Yearly Archives: 2019

Poor unfortunate soul, if insects had souls

The tables have been turned, and our alien overlords are getting a taste of their own thorax salve.
This wonderfully detailed insect prisoner by Poor Disadvantaged is more than just a great LEGO creation. It is part of a collaborative project to re-imagine early Bionicle-themed sets with a fresh perspective. The chunky wheel part makes a perfectly unpleasant shackle. Another awesome detail is the multiple robot arms used to create a very detailed mouth complete with feeding mandibles.

Inside-out car tires and those rocky parts used for the manacles are another fun detail. If the prisoner didn’t look so deadly I might even feel sorry for him.

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Digital Dodge monster truck grabs life by the horns!

Digital model builder Alice Dee recently showed off a monster evolution of their skills as a builder and how far rendering software has come in 7 years. In fact, things have gotten so good that TBB contributors (myself included) are sometimes fooled at first glance! Alice rendered this model using Mecabricks.

Although the original digital model designed 7 years ago in LEGO Digital Designer was not based on any particular truck, the latest version by Alice Dee is described as Dodge Ram 3500 Crew Cab with monster features. With tough tires and suspension for the rocky terrain included in the model, this beast of a truck will certainly “Grab Life.” I really like the small details like the truck leaving muddy tread marks behind it.

Heavy Ma.k will squash you like the human bug you are.

Some LEGO creations have a much greater presence than the sum of their parts. From the camera angle to the lighting, this mech in the Maschinen Krieger style by veteran ma.k builder Marco Marozzi is quite intimidating, and even though the guns may not look that deadly, the strength and weight of its legs and feet prove that even once it fires its last armor-piercing round, it is still a major threat.

Not only are the Bionicle feet the perfect part for the lower legs, but the visible joints also have a very mechanical and functional look. From the back, it is even more ominous, with several well-placed pneumatic hose and whip elements adding to the industrial aspect.

Smoothly keeping dissidents at bay

This slick robotic four-legged police unit, dubbed KA-9 by LEGO builder Red Spacecat, has such a polished aesthetic to it that I could almost see it called the “iProtect” in our dystopian future. The ultra-grippy toes made of rubber Technic axle connectors is a genius design, and the subtle detail of eschewing larger tiles for a series of 1×1 tiles on the upper legs gives the perfect impression of heavy armor plates.

This kitty is no matoran’s pet

A small group of Bionicle builders have been reworking sets and themes from the early years of the Bionicle theme. They have just recently released pictures of another collaboration in my favourite Bionicle subtheme – Rahi (basically “animals”) from 2001. This build is Muaka from the 8538-1 Muaka & Kane-Ra set, reimagined by Red.

There is so much to love in the set’s reinterpretation. The builder stays faithful to the original with hoses on front legs and treads on the hind ones, but integrates them perfectly to achieve a smooth flow. And speaking of smooth flow, the tail is quite organic, made out of a 3mm flex tube element going through yellow 2×2 dish pieces and small tyres. My favourite part is the use of giant arms on the mouth, giving it the feline look that the original set lacked (which always looked more like two T-rexes…).

Searching for light in a dark world

Presentation can make all the difference in evaluating a LEGO model. Sometimes the photography is just as impressive as the build itself. Revan New brings us a moody post-apocalyptic scene full of mystery and unique parts usage. The picture is more than just a study on lighting, using a fog machine, or image composition. Instead, it is more about combining multiple camera tricks in order to provide visual context for compelling storytelling.

The build uses minifig lantern pieces to form much of the mecha’s structure. It was created as a study in parts for the LEGO blog, New Elementary, but the unique parts usage does not end with lanterns. For example, there is the wheel cover piece used as the ship’s engine and all the fun bits piled atop the roof. However, my favorite aspect of the scene would have to be the realistic rocks. Most of the surfaces are well-textured with angles between larger pieces achieving much of the sculpting. , of course done very carefully and not at all random. There are several other photos of this build on Revan New’s Flickr photostream and his article on New Elementary. With the article, you can see how some parts were done but, for me, this single photo makes the greatest impact.

