Yearly Archives: 2022

There’s still Life On Mars

Sand purple; there’s a color that doesn’t see a lot of use in LEGO creations these days. But Djokson refuses to be limited by convention – or that fact that the purple elements used in Grappler SuGork haven’t been seen since 2001’s Life on Mars theme. And don’t let that friendly face fool you, either. That’s a Bionicle Krana mask from 2002. And those odd shoulder bits? Hovercraft skirts last seen in a 2006 Batboat. I don’t know what SuGork is up to, but it’s clear he’s been working on that armor for a very long time.

Sadly there aren’t a ton of other Martian throwbacks in our Life on Mars tag. Why not dust off some old pieces and try making a tribute yourself?

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An ogre breaks wind (mill)

LEGO builder Peter Revan tells us don’t piss of the ogre. Upon mulling that over I filed that under good sage advice. Upsetting an ogre can result in your teeth suddenly being where your feet should be and vice versa. Hopefully, this particular ogre is made sweeter and more sedated by compliments because I genuinely like his shaping and clever build techniques. I’m also rather fond of the horse, cart, windmill, and scared little minifigure occupants that help establish the scale of this massive creature. If you feel like you’ve seen the ogre, horse, and cart around the neighborhood before, that is because you have.

Why rehash a previously featured LEGO creation, you may ask? Is this the result of lazy writing? Well, perhaps. But I genuinely believe the addition of the windmill and diorama offers an excellent setting that better illustrates the world this ogre lives in. Plus once you’ve squeezed out a title that fiendishly clever, there’s really no putting a cork in it once you’ve let loose that bout of genius flatulence humor into the world. Can you find it in your hearts to forgive me?

Miniature model of St. Andrew’s Church, Kyiv

This microscale model of St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv, Ukraine, built by Christian Rau is instantly recognizable with its four angled towers topped by gold spires, and its colorful greenish-teal domes. I love the small details of light blue peeking out behind the white grills. The cheese sloped attached sideways gives the church front a visual interest. Cheese slopes are also used to form the curved central tower.

The model is a near-perfect replica of the actual building, which sits at the top of a hill in the middle of the city overlooking the Dnipro river.

The Gnome Feast delivers whimsy, honey

Sometimes a LEGO creation comes along and immediately you’re like; I totally want to live here! That’s how I felt when I saw this new piece built by Bard Jaskier. Who wouldn’t want to live in a flower-treehouse among a world inhabited by this much whimsy? I love the sparkling flower, the toadstools, the ladybug, and all the blue tulips. (Or are they Forget-Me-Nots?) As sweet as those blue forget-me-jiggers are, the star of the show has got to be the purple bug delivering honey to the inhabitants to feast on in what could be called…a honey bucket. Heh, honey bucket. Get it? OK, I’ll just let myself out. While I make my shameful exit, why not check into why we think Bard Jaskier is as sweet as honey.

“Compared To Clouseau, Attila The Hun Was A Red Cross Volunteer!”

I wasn’t prepared for the rush of memories evoked by this sharp Inspector Clouseau bust built by Rickard Stensby. As a kid, my dad was fully committed to making sure I was exposed to all kinds of great comedy. I think it’s the strongest bond we share, even now that we live on opposite sides of the US. So to see this build, with finely-trimmed mustache and trademark trilby hat, I was immediately transported back 20 or so years to when we watched Return of the Pink Panther together, and how dazzled I was by the brilliant character acting of Peter Sellers. Rickard captures the Inspector’s perplexed look perfectly here through the expert application of tan curves and slopes. And I don’t understand why the clerk at the front desk doesn’t understand him. Clouseau clearly asked for a “rewm!”

King of the Builders

The premier LEGO competition Iron Builder is back! Kit Nugent starts the round strong with this wonderful king of the jungle. This round’s seed part is the Friends Horse Saddle in dark azure which Kit used 38 times here. The side of the saddle works beautifully as the very Aztec-styled half circles. The white throne has some fantastic part use as well, including white claws and teacups. Lush greenery and the blurred foreground give this a fantastic sense of depth. Stay tuned for more Iron Builder coverage to come!

