I’ve seen a lot of unusual fantasy floating islands, but this has to be the one I’d like to vacation at most. This lush LEGO Steampunk hotel and spa by Kai/Geneva looks perfectly tempting to spend a few hours soaking in the infinity pool—provided you’re not scared of heights, anyway. And just like the floating island concept itself, I’ve seen a lot of techniques for water, but the addition of some subtle lights built into this pool makes it look absolutely stunning.
It was fun, silly and therefore I was inspired to write about it. Sandro Quattrini built this Tankhead mech and was himself inspired by Emerson Tung’s Tankhead art. It’s like a circle of inspiration! I enjoy the color scheme, complex curves and overall stance and attitude of this mech. The oversized gatling gun it carries isn’t without its charms either. Maybe it’ll inspire you to build something. What does it inspire in you? let us know in the comments. While you’re at it, check out why we think Sandro Quattrini is an inspiration to us.
Humans aren’t the only ones who like to build castles out of LEGO! Sometimes dragons do too, like this cute little red one from Dan Ko. This nerdy dragon, Nurdley, comes to us for the BrickNerd Nerdvember contest. This year’s theme is High Fantasy, which means this dragon will feel right at home with his custom castle. I just love this build! It’s a small build, but that just means there’s got to be all sorts of clever parts usage. It’s easy for things to take on a blocky design with LEGO, but there are some really cool parts that can add curves and shape to a build. Take for example the minifigure phone pieces for Nurdley’s arms. Or the excellent usage of car seats for his wings. Even the castle uses some cool parts for further texture and definition, like the pieces making up the tower.
It’s almost advent calendar season, which means LEGO fans the world over will soon be assembling some tiny spaceships from Star Wars and the MCU. But Tim Goddard has gotten a jump on things by crafting his own fleet of miniature spaceships. Despite their small size, there’s lots of cool shaping and detail to be found. From the minifigure videogame controller used as wings to the green and red thrusters on an Octan ship, Tim has crafted a fleet of microscale marvels.
It’s dangerous to go exploring without a sword, though decidedly less dangerous when everything is made of LEGO. John Kupitz recreates the iconic moment when the hero Link receives the sword in The Legend of Zelda. This build looks like you just ripped it right out of the video game! The 2D, top-down side-scrolling appearance is achieved through clever SNOT and side-ways techniques. It allows the build to stand up and gives some unique layering to get in all the details from the 8-bit classic. I didn’t grow up with this particular Zelda title, but the build makes me nostalgic all the same! I can hear the discovery music upon getting the sword, a sound any Zelda player will recognize across the series. Remember: if you’re going to adventure in Hyrule, take a sword. If you’re going to adventure in LEGO, I recommend taking a brick separator.
We’re seeing a lot of Dungeons & Dragons-themed builds lately thanks to the LEGO Ideas D&D contest, and I’m a fan of this miniland-scale build by Miscellanabuilds, which depicts a party of adventurers. A good variety of races and classes are represented from the human wizard to the orc barbarian and halfling bard. The D&D logo is what really makes the whole build shine though. And don’t miss that tiny mimic!
LEGO spaceships sometimes get named after animals. Perhaps a creature insired the ship in question, or maybe it’s just a name like mantis that just sounds cool. Chris Perron has taken the name of a yellowfin tuna and used it in quite a literal sense with this colourful craft. It certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to a fish. The colour gradient on the fins stands out, but I love how the colour blocking goes even further to get the fish appearance across. If you squint, the trans-red cockpit looks like the gaping mouth of a fish, with the white its lower jaw. Of course the big dishes on the side look like eyes. I might be reading too much into this – perhaps Chris just wanted to make ship with yellow fins. It can’t be a coincidence though can it?
Confession time: while I’ve always secretly wanted to, I’ve never played a game of Dungeons and Dragons (or other games of its ilk). Seeing all the great D&D builds popping up lately is doing nothing to scratch that itch. There have been some incredibly creative entries as well, such as this one by Ralf Langer. I love the inclusion of the pencil and notepad – crucial for remembering just what it is your character is up to. While they’re great in their own right, it’s hard not to focus on the amazing playing field curving up next to them. Ralf has somehow managed to make forced perspective work in an arc – te further up the cylinder you go, the more the landscape disappears into the distance. It’s a quite remarkable bit of workmanship.
The LEGO Icons theme is going to new heights with its next set: 10307 Eiffel Tower. Clocking in at just over 10,000 pieces, this will be the tallest official LEGO set ever made, standing almost 5′ tall when fully assembled! The dark gray darling is detailed with intricate trusswork and topped with a French flag. Other structural details include elevators and an office on the top floor. Given its size, the build separates into four sections to aid transport and storage. Expect this architectural wonder to be available through LEGO stores and their website on November 25th, and will retail for US $629.99 | CAN $799.99 | UK £554.99.
Don’t let its size fool you! This teensy LEGO SR-71 Blackbird by Greyson is a mighty recon machine from the factories of Lockheed Martin. Even while working in a monochromatic palette, this plane still feels dynamic, a perfect recreation of its real-life kin. Each wedge plate feels perfectly placed, and the shaping on the fuselage is all the better for Greyson’s excellent use of the katana minifig accessory. I even like the shaping on its gray stand: a simple bit that only accentuates the clever design of the micro aircraft.
This one gets me right in the feels. Growing up, I didn’t have any LEGO to play with…but I did have just about every Micronauts toy ever produced. SPARKART! has re-created one of the great characters – Acroyear – in LEGO action figure form. Making great use of Mixel ball joints, this warrior is super articulated and ready for battle. Aircraft tail fins match up perfectly with the classic helmet’s shaping, and those big chunky feet are super fashionable and provide some great stability to boot.
Be sure to check our archives for more retro goodness!
Master Model Builder Alec Posta has teamed up with Chronicle Books to share some tips for tapping into the power of LEGO bricks. No, not in a “power a clock with a potato” sense, but more like “how to power through real life issues using LEGO as a source of inspiration.” Build Every Day is available from Amazon for $13.99 US, and the companion Master Builder Notebook can be had for $13.60 US. Read along as we take a look inside both books and see just what they have to offer!
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick a copy of these books for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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