Yearly Archives: 2016

In space, no-one can hear you nom nom nom

David Roberts came up with this very unusual design for a LEGO mining spacecraft with an equally unusual back story. The Platinum Asteroid Collector – Manned Auxiliary Node (more commonly referred to by it’s crew as the PAC-MAN) funnels asteroids into a mouth-like scoop at the front, and is painted bright yellow to increase visibility so that laser operators on the mothership would not blast it to pieces.

In this alternative view below, the hatch of the top is open and a drone can be seen examining a small asteroid in search of precious minerals. Apparently a computer game was later created that featured likenesses of these ships. Although to be honest, it doesn’t ring any bells.

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LEGO officially announces new Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set, 75159 Death Star

On Sunday we brought you a first look at the new Death Star set, and now LEGO has sent us the full details for 75159 Death Star, the newest in the Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series. The set is filled with iconic scenes from Star Wars that took place on the giant battle station, such as escaping the trash compactor and Luke’s duel with Darth Vader. The set will retail for $499.99 USD when it is available Sept. 30, and includes 4,016 pieces and 23 minifigures. Take a look below to read the full press release and to check out all the photos.

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New Star Wars Rogue One LEGO sets revealed [News]

While we still have a three month wait for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the wait for new LEGO set information is drawing to a close. USA Today revealed two new sets, and Entertainment Weekly revealed the first buildable figure (Possible mild spoilers). The new sets should be available beginning September 30, 2016.

UPDATE: LEGO Star Wars Rogue One sets are now available.

75152 Imperial Assault Hovertank
385 pieces, £34.99 / $29.99 / 39.99€

Click to see more sets revealed!

Metal Scout blings into action

Markus Rollbühler has definitely focused on bringing more bling to the mecha arena with his latest build. Using a a limited colour palette of metallics and building his first mech as part of a contest has certainly brought out the best in this creation. The head made from droid torsos and mechanical minifigure arms, and the angled, piston-like legs are two particularly awesome parts of this mech. I also love the “billy club” hands and those powerful abs.

The presentation is eerily good, with the threatening shadow in the background. I can only assume that this mech is not involved in reconnaissance missions as one flash of light and he will become a shiny beacon!

A demolition mech that will knock you down

The Construct-o-Mech is one of the most iconic parts of The LEGO Movie and LEGO 7 just took that idea to the next level. The color scheme is perfect and the stickers add lots of detail. The articulation is great, using small ball joints for most of the build. And with the slick frame and wheels it also looks quite mobile too.

Beautifully bulky battlebot

LEGO’s natural predisposition towards bricks and its otherwise blocky nature means that most builders have to work to subvert the norm to create more natural shapes. But sometimes the best path is to embrace its bulky nature and create blocky builds where appropriate. This tan mech by legoricola is a shining example and pulls off so much.

I actually didn’t believe this was a true LEGO mech that could fit a minifigure but I was proven wrong. The fact that this build is such a small scale but looks so large and armoured is a true feat indeed.

Seeking submarines with the Sea King

For more than five decades, the Sikorsky Sea King has been one of great workhorses of the helicopter world. After returning from the Moon, Neal Armstrong, ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins were plucked from the ocean by a Sea King. US Presidents are routinely flown to and from the White House aboard ‘Marine One’, which is usually a Sea King fitted with a VIP interior.

Originally, however, the Sea King was intended as a submarine hunter and the excellent 1/40 scale model built by Maksymilian Majchrzak ( [MAKS] ) represents one of these, as used by the US Navy aboard aircraft carriers in the seventies and eighties. From the sponsons to the five bladed rotors, it’s as close to real thing as you can get using LEGO parts and it looks about perfect from every angle.

One LEGO Balrog to rule them all

The Balrog is a difficult creature to create with LEGO as it’s a being of fire, smoke and shadow. And none of those elements lend themselves to the perfectly engineered plastic brick. Luckily Aaron Newman was up to the task and has created not only an impressive rendition of the Balrog, but a striking LEGO creature in its own right.

While I almost always suggest checking out the builder’s photostream for more angles, it’s even more important here so you can see more of the beast. We previously featured another Balrog, and while it did do the fire and flames better than this one, it’s visually more noisey and complex.

LEGO mecha mantis looks meaner than the real thing

A praying mantis may not be the first choice when it comes to creating robots and mechs out of LEGO, but when the result is this good, it really should be. Created by Mitsuru Nikaido, this build is elegant in its ability to look both mechanical and natural at the same time. A sign of a very talented builder with a great idea.

We recently blogged some great builds from Mitsuru, which you should check out if you haven’t already:

The height of Devonian-futurism
Don’t let this mecha dragonfly bug you

The moon howls for no wolf

It’s hard to believe that dogs like pugs are descended from wolves, but DNA doesn’t lie. I love my little domesticated canines, but I deeply admire the wild ones that keep ecosystems healthy. legostrator follows up on his excellent LEGO elephants with this lonely wolf looking pensive in the moonlight. The wolf with its mix of LEGO colors and textures accurately captures the look of a wolf’s fur, but be sure to take a closer look at the excellent winter landscaping and denuded tree as well.

Babylon 5’s EAS Agamemnon in LEGO form

Babylon 5 fans will recognise Ryan Olsen’s latest build, the EAS Agamemnon. She was one of the first Omega class starships to be built by Earthforce following the Earth-Minbari War. Ryan’s LEGO version is beautiful with those dark red highlights and a central rotating portion that is full of fantastic repeating textures. At 116 studs long, this ship has plenty of details to enjoy!

What EAS Agamemnon would be complete without a few Starfuries flying alongside in formation? This rear aspect also gives a great view of those engines and the detailed greebling. What great presentation of a fine build, this is definitely a ship to admire.

Microscale bridge is anything but the wurst

“All the specialized parts have taken the creativity out of LEGO building…” If you know someone who regularly trots out this sort of baloney then just show them this model. In one of the finest pieces of creative parts usage I’ve seen all year, this microscale Golden Gate Bridge by liqsr uses hot dog sausages as suspension cables. That’s right, hot dog sausages — possibly the single most “specialized” part LEGO has ever produced. I’m now trying to come up with more sausage-related puns, but none of them quite cut the mustard. Just look at the bridge and be amazed instead…