Yearly Archives: 2021

Spongebob’s street looks great in microscale

Simon Liu has created this wonderful LEGO interpretation of the classic neighbourhood from SpongeBob SquarePants. The individual houses have been cleverly constructed, each with their own unique features and techniques. Starting from the left, Patrick’s rock house is represented by a domed part from the Star Wars planet series. The house in the middle belongs to everyone’s favourite grouch, Squidward, and has shaping accurate to the original design, thanks to the application of the large wedges which are sunken into the sand. Spongebob’s pineapple house uses small wedges to represent the segments of the fruit with blue rubber bands imitating foliage surrounding the home. There are even microscale versions of the characters outside of their respective houses. All these details result in a display which is easily recognisable and accurate to the original source material.

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Skidding along the snowy landscape in a beast of a snowmobile

If you have to be out on the frozen wasteland in the deep of winter, I can think of no better place to be than sitting in the cab of this monster LEGO snowmobile by David Roberts. Not only does it sport some hefty treads, and plenty of light for when the sun goes down, but it has a powerful jet engine strapped on the back. The angled suspension will get you safely over any rough terrain hiding under the ice, and those front skids look pretty strong.

Reservations not required, but you might need a sword.

Ho, weary traveler. Fatigue stains your face as the dew of the morning stains the grass. But good fortune smiles on thee. For you have found yourself at the Medieval Holiday Inn, by LEGO builder ilive. These walls of patchwork stone, with their charmingly crooked ingots, have shielded sojourners in need of rest for generations. We can’t provide you with cable, or Wi-Fi, or whatever frivolities the lords busy themselves with at the palace. But we have a warm fire, hearty meals, and a giant barrel full of mead. So, step inside and let me show you to your room. You’ll be sharing a bed with Rogan the Terrible. And this pig.

The Volvo G990 Grader alternate build is grade A

Prolific LEGO Technic builder Michał Skorupka (Eric Trax) asks the question; what if you have the Technic 42114 Volvo Articulated Hauler set and get bored? The builder and I must be on a completely different wavelength because, much to my surprise, the answer has nothing to do with scaring the dog. Instead, he tells us the answer is to build another Volvo, of course. He’s constructed the Volvo G990 Grader with all the working remote-controlled features you can expect from a great Technic model.

I don’t want to spoil anything for you but there’s a part in the video where he dumps beans all over the carpet and the grader grades them! Check it out for yourself.

Do you still have a hankering to scare the dog? Have a look at our Technic Archives for ideas as to how to make it happen.

The fiery third Pokémon form: Charizard

If you gotta catch ’em all, then you gotta get Charizard. The final stage of the fire-lizard Pokémon, this LEGO Charizard is seen flexing his muscles as depicted by builder nobu_tary.

Nobu_tary is well known for their craftsmanship of animals and birds in LEGO form, as well as objects and characters from Japanese culture. Charizard is another testament to their skill with bricks, using a minimalist method to capture defining features without having to cram in every detail. Yet here, every edge and corner is perfectly fitting of the mighty dragon Pokémon. The use of orange minifigure legs is an example of that: you don’t see claws exactly, but you know they’re there.

I’m also really digging the flaming tail that is characteristic of Charizard. By using a few random red sloped bricks, nobu_tary is able to quickly convey the sense of fire without having to use flame bricks. You get the same experience with Charizard’s head. No eyes, yet its still obvious who this Pokémon is.

If you’re struggling to build a highly detailed LEGO animal or robot, I have good news for you: don’t. Nobu_tary is proof that less is more. Also, if you haven’t seen nobu_tary’s parody of the Year of the Ox LEGO set, you should. It’s hilarious.

Thinking outside the box can take you out of this world

The LEGO VIDIYO line has introduced some notably interesting minifigure DJs and a ton of printed tiles, or BeatBits, that interact with the accompanying music video creation app. As far as parts go, we’ll see what the future VIDIYO sets hold for us, but for now, we have the BeatBoxes. They’re curved cubes with clear bodies that attach to a large, 8×8 modified brick. Inside, a special element holds two hinged plates that display the BeatBits and a fixed horizontal stand for the minifigure. Recently these elements have gained some popularity and builders are showing off what they can do with them. Builder martin.with.bricks elevated his BeatBox out of this world, cleverly using it as the cockpit for a spaceship dubbed the VIDI-1. Bricks are stacked in various orientations to attach to the cube element and wrap around it. The lime green of the BeatBox base is accented by patterns built into the wings as well as vents on the sides and guns on top.

