Don’t worry if you don’t know what a Schwibbogen is – I didn’t either. As builder Robert H. kindly explains, it’s a type of traditional German Christmas decoration in the form of an ornate candle holder. Robert’s full-size LEGO Schwibbogen is modeled after a famous one, and depicts artisans at work.
Adam Grabowski (misterzumbi) is usually quite laconic in his posting, so you can tell he’s excited about his latest LEGO work by the length of the accompanying prose. In short, he has recreated the famous Rat Fink by Ed Roth. And he’s done so with the help of some paint to make sure he got RF as close to source as he possibly could. Enjoy!
It’s amazing what one can do with eleven pieces of carefully chosen LEGO and a lot of creativity. Chris Maddison brings his [insert sporting cliche here] to the e11even pieces challenge with this clever and compact rendition of rock, paper, scissors.
41035 Heartlake Juice Bar is one of the 2014 Lego Friends sets. The set contains 277 pieces and retails for $29.99, which you can buy from Amazon.
Here is my summary of the highlights of the set, which are elaborated in the review video below.
Pros:
Cons:
The main appeal of this set to me are the colors. As explained in the video, they are useful for the creation I’m working on. The two main reasons I can think of for buying this set would be for parts or for your kids to play with. In terms of parts, the ones I listed above are interesting and potentially useful, but Bricklink is the better source to get the specific ones you need without buying the entire set. The current price of $29.99 seems a bit high, but Amazon sometimes discount newly released sets by around 20% within the first few months.
There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned about the latest model built by Nick Barrett (TechnicNick), the LEGOLand circus. Before there were minifigs, LEGO already made the much larger maxifigs (although nobody called them that at the time). Their upper torsos and heads were specialised parts, but their bodies were brick-built. I had a few of these as a child and my sister had a much larger collection. Nick, who is a few years older than me, has combined these classic figures with modern parts and top-notch build techniques in this fantastic model.
Apparently I’m not alone in liking this, because Nick’s model won the 6th annual MocOlympics contest. Check out the details (and what happens after the fuze on the cannon is lit) on MOCPages.
With a little help from TBB regular Tony Sava, Edward Chang from Texas Brick Railroad LUG has made this adorable microscale layout, complete with Christmas and holiday details, and replicas of children’s favourite trains. One for the kids and adults alike. And if you’re in the Friendswood, TX region you can see this in the brand store in Baybrook Mall.
Pate-keetongu captured the smooth curves of Samus in her Zero Suit. You can read more about the thought process behind this creation on the builder’s blog: Cyclopic Bricks.
Having good photos of your creation is almost as important as the build itself. Tyler Clites takes us on a step-by-step tutorial from photographing a creation to putting in the final touches. If you want to learn tips to improve the presentation of your creations, this is a great reference. You can also check out previous tutorials by Nnenn and Fredo.
Jonas (Legopard) packed a lot of detail into this exotic vignette of a bamboo hut. The water technique is perhaps the most interesting feature to point out.
If you enjoyed our coverage of the the massive Rivendell display by Alice Finch and David Frank, check out this video interview with Alice by Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick.
Pugs. You may love them or not, but you can’t deny they’re adorable in their own unique way. Marcos Bessa captures their quizzical look with shocking perfection.
Personally, I like the bow-tie version:
Welcome, die-hard fans, to the weekly Battle of the Ages here in the gore-soaked venue known as The Brothers Brick Arena! Tonight’s battle-royale features two builders known far and wide for their incredible skills and unique styles. Let’s go to the tale of the tape:
Levitating in the Red Corner, running high on testoterone and energy drinks, we have Mihai Marius Mihu and his Demonic Amulet:
Dancing in the Blue Corner, with a swagger in his step and a chip on his shoulder, Moko brings the chibi with his Knight Gundam:
As always you make the call, in the comments, as to who will be wined and dined, and who will go home to a cup-of-noodles. The winner of last week’s shindig was Mike Dung’s Kagamine Rin with a score of 8-6. Enjoy and remember: you paid for the whole seat but you will only need the edge!