. In fact, hopefully the Room of Awakening is among them, because it’d be a shame if it weren’t included. Octane has an extensive history of custom Zelda sets, so be sure to check them out if you like what you see here.
What do you think of this set? Would you buy it if it came out? Would you add anything or take anything away? And what from Tears of the Kingdom do you hope makes it into a custom set? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Octane Thermoplastic
John has been a Zelda fan for over 10 years now and is proud to say the series has had a major impact on his life (and wallet). After years of going to Zelda Dungeon for guides or the latest news on the series, John achieved their dream when they joined the writing team in 2019; John can hardly believe how long it’s been. A librarian, he loves meticulously arranging his library of Zelda games and collectibles. After what felt like an eternity of waiting for Tears of the Kingdom, John looks forward to the future of the Zelda franchise with enthusiasm, whether that’s the upcoming movie, a new spin-off/remake, or the next big game.
