About Ben Andrews

Ben Andrews is an Australian artist with a strong love for writing, LEGO and conversations. His LEGO dark age only spanned a couple of years, though when springing back into it, his direction became a little more purposeful. Displaying MOC's at shows since 2015, Ben has been spending his time building his skill set and inspiring others to reach into their creative inner child/engineer/artist. He isn't an active member of one specific LUG, but is honored to build, share ideas and collaborate with the crews from MSELF, ALUG, WorldLUG and MUGS. Ben Andrews lives with his incredible Partner and two inspiring kids in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. His days are filled engaging humans in understanding their creativity, being a purveyor of fine second hand books and developing community through communication and ideas generation.

Posts by Ben Andrews

The woodland knight oversees all

Prolific LEGO builders scatter our desktops with inspiration constantly, showing us more with each coming build. Miro Dudas has been doing such for me for quite a while, with his Woodland Creatures Collection. His newest accomplishment, simply titled Buck, brings another to said collection, leaving me wanting this on my shelf too. The regal stag is such a strong animal, in muscle and stance as the king of the forest.

Buck

Dudas’ rendition, though heavily inspired by Joe Perez’s impressive Stag from earlier this year, stands on its own accord. The reddish brown coat with tufts of white are nice adjustments to his inspiration but it’s those antlers, made predominantly from small bony appendages and mechanical arms, that bring this build into a realistic zone. I don’t know about anyone else but when I first saw this, I instantly wanted to see two of them standing off with horns locked..

If you’re more sci-fi inclined, maybe check out Miro Dudas’ fury little Wicket..

Street machine stole my heart

There are some LEGO builds that floor me due to immense size and insane detail, and then some that get me due to a tiny space filled with exceptional part use. LEGO craftsman Joffre Bricks’ new motorcycle, Blue Heart, is absolutely the latter. Being stumped by parts isn’t really a thing that happens all that often for me but this beautiful ride had me going on a mission. The fuel tank here made of a Hero Factory jumper body top was a great challenge to track down and identify. Its employment here is just superb. Joffre’s use of blasters as the rear exposed subframe is also a nice touch. Blue Heart’s shaping makes me wonder what the builder’s motorcycle muse was… the Lotus C-01, or maybe the Ducati Panigale V4 R?

Blue Heart

For a radically different view, though equally impressive, of Joffre’s building prowess, check out this little gift.

New parts, bold style, deep space

There seems to be some LEGO builders who, when they sit down to build LEGO models, they really pump them out..and in fine form too. Inthert’s recent experimentation with new parts has brought out some great technique and this follow-up ship to his previous creation, 6-H Cargo Hopper, holds its own. Named the TRE-O, it has an almost Microscale feel, which may be partially due to the impression the solid white leaves. There are so many tasty combinations in this little vessel, so let’s just talk about a few. The curved top 1×2 brick dominates the front arms, which slide beautifully into a wheel arches. Twin 1×4 curved slopes adorn each fin further up, giving it another nudge toward its microscale feel. Another fun detail is the new 2×2 plate with thin rotation stem acting as the base of an antenna mount.

TRE-O (1)

The new pneumatic liftarm with connections for hose has instantly proven itself as a perfect engine or thruster, and this shot shows it off really well. Though the back to back 3×3 slope wedges (introduced in the Overwatch range) look great, the shaping of the rear portions of th three fins sets the stern off for me.

TRE-O (2)

Now you’re playing with portable power

As a slightly sentimental fool, sitting on the shelf directly above my workspace is an original Nintendo Game Boy that fills me with moments of reminisce. LEGO sculptor Chungpo Cheng has created a smashing rendition that would not look out of place in my hands or alongside any of his other life-size models of Minifig utensils. The iconic “three rounded and one sharp angle” corners of the Game Boy have been captured nicely, and the spacing between the buttons brings brick-built gaming to the streets.

Nintendo Game Boy

What really gets me, though, is the power light. Quite a few LEGO Game Boy’s have been made over the years, but this is one of the first I have seen that has such a realistic looking screen. My guess is the light was made out of a red mechanical claw pushed through the back of the ever popular headlight brick.

Nintendo Game Boy

For a quick look at a maxi-solution to never loosing your keys again, check out Chungpo Cheng’s giant Santa minifigure key chain.

From the origins of shred

During the 1950s, the now-prolific Jim Phillips designed the Screaming Hand image, which later in 1985 became the instantly recognisable logo for the well-known Santa Cruz Skateboards company. With impeccable attention to scale and detail, LEGO builder Brick Flag brings this true icon of skateboarding culture to the Brick. As a builder with a history of skateboarding, I too have attempted to build this gnarly skate totem, though with much less success than this great representation. The colour scheme for such a depiction is pretty unavoidable, though the dark azure is utterly prefect for such a build. The part selection has been superbly chosen considering the limited piece pallet available.

Screaming Hand

The Screaming Hand has represented hardcore skaters practically the world over for around 35 years, and this LEGO creation has done it justice in many ways. Before we go into its details, take a moment to observe the similarities when held against the original. The shaping has been achieved beautifully, considering the form and function of the human hand. Yet the I can still hear a ripple through the readers/builder at home, lamenting the colour selection for the ball joint and socket modified plates, which are sadly only produced in greys.

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Parachuting into a wild adventure

Over the years, Marcel V has graced our pages as an impeccable example of all the things that make a creation exciting. Marcel seamlessly harnesses vignettes, storytelling and parts usage in a stunning way, and all without missing a beat. Case in point: his most recent work titled Emergency Landing. Inspired By Jonas Kramm and his incredible Jurassic Park vignettes, Marcel has chosen to build within a base of approximate 16×16 studs. With in this small space, the builder has packed in a brilliant little scene, oozing with lush detail.

