A monument to a different time

Decay is a powerful tool for storytelling and Andreas Lenander has used it to great effect with this old, abandoned AT-AT. Of all Star Wars vehicles, the AT-AT has the most iconic and expressive appearance in a destroyed state. The rust and slight overgrowth place the walker in an environment without a need for a larger LEGO scene, although Andreas has hinted that a diorama might actually be made in the future.

Abandoned old AT-AT - front left

I love how the holes look just like metal plates caving under their own weight, as well as the damaged leg and all the bits dangling from under the body. The skeleton in the corner is also a nice touch, and I like that the builder made it from scratch instead of using a skeleton minifigure.

Haere Mai! Come Here! Welcome!

Tēnā koe e hoa (Greetings. Hello to you, friend.) from Jed Cameron of New Zealand with his “Not 100%  historically accurate” Early European Settlers arriving at a Māori Village. Inspired by a treasure trove of colonial art he found online, Jed has done a great job recreating the look and feel of a pre-colonial Māori wharenui (large communal house).

Early European Settlers arriving at a Māori Village

Jed used an upside down quiver as the koruru (carved head) at the apex of the meeting house to great effect. I love how the smooth tiles illustrate a well-trodden path through the village and the Pouwhenua (carved wooden posts) mark the boundary of the village. This is a lovely little build and a wonderful representation of a crucial point in New Zealand history.

Kai Pai! (Well Done!)

Search and Destroy with the Sikorsky Seahorse

The war in Vietnam was the first in which helicopters weren’t mainly used for resupply missions or as flying ambulances, but were a central element in newly developed tactics. In ‘Search & Destroy’ missions, helicopters flew troops into countryside controlled by Communist insurgents in order to, well, seek them out and destroy them. The troops would then be helicoptered to another location to repeat the procedure. I will spare you the details, but the insurgents had their own ideas about this and things often didn’t work out all that well.

Vietnam War USMC UH-34D Seahorse

My latest model represents a US Marine Corps Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopter on just such a mission, picking up troops from a rice paddy somewhere in South Vietnam. The helicopter most people will associate with the war in Vietnam is the UH-1 Huey. Consequently, there already are really nice LEGO Hueys out there. I wanted something different, so I built the Seahorse instead. Because this will be part of a larger collaboration, the model represents something of a departure from my normal style. It is minifig scale, I built the helicopter with only a few visible studs and I’ve used some third-party accessories in the form of BrickArms weapons and helmets.

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Build your own cute doggie desk buddy [Video Instructions]

If you’re looking for a cute LEGO desk buddy to keep you smiling during your work day, look no further, because we’ve made a step-by-step video tutorial on how to build this adorable LEGO dog designed by CK HO.

We featured picture instructions for this build back in January, but we loved this guy so much we wanted to give it a full walkthrough. I’ve built mine in gray, but if you have the parts it can be built in many different colors, such as tan, brown, or black.

If you build this cute doggie yourself, be sure to add us on social media and post it with the hashtag #CKHOdogbuild.

LEGO 75929 Carnotaurus Gyrosphere Escape from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [Review]

The full range of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom LEGO sets were released earlier this week, and we’re continuing our reviews of these new, dinosaur-centric sets, following on from 75928 Pteranodon Chase and 75932 Jurassic Park Velociraptor Chase. Today, we’re taking a look at one of the sets with a brand new dinosaur, 75929 Carnotaurus Gyrosphere Escape. The set includes 577 pieces, three minifigs, a baby dinosaur, and the main attraction, Carnotaurus.

Read our complete review of 75929 Carnotaurus Gyrosphere Escape from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Microscale SpaceX Falcon booster is landing

Whenever a new element is released by LEGO, it quickly starts to show up in custom LEGO creations. This wonderfully detailed microscale model of the SpaceX Falcon booster landing on a mobile platform by Curt Quarquesso is a great example. Curt used two new transparent orange flame-colored parts (aka power burst bolts) for the rocket thrust and its contact with the platform. These pieces have only appeared in two sets so far: 76097: Lex Luthor Mech Takedown, and 76108: Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown.

Micro-scale Falcon 9 ASDS Landing

Dance to the sinister music of Makuta

Makuta are the go-to villains in Bionicle lore and fan creations, most often portrayed by both as imposing warriors. Anthony Wilson takes a different approach with his vision of Makuta, the Handler, which appears to favor manipulation and shadow magic over physical strength and large weapons. I may just be desensitized to giant robots, but I think this actually looks more terrifying.

Makuta, the Handler

The Makuta is, of course, the focal point, with a creepy insectoid head and a robotic looking robe made out of wheels and tyres. What really makes it stand out though, are the little details around it, like the Matoran on puppet chains and the music box, which even has notes built on the lid!

I see a dropship and I want it painted gray

This pair of heavy combat vehicles by Zach Sweigart are packing some serious heat. The dropship features rotating engines for vertical take-off and two more engines on the main fuselage. The angled nose gives the draft a bird of prey vibe. And that mobile troop carrier looks like it could punch a hole into pretty much any target.

Winter castle conflict

It will take more than a little snow to put the chill on this conflict between the red clan and the blue. Part of a larger collaborative project depicting a clash between two rival factions, the battle is heating up at this mountain fort by h2brick. Demonstrating some amazing rockwork, along with plenty of snow, and an icy stream, a precariously steep path, and some very nicely detailed walls.

Fortress of Batonn | A RebelLUG Collaboration

Tron Legacy Battle Mechs

One of the latest sets from the LEGO Ideas product line, 21314 Tron: Legacy is a pretty great set, based on a pretty good sequel (my opinion is probably controversial). But if light cycles aren’t really your thing, Chak hei Mok has put together an awesome display of two fighting mechs using the same color scheme and a selection of choice parts from the official set.

TRON - Warfighter Mech

There are so many great details to call attention to. The black pointed shield pieces provide some excellent angles, those rims from the Speed Champion line as engine vents on the back of the legs, and those black silver bars add just the right amount of detail. Best of all, these mechs fit the minifigures from the set, and look great doing battle over the alternate configuration of the stand from the set.

TRON - Warfighter Mech

Bigfoot Monster truck with monster suspension

This little monster truck by Ianying616 is ready to crush cars! Perfectly detailed with some choice chrome parts, And a working suspension using classic technic shock absorbers. And considering how difficult it can be to photograph black models, the details are well captured as well.

Bigfoot_2c

One of the most impressive things about this build is how it captures the sense of car crushing power on a proportional scale.

Bigfoot_20

A near-perfect double

Some might say that there are two kinds of LEGO creations: those that are pure imagination, and those that are modeled after something specific. You could argue that the former is harder because you have to come up with a design out of thin air. The latter at least has a sense of direction! On the other hand, if you’ve ever tried to recreate a non-LEGO subject in detailed LEGO form, you would know that it’s really difficult to get it to look just right. But one builder, wes_turngrate, has managed to pull this off in exceptional fashion! His LEGO version of a Great Western Railway 8750 Pannier Tank Engine is just about as close to the original as you can get!

18. GWR 8750 with 'O' gauge 5700 for comparison [P1040378]

Obviously a lot of love and attention to detail went into this train. You may notice there are a couple slight differences between the two pictured, but they’re actually that way for a reason. The O-gauge model train in the background is his late father’s original GWR 5700 Class engine. Apparently this LEGO version is modeled after a minor variant (8750). Even so, these are incredibly close and we’re very impressed either way! Wes, I’m sure this is one build your father would be proud of!

16. GWR 8750 with printed parts [P1040391]