Looking like the miniature twin of Devid VII’s hot rod, this nifty little road machine by Grantmasters proves that even a few pieces are enough. Look closely, and you can spy some unusual parts in play, namely a minifig book and bucket handles.
Yearly Archives: 2015
Dressed to kill
Having masqueraded variously as Elmo, Blue Man Group and Marie Antoinette in previous years, I’m a firm believer that costumes are the best thing about Halloween. So in our week-long exploration of the holiday, let’s take a look at a couple!
I’m not sure whether this vamp and vampire by Brothers Brick regular Letranger Absurde are intended to represent costumed party-goers or bona fide members of the Nosferatu, but there is so much to love about this build – from the perfectly proportioned outfits, to the clever part usage, and attention to detail in the dilapidated background.
But what’s better than a LEGO costume you can actually wear? I would happily go trick-or-treating in See Music‘s “mask of horror”, which is constructed entirely from Bionicle pieces and bears more than a passing resemblance to Donnie Darko. Not sure how you’d actually eat the candy in this thing, though!
HispaBrick issue 23 now available [News]
The latest edition of the digital LEGO fan magazine HispaBrick is now available for download in both English and Spanish. In this packed issue, Hispabricks does a retrospective of 7 years of Panzerbricks, talks to LEGO designer Mel Caddick, catches up with the SBrick kickstarter project, reviews a whole slew of new sets, and offers tutorials on building asteroids, trial trucks and WeDo line followers.
A story of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, LEGO, and a lot of miscommunication [News]
LEGO is usually in the news for positive events — recently it was a tower of the stuff breaking a world record — and even when the news is bad, it’s because everyone wants some of it. But this is a different story altogether.
Chinese artist, political prisoner, and human rights activist Ai Weiwei is known for his strong stance for freedom of speech and other civil liberties in the People’s Republic of China, and this reflects in his work. In September Ai requested a bulk order of LEGO for his studio and a project the studio was working on, and was denied. He quotes the reply stating “they cannot approve the use of Legos for political works” on his Instagram account.
A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Oct 23, 2015 at 6:04am PDT
Up until that point this seems to be par for the course: The LEGO Group, a company that produces and sells toys aimed at children and teenagers, has the right to restrict sales of their products freely. It must be noted, however, that Ai could have purchased what he needed through standard retail or secondary market channels, albeit without the discount associated with a bulk order directly from the LEGO Group. This was not clear when The Gaurdian reported on the story, incorrectly stating that he was “banned” from using the product.
The article, which has since spread and lead to numerous other stories that seem to confuse key details, seems to be the root of the misconception. Strangely, the body copy of the story and the headline are contradictory, as no source is ever given for Weiwei being “banned”.
A day after the original story, The Guardian ran a follow-up which focused on Weiwei receiving a large influx of Lego donations. Again, there is no source citing Weiwei being banned, or how such an incident would be incited or enforced.
We reached out to our contacts at the Lego Group for comment, and they shared the following statement:
The LEGO Group does not comment on the dialogue we have with our customers, partners, consumers or other stakeholders. We acknowledge that LEGO bricks today are used globally by millions of fans, adults, children and artists as a creative medium to express their imagination and creativity in many different ways, including projects that are not endorsed or supported by the LEGO Group. We also respect any individuals’ right to free creative expression, and we do not censor, prohibit or ban creative use of LEGO bricks.
As a company dedicated to delivering creative play experiences to children, we refrain – on a global level – from engaging in in or endorsing the use of LEGO bricks in projects that carry a political agenda. Individuals may obtain LEGO bricks in other ways to create their LEGO projects if they so desire, but in cases where we receive requests for donations or support for projects – such as the possibility of purchasing LEGO bricks in very large quantities – and we are aware that there is a political context, we uphold our corporate policy and decline the request to access LEGO bricks directly.
