Tag Archives: Mech

A spry manipulator of alien orbs

Cody Avery is no stranger to mechs that blend LEGO themes in surprising (and sometimes distrubing!) ways. His latest shared creation, the Hyper Manipulator, is a mech that pushes the boundaries of Neo-Classic Space. Thanks to sets like 6882 Walking Astro Grappler, Classic Space will always be synonymous with mechs wielding snaking manipulator arms. In his modern creation, Cody trades grab jaw arms for macaroni tubes that unfurl like living ropes. No Classic Space inspired build is complete without a trans-yellow windshield, and Cody takes advantage of the recent 4×4 sphere top to great effect. It’s almost punk the way Cody breaks convention with white accessories and  one mismatched minifig leg. Down on the ground, the use of pearlescent balls makes for a truly otherworldly setting. It’s a great design that shows how much vitality there is to even the most venerable themes.

Hyper Manipulator

A WackDonald’s nightmare that doesn’t involve hot coffee on the crotch

There’s nothing to see here. I recommend you move on ASAP and check out our LEGO puppy archives instead. Get! Skidaddle! Are you still here? You must be a sucker for punishment, then. Fine, have it your way! With so much AI art on the net nowadays, including some bonkers LEGO creations, you’d think this is yet another disturbing offering from our eventual robot overlords. But no, this came from the mind of Julius von Brunk. He calls it McGundam and it features a clown mech with a large Ronald McDonald head for a crotch. What part of that don’t you understand? Kinda makes you wish hot coffee was the only McDonald’s crotch-related mishap, doesn’t it? Julian goes on to tell us that this model went through several iterations due to frequent stability and fragility issues. No one said fueling your nightmares was easy! If you like your LEGO creations just a little bit unsettling then check out our Julius Von Brunk archives. By this point, it’s probably too late to enjoy some lovable kitty archives instead.

McGundam

A mighty modular LEGO mech for marching

This green and white mech by Red Spacecat has more options than you can shoot a rocket at. Giving me some Solid Snake vibes with those multi-jointed legs, this mech can be outfitted with a variety of weapons to suit any deployment needs. Built to the scale of a fairly uncommon figure from the early days of LEGO System sets. One great part used is the long mast piece more commonly found on ships, but my favorite is the double stack of tank-tread parts used for the massive machine gun rounds.

MT-80 VECTOR

Here’s another photo showing off some of the other weapon options, and with the leg armor removed, you can see even more of the great details used in this model.

MT-80 VECTOR

A robot that’s a few bricks short of a load

The word “LEGO” tends to inspire thoughts of the traditional bricks that have been a staple of playtime for generations. But this spindly bubble-bot by Djokson is here to remind us of just how far the LEGO system has come. With nary a traditional brick to be found, this collection of gears and tubes is assembled into a robot that’s teaming with personality while being short on traditional studs.

Bubbleboy

Do I make you itchy?

I love insects and spiders. Really, I do. Tops on my LEGO wishlist is the new 21342 Ideas Insect Collection but boy, does looking at insect photos make my skin crawl! I’m scratching as I type and that is a testament to how realistic this new flea creation by Mitsuru Nikaito is. “Associative itching” is a real thing and, according to the science-y types at the University of Pennsylvania, itchy associations crosses species because primates get it, too. It’s a sensation so good, I decided to pass it along to you all. Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling it too and, if you love creepy-crawlers, check out our insects archives for more skin-crawling goodness.

LEGO Flea mech_05

Hook a brother up, will ya?

This LEGO creation by Duncan Lindbo imagines a world in which man and machine work together as one. Our Minifigure driver in the cockpit there spends the day moving heavy steel beams with the help of his mech. Sometimes such strenious activity can work up a mighty thirst (for the human, not the mech) and that’s why it’s nice that this powerful robot arm is gentle enough to grasp the fellah’s boba tea and hand it to him. I’m sure the bot asks for nothing in return except a little gratitude from time to time. I just love it for its striking blue color scheme!

Oobaru side

LEGO Dreamzzz 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot [Review]

So far we’ve looked at some sets from the larger end of the Dreamzzz line, but the eleven set range has a wide range of price points. The less expensive sets feature some of the same fantastic minifigures and imaginative builds, so let’s take a closer look at two of them: 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot. These mech-like sets each come with a hero, a large companion, and some sort of nightmare villain. 714543 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny comes with 259 pieces, 1 minifigure, and 1 Grimspawn, and can be preordered now for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99; 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot has 237 pieces and 2 minifigures and can be preordered for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99. Both sets will be widely available on August 1st.

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.

Read the full review

When Dieselpunk art imitates Dieselpunk art

This new LEGO creation by Sandro Quattrini and we’re all pretty thrilled, by golly. I’m loving the intricate details, the ape-like stance, and the fact that this thing resembles a walking airplane. I seriously want to live in this world for a little while. It turns out that you can as this is based on the work of famed concept artist Emerson Tung and his A6M-S Koumuri Jethead art . This isn’t the first time we’ve been impressed by Sandro’s work, in fact, he was named The Brothers Brick Builder of the Year in 2022. Nor is this the first time he has been inspired by Emerson’s work. Check out our Sandro Quattrini archives to see what I mean. This may be the most interesting thing I’ve seen all day and I’ve Googled potatoes and jelly.

Jethead

This Mech means business

There are MOC builders, and then there are Mech builders and their knowledge of crafting exquisite robots from the humble LEGO brick is worth praising often. Here, delights with his latest offering. Blending system bricks with constraction figures isn’t always a straight forward task but Mohamed often does so with ease. I love the colour palette of this Mech with the Sand Blue pieces serving as armour, overlaying the various greys of the mechanical parts. They perfectly compliment each other here with the trans pink pieces adding suggestion that this fella isn’t afraid to defend itself. My favourite detail has to be the Bionicle mask serving as chest armour, and whilst we’re calling that out, the use of the armour piece from the Jango Fett buildable figure adds the suggestion that this mech means business too.

Tachyon Thrasher

 

A true blue Ridge Runner

LEGO builder Duncan Lindbo invites us to take this mech for a walk; or rather, a run. It’s a Ridge Runner racing mech built for speed. He tells us that this is basically a rocket ship on legs. But Duncan, is it an ACME brand rocket ship? For some reason, I now have Roadrunner cartoon scenes running through my brain. Meep meep!

"Rigde Runner" racing mech

A mech for all seasons (actually just one)

Spring has sprung and we’re seeing vibrant colors outside suddenly. And also bunnies; lots and lots of bunnies. LEGO builder Tom Loftus is surely feeling Spring in the air as evidenced by this delightfully bright mech. It makes use of a plethora of purple pirate hats which come from the 10313 Wildflowers Bouquet set from the Botanical line. If you haven’t picked up any of these sets just yet I strongly advise that you do. It is probably my favorite line nowadays and this is coming from a guy who is totally gaga for cars and monsters and stuff. Amazing non-flowery things can be built using the parts from these sets. Give the Botanical archives a gander to see what I mean.

Yellow-Bolt

Can never find a flathead when you need one...

When it comes to your flathead needs, LEGO builder Red Spacecat has got you covered with this awesome mech. It’s based on concept art by Aaron Beck, and Spacecat has deftly translated it to the bricks, retaining its uncanny valley-ness of an almost-but-not-quite humanoid shape. And of course, there’s that distinctive flat solar panel head, and I have to say I am loving how much use those gold triangle tiles get as solar panels in LEGO fan builds. It’s a small thing, but I also keep returning to the joints on the arms; they’re so perfectly industrial; you can easily imagine just how this thing moves.

Aaron Beck's "Flathead"