Monthly Archives: March 2009

Pleistocene showdown: Mammuthus primigenius vs. Homo sapiens

With his latest diorama, Jordan Schwartz (Sir Nadroj) taps into one of my favorite sources of inspiration — the deep past.

LEGO Woolly Mammoth by Jordan Schwartz

In this scene, an early human stalks a woolly mammoth during the Ice Age. With a half-barrel on his head and Adventurers hats for ears, the mammoth is also full of interesting part uses and building techniques.

A Couple of LEGO Beetles.

I came across two different LEGO renditions of VW Beetles in the past few days, and I thought they were both great. I don’t know if there’s some sort of Beetle meme going on that I’m unaware of, but these are both nice models, for different reason. Daniel Zayac (urthedead) built a model that looks like it would be great fun to play with, and is roughly to scale with a minifig. Meanwhile, Ralph Savelsberg (Madphysicist) has built a larger, more detailed model, that captures the shape of the original excellently.

LEGO VW Bug LEGO VW Beetle

O’Neill’s Midget Submarine is manned by actual midgets

Rod Gillies (2 Much Caffeine) tells us:

The only Midget Submarine to see action was the “Little Pig”, captained by Jock “Stumpy” McGurk. In a daring incursion into the Vulgarian fjords, the small craft used its single Explosive Harpoon to sink the battleship “Dragon”, bringing an abrupt end to Vulgarian naval ambitions in the Baltic.

Read more about O’Neill’s Midget Submarine on Empire of Steam.

Visions of post-apocalyptic landscapes

The ApocaLEGO landscapes we feature here on The Brothers Brick tend to be fairly crowded with action. Kris Kelvin has, perhaps, a more realistic vision for our mutually assured destruction:

Garbageman13‘s diorama may include a few more survivors, but the detailed building is what I find most striking:

If half-naked minifigs turn you on...

…then you’ll no doubt like the Lair of the Bare-Chested Bandits by Philip Stark (Erdbeereis). This vignette depicts the crew of a strange band of pirates “known for their fondness for wearing nothing but skimpy trousers, exposing the thick, muscular and rather smelly flesh of their rugged torsos.” Join them and indulge in their merrymaking – if you’re the type.

The Spearit pierces through the competition

Tyler Clites (Legohaulic) enters the podrace challenge with an unusually cool and deadly looking design. Called the Spearit, this podracer is claimed to have “no hidden weapons,” and indeed that’s for a fact.

News Channel 3 Chopper

News Channel 3 ChopperI wasn’t planning to blog any of my contributions to Keith’s big diorama independently here. Then someone told me that they thought my helicopter was the best thing I’d ever built. I thought that in that case, maybe I should post it, in case I never match it again. I hope other people like it as much my vocal friend does. I have to give some credit for the dual-interlocking rotor idea to Tim G, as I first saw the idea on one of his creations.

C-5 Construction Mech

C-5 Construction MechMatt (Plastic Matt) has built a really cool mech for the mecha hub civilian mecha contest. I love the feel that this thing captures. It seems industrial and heavy-duty, just like something carrying an I-beam should. The head is just perfect too, though it reminds me of Maximilian from The Black Hole. Sometimes, it doesn’t take using crazy new techniques or bizare uses of parts to build something that looks fantastic, and this demonstrates that principle terrifically.

Big trains



Full trains are an absolute pain to photograph well but Carl Greatrix has been busy doing rather a good job of photographing a bunch of his. As with Carl’s usual work the level of detail is astounding and the excellent custom stickers add an extra level of realism to his work.

Cobrahn experimental fighter

Jarek’s (Jerrec) newest addition to his Swiss fleet is one odd but appealing starfighter called the Cobrahn. The split curvature of the ship is a technique rarely used on space creations. I remember seeing it used on Chris Malloy’s Flying Saucer but not so elsewhere. Furthermore, the shape of the fighter reminds me of Nnenn’s Nglotki fighter. References aside, I think Jarek should also be praised for his photo-processing, especially when the white bricks involved are not overexposed in the shots.

10192 Space Skulls 80% off from LEGO Shop (and other sales & deals)

10192 Space Skulls is now available from the LEGO Shop online for 80% off the original price. At only $19.99, it’s a steal:

A number of other sets are also on fairly deep discounts:

Amazon.com also has a big selection of LEGO sets on sale:

Keith Goldman builds a community affair: Zero Hour on Highway 44

Keith Goldman‘s latest diorama is a true community effort. He has recruited help from twenty other builders in the LEGO community to help him populate his massive highway scene. Moreover, he recruited each contributor in secret, giving each contributor a code name ala Reservoir Dogs. Keith has called it a star-studded affair, and given me the cast list to reveal here on The Brothers Brick. So, without further ado, I give you Zero Hour on Highway 44. You can see more photos of the entire diorama on flickr (here or here) or MOCpages (here or here).

Starring:

Brian's ContributionBrian Kescenovitz:
As Mr. Black

Brian contributed a whole slew of MOCs to this display. Whether his army is invading, or marching to the defense of the city, I can’t say, but I can say that the vehicles are awesome. What a great use of castle pieces on the armored cars.

Co-Staring:

Baldwin's CarsCarter Baldwin:
As Mr. Dark Red

Carter built some neat stuff for this display. I especially like his garbage truck, which includes a lot of nice angles and recessed spaces. The semi seems to steer from both the front and the back, which is a cool touch.