Emergency Landing

I love having my eyes constantly drawn from one side of the build to the other just to soak in all the elements. The 1×1 3-leaf piece introduced last year has made a great impact on this build, showing up in two shades of green and giving the scene more depth. The tangled parachute made from two blue triangular sails has been nicely achieved, threaded over some gangly tree trunks. Trees aside, it’s the light bluish grey rock walls in which they spring from that set the scene for me. The white collared bird appearing on the right-hand side is another superb display of parts usage. A combination of minifig parts make up this specimen, such as a bushy minifigure hair piece, ruff and plume, just to name a few. The fact that a lot of it is held together with a rubber band only makes it better.

To see more of Marcel V’s work, check out this incredible build that had me stumped.

Chugging along toward the future of the past

The retro future of LEGO transport has a lot of options available to experience, including this cloud skimming, Dieselpunk Boat by builder Mark van der Maarel. His use of curved slopes and modified plates to form the smooth shaping of the hull is simple but exemplary, as is the chosen colour scheme. The rusted and worn look of such a craft, along with the eccentric crew, screams of adventures aplenty.

Dieselpunk boat

The deck crane brings the functionality needed for this sky trawler, though the highlight for me is another simple addition for the sake of detail: the boat hook. This necessary piece of equipment adds a nice touch of realism despite only being constructed from two pieces, a pirate hook hand and a rigid hose. It makes me kind of curious to know what he is puling in at such a height.

Built for speed and set the standard

1967 was the year Formula 1 changed forever, as the birth of the Lotus 49 set the bar not only as the car to beat, but also to replicate. Fifty-two years on, Pixeljunkie has presented us with a gorgeous homage to this feat of engineering mastery. Sporting the classic colour scheme and markings of driver Jim Clark, this brick rendition has some stunning custom chrome pins as well as some nicely employed stickers to really bring the realism to the fore. Working within the Minifig scale can be an obscure challenge that restricts an amount of detail. I feel Pixeljunkie has made some excellent compromises without straying too far from the source material.

Lotus 49

Looking at the rear of this beautiful build, we find a minifig hammer head used ingeniously as the gearbox. I’m not sure another piece could have been used so well in this application. I’m also a massive fan of the many uses builders find for the rubber tread attachments. Using them as wheel hubs on top those metallic silver dish rims, has really captured the era well.

Lotus 49

If this open-wheel beast inspires you, check out another of Pixeljunkie’s classic race machines, the Alfa Romeo P3.

Heh-heh heh-heh heh-heh... Cool.

The incredible brick artist LEGO7 has brought these two teenage fools to ABS with perfect articulation. The 90s proved itself as an era of animated comedic satire with the likes of many cartoons, though none poked their finger as hard as Beavis and Butthead. The shaping of each grungy hairpiece is instantly recognisable, as is their position on their much-loved couch. His remarkable ability to construct facial expressions is not lost here either. The use of a pink 1×1 round plate as Beavis’s gum line is so perfectly placed, that I cant help but hear the sniggering laugh coming from these two delinquents. The colour scheme used in their attire has been excellently chosen, showing their worn out AC/DC and Metallica T-shirts. Even the slight twist of each inner leg, brings these two socially inept teens to amazing brick built likeness. All they need now is a decrepit lounge room and some headbanging play features.

Beavis and Butthead

To experience some of LEGO7’s other excellent characters, check out his Animal Music Box.

A colourful life together

Splendid builder Maxim Baybakov has a beautiful flair for bringing stylized colour into his LEGO creations. This homage to his wife is a sensational example of good composition supporting a superb construction. I’ve seen brick bending pulled off in many interesting ways and yet rainbows don’t always seem the obvious choice for such a technique. Judging by the inverted purple 1×2 tiles and presumably staggered jumper plates/tiles, some tricky building has been achieved to hold this vibrant feat together. Baybakov’s rainbow has been captured incredibly well and the addition of a softly constructed cloud in the background ties this scene up nicely. Such a stunning homage to the main lady in his life.

Rainbow

For another look at Maxim Baybakov’s lovely colour use, though in an earthier palette, check out his Library.

A warren for the Weasleys, built of more than bricks

This amazing LEGO family home for the Weasleys has been beautifully constructed out of approximately 5000 bricks by the talented team of Martin Latta and Camille Jongy. The Burrow, as its fondly called, is a magical masterpiece of constructed quandaries. This rendition pays excellent homage to the fictional homestead found on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon, England. It’s the texture work here that really does it for me. The meshing of vertical and horizontal sections throughout gives an unmistakable feeling of the hodge-podge expansion of their family home. Presumably held together by assorted masonry, magic and carpentry, the colour palette used over this impressive build is marvelously apt. The earthy tones and techniques involved in texturing the Burrow are only one side to a plethora of perspectives through you could look at it.

The Burrow

Click here to see more of this magical homestead

A day of winter fishing in the solace of frozen silence

A prolific LEGO builder who’s graced our pages before, Ted Andes has presented a creation I resonate with at the moment, Winter. I’m typing this from Victoria, Australia, where the frosts and bleak days have been many. This beautiful vignette, a small capture of a snowy morning on the edge of a siheyuan. I can almost feel the stillness in the air.

Winter

Andes’ parts use is always exceptional, though not just in obscure part usage. His harness on basic parts to get the maximum effect is outstanding. The bare tree is made from roughly thirteen different pieces, twisted into some outstanding, gnarled forms. See if you can spot them all — can you see any I’ve missed? The river and its edging is also another highlight for me. The 4L trans-light blue bars surrounding some fish is a nice touch, giving the impression of icy cold, rushing water. Having the land predominantly in two colours has also worked elegantly, while the simple touches of trans-clear near the edge of the river have brought it closer to the reality of the camping trips I’ve taken in winter.