Red and black is the new black

Marco De Bon says this latest LEGO creation was inspired by the videogame series Super Robot Wars. Regardless of where the inspiration arose I hope there’s more of this sort of thing to come. The robot’s color scheme is bold — red, black, yellow, and gold, and that splash of blue at the hips. It shouldn’t work, it should be too much, yet it leaps off the screen at you.

Lego Rhadamantis 02

Beyond the stark color choices, there’s great brickwork here in the armor and the robot’s “face”, and the big drill manages to be both intimidating and funny at the same time. But the best detail of all? Those exposed pistons at the heels. Brilliant.

Sci-fi dino racing should totally be a thing

LEGO Friends don’t just hang out at the cupcake store, they also race sci-fi motorcycles — or at least they do in the future (past?) imagined by gray mini.

sci-fi motorcycle

The bike itself is cool, but it’s the overall race scene which sets my heart pumping. I dread to think what happens if the other racers overtake you. I think your bike (and you) might get all chewed up in the carnage.

sci-fi motorcycle

A house for Mickey and Minnie-figs

David FNJ has built a lovely little vignette for Mickey and Minnie featuring a building which wouldn’t look out of place down on Main Street USA. The touches of pearl gold detailing and the blue and white bunting add a festive feel, and that “hidden Mickey” made with the black boat studs is a nice touch. Mickey and Minnie look like they’ve secured themselves a great spot for watching the parade…

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Vignette

Micro LEGO National Park: Meridian Hill, Washington DC

National parks come in all shapes and sizes, though I don’t think extra tiny is on the list! jsnyder002 has given us this beautiful micro rendition of Meridian Hill National Park, located in Washington, DC. The real park certainly sits on the smaller side of things, and was formerly a garden for a a mansion.

The micro LEGO version features beautiful waterfalls and glorious arches, and is quite an accurate rendition of the real thing.

It’s a fitting tribute for the National Park centennial this year!

Brick-moji: Because LEGO bricks have feelings too!

I created the first Brick-moji as a gift for someone very dear to me. But then I realized the pattern was repeatable, and the project kind of took on a life of it’s own! If you’re at BrickCon in Seattle next week, you’ll find these lurking in the Bricks of Character section, where I’ll be giving each one away to any attendee that can offer me something interesting to trade in return.

I just realized it has been almost a year to the day since I built any of the character-based LEGO that I’m known for. And like that earlier LEGO meme collection, I’m also declaring this collection public domain and free to use (or abuse). So enjoy annoying your friends by inserting these into text messages! The Brick-moji album on Flickr contains hires versions of each Brick-moji, plus a couple of “bonus” creations for your amusement.

Say hello to my little friend

What a line! Al Pacino delivers that famous line in the role of Tony Montana in the movie Scarface. Spanish builder Omar Ovalle has used the line as the title for his creation, preferring to use Technic figures and their bigger scale over the classic minifigure. Technic figures are capable of increased expression due to their articulations and pose-ability when compared to minifigures. This guy has plenty of attitude, holding his minigun (I’m guessing) and rounds. Is that a minigun? It’s pretty big with a few barrels? Do we have a weapons expert out there to help me?

Omar has also made other vignettes using Technic figures. We blogged his Star Wars Technic figures earlier this year, and I have to highlight my own particular favourite, ‘The Angry Groom’…

Greetings from the angry Groom

Stop at Brickton Harbor to fuel up before your journey

One of the last things you do before departing on a journey is stop for gas. Arjan Oude Kotte has created Brickton Harbor, a place for your LEGO vessels to stop for fuel before they leave for their own journeys.

This detailed harbor is full of great details! The fuel docks feature the fuel pumps and lines for the boats, and the textured siding on the building is fantastic.

Click for more photos

Gothic magnificence in brick: the Library of Parliament in Ottawa, Canada

I’d never seen Canada’s Library of Parliament before encountering Erwin te Kortschot‘s beautiful LEGO version, and I was amazed by its stunning Victorian High Gothic architecture shaped as a round library. A better structure to hold an nation’s library could hardly be imagined, as the cumulative knowledge of a people ought to be enshrined in a building which inspires awe. Erwin’s brick-built version is just as lovely as the original, despite the difficult circular design.

Library of Parliament (front)

Library of Parliament (collage 2)

S.S. Helios reporting; what are your orders?

After hiatus, Sean and Steph Mayo have returned in style with the S.S. Helios, and it is a thing of beauty. As we’ve come to expect, this starfighter features some fantastic parts usage, with a vibrant color scheme. Can you spot the Elves keys? And the dinner plates turned weapons?

If you can narrow it down, what part is your favorite?

Ace’s high, low, and wild in Alice’s Wonderland

I don’t envy Alice, and her upcoming confrontation with these Card Knights. Julius von Brunk has been working on these LEGO Card Knight minifigures for an upcoming Alice in Wonderland display. We’re treated to a hand full of Aces, along with the Joker. It’s certainly a hand full of dangerous cards no matter which game you play!

Click here to meet the Cards

LEGO Friends in Time

It’s not often we get to post a Friends-themed creation! This beautiful diorama from Matthew Hocker was built for the year-long Friends competition, held over at Rebrick.

This great diorama features a group of old-timey Friends out for a drive and a camping trip. There is so much detail here! From the great old car to the covered bridge, and the flora and fauna all over, there’s something to discover each time you look at it.

Click to see more pictures

How to construct the Avalonian Countryside trees

Sometimes it is easy to see how a builder created a particular LEGO build, while at other times a build requires a bit of breakdown and perhaps even a tutorial if there are ‘hidden’ techniques. Last week we blogged this fantastic microscale LEGO countryside diorama from Full Plate, with beautiful fall foliage and crops ready for harvest.

Avalonian Countryside (9 of 9)

The builder, Emil Lidé, has responded to questions about the creation of his trees with this fantastic tutorial to help you create your own. First, he starts with a layout of the parts required for the green trees.

Microscale Tree Mini-tutorial (1 of 5)

Next, Emil shows how the trunk is built using a six-pronged flower stem to ‘hang’ the main foliage. The foliage in this example uses a mix of 1×2 plates and 2×2 round plates.

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