Timbers will be shivered

The trading of cannon broadsides was surely the bluntest form of projectile warfare. Huge ships, passing within yards, blasted cannons into each other’s sides as quickly as the sailors could reload. Simon Pickard brings the fury of battle under sail to vivid life in this LEGO creation — a frigate and a galleon all set to pound one another into matchwood. The tightly-cropped image creates a real sense of action and drama — you’re just waiting for the splinters and blood to start flying. The brick-built ship hulls are impressively shaped, and the sails are beautifully done. This is a close-up view from a large-scale pirate-themed LEGO layout we featured previously, put together by British building collaborators Brick To The Past.

LEGO my EGGO waffles!

Back in December, we shared ExeSandbox’s LEGO waffles. LEGO waffles are back again, this time having been built by -LittleJohn. This is a wonderfully photographed scene, blending together LEGO models with real-life objects. The entire dish looks delectable, complete with brick-built blueberries, strawberries, and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Plastic never looked so delicious.

Breakfast must be the builder’s favorite food, as they have also made a delectable yogurt parfait.

They are even cooking up some eggs, tomatoes, and greens. Freshly built avocado slices sit to the side.

This Bioni-frog is one wild amphibian

LEGO constraction (construction action figure) themes like Bionicle have introduced a broad range of parts, which many builders have leveraged to create organic-looking creatures. Such is the case with this lovely Ghekula Frog built by Djokson, which they describe as “an amphibious swamp-dwelling Rahi.” I suspect the red-eyed tree frog inspired the build, as is evident in the lime green body, white underbelly, and red eyes. Of particular interest are the feet, which utilize blue robot arms and minifigure arms as toes. The end result is one lively amphibian.

LEGO ASREV from Firefly is gloriously swooshable

In the TV show Firefly, the ASREV (Alliance Short Range Enforcement Vessel) is the preferred spacecraft of the Federal Marshals. This LEGO version by Stefan Johansson manages to beautifully capture the starfighter’s sleek lines and angles with a combination of sloped bricks, wedges, and hinged connections. The model is reminiscent of a futuristic jet fighter — the overall shape looks familiar, and its deadly purpose is immediately clear despite its sci-fi styling. The colour scheme is functional and realistic-looking, with enough variation and texture to stop the model being a big lump of grey. Nice to see a starfighter like this built at minifigure scale too — that double-cockpit up-front is class. I’d love to swoosh this thing around making engine noises and pew-pew blaster sounds.

More LEGO sets from Avengers: Endgame revealed, including War Machine Buster & Ultimate Quinjet [News]

Hot on the heels of our announcement earlier today of the Iron Man Hall of Armour set, Amazon has revealed four more sets based on the upcoming Avengers: Endgame film. Unsurprisingly, the four additional sets focus on a variety of action sequences as the remaining superheroes battle Thanos and his Outrider minions. Given the film’s hotly anticipated April 26 release (now less than two months away), we’ll go ahead and throw out a potential spoiler warning for the contents.

As is often the case with early reveals like this, we don’t yet have word on the part counts, price, or exact release date, but you can expect that these will be hitting stores fairly soon — likely within the next month — along with a deluge of other merchandise to precede the mega-franchise finale. EDIT: The Avengers Endgame sets are now available from LEGO.

Click to check out all the new sets

LEGO Avengers: Endgame 76125 Iron Man Hall of Armor set revealed [News]

Today, Amazon is giving us our first official look a new set from the upcoming Avengers: Endgame branded LEGO sets, and it seems to be pretty much spoiler-free for what’s bound to be one of the most anticipated films of the year. 76125 Iron Man Hall of Armor features a portion of Tony Stark’s workshop with displays for his various suits of armor, going all the way back to the Mk 1 with its bare metal and welded mask. Other suits include the Mk 5, Mk 41, Mk 50, and the huge Hulk Buster-like Mk 38. The set also includes two of Thanos’ Outriders.

There’s no word yet on other specific details for the set, such as the number of pieces, price, or release date. Avengers: Endgame will release in theaters April 26. Be sure to also check out the rest of Avengers: Endgame LEGO sets. EDIT: The set is now available from LEGO.

Click to see all of the images of Iron Man Hall of Armour