With the fleet of massive SHIPs we’ve seen lately it’s refreshing to know that someone still loves small, one-man spacecraft. This LEGO Blacktron attack craft was built by none other than The Brothers Brick’s own Mansur Soeleman. While he could have written a better post about it himself, once I’ve dedicated thirty seconds into a post, there’s really no stopping that engine. With that said, I’m smitten by Mansur’s use of these pieces from the Ninjago Arcade Pod sets. I also like that this diminutive yet deadly BT-145 Terribilis is named after the equally diminutive and deadly Golden Poison Frog. We’ve been smitten by Mansur’s creations before and while they refuse to give me the keys to our recruiting office, I’m guessing this is why he’s writing for us now.
Yearly Archives: 2020
LEGO Lab unveils 515153 Mindstorms Porsche set [News]
According to the LEGO Lab news page, a new LEGO Mindstorms set, 515153 Mindstorms Porsche, is in the works. The set is based on 2019’s LEGO Technic 42096 Porsche 911 RSR set. Unlike the original set, which had no motorized functions, the new edition comes with the latest LEGO Mindstorms motors and sensors, which were revealed along with the announcement of the new generation of the system back in June.
Click here to take a closer look
Orange is the new bley
Every year, for a little over a month, the LEGO sci-fi fans among us get a treat: SHIPtember. A celebration of insanity and massive amounts of small interlocking bricks, it is one of my favorite times of year (it doesn’t hurt that I enjoy everything else about autumn, too, like Oktoberfest beers and wool sweaters). One name that consistently shines out among the rest is ZCerberus, who, perhaps taking his cues from the changing foliage of the Northern Hemisphere, has created a fleet of massive orange spaceships. This year’s model is a repair frigate, LL885, ready to fix any small fighter that might have an issue. Small cranes, tons of greebles, and lots of roller coaster tracks make this one a great addition.
Love orange spaceships? Then check out ZCerberus’ other builds, since he has built a whole fleet of them.
Cab-Over, Down Under
In other news today this LEGO render by Tauriel1 is totally something I’d be into. So much for unbiased reporting, then! With copious chrome, bitchin’ exhaust pipes, a flashy color, retro curves and mean honking’ tires, this cab-over truck checks all the boxes that makes my heart go pitter-patter. The builder, who apparently hails from Australia, tells us they were just having fun with this and keeping their mind occupied. If this is how they spend their time, then I will totally tune in to their frequency again sometime to see what they’re up to. Now that you all know what tickles my fancy, Christmas shopping for me has been made that much easier. You’re welcome, readers. You’re welcome.
Wake up, time to hide
The tag-team effort of Brickleas and Si-MOCs produced a scene to give science fiction fans a double take. They created a two-tier MOC of an intergalactic manhunt. Topside, a space police officer is in pursuit of an outlaw, meanwhile below, the suspect lurks through the sewer. The collaboration was a standout submission for this September’s Rogue Bricks contest. Teams of two picked either side of a “space gangster” or “space sheriff” to depict their story.
In a strange turn of events, Brickleas and Si-MOCs teamed up at the last minute after their original partners dropped out of the contest because their parts were unfinished. The result worked out with Simon Liu (Si-MOCs) building his version of a Spinner from Blade Runner, and a space police minifigure outfitted in Barbara Gordon‘s ceremonial uniform from The LEGO Batman Movie CMF (Series 1) and the LEGO Star Wars Wedge Antilles helmet. Elias Hübner’s (Brickleas) contribution looks as dark and desolate as any subterranean waterway with an underground tunnel as the escape. Check out a photo of the Si-MOCs’ take on the Spinner below.
New LEGO sets available in October 2020 prepares you for early Christmas shopping [News]
The sets released in October 2020 is an early shopping list reminder for the coming Christmas celebrations. The themed choices include a Christmas 2-in-1 wreath, tree ornaments and the Brickheadz nutcracker and the general availability of the LEGO Star Wars Master Builder Series 75290 Mos Eisley Cantina. An unexpected surprise is the Toad’s Special Hideaway expansion set from the LEGO® Super Mario™ universe which was meant to be an SDCC exclusive now cancelled and released on the LEGO store (US only). This also means that it will not be available in all regions.
Click to see the October 2020 releases
Pretty as a picture of a picture
It takes a talented builder to take a very specialized LEGO part, like a train switch, and turn it into something totally different. Of course, we all know Jonas Kramm is a talented builder, so it should come as no surprise that he managed to make a train switch into a painting of a peacock. It is unquestionably the best peacock head I have ever seen done in LEGO form, and perhaps the best bird head, too. The bumps on the switch make perfect nostrils, and it also works well as the eyes on the tail. But Jonas did not stop there: he also used the part for the lantern flame, and the drawer pulls. Not to mention the Jurassic World gyrosphere for the lantern glass and the green snake for paint. It’s a great composition of a great composition, for sure!
Like Jonas’ builds? Then check out some more. And don’t miss the Iron Builder action, where the train switch is the seed part.
One of ours, out of the main hangar
If you take a stroll through my post history, you’ll see that two things I love are Star Wars and microscale. So Eli Willsea hits out of the park, in my book, combining the two for his Theed Hanger. Zeroing in on N-1 Starfighter, you’ll see that nifty parts usage abounds.
Whether it’s the blades as the front fuselage, the paint cans, the switch track throw, and minifigure hands as engines, or the simple silver cupcake icing swirl as an astromech droid, this ship is ready to leave the hanger. A hanger, which contrasting the minute detail of the fighter, stays true to the large and blockyness of Theed. But as simple as the structure might appear, it is also rife with neat ways of using pieces, such as the old school wheels as the top and bottom of the columns.
A little Citroën for your evening
There are a handful of cars that are instantly recognizable the world over, like the Volkswagen Beetle and the Jeep. I’d posit that the Citroën 2CV belongs right there with them, having been in production for more than 40 years. This beautiful LEGO version of the classic French car is brought to us by Jonathan Elliott, and it’s just perfect at minifigure scale. The 1×1 and 2×2 curved tiles help fill out the curves on this swoopy post-war sedan.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga with exclusive Luke Skywalker polybag available for order [News]
Back in August, we shared a first look at the Luke Skywalker with Blue Milk minifigure that comes with the purchase of the LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition game. While the game has been delayed to next spring, pre-orders are now available on Amazon US. Today we’re getting a closer look at the polybag packaging and artwork thanks to retailer gameresource.nl.
Click to read the full article
An impressive carrier for drones
September has ended, and with it, the month-long spaceship building challenge known as SHIPtember. This construction drone carrier by Sunder_59 is packed with details not immediately evident. Aside from the forward launch bay, there are platforms on either side for drones to land.
The other side of the ship features a series of cargo containers for much-needed construction materials. And those engines are an excellent digital part usage. I also really love the subtle curve of the front fuselage.
Plenty of fish...men in the sea
We have certainly featured merfolk on TBB before, but this creature by WoomyWorld really stood out to me for a few reasons. The tentacle hair is so well posed that it really seems to be floating in the water, and I love that the fish portion of this merman has fins, as most fish bodies have, to assist with underwater maneuvering. With the addition of an impressive spear, don’t expect this creature to end up on a plate; if you get too close, you might be the one that gets skewered.