Inside the clear section of the BeatBox, Martin has used brackets, clips, and rounded 2×1 plates to create a seat, display, and controls for the Alien DJ. Representing “Extra Terrestrial Dance Music” according to the promotional images, this is a great minifigure design from the VIDIYO line. Continue reading →

The beast from the depths

Brothers and LEGO Masters contestants Mark and Steven Erickson are continuing their big building skills with this beautiful leviathan. The scale here is deceptive, as the stand spans several feet, made of transparent bricks with lights embedded. Look closely right in the middle and you’ll spot a tiny Thor battling the mighty Jörmungandr. The sea serpent also has lights in its eyes, as well as a fog machine for real smoke, and the result is astounding.

It’s van life for me

Vans may be trending mostly out of style these days as far as new vehicles go, but no one can deny the inherent cool factor of a sweet custom van, like this awesome LEGO Ford Econoline by Tim Henderson. Despite it’s nearly perfect minifigure scale, it’s got a great brick-built paint scheme with white and lime green swooshes on the side that offset the blue. Plus those headlights, made from the bottoms of 1×1 tooth plates, are just fantastic.

How to build your own pocket-sized Taj Mahal [Instructions]

LEGO currently has two display models of the iconic Taj Mahal available to buy. One that is massive and expensive, and new one that is smaller and more affordable. If you’re like me, poor and easily scared by any number over the £50 price tag, you start wishing for LEGO to produce more and more small microscale builds. Luckily, Luis Peña built a tiny Taj Mahal consisting of just 80 pieces, and small enough to fit in your pocket!

Click to see the instructions

Small columns never looked so good

Here at TBB, we feature all sorts of incredible LEGO builds from all sorts of incredible builders. We’ve seen equally awesome techniques on tiny creations as we have on giant ones. We’ve also seen hundreds of superb towers, pillars, and columns, and in fact, several of them are from this same builder, Ralf Langer. But I particularly appreciate these pillars, at this scale, because Ralf uses simple techniques to produce something awesome. Twisting the internal structure to alternate those pentagonal tiles is truly eye-catching. And the rest just sets it off perfectly.

There are several cool techniques here, but I’m sure plenty of us are making a mental note right now about those columns. I see you over there, trying to consider the reverse engineering so you can borrow it later! Just make sure to give him credit, and while you’re at it, take a moment to appreciate some of Ralf’s other builds.

The inn in the forest

After a long day walking through the woods, a place of rest is the one thing you’ll need. Perhaps “The Peaceful Shrub” Inn would suit you well, created by LEGO builder Jesse van den Oetelaar. Meanwhile, I’m resting my eyes on one of the most lovely little cottage inns I have ever seen. I admire Jesse’s use of color in the plants, the path leading to the inn, and the inn itself. I can spot four different uses of green, all of which work perfectly in this build. The bricking that makes up the inn is especially detailed, with dark tan and sand tan colors referencing the patchwork style of many fantasy world buildings.

I also like the barrels of ale next to the feasting minifigures. I hope the chickens walking about don’t mind that chicken is also what’s on the table!

The back of the inn is stuffed with plant life. The pine tree and the large leafy tree are some of the best examples of greenery that you can find. The way these tree trunks are designed helps show the unevenness of the bark while pulling your eyes upwards towards the foliage. The mix of flowers and shrubbery is likely what gives “The Peaceful Shrub” Inn its name.

SHIPtember starts earlier every year.

It’s that time of year again. The pool toys are being replaced by school supplies. The pumpkin spice cravings are growing more powerful. And the thoughts of LEGO fans are turning to SHIPtember. Every September, LEGO builders across the world create original spaceship builds using a Seriously Huge Investment of Parts. (Hence the ‘SHIP’ in ‘SHIPtember.’) This year, Jason Corlett has begun warming up his seriously huge shipbuilding skills with The Revolt, heavy-duty craft sporting tons of detail and cool play features.

With its twin front pylons and the angled rear section, the Revolt would look at home in any big-budget sci-fi franchise. In addition to the boatloads of tech detailing, the Revolt is packing retractable landing gear, a full interior with a bridge, and two cannons on each side that rotate together with the turn of a dial. Check out the video of everything in action below, and let us know if you’re planning your own SHIPtember crafts this year.