Simple, striking, and evocative — Jan Woznica‘s tiny LEGO space scene is a genuine thing of beauty. I love everything about this, from the “studs as tracks” left in the cute rollerskate rover’s wake, to the twin crescent moons hanging above. But my favourite part has to be the wonderful retro colourways in that stylised sunset — it’s like something from a poster for a 70s sci-fi movie.
It seems like just yesterday that we featured the Hornet Queen by Moko. Turns out she is more than just an imposing figure with amazing hair…the Queen’s armor and weapons detach and combine to an equally cool looking hornet! Those great Bionicle wings are a key feature, but my favorite touch has to be the transparent green minifigure helmet accessory used for the eyes. Super creepy looking! You can check out how things combine after the jump, too.
What’s the worst thing a pirate can see on the horizon? LEGO builder Elephant-Knight displays his answer, the mighty HMS Redoubtable. Flying the colors of the LEGO version of the Royal Navy, the HMS Redoubtable is a 112-gun warship capable of eliminating any pirate vessel on the seven seas. This model has beautiful sails and incredible hull curvature. I love the use of both blue and yellow to draw your eyes to the guns better. I think the part of the ship that took the longest to build must have been all of the rope riggings on the sails. I honestly don’t have the patience to do all of that.
Click to see more of the HMS Redoubtable
If you only take a look at one big grey LEGO spaceship today then it should be this one — put together by F@bz. Big grey spaceships are often… (how can I put this politely?) …maybe a little dull? But this one is a cracker, primarily down to those large patterned areas on the spaceship’s front section. They’re built using 1×4 shooter parts, whose split colours and diagonal details make for some interesting shapes amidst the “alien language meets corrupted bitmap” feel of the futuristic decoration.
Whilst the camo-style patterns up front might capture the initial attention, there’s further good use of shooter parts around the craft’s bridge area. It’s Technic shooters this time, providing a nice bit of texture along the ship’s sides to complement all that lovely greebling up top…
Some spaceship builders take their inspiration from science fiction movies or video games, while others use real-world inspiration, like NASA. But some of the most interesting sources, in my opinion, are naval vessels. Maybe it’s because I remember watching Starblazers (Space Battleship Yamato) when I was twelve. Battleships, fighter jets, and submarines in space? Count me in. From the looks of this amazing space destroyer, Ryan Olsen agrees. His original SHIP (built for SHIPtember) looks like a combination of a submarine and a battleship, with a symmetrical central fuselage bristling with an array of railguns, cannons, missile launchers, and even a few Modulex parts, is full of great details. One detail I love are several hardpoints or small docking ports along the center of each side where smaller ships could dock.
Another naval inspiration is the complex bridge and conning tower, which is covered in sensors, targeting scanners, and communication relays.
A fun fact about Ryan’s SHIP building process is that he often starts his models in a digital format using only parts that exist in real life, in currently available colors for added authenticity, and to explore many details quickly in order to perfect his designs. With his digital design complete, he created a fun info-graphic to point out the many points of interest on his space battleship.
Today LEGO has announced that they will be updating the packaging on the standalone baseplates to employ sustainable paper packaging instead of the thin plastic sleeves the pieces are currently sold in. The new packaging is slated to be available starting next year, and LEGO will be issuing new set numbers for the baseplates that use the updated packaging. The company says they have no plans to discontinue any of the baseplates. This follows last year’s announcement about LEGO’s broader sustainability initiatives, including a planned move to paper instead of plastic bags inside sets, a move that had been scheduled to begin this year. Today LEGO said that rollout will also begin in early 2022.
LEGO baseplates with the current plastic packaging.
The four baseplate products that will be affected are:
Here’s the official statement from LEGO:
Over the next few months you will likely see some products with “retiring soon” branding or perhaps a local retailer reporting that they are no longer able to order certain products. We want to share ahead of time that there is no need to be alarmed about baseplates.
In 2022, baseplates will be changing from their current plastic packaging to more sustainable paper packaging. Besides packaging, there are no additional changes with the LEGO baseplates and you will still be able to get the same colors and sizes in 2022 that you can purchase today. You can expect to see the new packaging around March 1, 2022.
Current Product Number
Product Number as of March ’22
Product Name
10700
11023
Green Baseplate
10701
11024
Gray Baseplate
10714
11025
Blue Baseplate
11010
11026
White Baseplate
Visit www.LEGO.com to learn more about what the LEGO Group is doing in regards to sustainability and our Planet Promise.
The Antechamber. An otherworldly room on the edge of space and time. In this LEGO build by Disty, two intergalactic travelers have come face-to-face for the first time. Will they be friends or foes? Will they enlighten each other about the secrets of the cosmos? Or are they just going to spend as much time admiring those pillars as I have?
