Step into nature in the Highland Forest! This beautiful nature preserve is full of diverse flora and fauna at every corner. Multiple minifigures have come from the nearby forest to explore and have fun. Adventures await in a stunning pastoral setting.

This 1,218-piece display model is full of details and surprises:

A large variety of plants are found in every corner of the Highland Forest. Pine and spruce trees give way to aspen and birch, ferns, mushrooms, and flowers sprout from shaded nooks, and oak trees lend a bright splash of color to the mountain slopes.

The crown jewel of the forest is a large, cascading waterfall. Covered with vines and moss, it hides several secrets of its own. What’s beneath the obscuring foliage, what details do the stones mask?

You can follow the storylines of the minifigures included in this set, and make up your own!:

The Hiker: The hiker has come to the Highland Forest for a relaxing experience away from the hustle and bustle of the city! Along with her trusty dog companion, she’s ready to have great adventures here. The map on the signpost seems to point the way towards a trail leading to the headland. What will she find along the way?

The Lepidopterist: Solidly an academic, this gentleman has brought his butterfly net and collection jar for the purpose of capturing a specimen for study! There are rumors that the aspen trees in this forest are the prime habitat of the rare Purpureo volans res, a fascinating species of butterfly. Will he catch one to bring to show his biology class on Monday?

The Student: Fashionable and on top of all the trends, this lady is ready for her big photoshoot today! The waterfall, of course, is the perfect place. She’s hired the photographer, worn her prettiest dress, and is sure to get tons of senior pictures for social media and college graduation announcements.

The Photographer: Contracted by the student for the photoshoot, he’s never been here before, but he has read up about the waterfall’s fascinating history. After he’s done with the photo taking, he’s planning on getting some excellent nature photos and explore the area. The waterfall is apparently flowing through the ruins of a centuries-old castle. What might he find among the tumbled stones?

I’ve always loved building botanical and water features into my designs, and this entry was a chance to create something beautiful and to refine my rockwork. I took inspiration from a previous build that I had done for a similar contest back in 2018. That was a building where the ruined castle arch over a river formed the main focus of the build. For this build, I wanted to show a more advanced ruination of a castle. The arch here is broken, a smaller arch inside has become mossy and overgrown, and there’s stalactites hanging from the overgrown roof.

This was a difficult build to conceive, I had building block for at least two months before some inspiration came. The aspen tree was originally supposed to be a willow tree, which was gorgeous but fragile, and came out looking somewhat wonky from different angles. The waterfall was the most difficult! I was originally going to build the entire arch, and figure out how to mold the river around that. That ended up not working, however, and I had to improvise. The arch became a ruined half of an arch, which then had rockwork done around it. Then I doubled it, built the waterfall around it, and built a second arch inside as a sort of cave and support for the second cascade. Overall, I’m very pleased with the result!