When thinking about LEGO, bright primary colors quickly come to mind. So when someone builds a LEGO creation using only natural earth tones, like Maxim Baybakov has done with his lovely minifig-scale library, the creation almost doesn’t register as LEGO. The effect here is quite stunning. Just remove the minifigures and this wonderfully textured and detailed building looks like a photograph of a real place.
LEGO’s 2015 line of Architecture sets introduced a skyline format which has become quite popular amoung fan builders from Paris to Tokyo. Simon NH takes a brand new approach to creating skylines, building a one-of-a-kind evolution of construction. No matter how much building experience you have, each of these tiny structures features some crazy solutions, like the Colosseum’s walls built from light bluish gray 1×1 tiles with 1/2 circle (aka Stadium tiles).
One of the most famous rat rods is Rusty Slammington, the Supra-powered, rust coated, slammed BMW street rod. Unlike a hot rod, a rat rod will have a tarnished, unfinished look and is made to be driven rather than simply to be a pristine reproduction. This LEGO version of Rusty Slammington by Calin Bors is not adorned with decals and decoration, but instead manages to capture the unique shape and style of Rusty. The mixed palate of browns, black and dark orange is a perfect combination to represent the destroyed look.
There’s no need to be careful going over a speed hump with Rusty; just go for speed and let the frame rails produce the some street fireworks.
Until discovering this Asterix-like, mono-visioned, Eynar – Fear Of the Northern Seas – who looks like the winner in a madman competition – I had never heard of the old French comic Red Corsair. Oliver Becker found himself a little inspired, creating his interpretation of the Barbe Rouge.
I love his huge mustache and matted dreads with the Technic bush ends. The single eye, shapely nose and impressive set of teeth make this guy look like a fearsome creature. His Obelix-esque striped pants with complimenting shield and sword are fantastic. This one-eyed warrior certainly looks like the wrong guy to be charging towards in a fierce battle.
A MOCpages user known simply as Dee:] has made this incredible 1:2 scale recreation of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, made almost entirely of technic pieces – around 2000 of them. The creation uses many techniques to capture complex anatomical angles with surgical precision, and the thin technic panel pieces mimic the natural look of cranial bones. The only thing that is not 100% accurate (besides the unavoidable pin holes in the panels) is the number of teeth, which the real dinosaur had much more of. The build is approximately 55cm long and 33cm wide, which is a bit less than half the size of the 150cm long original. Or maybe it’s actually a life-sized baby T-rex skull!
![Tyrannosaurus Rex Skull [1:2]](https://i0.wp.com/dp1eoqdp1qht7.cloudfront.net/community/projects/241/af7/4655473-o_1bl7rmhog1eaeradodusja3mc-3KjnKLptUdDd6w-thumbnail-full.jpg?resize=625%2C449&ssl=1 "Tyrannosaurus Rex Skull [1:2]")
I adore futuristic LEGO trains, but sadly it’s a very small niche that we rarely see. Fortunately builder Frost has broken tradition and created a wonderfully futuristic planetary express, complete with trans-green accents and lots of mechanical detailing. The model looks like it would be right at home jetting across the surface of a distant planet.
The builder has even incorporated power functions to propel the train and power 16 working LEDs.
It is understandable that the Lord of the Rings trilogy inspires more LEGO creations than its expanded lore collected in the Silmarillion, since the latter reads more like a textbook than a series of stories. But it is refreshing to see creations inspired by it nevertheless, even if the hand of builders has to be forced by contests such as the Middle Earth LEGO Olympics on MOCpages. This scene of the kinslaying at Alqualondë by John Snyder is one such refreshment, and it was indeed built for the aforementioned contest.
The builder has accompanied the build with a very informative description of the event, which I encourage more curious readers to explore.
The diorama features many interesting techniques and ideas, with high quality rocks and unique overgrowth. Coupling that with elegant architecture and a gorgeous Elven ship, John has brought a slice of elven history to life.
No, it’s not the tagline of a new superhero blockbuster, it’s Brian Kescenovitz‘s LEGO version of the day in July 1945 when humans created the world’s largest synthetic firework display ever seen, proving conclusively the destructive truth behind Einstein’s famous formula: Mass times the speed of light squared really does equal a whole lot of kinetic energy.
Brian’s chef-hatted mushroom cloud looks just like one of the old photographs of this event. The stunning lighting effect was achieved using a tight-beam flashlight shining straight down and shooting with a long 1.6 second exposure. I love how the miniature New Mexico mountains and blurred objects in the foreground give this micro-scale fulmination a real sense of magnitude.
Disclaimer: Playing with nuclear weapons is really a very silly idea.
Some creations rely on complicated techniques and difficult shapes to impress the viewer, while others make the connection by emotion. The strength of Tinkerbell in a lantern waiting for Peter by Jae Won Lee lies in the expressive posing of Tinkerbell in the center. The lantern’s details reward closer inspection, like the golden decorations or the seams between 1x6x5 window panels to look like wire mesh.
Military vehicle master Andrew Somers has broken from his usual realistic style and built a neat futuristic space truck that wouldn’t look out of place among Last Days on Mars concept art by Christian Pearce. Along with the usual working suspension and steering, the build features working grabber crane, and lots of eye catching mechanical detailing. I love the use of the stickered space logo tile on the side of the cab as it provides a dash of color and a bit of realistic context to the build.
Just as LEGO did with The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie, there’s a wave of collectible minifigures dedicated to the characters in September’s The LEGO Ninjago Movie. Revealed only a last month, 71019 The LEGO Ninjago Movie Collectible Minifigures will be hitting stores August 1 ahead of the movie, and feature 20 characters who, nicely enough, are not all ninjas. But much like the world of Ninjago itself, these characters, who range from a sushi chef to a teen pop fan, abide in a stereotyping mashup of all things Asian. The figures will retail for $3.99 each, and are concealed in blind packs just like previous series.
Brickheadz builds never fail to impress me — just when you think there’s only so many ways you can represent characters, along comes another that blows your mind yet again. Julius Caeser’s embodiment built by John Cheng together with the backdrop is almost a perfect tabletop display for an inspiring corporate dictator.
No general is complete without his loyal soldier, which is a great companion build to conquer Rome.