It’s probably that last one.
The builder has found an exceptional use for a part that most people might discard as too specialized and has turned no less than 32 Bionicle arms into the framework of a wondrous piece of architecture. The result is a build that’s equal parts “sci-fi epic” and “art museum atrium.” It’s taken five years to get the design exactly right, and the final results are definitely worth it. The colors of the room pair perfectly with the printing on the globe positioned in the center of the room, and the dark purple on the Metroid Prime-inspired alien gives the whole scene a perfect pop.
You wouldn’t even need to read this article to know that this builder is on an amazing trajectory. I mean, look at this build, it is chock full of joy and optimism. But the story is, Lee Chi Wing got this creation into an exibit in the LEGO House, which is an honor in itself. That was right before they got hired on as a LEGO Designer! Down low and rather small, you see a model of the LEGO House itself and the rest of the creation represents each colored part of the building.
When I first joined the online LEGO community about 20 years ago, I had to choose an avatar to represent myself online. I decided to draw the LEGO frog in MS Paint and use it as my avatar. The frog piece was released in the year 2000. Over the years some LEGO parts get redesigned. It is however my honest opinion that there is no way to improve the iconic little frog. For its time it is very detailed and still very cute. Four amazing builders decided to celebrate the piece and I could not pass it up the chance to take a closer look at them.
Roanoke Handybuck’s frog is currently visiting the Swamp with a lovely dock featuring some paint brushes and a beautiful architectural sculpture using red parrots.
Read on to see the rest of the models
Be careful of how far you venture into the ocean or you might meet a terrifying creature such as this. Aiden Rexroad has built this frightening squid with a long shadowy form and piercing lime-coloured eyes. The organic style of the model is created through the use of a variation of inversed tires, placed along the squid’s outstretched tentacles. It appears there is a continuous ball joint system under the rubbery limbs, allowing the creature to pose, providing the model with the ability to drag unsuspecting victims down to the depths. Bohrok helmet pieces represent part of the monster’s body, which contributes to the odd rounded proportions of the squid.
If you didn’t think this build was scary enough, take a look at the huge array of teeth encircling the mouth. This creation demonstrates a vast knowledge of pieces and a unique understanding of the different ways in which LEGO pieces can be utilised.
You can check out more articles on unusual LEGO creature builds, here.
Sometimes you just need to hit the streets in a Japanese sports car. GSM Studio built a medium-sized Technic model of the 2006 Honda Integra, the type of sports car that you would see in street-racing scenes of the earlier Fast & Furious films. Grouped in the same category as the Honda Civic, the Integra is more of a high-performance model spanning four generations of limited release. It is regarded as one of the best front-wheel-drive cars, which GSM Studio faithfully replicated in his build, amongst other functions.
It’s not a Technic build without lots of functions. The opening doors, trunk and hood do not cut it close. The steering wheel in the cabin powers the steering, and a knob between the seats works the four-speed transmission, which is linked to the front wheels as well as the I4 inline engine under the hood. However, not all four wheels have working suspensions. There is only suspension in the rear, as the front axle has the drivetrain as well as steering.
Still, it is quite a feat packing so many functions into a compact build of a compact car. It is more than LEGO does in their official sets, such as Dom’s Dodge Charger from Fast & Furious, which this build would look amazing next to.
Teal and purple? What’s this, Technic battle bots from the 90s? This bright racer by Djokson is a rebuild of something just as old, if not more obscure. Continuing his rebuilds of the Xalax racers, he this time pays homage to 4568 Loopin, with a look that borrows design elements from popular pieces of pop culture. For example, the racer and pilot is a perfect blend of cyberpunk aesthetic with a bit of rugged and spiky Mad Max flair. It also uses the unique front wheel design of the spinners from the Blade Runner films and the Tumbler from Christopher Nolan’s Batman: Dark Knight trilogy.
Djokson is a master at NPU, especially with Technic and construction elements such as Bionicle. Loopin has less of that but is still old and obscure. Transparent orange electronic sensor piece from the LEGO Dimensions toys-to-life style videogame cover each wheel, bordered by a basketball rim from the LEGO Sports theme. Djokson also incorporated the printed pieces from the original Loopin set, which give this racer fun decals. The fairly new purple-coloured headphone pieces works well as a chin guard for the pilot’s helmet, as do the red accents. Djokson also achieved the small red rings in the tail and wrists of the pilot via unconventional ways: by cutting a ribbed hose. It’s not exactly an illegal building technique, as the instructions of some LEGO Technic sets do require you to cut ribbed hoses as well as pneumatic tubes.
Lastly, because I just have to gush about teal LEGO pieces: the Technic parts in this colour are fairly limited, but work perfectly in this build. I’m just wishing for more pieces.
Big teal Technic supercar when?