LEGO Masters France

Season 2 Episode 4 Semi-Final – Recap

We started off with 8 teams and are now down to the final four.

The final four walk in to find a giant tree waiting for them in the middle of the room. The tree comes with four branches that contain a baseplate. The judges explain that they have to construct a build that works with the tree, you can’t just plonk something on the baseplate.

Georg adds that scale is important as well. The builds have to be large. They have 15 hours to get their creations made.

The Builds

Éric and Alex – Departing For Holidays

The team starts building whatever comes to mind and ends up in a corner with the story. They quickly decide on a group of parrots who have human characteristics while waiting at a departure lounge. The judges see it’s workable, but they need to focus on creating strong characterizations that separate the different birds.

Paulina loves the different personalities and stories the birds have and the detailing they have and all of the different textures. She notes some of the colour choices could have been a bit bolder. Georg follows up by praising the details and expressions the birds have.

Étienne and Christine – The Queen of the Forest.

They plot a magical big owl who has landed on a branch with a nest of chicks on another branch. It is a challenge for the team to create outstretched wings.

But the scale of the build is proving a challenge. Despite getting a good lead on the wings they keep falling off. And the body feels off scale, so it gets taken apart and rebuilt.

But then Christine accidentally knocks a front section off – with an hour remaining. The team scrambles to get the owl back in shape and ready in time to present.

Paulina loves the scale and composition of the final piece. However notes the lack of detailing on the wings let the model down and the shape of the piece is a bit flat. Georg backs this up and loves the detailing they have done. But notes the flat wings aren’t as dynamic as they could be. Putting in an angle to create a more dramatic pose would have been better. But complements the team on how far they’ve come in building abilities.

Marin and Alexandre – JuJu The Chameleion.

A striped chameleon is resting on the branch. The judges note that a chameleon adapts to the environment, so using bright colours to make it pop out is important.

Paulina praises their creative choices as well as a larger scale as it allows for a more dynamic pose and the wrapping of the tail. But she notes the story is a bit basic as there’s not much interaction with the branch outside of it posing on it.

Georg loves the acid colours, but notes it might need a bit more of a gradient to look smoother.

But he praises the overall result.

Benjamine and Marin – Hector the Beaver

A dumb Canadian bever who is sawing away on the wrong side of the branch. Off to the side is a bird mocking him. Marin makes sure there is enough detailing on the beaver, adding in a plumber’s crack.

The judges come by and wonder if the arms are going to fit.

Georg loves the final results and the sense of humour in the story as it’s dead easy to understand. But he notes there are a few issues, such as the checked pattern in the shirt not following the body’s contours. Paulina also gives points for having a big scale build as well as a strong understanding of colour. She points out a strange mushroom on the end of the build which feels out of place. Perhaps something else could have belonged, like snow. But the built fits the bill.

The Verdict

With the final four’s builds judged they are lined up for the last time to determine the final three pairs.

The team that isn’t continuing is Étienne and Christine. Georg is a bit tearful at announcing this as he’s seen the pair grow with their building skills to where they are now. Next time – the grand final!.