Belgian LEGO® fan builds dazzling Antwerp Cathedral with LEGO®

06 november 2018

At ToyPro we have already seen a lot of beautiful LEGO® builds. Nevertheless, we are still often amazed by the beautiful creations that LEGO® fans can build. Last week we saw this beautiful and very detailed LEGO® cathedral built by Nick Mortier from Belgium. Nick has modeled the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp and the result is dazzling! We had the honor to ask Nick some questions about his project and his passion for LEGO®.

5 years, 687 building hours and 247,956 LEGO® bricks

Rome was not built in 1 day and neither is this LEGO® cathedral! When Nick saw a LEGO® scale model from Cologne Cathedral a few years ago at a LEGO® fair in Cologne, he wanted to create something similar. After a few smaller projects, Nick decided to rebuild the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp on a scale of 1/48.

Nick took a measuring tape to Antwerp to measure the front facade of the real cathedral. In addition, he has done extensive online research and viewed hundreds of photos on the internet. An existing non-LEGO® scale model in the cathedral itself also provided valuable information. After this thorough investigation it turned out that the LEGO® model should become 106.30” high and 45.67” wide.

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After a few test constructions, Nick decided to build the scale model out of 16 separate modules. The enthusiastic LEGO® fan has built the model in stages, also because in that way the financial costs could be spread over a longer period. We understand this, because the total scale model consists of no fewer than 247,956 LEGO® parts. After 5 years and 687 building hours the result is overwhelming. This sandstone LEGO® replica of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is one of the most beautiful LEGO® MOCs we have ever seen.

Nick thought that the triangle between the two towers was the most difficult part of the cathedral and he had to search long before he could build it completely according to his wishes.

Start with small LEGO® projects

We asked Nick if he has tips for our readers who want to start a big LEGO® project themselves. He advised to build small things first before starting a large project. If you start too quickly with a (too) large LEGO® MOC, you run the risk of making large errors. With several small projects you can learn many techniques that you can apply later in a large project. Nick recommends gradually building larger LEGO® MOCs and getting better and better.

Nick himself has also started this way, including building LEGO® Pirates and Fair sets, his 2 favorite LEGO® themes. Do you want to admire the LEGO® cathedral of Nick Mortier yourself? On 24 and 25 November 2018, Nick will show his MOC at the Brick Mania exhibition in Antwerp.

Do you want to start a nice LEGO® project yourself? ToyPro is the LEGO® webshop for loose parts, minifigures and sets. We have over 17,000 unique LEGO® parts and over 3,000 LEGO® minifigures in stock. Would you like to view our assortment? Then take a look at our LEGO® parts and individual LEGO® minifigures page.

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