A microscale visit to Ukraine: Verkhovna Rada Building, Kyiv

Normally I try and make up some silly commentary to go along with the builds we feature here. This, time, though, I’m going to let builder Christian Rau do the talking:

My 1:700 LEGO model of the Verkhovna Rada building (Будинок Верховної Ради) in Kyiv, Ukraine, the seat of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). Originally built in the 1930s in neo-classical style for the parliament of the Ukrainian SSR, it has been the meeting place for the parliament of the independent Ukrainian nation since 1991 and has borne its flag ever since. The photo shows the view from the south.

This and other models can be bought on LetsBuildUkraine.co. All profits (minus material and shipping costs) will be donated to front-line workers and organizations caring for Ukrainian children suffering from the ongoing war.

It’s a classy model, and tied to a good cause. Check out our recent feature on more ways the LEGO community has been getting involved.

Don’t let the shoulder pads fool you. This Samus Aran is all business!

Samus, the playable character from the platform game Metroid, first released in 1986 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, is instantly recognizable for the cannon arm and enormous shoulder pads… well, the game did come out in the 80’s after all. This model by Matt Goldberg depicts the heroine (Samus was one of the first female video game protagonists) in a later version of her power armor, the Phazon edition. The bulging shoulders are accented by a strip of red LEGO sticker, and the helmet features a nice part use, the minifig handcuffs. Stacked animal tail/claws and robot arms make excellent chest sculpting, and a common trick of turning tires inside-out is used as part of the shoulder assembly.

This microscale island looks like the perfect tropical hideaway

Although the main island build looks peaceful enough, there may be many perils along the way to reach it! Koala Yummies has created this wonderful display, featuring a hut on a sandy beach with a ship on one side and a colourful sea monster on the other. There are several noteworthy techniques here, such as the use of bar holder pieces as cannons on the island and the placement of a wide blade on the ship, representing a forward sail. The sea monster has a webbed collar which was featured on one of the Shark Army Generals from The LEGO Ninjago Movie. The azure colour of the ocean creates a pleasing contrast against the darker shades of the models, providing the builds with an eye-catching style.

The king’s dying to eat

Following builds one and two of this three-part trilogy in LEGO, we see the king finally meet his doom thanks to this quality construction by Micah Beideman. Though it’s not at the blade of a sword that this monarch shall perish, but with the curve of a soup spoon. The hall of his demise is beautifully crafted in light gray bricks. While working so much in a single color, Micah uses the negative space to help break up the walls and pillars, and utilizes some excellent techniques while doing so. For instance, the rows of headlight bricks with studs facing each other is sublime, and I love the deep-set cracks in the stone floor. The throne at the back of the hall fits the rest of the surroundings well, while remaining unlike any other LEGO throne I’ve seen. But, alas, our king may never sit in it again….

Large LEGO clockwork peacock is full of filigree

With so much ornate detail, I don’t even care if this LEGO automaton peacock by Obsessionist can’t fly. I particularly love the marriage of LEGO Technic parts with regular blocks, frequently utilizing the connection of “stud into Technic hole”. This technique means that we would normally see a lot anti studs from the top of the ornithological ornithopter, but the adept use of blue boat skids help to solidify the base color here and smooth out any rough edges. These smooth bits contrast all the fringe in pearl gold, including all the wing and tail feathers repurposed from Bionicle and Ninjago weaponry, showcasing the excellent replication of nature via machinery.

I think the face of this bird is particularly stunning on its own. Each piece chosen here feeds into a theme of minimization: all bars and beams attempting to keep the creature light but also functional. It all channels some strong “Erector Set” vibes for the build: a design choice LEGO has strayed from in recent Technic offerings, but that works well when applied here.

Can you dig this construction pun?

The Story of Ferdinand is a classic children’s book that tells the story of a bull who’d rather smell flowers than fight matadors. But Maddison Stapleton brings us a twist on Ferdinand that makes us wonder if he’s had enough of those pesky flowers. This bulldozer is equipped to quickly and decisively unearth the roots of any plant he comes across. But Maddison has crafted quite a gentle face on this mean machine. Maybe, like his bovine counterpart, he’d rather sniff than shovel afterall.