Based on this additional information directly from LEGO, we can say for certain that The Guardian is incorrect in their usage of the word “ban” and “banned” in their articles, and that Ai enjoys the same freedom to purchase LEGO bricks as every other builder and “LEGO artist” in the world. He has simply been denied the ability to purchase LEGO bricks in bulk quantities at discounted prices directly from the The LEGO Group.
Get in, sit down, shut up, hold on
Devid VII’s photostream is a delight. There seems to be something for everyone in his catalogue: exo-suits, fun dioramas and even Japanese anime icons. Now he’s giving something to the gear heads with his newest hot rod called Hell Brown.
We don’t know if the brown on this is its actual colour or it’s flying the flag of rusty rat rods erywhere, but Devid has also produced two more hot rods in both yellow and grey. None of the them are just fragile models, though. All three can fit a full minifig inside, are playable and the motors are removable.
Today’s heresy, courtesy of the Tyranids
Flickr user Garry_rocks is one of the most consistent LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) model makers out there. Lately he’s been on a bit of a Warhammer 40K stint, pumping out everything from Terminators to Killa Kans. Now he’s back with the scourge of the Imperium in the form of Tyranids.
As an extra treat, there are 360° rotation views of the filthy beasts:
Tyranid Warrior.
Termagant.
Hormagaunt.
Man the Guns, Join the Fight
Wise part selection is the key to any successful Lego creation; and that’s one thing Brick Burger is clearly well aware of. Using a rather specific (and large!) minifigure headpiece from the Superheroes line, he built a giant, unique, and very-well scaled Space Marine—one with an even larger space gun to boot. Perhaps the only thing more amazing is how the print of the headpiece perfectly matches the personality of the extreme character he has created.
The road to hell is paved with gourd intentions
Our pre-Halloween Week of Wonder continues with a couple of fresh perspectives on the humble Jack-o-lantern. Apparently it’s not all headless horseman chasing a bunch of pesky kids and their stupid dog!
First we have the Groundskeeper, a surprisingly helpful “gourd sprite” devised by Bionicle wizard Micah Berkoff. As yard help goes, these things sound pretty economical so I’m definitely gonna have to charm myself one.
Next up is the Pumpkin Diner, a delightfully seasonal addition to Heartlake City dreamt up by Palixa and the Bricks. It comes complete with a fully detailed interior and even a set of costumed Friends!
The Majestic Kingfisher; Bird in Brick
We’ve long known that LEGO can model realistic avian shapes in the hands of a very skillful builder; the most well-known example is Thomas Poulsom’s birds, which were even turned into an official set. But you wouldn’t guess at the challenges inherent in sculpting feathered curves with square bricks from seeing Markus Rollbühler’s magnificent Kingfisher, which is portrayed with swooping wings open in flight.
75827 Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters revealed [News]
The long-rumored 75827 Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters is finally unveiled this morning. Oddly, LEGO has chosen to release the first photographs of the set picturing it in front of the actual firehouse used in the film, instead of the usual polished press photos. There’s no accompanying press release as yet, but we do know the set will contain 4,634 pieces and nine minifigures: Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz, Dana Barrett, Louis Tully, Zombie Driver and the Library Ghost. It will also include Slimer and pink and blue ghosts. The set will be available for purchase in January for $349.99 USD.
Update: It is now listed on LEGO.com, though not yet available to purchase.
via EW.
Fall in a sky of floating rocks
Here’s a cheery little scene from Brother Steven, full of vivid colors and and delightfully simple skyboat. I love the fascinating mix of characters interacting here; they’re far more diverse than scenes like this usually dare portray, and the build is better for it, lending it credence as a festive autumnal market.
Steam-age Mutant Ninja Turtles
Mashups are everywhere right now. So it’s strangely unsurprising (but still quite entertaining) to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fighting crime in the Victorian period. Karen Quinn has built a charming steam-powered Party Wagon. In addition to everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic turtles, this build includes Guru Splinter, Casey “Sheer Luck” Holmes, Dr. April O’Watson, and Jack the Shredder. Perhaps next time the heroes in a half shell will travel even further back in time, to say, oh I don’t know, the Renaissance?
