Yearly Archives: 2016

ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus

LEGO mecha builder Caleb L. has celebrated the new season of Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans by posting this lanky Gundam with a big sword and curvy horns.

The mecha is fully poseable, prepared to whack all comers with the aforementioned big giant sword.

I’m always fascinated by the underlying frames that LEGO mecha builders design as the skeletons for their big stompy robots. Caleb’s frame uses lots of clip connections with pneumatic T’s, and a ton of studs-out bricks (“Travis” bricks, headlight bricks, and so on) to affix the mecha’s skin.

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At home in space on a spinning Stanford torus

The Stanford torus was a design concept for a permanent space habitat for 10,000 residents proposed at Stanford University during the summer of 1975. Though not the only idea for a ring-shaped space station that would provide gravity to inhabitants, it’s one of the designs that received significant research from NASA. MSP! has created a microscale LEGO version, complete with buildings and landscaping on the ring’s interior. Mounted on an unobtrusive stand, this would look fantastic on any astronaut’s desk.

Kaneda’s bike from Akira in LEGO

Korean builder Haeundaddy has designed and built probably the best LEGO version of Shotaro Kaneda’s bike from Akira that I have seen. This larger scale bike is shapely, detailed and full of the smooth lines that characterise this famous red bike. The specially designed base is a nice touch as a model of this calibre needs something a little special to rest upon.

The details are fantastic, from the sports seat to the handlebar area, and Haeundaddy has taken the time to capture his work with some excellent photography.

Click through to see more of this excellent anime bike

Creations for Charity 2016 sales starts now

You can now visit Creations for Charity’s online store to purchase a custom creation to support donating LEGO sets to underprivileged children. The fundraiser runs until the end of November and anyone can donate a LEGO creation to the store. Learn more at creationsforcharity.org.

The EGHJORT shambles toward your doom

The Maschinen Krieger “Ma.Ktober” build challenge continues, with this rather terrifying entry by LEGOLIZE IT MAN. A monstrosity of the builder’s own design, the “EGHJORT” is presumably a powered suit like the rest in the Ma.K universe, and LEGOLIZE IT has captured the unique design aesthetic of that universe perfectly, with the domed face shield and canisters sticking out every which way. Even without a single visible weapon, this is not a fellow I would want to meet in any alley, poorly lit or otherwise.

As always, I’m particularly impressed with the builder’s excellent presentation — multiple views, blocks of text, and graphical elements that direct the eye toward the LEGO model itself.

Life-size LEGO facehugger is a thing of nightmares

It looks like Paul Reiser (aka Carter Burke from Aliens) has been releasing facehuggers into the homes of innocent people again! No, this grainy photo isn’t a still from the next film in the Alien franchise, but it could be! Seriously, mordatre‘s LEGO facehugger is terrifyingly good. The sleek Bionicle pieces combine perfectly to create a realistic and dynamic alien exoskeleton. I love the posable tail and legs. But if this thing could move on its own, I don’t think I’d ever be able to sleep again.

Here’s a better (?) look at the nasty creature.

Every window tells a story

There aren’t many things more brutal or impersonal than a 41-story public housing tower. Seen from afar, they almost look like prisons from the future. Sau Mau Ping was one of the first tower projects in the Hong Kong area. Construction began in the 60s, and even though most of the buildings have been torn down, the towers still house over 38,000 people. But this LEGO model inspired by the towers from Yan and Vincent is not brutal or impersonal at all. Each window decoration offers a glimpse into the personality of the person who calls this place home. And the brightly colored lamps in the courtyard are a reminder that this is a place of history and culture, not a prison. Being made of concrete blocks doesn’t prevent a house from becoming a home.

This rendition might not be 41 stories like the real towers, but it is definitely a massive model that is interesting from many different perspectives. I challenge you to find two windows the same.

What is dead may never die | Greyjoy stronghold from Game of Thrones in LEGO

The Game of Thrones universe is full of amazing structures, including a ginormous wall of ice, pyramids, and even a castle half-melted by dragonfire. But my personal favorite has always been Pyke, an ancient castle built upon the cliffs of the Iron Islands of Westeros. Anu Pehrson‘s LEGO version of the Greyjoy stronghold is breathtaking. Anu, who won an award for this creation at BrickCon recently in Seattle, perfectly captured the rickety towers connected by rope bridges and the eroded, mossy cliff faces. There’s even salty brine covering the lower rocks!

The landscaping in this large LEGO creation are worth a closer look, with blocks of green breaking up the gray cliffs.

Massive LEGO Harrower-class Dreadnought

It’s tough to build a good-looking ship using only one color. It’s tougher still to build one that stands up against the original source material. Swan Dutchman‘s Harrower-class Dreadnought from the Star Wars universe does both. At nearly two and a half feet long, this LEGO battleship took over 5700 bricks and 5 months to build. It’s got the perfect amount of greebly-goodness, tons of miniature firepower, and a sleek style worthy of the Old Republic Empire.

Enlightening LEGO antique street lamps

Judging by his latest builds, Jonas Kramm must be preparing for the darkness of those long winter nights. His three decorative antique street lamps are designed around a selection of parts that are being examined in more detail over on parts-obsessed blog New Elementary. The first lamp is my favourite and shows an inspired use for the Mini Pony Tail in Black but special mention must go to the lamp on the right, as Jonas has definitely shown a fresh use for the paint-roller and tassel.

If you want to read more from Jonas about his techniques and parts used for these builds, Jonas’ lamps are the first in a series of posts using a fun selection of new parts on New Elementary.

Relive your first LEGO memories with micro-scale Classic Space

I’m sure that Primoz Mlakar didn’t mean to minimize your childhood…but he totally did. He has built a series of microscale versions of the earliest Space theme sets. Each build is recognizable, and packed full of nostalgia.

Let’s take a look at some of these classic Space sets, starting with the iconic 928 Galaxy Explorer:

Click here for more Classic Space!

Sailing the seas of milk

As a person who has spent more than enough time on a ship, I’ve seen seas in every color of the rainbow. That is, every color except white. White is something new. I guess that’s just one more reason why W. Navarre’s LEGO version of The Flying Dutchman from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series is so captivating. The ship’s ragged remnants of canvas are beautifully done in white, and the chains standing in for mast lines give the craft a vulgar and churlish appeal. If you’re wondering what the clear bits hanging off the sides are, those represent scuppers, holes in the side that drain water from the deck. In the films, they always seem to be dripping something, as the boat spends a lot of time underwater. The best details, though, have to be the teeth of the beast carving that makes up the ship’s intimidating snout. Where’s my jar of dirt?