(images are clickable to enlarge)

The Dutch Lego user group Lowlug had an MMM (Mini MOC Madness) contest with the theme 'Surprise'. Rules were to build max 16*16 studs and send in max 3 pictures.

Inspired by the fact that last month it was the first time in many years that we could skate on natural ice, I made a frozen canal with ice skaters. One skater thinks he is rescueing somebody that fell through the ice - but much to his surprise, it is a lady who normally lives in the water!

On the background there is a typically Dutch food stand ('koek en zopie') that you'll often find on the ice, and the other skaters are a grandfather with his grandson on a sled, a lady who is just putting her skates on and a customer of the 'koek en zopie'.

Here are two more views - click to enlarge:

Here is an example of what a koek en zopie really looks like:

And here is an example of a hole in the ice - with or without a mermaid in it:

And here's the most stunning part - I actually won the contest!

Click here to see all entries. Mine was called 'Wak' which is Dutch for 'Hole in the ice'. During voting we were not allowed to show our creations on the web, and the names of the makers were not on the site (only the admin knew who made what).

I am almost ashamed to show the result of the voting:

When I showed my MOC to my sister, she decided to change it into our ice skating adventures last month - so she made three minifigs that resemble her, her husband and me (I'm taking pictures, as always), and I made a windmill for the background.

Here is the real three of us on the ice:

And here is a few more pictures of ice skating with windmills in the background:

The last picture is the only thing I posted on Flickr and MOC pages before: the little windmill. Posting the ice skating on Flickr would give away that the other ice skating thing was mine too, of course.

Edited February 16, 200916 yr by eti

This is a very good MOC, it looks very cool

You are a treuly fantastic builder! I like the under the ice piece a lot, and the whole moc is very well done, if not simple.

The ice skates are amazingly original. Awesome job with those.

This is something really special. I have been browsing the site for some time already, but your ice skating MOC beats all of what I have seen here. Its is clever, simple and small. Plus the photography is very good example for the most of posters here - how the photos should look like.

Why is this thread in Other Themes not in Town & Trains? Other Themes at least I look only when feeling like some WWII mood.

Once again thank you for inspiring MOC!

In the spell of "De Elf Steden Tocht"...

I saw a documentary on the Dutch television once… it is not for "softties".

By the way... windmill is very nice !!!

Edited February 17, 200916 yr by Capt. Kirk

Congrats! A wonderful and very charming scenery. Both versions´re very nice with a

fine choice of MF heads and torsos, a neat background and very ingenious skates.

A great MOC. using the knives as skates looks really good. Great job and congratulations on winning .