BDP10: Myth of Atlantis
Posted by CapnRex101,
Voting for the BrickLink Designer Program Series 10 submissions ends later today, but we have time for one more showcase, as JonasKramm dives into the Myth of Atlantis!
Hey! Everyone knows the legends of the sunken city of Atlantis, and they inspired me to design my own Atlantis MOC. The model blends vibrant LEGO colors, adventurous divers, and the mystical world of the merfolk.
To capture the underwater atmosphere, I drew from the full LEGO color spectrum — yes, even shades from LEGO Friends — and included both peaceful and fearsome sea creatures.
This BDP submission consists of 2,300 pieces and includes six minifigures: two divers, the king and queen of the merfolk, and a statue of Zeus. Alongside numerous underwater animals such as sharks, jellyfish, and crabs, the set also features a seahorse carriage.
To explore uncharted depths, the divers use a red-and-yellow submarine inspired by classic LEGO diving vessels. Since I’m no submarine expert, I looked to earlier deep-sea sets like 6442 Sting Ray Explorer from 1997 for reference.
At the heart of the model stands the underwater Temple of Atlantis, crowned by a shell throne for the rulers of the seas. The ancient ruins are nestled within a vibrant reef where corals grow in a wide variety of shapes and colors, some created using rather unexpected elements.
To the left and right of the grand staircase are entrances to the catacombs where the merfolk dwell. From the back, a gate reveals the hidden treasure chamber.
The Building Process Color played a central role in this project. I intentionally mostly avoided white elements and instead made full use of LEGO’s extensive range of blues to convey a convincing underwater aesthetic.
Inspired by set 7985 City of Atlantis from my childhood, I wanted the palace to stand elevated above the reef. Rather than placing it on a mountain, however, I designed a canyon-like rock formation. Dark Turquoise columns enhance the structure while creating playable catacombs.
No ordinary gray should be used for the rock either, but Dark Blue to continue the underwater aesthetic. At one point, I considered building the ocean floor in blue as a tribute to the classic LEGO Aquazone baseplates, but ultimately decided it was visually overwhelming.
An underwater MOC, in my opinion, always benefits from a shipwreck. My original concept included a full wreck, but that would have distracted from the temple and significantly increased the piece count. In the final design, only the bow and mast remain.
The coral reef offered an opportunity for creativity. Many elements were repurposed in unconventional ways: eggs, brooms, muffins, carrots, crowns, butterflies, and brushes all appear as coral formations in bright colors. Even 10366 Tropical Aquarium contributed useful underwater pieces, particularly the Reddish Orange coral elements and Trans-Green leaves for seaweed.
While fish, sharks, and crabs already exist as molded LEGO animals, I had to design the jellyfish myself. The larger version uses Trans-Light Blue ornaments as tentacles, while the smaller jellyfish cleverly repurpose Trans-Clear brooms.
Both the sharks and the kraken are animated with simple play functions. The sharks are attached to the mast and can circle ominously above the wreck. The kraken’s tentacles move up and down by turning a knob, ready to grab unsuspecting divers.
Designing Myth of Atlantis was a new creative challenge, and I’m thrilled with the result. I’m glad I was able to incorporate so many different colors and hope it realistically captures the underwater theme.
Thank you to everyone supporting my Atlantis submission in the BrickLink Designer Program. I look forward to your questions and feedback in the comments!
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23 comments on this article
I read the headline, I see the picture and Donovan starts singing in my head.
Anyway, very colourful and creative! Love the moving bits!
Quick note: Text has white background and is not readable in dark mode.
I read Brickset on "Dark" mode, is there some reason this article looks like a spoiler alert or redacted document?
@Rimefang said:
"I read Brickset on "Dark" mode, is there some reason this article looks like a spoiler alert or redacted document?"
Same… looks like all the text has white highlighting on but I guess the css has changed th text colour also to be light!
@capnrex101 can you check?
Really nice. I love how colourful it is!
Sorry about the formatting issue; that has now been corrected.
Of all the bdp entries, this feels the most like an official set. The mini sub is especially sublime. I also love the transparent broom end under a dish for a jellyfish, was that ever done in an official set?
Wot? No Haven??
Lucky I built mine when I did then..
Jonas Kramm never disappoints! Lovely set, would love to see this get made.
I think I prefer the City and Portal of Atlantis sets. And for the same part count, you can have one Portal and two Cities of Atlantis.
Set looks great!
I can excuse the divers wearing hi-vis jackets underwater. If that's company policy, what can you do but unionise. But the composite style of the columns' capitals would make this a Roman ruin - Classical Greek architecture would only use either the ionic volutes/spirals or the Corinthian foliage (or a plain Doric abacus). Which would make that lamentably clean-shaven lad in white Jupiter, not Zeus... ackchyually.
All jokes aside, this is a great playset. It has everything I loved about the underwater themes as a child! Also, props for the amphora design!
This is such a delightful model, I would buy it in a heartbeat. The use of the 3x3 curved panels behind the dome windscreen is inspired and makes me happy.
Looks gorgeous! One of my gripes with some of the BDP sets is that the colours are sometimes rather drab, as if to say: 'This is not a toy, this is a collectible.' But life and nature are full of bright and vibrant colours, so I'm happy to see those in this ocean-based set.
I love it! The colors are gorgeous and you made full use of the vibrancy and mystery of the subject matter to create a stunning display piece. I'm a bit worried it might get expensive with the size of the thing, but it's a gorgeous scene!
My only gripe is that there are only two merfolk.
Thanks for the feedback and kind words!
@Are said:
"Of all the bdp entries, this feels the most like an official set. The mini sub is especially sublime. I also love the transparent broom end under a dish for a jellyfish, was that ever done in an official set?"
I don't think so, as the broom was only recently introduced in Trans Clear. But we had transparent chef hats as jellyfish, which is unfortunately a piece-colour-combination that is not around anymore.
@Belboz said:
"Wot? No Haven??
Lucky I built mine when I did then.."
I fear with LEGO's plan to make a Smurf Ideas Set, mushrooms don't have any chances at the BDP, alas.
The color gradation from white to dark blue is absolutely sublime!
I find it funny the ambulance first responder torso piece is used, for example found in set 60451 - https://brickset.com/sets/60451-1/Emergency-Ambulance
Must be really waterproof!
gorgeous model, great job Jonas!
off-topic: do we have an ETA on the Amazon price info function getting fixed?
Awesome, only real flaw is the minifig
Scuba divers wearing metal helmets should be placed upside down :)
-8o
Absolute banger. I have the Mushroom House, and while this theme isn't exactly in my normal, if it gets chosen, I may have to find space. Lovely colors, fun features, brilliant design.
Vibrant submerged Atlantis!
This reminds me very much of this fun set:
https://brickset.com/sets/7985-1/City-of-Atlantis
Obviously this design by JonasKramm is bigger, more colourful, and more elaborate.
I like it, though it probably isn't the most likely BL designer program or Lego Ideas set I would order.