Yearly Archives: 2016

Green is the new black

Blacktron is definitely not the most popular space subtheme, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t look as awesome as the others. Stephan Niehoff grabs a ton of transparent green bricks and creates a splendid diorama of a futuristic quay.

The boat itself isn’t that sophisticated, but, no doubt, looks like a top-class stealth vessel. Bonus points are for a couple of huge engines in the back of the boat. I’m especially happy to see some of the close-up shots — go and have a look yourself in the builder’s album! There are many more eye-catching details, including a couple of soldiers by the boat and a brilliant crane.

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Chill out in this beautifully serene LEGO spa

Heikki Mattila has built a wonderfully calm LEGO spa. The details here are simply perfect — the bath itself, the drinks shelf, the candles, and the nice touch of the rolled towels and soap on the little table. That back wall tiling is very well done, exactly the sort of color scheme and layout you’d expect to find in such a classy and relaxing venue. Normally I’m not a fan of room models without some kind of minifig presence to bring them to life, but this scene doesn’t need it. In fact, the absence of minifigs only serves to enhance the sense of peace and quiet.

LEGO Metabee is absolutely spot on

If you missed the brilliant show that was Medabots, think of it as Pokémon and replace cute fighting animals with deadly robots. Sound awesome? It most certainly is.

Paying tribute to the series is the extremely talented nobu_tary with a rendition of the main Medabot in the series, Metabee. Continuing the Pokémon analogy, Metabee actually looks a lot like Pikachu with the black and yellow color scheme. Hmmm….

Along with all the other great shaping and parts usage (those grenade launchers/horns are great!), my favourite is an orange recoloured plant piece used as a muzzle flash.

Massive LEGO Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer is 2.2m long, weighs 50kg, and uses 42,000 bricks

Korean building team OliveSeon has revealed the first views of their massively impressive Imperial Star Destroyer. Built by Hobbyinside and designed by ByeongSoek Kim, this 2.2m long slice of shiny grey starship uses approximately 42,000 bricks and took around 1000 hours to build. At present, only the main side views have been revealed, but the group promises that more detailed views will follow. This ship has a beautifully smooth, aerodynamic SNOT design, with the LEGO studs well hidden beneath a lot of hours of design and building work.

The ship measures 2200 mm x 1300 mm x 610 mm (that’s 7′ 3″ x 4′ 3″ x 2′ for you Imperial readers) and weighs in at 50 kg (or 110 lbs). And if you need proof of just how large this Imperial Star Destroyer is, check out the size of white board needed for the photograph of the final ship (actually I think they need a bigger board).

Building massive Imperial Star Destroyers is not a new concept, and these creations that we have blogged previously are definitely worth a second look:

Giant 5ft-long LEGO Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer “Tyrant” features incredible interior
Crashed LEGO Star Destroyer from Star Wars Episode VII
The ultimate Imperial Star Destroyer built from Lego, measuring over 2 meters long

The height of Devonian-futurism

This mechanized, heavily armored fish looks like an unholy cross between a Dunkleosteus and the hardsuit from District 9. Japanese builder Mitsuru Nikaido has created a truly distinctive look by layering various LEGO flag elements in dark gray over a white internal structure. I’m not sure whether this belongs in the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum or the National Museum of Natural History.

“Dingo” Combat Walker stomps into an alternate World War II

As we begin ramping up over the next few weeks toward our alternate WW2 LEGO display at BrickCon here in Seattle, I’ve been keeping an eye out for inspirational builds, and this “Dingo” Combat Walker by SweStar certainly fits the bill. The feet look like the “toes” are powered by pistons, and the mech’s head is festooned with enough doodads for a naval ship’s bridge. I particularly like the judicious use of stickers and yellow LEGO pieces.

I love the Java Jive and it loves me

Everything is awesome in the morning, as Miro Dudas brings us a wonderful coffee vendor stall called the Cup o’ Java. The shaping of the drinks stand itself, and its brilliant steam effect, are the obvious stars of the show, but don’t miss the lovely paving around the stall and the curved planters. And there’s just enough minifig action going on to create a sense of hustle and bustle — I’m imagining all these guys are grabbing a caffeine boost on their way to work downtown.

Gettin’ cozy at the South Seas Scallywag

It’s not often we get to feature the Western theme around these parts! I was quite excited to stumble upon Karen Metz‘s South Seas Scallywag. I see new details every time I look at it.

It’s such a great wild-west building facade. I love the planking on the walls, and the details on the upper floor.

But wait, there’s more! Take a peak inside and you’ll see a vibrant saloon filled with all sorts of characters and gorgeous detail.

If you enjoyed this creation, you might want to check out these that we’ve featured in the past!

High Noon City
The Colorful West
There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills

Fill up at this futuristic gas station

crises_crs has catered for those urgent requirements for high altitude gas refueling in his latest build, a Dieselpunk gas station. Crises was inspired by the mind-bending futuristic art work of Argentinian artist Alejandro Burda and his ACA service station.

Massive Gundam RX-78-2 Mobile Suit looks stunning in LEGO

We’ve featured dozens of LEGO Gundam models over the years, but this one by JAN LEGO just might be my favorite yet. From the grills on the side of Gundam’s head to the heat vents on the chest, this LEGO Gundam has every detail you’d expect from Bandai’s “Perfect” series of challenging plastic models. Though the builder didn’t share exact dimensions, it’s also a huge model, judging from the photos — I’m guessing at least two feet tall.

Click through to see more photos of this huge LEGO Gundam model

The untamable beast of the underworld

This mythical scene by Henry F. evokes cold dead lands, riven with streams of smoking rock, populated only by those too unlucky or too cursed to be elsewhere. Here, a mighty beast lurks, and a band of hellish warriors surrounds it, hoping to catch a prize? Or perhaps unwisely seeking to tame it. Whatever their intentions, I cannot think this will go well for them.

Look closely at the stonework, for it is masterfully done, with just the right amount of profile “brick” bricks sprinkled with other pieces to create a crumbling edifice. The uneven base, which doesn’t sit flat, also lends to this vignette’s otherworldliness.

Information superhighway

Originally, the so-called “information superhighway” was a metaphor. Information would still be flowing along telecom trunk lines, just like it had before. The amount of info available through those same old lines was the real story of the early 1990s. But fast forward a few decades, to a future imagined by Carter Baldwin and Simon Liu: there’s so much information that a highway can barely contain it. Miles and miles of high-speed cable, just below the actual roadway. I’m not sure what’s going on in the wild undergrowth beneath the infrastructure, but that doesn’t interest me nearly as much as the infrastructure itself. The tubes! The girders!