Yearly Archives: 2015

Pimp Rey’s Speeder Contest

With the highly anticipated next chapter of the Star Wars saga almost upon us, we here at The Brothers Brick felt it’s time we had a Star Wars contest.

Your job is to pimp out Rey’s Speeder.

It’s all up to you to decide what would be coolest thing to impress Rey. Maybe give it a paint job? Add some chrome ? Maybe some spoilers? Racing stripes? The more creative the better!

You have until December 5th to get your entries in!

1st Prize:

2nd Prize:

3rd Prize:

Rey’s Speeder 75099

Not sure how to start? Thankfully Priovit70 provided us with this wonderful example of a Pimped out Speeder:

Rules:

No limit on number of Speeders you can enter.
No size restrictions.
No digital entries.
Must be new creations.
Entries should be posted in the TBB Pimp Rey’s Speeder Flickr Group.
Open to builders over the age of 18 worldwide.

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Fine feathered friends

I don’t buy much retail brand LEGO, but I made an exception for LEGO Ideas 21301 Birds which was released earlier this year. Hec, I even built all the models, rather than just stripping the set for parts!

There are a couple of things I love about this set (other than the models themselves, based on designs by British builder and bird enthusiast Thomas Poulsom). Firstly, the set gives LEGO’s larger audience a taste of some styles and techniques that are normally the preserve of die-hard builders. Secondly, this set is overflowing with plates! As a sculptoral builder I get little value out of most retail sets because they contain so many specialized parts. And while Creator buckets offer a more generic selection of parts, they usually focus on bricks, and less on plates.

In the LEGO fan community there is a tradition of creating “alternate” models from the parts in one set. And for many sets it’s a challenge to come up with good alternates. But the Birds set makes this so easy that I was able to come up with a collection of alternate models, that even adhere to the theme of the original set. Enjoy…

Fans of Thomas’ original bird designs will be excited to learn that next March he will be releasing a book entitled Birds from Bricks that features 15 entirely new LEGO birds, complete with building instructions. Pre-order it now!

Fallout 4: the nuclear apocalypse, LEGO style

You can’t play Fallout 4 until Nov. 10, but if you’re still yearning for that distinct neo-1950’s nuclear apocalypse, LEGO builders have you covered with some really top-notch Fallout-inspired creations.

The first is this gigantic Fallout workshop by Pierre. Complete with power armor, a collectible Vault-Tec bobblehead, an adorable Dogmeat, and loads of other recognizable items, this model is deceptively large, coming in at almost 5 feet wide and close to 2 feet high.

Here’s another picture of Dogmeat, because he’s just too cute. Who’s a good dog?

Next up is a minifig scale version of the same scene, by our very own Simon Liu. It also plays host to power armor, and contains a fantastic printed Nuka Cola machine.

And now that’s we’re looking at minifig scale, here’s an incredibly detailed Vault Dweller minifig by DSCustoms. The only problem with this guy (and my in-game avatar) is that it doesn’t show the 400+ lbs of everything I’ve ever found, ever that I’m carrying.

Also be sure to check out this cool Enclave Vertibird we blogged last year.

No job is too heavy for this mech

With his latest work, LEGOLIZE IT MAN reminds us how a proper utility mecha should look. As usual, he is at his best with all the exposed tubes, gears and pistons, which create such a plausible industrial appearance. It might seem that this walker is a little bit tired with his job, but, you know, cargo won’t move itself…

Make LEGO, not war

Far out! This copacetic creation by French cat Jimmy Fortel makes me wanna turn on, tune in and drop out. Can you dig the narly design of this dude’s mellow face, the totally tubular outfit, and groovy fingers? Radical. Peace out, man!

Summoning a stone elemental

When breathing life into the elements, it’s always best to use a bit of caution. In this scene, Charis Stella has brilliantly captured the final moments of an elemental being summoned by a reckless mage. The whirling, smoky area around the last few chunks of stone is my favorite detail.

The Gallery

Ryan H. uses rare marbled LEGO bricks as paintings in a beautifully composed art gallery scene. The clever parts usage doesn’t end there; look closely at the floor pattern, and notice the hook hands and steering wheels on the rope barriers.

In space, no one can hear you freeze

Nexo Knights, in its theme-bending audacity, has got a lot of people thinking about one of the Classic Space subthemes, Ice Planet 2002. The 1994 subtheme, while not nearly as popular as stuff like Blacktron or Space Police, certainly had its charm with its striking colour scheme that it seems to share with Nexo Knights. Now Ilya T. brings back ice Planet with a model that would fit right into the bygone subtheme. Many, many extra points must be given to the background here, which could have easily been mistaken for actual boxart. We wonder if the piece count is accurate…

Speaking of Nexo Knights, I’m personally extremely excited for it. Knights? Elements of Classic Space? Mechs and robots? Effing floating robo-horses? Get outta here, LEGO, you can’t make a theme specifically for one person.

The Skeleton Stag & the Big Rad Wolf

Halloween may have just passed, but there’s still tons of scary creations trotting around the LEGO community. One such evil thing is this skeleton figure by Patrick Biggs. Utilizing Hero Factory, System, and Technic parts, Patrick has created a stunning form-fitting demonic beast, one you really wouldn’t want to meet in a darkened foggy forest:

But Patrick has built another monster too–one that you might actually want to meet, assuming you’re in desperate need for a surfing buddy. Which of course we all are. Meet Chad, the Big Rad Wolf:

The tiny city of Acrine

Most builders will admit that it’s much more difficult to build a small scene than a large one. But soccersnyderi makes it look quite easy with his 12 x 16 stud microscale castle. With an eye for detail, soccersnyderi has eliminated repetition in the building styles of his castle walls, houses, and foliage. The tiny waterfall even flows into a pool that gradates from choppy white waters to calm blue ones with the help of the always handy cheese slope.

And if you like this build, then you’re in luck! It’s up for grabs as one of the many prizes of this year’s Colossal Castle Contest.

Can’t earn Sleeper Simulant in Destiny? Build it with LEGO!

ZaziNombies is well known on YouTube for creating Exotic-tier weapons from the popular video game Destiny. His latest is the Sleeper Simulant, an exotic fusion rifle new to Destiny’s The Taken King expansion. The paneling surrounding the barrel as well as the use of custom chrome LEGO parts makes this replica pop. Watch as ZaziNombies demonstrates and discusses his Sleeper Simulant replica in this short 2 1/2 minute video.

Don’t judge a spaceship by its greebling

Although SHIPtember is already over, some great creations are still reaching our planet. This time it’s a massive 127-studs-long battlecruiser by art_xxx13.

Simplicity (in the best sense of the word) is what I love about this ship. You won’t find much greebling or large solid panels here. Still the contour of cruiser looks diverse – thanks to regular slopes which, for instance, create the main command tower’s rather complex shape. Additionally, there are only three basic colors – light bluish grey, black and a couple of touches of dark red. And they are what make the battlecruiser realistic and credible; I do believe that this is what heavy ships in deep space look like.

Moreover, the spaceship has an impressive prototype. Take a minute to appreciate how accurate the brick-built model is to its concept.