With this year’s gingerbread project, we left Star Wars, and went for real life architecture: London’s Big Ben.
The oldest kid made drawings from some souvernir postcard.
Two years ago, we built the Gingerbread Millennium Falcon. Last year, we built the Gingerbread Vader’s Tie Fighter. What should we build this year? More Star Wars vehicles? After a bit heavy thinking, we came up with the emperial AT-AT Walker. Luckily, the web is full of pictures and sketches, so we found plenty of inspiration.
After four hours, the result exceeded all expectations! Happy advent everybody!
Update: The Friendly Fredrik posted some more pictures of the building process.
So … I read The Lord of the Rings again. I do this every year around Christmas, and thought I should be a bit ahead this time.
I always try to find a new angle, some new theme or person I have not considered before. During this readthrough, I dwelt a bit at Denethor, and tried to consider his life. The appendices give a bit background information, and it is quite depressing reading, actually. Growing up watching his father and the whole people loving this stranger captain Thorongil of Gondor’s armies and fleet (Aragorn in disguise), and feeling threatened by him. Then, getting older, perhaps unable to love her as she deserves, seeing his wife wither as in a cage, and then die. Then being lured by the power of the palantír, watching the country he loves and rules being attacked and threatened to destruction by the power of the dark lord. Later finding his eldest and most loved son killed in an outrageous stupid attempt to destroy the only thing that his foe fears. In his anger, considering the love of his other son stolen by the wizard that tries to supplant him with the rival from his youth, he pushes the last heir of his house to an Uriah’s post in a reckless defense by the river. And when his last son is deadly hurt, and he is unable to reconcile with him, he finally despairs to madness. The life of Denethor could have been a rich novel by its own.
Following up yesteryear’s gingerbread Millennium Falcon was a bit hard. The oldest of the kids, a couple of his friends and I, finally built Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter in gingerbread. Note the transparent window in the front, made from melted jellyman. While I was looking the other way, the rascals filled the hull with nonstops and sealed the back with icing. Happy Advent everybody!
The observant SW fan may discover that one of the bent solar panels is missing. It actually fell into the sugar pan, and was melted. We pretend it was shot off by Han Solo while baking a new one.
Eearlier, we used to make gingerbread houses. This year, the boys wanted a gingerbread space craft. The ovious choice was the Millennium Falcon.
Top and bottom plate
parts
adding decor
final 1
final 2
final 3