Citrin's CarChuck Citrin:
As Mr. Flesh

Chuck’s car is a nice bit of futuristic engineering. It captures the sleekness that says “future” to so many of us, even if a one-seater this large isn’t exactly green. The backwards windscreen piece makes for a nice effect.

Clites's CarTyler Clites:
As Mr. Orange

Tyler’s car is also a one-seater, but it’s absolutely tiny. It reminds me of a nose on wheels, but in a good way. The dark red and the gray look very nice together as well. The piece he’s used for a windshield continues to elude me, but one day I’ll find one to use myself.

Gonzales's StuffFradel Gonzales:
As Mr. Dark Tan

As usual, Fradel would like us all to “Get to da choppa!” However, I think the best action he has to offer is in this dune buggy. I’m a sucker for a good build and yellow, and the details all seem to click in this one. I need to get my hands on some of those roll cage pieces.

Nick's TrikeNick Kappatos:
As Mr. Pink

Nick is a fellow Washingtonian (that’s D.C.) and so I shouldn’t be surprised that it looks like his trike is on its way to a Redskins parade. I love the huge rear wheel, and I hear that the car rolls very well, which is more than can be said for my contribution.

Jon's SUVJon Langrish:
As Mr. Sand Green

Jon’s built quite an SUV for us. It reminds me of a mix of a Hummer and the crazy SUV that Lamborghini briefly built a couple of decades ago. He’s done a great job reversing the studs for the bottom, allowing him to put do a nice job around the wheels.

Andrew's Epic ContributionAndrew Lee:
As Mr. Chrome Silver

What can you say about Andrew Lee, he’s a great builder, and extremely prolific. I’m not sure how he found time to build so many vehicles for this display, because the quality doesn’t seem to suffer in the slightest.

Joe's TrikeJoe Meno:
As Mr. Maersk Blue

Most of us know Joe Meno as the man behind Brick Journal, the print magazine about LEGO. Apparently he still manages to build once in awhile, though. The forked nose at the front of his trike is cool, and I like how he’s concealed half of the rear tire.

Paul's VehiclesPaul Meissner:
As Mr. Aqua

Paul is another over-achiever who contributed many vehicles to this display. It looks like he’s drawn inspiration from Ferrari and Citroen with great result, but I think the real star of his stuff is the forklift.

Peter's CarPeter L. Morris:
As Mr. Metallic Silver

Peter Morris is one of the better starfighter builders out there. In fact, that’s about the only thing I’ve ever seen him build. You can see that influence in his car, which looks almost ready to fly off into space.

Shannon's TruckShannon Sproule:
As Mr. Magenta

Most of us know him as Shannon Ocean, the nickname he uses on flickr and MOCpages. He’s built a pickup truck that I can’t quite wrap my head around. Is the entire front area made of tinted glass? That’s so crazy that it works.

Nathan's Hot RodNathan Proudlove:
As Mr. Trans Neon Green

Nathan has built an impressive hot rod. It must be from the future, because there’s nothing like it around. He did a great job with the flame work, and nothing says “future” like a dome. It looks like this thing goes crazy-fast in a straight line, but probably can’t turn… perfect.

Pete's CarsPeter Reid
As Mr. Violet

Pete is the master of tiny parts. You can see that in his cars if you look closely. Check out the front bumpers on these things, they’re packed with tiny details and changes in brick orientation.

Dan's Car and HeloDan Rubin:
As Mr. Tan

My own contribution was News Chopper 3, which may have wound up on the cutting room floor, and a tan car (did you expect some other color from me?). I know it looks like I’m another one of the people to build a one-seater car, but it really can seat two, I promise. If only Keith hadn’t given the driver such a huge hat.

Rubino's Ramp and Rutherford's TrainRyan Rubino:
As Mr. Copper

Michael Rutherford:
As Mr. Dark Green

Ryan and Mike got to share a photo, apparently it’s hard to capture an off-ramp in a single photo. Mike’s train is a cool bit of future if you ask me.

Dave's CarsDave Shaddix:
As Mr. Glitter trans dark-pink

Dave has built a couple of interesting cars. The blue one is your typical sleek futuristic pod car. The white one is… well, I don’t know what it is. The grille work on the front end is really cool, but I can’t help expecting the whole thing to transform into a robot.

Julie's CarJulie Stewart:
As Mr. Yellow

Julie’s car must be rocket powered, it certainly looks like it’s intended to go fast. It’s safe though, as there are indicator lights all over it. There are even lights along the side, so that nobody can miss it.

Shannon's CarsShannon Young:
As Mr. Trans Purple

Shannon has built a couple of neat cars. Yellow and dark gray is one of my favorite color combinations. The gray jeep thing is just really cool, it looks ready to head off road at any moment. I’m not sure where it’s going, but a buzz-saw is apparently necessary.

Nannan's ContributionNannan Zhang:
As Mr. Bley

Nannan’s vehicles really are something else. Of course, we get a taste of a Halo Warthog in civilian colors, but the really interesting vehicle is the one with a ball instead of a front wheel. I think maybe Nannan watched I Robot recently. He’s made great use of stickers throughout, as well.

Trees Provided by Gary McIntire:

Consultants to Mr. Goldman:
Jon Palmer
Ley Ward