The month of February is almost over, and that means an explosion in rovers thanks to the annual FebRovery challenge. We’ve seen scores of rovers in various classic colors like trans-yellow and blue, but this one by Ids de Jong stood out to me precisely because of its unorthodox and eye-catching colors. The trans-neon-orange windscreen reminds me a wee bit of LEGO’s Aquasharks theme but the teal and old dark grey gives it a vintage vibe that’s hard so hard to accomplish, and I’m here for it.
Creating a brick-built character can be quite a challenge. Not for Oliver Becker though. He created a bird-like animal out of LEGO bricks that looks like it is straight from a Pixar movie. One of the things that strikes me the most is how this big headed beast manages to stand on those thin long legs without tipping over. Especially when you take into consideration the age of the finger hinge parts used to create the legs. They tend to lose friction or one of their teeth over the years. All of these challenges don’t bother Oliver as he managed to make one stellar creation.
LEGO Technic fans have eagerly awaited the latest additions to the line, and many will rejoice with the introduction of a new, affordable supercar! LEGO Technic 42154 2022 Ford GT is surely exciting upon first glance, particularly because it won’t destroy your wallet in the same way the Lamborghini Sián or Bugatti Chiron would. But let’s see if it holds any weight against the other guys. Join us in the passenger seat as we take a test drive of this 1466-piece, 1:12 scale model, which will be available March 1st and retail for US $119.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £104.99.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
I think there’s a strong case to be made that no vehicle has been built in LEGO form more than the Millennium Falcon. There are dozens of official sets and countless more custom creations, but very few of them look as smooth as this Midi-Scale rendition by FlyInSpace. This near-studless Star Wars spaceship achieves it’s look thanks to plenty of overlapping panels connected via lots of clever Studs Not On Top construction. This is an especially impressive feat when you consider how thin the model is. And, while this ship might not be large enough for a minifigure crew, it still contains plenty of functionality, including landing gear and an openable boarding ramp.
At first glance, this creation looks more like a toddler’s thick plastic sandbox toy than a LEGO creation, but looks can be deceiving. Dylan Mievis made good use of plates and tiles to build the bottom jaw that would take a bite out of the competition, and those sturdy legs look just right for hoisting the boat’s substantial mass out of the water. The boat’s googly eyes add a touch of whimsey to the model.
Here in Finland, many of the forests (and there are a lot of forests) are made up of evergreen trees, which stay green all year round. Eli Willsea has created a LEGO scene that could well be in one of the Nordic countries: a reindeer wandering through a peaceful Everglow forest. Wait, everglow? I guess the trees aren’t very green here… And that’s intentional. Eli says this was a LUG challenge to build things in unusual colours. So we have lavender water, light green rocks, dark orange forest floor, dark blue leaves, and a pink frog. It all looks quite mystical, underlined by the glowing fruit in the trees that, presumably, give the forest its name.
As we all bask in the latest LEGO Lord of the Rings news, it’s a perfect time to celebrate other amazing Middle Earth constructions. Case in point, this tribute to the Mouth of Sauron by Marcin Otreba. This scene-stealing Return of the King character is perfectly captured here with his ornate armor and trademark spooky grin. Look closely, and you’ll see those creepy teeth are actually repurposed Battle Droid heads from the Star Wars prequels, which makes this build a loving homage to early 2000s blockbuster movies of all kinds.
When it comes to the LEGO monthly challenges, sometimes it takes something unique to stand out in a crowded field. In fact, when it comes to standing, that’s exactly what Louis Barbedor (Loysnuva)‘s latest Febrovery entry is capable of! This really is a rover in the pre-space-age sense of the word. It’s a cute idea that made me audibly chuckle when I saw it. It’s not the only clever rover to have graced our site in the past month, though – take a look at some of the others.
High-visibility equipment and overalls are as much a staple of building sites as spades, diggers and portacabins. They don’t come much more high-visibility than this fabulous excavator-walker-flamingo hybrid from Redverse. Inspired by artwork (and indeed a sub-theme, of sorts, called Tropicon) conceived by Yannick Godts, it makes great use of some of the more unusual colours in the LEGO palate. However, the local health and safety authorities likely won’t be completely happy. Sure, it’s all very high-vis, and our construction worker does have head and face protection, but no safety harness at that height? And working in swimwear? We’re not on holiday here, you know!
These micro vehicles by Fuku Saku really make me nostalgic for those mini kits in the classic LEGO Star Wars games! There’s just something about small Star Wars spaceships that brings so much joy. It’s probably how unique the ship designs are, especially from the Clone Wars era. Take for instance the Naboo starfighter (the bright yellow ship), with its sleek and shiny look. Then there’s the Wookie catamaran (the second ship in the top row) with its more natural appearance–quite unique! Now, not all of these are spaceships–some are planet-side machines like walkers and cannons, but they’re still standouts in designs. Their colors help with that! I’d love to see all of these vehicles set up in a big display or diorama.
Everyone has their favorite LEGO keychain. Maybe it’s the Beskar slab GWP from May 2022, or a classic 2×4 brick in your favorite color. Personally, I’m rocking Spider-Ham on the keys to my LEGO studio. And builder Bricktacular Builds gives us a brick-built version of Hank Pym’s infamous tank keychain, along with a couple of Pym Particle Discs, all built to a 1:1 scale. While the whole setup is downright adorable, my favorite bit has got to be the use of this 2×2 socket to hold the tank’s cannon. It’s the perfect piece in the perfect color and at the perfect scale to anchor the build in microscale-reality.
Inspired by his travel experience with beautiful Japan, Alanboar Cheung shares with us this wonderful LEGO painting. It’s built in the style of Japan’s kakemono (hanging thing), more commonly known as kakejiku (hanging scroll). This form of art typically contains paintings and calligraphy inscriptions on a flexible backing to allow for rolling for storage. Alanboar’s creation follows suit, depicting a pagoda, cherry blossoms, and the great Mount Fuji. There’s even a golden phoenix flying overhead! The scene stands out in its 3D glory, bringing it life for us the way that LEGO does. I love how Alanboar is able to recreate the kanji for Japan (Nihon) in LEGO styled calligraphy.
Here we can take a look at the whole scroll to fully appreciate the level of detail found in this build. The painting really pops against the neutral colors of the scroll! There’s no doubt this would be the center piece of any wall.
