This sailboat by Daniel Church evokes quite an ethereal feeling. From a certain point of view it looks like any other vessel, but a closer look at its sails reveals an ingenious tessellation of pieces that makes it seem otherworldly. The blend of white and light grey gives off a very soft and pleasant blend against the thematic background of the ocean. What impresses me most though is the curve of the hull – I’m curious on how it’s held together internally!
Who knew those LEGO hot air balloon panels would make perfectly floppy pupper ears? Well as you can see, builder LEGO 7 knew. In fact, their spot-on take of the iconic spaghetti scene from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp is packed full of tremendous NPU (Nice Parts Usage) which gives these two pups a cuddly, soft appearance. The only thing missing from this creation is moonlight and accordion music.
France is very, very good at cheese, fashion and wine—and occasionally at engineering autos. A legendary Peugeot 607 from the early 2000’s turned out to be good enough to merit being recreated with LEGO pieces somewhat 15 years later by Latvian builder Rolands Kirpis. If you’re a long-time Rolands fan, you’re likely used to his unique style of building which largely avoids curved slopes yet achieves a smooth look anyway. The scale of the car is similar to the famous Miniland vehicles, yet just a little bit bigger, giving more space in the design for smooth transitions and some neat touches like pretty accurate mud guards.
It’s obvious that jaapxaap likes to incorporate unusual colors into his LEGO castles. Based on his previous creations (remember his walking cottage and witchy fortress?), it seems like purple is jaapxaap’s go-to color. And in spite of the fact that this temple has a staggering amount of texture, curves, and details, it still has an overall clean design that’s very pleasing. There are also tons of great details. My favorite is the swirling rock legs which jaapxaap incorporated into the columns!
This classic tractor by Jakeof displays nothing luxurious or prestigious, and that is precisely its charm. There is something quintessential about decaying vehicles to begin with, but the damage on this particular one is very well represented.
There are many details to love, from the exposed engine to the odd rusted wheel, but the best part is the exhaust pipe, made of a rigid tube cut diagonally. While the trailer looks simple, I can assure you there are some very clever tricks used to get a perfect industrial look.
You may recall Andrew JN‘s previously featured Middle Eastern vignette or his working trebuchet from earlier this year. Andrew has done it again with this beautiful Al-Khahr, inspired by John Snyder and largely based on the African architectural style house from the newly released expansion for Age of Empires II.
This build has so many colorful details that leap out of the picture: the reds of the awning, the blue ostrich egg, and the lime green creepers by the front door. I love the palm tree with older dying branches hanging under the newer lime green canopy – and a monkey! But my favorite detail of all is the camel who appears to be giving his master a rather stubborn look!
If the latest LEGO Ideas set NASA Saturn V is a little too big for your shelf or for your wallet, we have the perfect solution. Jussi Koskinen has built a compact Saturn V that can still separate into the launch and mission stages, just like the official set. Jussi has taken care to ensure each stage has the correct number of engines and maintains the same separation function as the larger model. I am impressed with the shaping achieved, since making a cylindrical LEGO rocket can be a challenge.
As you can see, despite being small in size, Jussi’s mini Saturn V still looks the part when launched.
In addition to the best LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick also brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the last week of June 2017.
TBB NEWS: The past few days should have been called Ninjago Week, based on all the new sets and minifigures revealed from the upcoming movie. Take a look at the cool mechs, dragon boat and the massive Ninjago City.
OTHER LEGO NEWS: This week had a few other interesting LEGO-related news articles, so here are the best of the rest.
The summer sun is shining, there’s a hazy wave of heat beating off the pavement, and you’re feeling hotter than a jalapeño’s armpit. When an ice cream van comes into view, it’s like spotting an oasis in the desert. Firas Abu-Jaber has converted his International Harvester Metro into a vintage ice cream truck, all ready to serve up delicious cool treats. The classic red and white candy stripe body paint is sure to catch the attention along with some tinkling music.
This 1:17 scale model is not just about the candy stripe exterior. The interior is easily accessed via the removable roof and rear panel and contains freezers full of everything required to satisfy your ice cream cravings.
BobDeQuatre says he doesn’t have the skills for castle building, but his recent entry in the Summer Joust 2017 build challenge’s 8×8 vignette category is one of the best entries I’ve seen yet. The story behind the build is that the castle was built by northern men, enslaved by the black queen. After the castle was completed she summoned a magical storm which lifted the castle up to make it impenetrable to her enemies. The builder has represented the storm perfectly by using a NEXO Knights whirlwind part, along with other dark purple bricks that bleed into the base of the castle.
However, the lighting is what really sets this vignette apart from the crowd — it adds an epic effect to the storm by shining through the transparent portion of the NEXO Knights piece, adding a sinister red glow fitting of the castles backstory.
Celebrating the 20-year anniversary re-release of a 1997 Radiohead record, Anthony Wilson presents a LEGO rendition of OK Computer. Subdued color choices and good line placement using plates and tiles make Anthony’s build a great representation of the album cover.
You may recognize the style of David Zambito‘s work as we have featured his awesome bear-faced giant and Bilbo’s encounter with Smaug. This time he as presented us with Traversing The Underdark. For those unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons, the Underdark is “a vast subterranean realm inhabited by sinister creatures. It is a place where few humans go and from where even fewer return.”
David has captured the airy otherworldliness with stalactites, stalagmites, suitably creepy blackened water, and fantastic flora and fungi — I love the hair pieces as spooky tendrils on the larger mushrooms and the subtle streaks of rusty color accenting the rocks throughout. I would wish the adventurers a safe journey, although I have my doubts they will receive one.
