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

Hey Ma, is it meatloaf night?

In true stylised 50s decor, Aukbricks has brought this living room to life. The grand windows, framed by long curtains, really open this space up without losing any of the warmth. I can almost smell the cookies baking in the adjacent kitchen. The lamp, with its combination of Technic wheel and inset steering wheel is ace — the leg composition and string with stud ends, makes it perfect. A staggered and framed arrangement of printed 1×1 Plates appear behind it, seemingly like an unexpected but good way to use them. I’m also impressed by the billy clubs, used as rounded feet on the sofa. Though the part combinations are superbly placed throughout this build, the overall ambience set in the render process has given it a distinctly 1950s nuclear family feel. All it needs now is a turntable with Buddy Holly set to a comfortable level.

1950s Living Room

A beast from a garden that is older than your grandads

The good old backyard wriggler seems like a toddler in comparison to Tino Poutiainen’s mighty “Ancient Earthworm.” Its resemblance to both the famed Jurassic-era predator and a Tremors Graboid is quite striking. Even still, this leaves me to wonder what scale is it built in? Is it in minifig scale or actually closer to life-size? Whatever the case, this LEGO beast gives me the feeling that it would be an unrelenting foe, whether chasing me down a main road or a garden path.

Ancient Earthworm

Poutiainen’s use of the long cattle horn and spiky appendage piece, both in reddish-brown give this build some sensory perception when deep underground. It’s crowning part use though, is the large figure forearm with fist for the head. This piece was only produced in one set almost a decade ago, so it is good to see it making such a purposeful appearance here.

The wendigo is scary indeed...

The 2019 Bionicle-building challenge Biocup is on and LEGO Bionicle enthusiast chubbybots has jumped into the ring swinging. The first round’s theme is scary monsters, which I definitely think this wendigo fits into. Intimidation and furious brutality are the words that spring to mind. The Hero Factory Hand Armor as the top of its head was an excellent choice that brings those stark white teeth to the foreground on that monstrous underbite. Those rubber tyres on the arms and ankles remind me of the tufts of hair on a minotaur. I wonder it played some role as a muse while chubbybots started to piece this guy together? My favourite piece use on this terrifying vision would have to be a tie between the four eyes made from small red lever bases and the shadow trap, creating what looks like the end of a gnarly set of gauntlets.

wendigo1

Be sure to stop by and check out some of the other contenders in this year’s Biocup!

B.B. Kong – King of the concrete jungle

Marco De Bon has graced our pages with his LEGO mech’s many times but with his new Mecha Beast “B.B. Kong”, he’s approached them from a whole new slant. Most, if not all of his mechs, are completely armored, meaning all mechanisms are hidden. B.B. Kong, on the other hand, is full of exposed piping and other greebly goodness.

Lego Mecha Beast "B. B. Kong"

Click to check out more of this Mecha Beast

Tank Man immortalised in ABS

Singaporean LEGO builder Jeffrey Kong‘s latest composition is a simple yet moving piece marking the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Incident. Kong’s work, both with the brick and with the public, has inspired me many times, and this time its a combination of the two. The scale he’s chosen has brought out a well crafted yet ominous tank and unknown protester, with the large Chinese character 点, imposing its presence. Translated to “a small amount, a dot or a drop”, this character is censored annually on China’s internet. You can read more on Kong’s Instagram. Every part within this build is a common element, leaving a stark example that you don’t need countless complex combinations to achieve an elegant creation. I find the impressive compositions here relate more to the contrasting colour use and symbolism of what it represents. I do thoroughly enjoy the 2×2 round plate with Rounded Bottom that he’s employed inversely as the tank hatch though.

This is the simplified #Chinese character 点, which can mean a small amount, a dot or a drop, or to nod or tap. This character, which is used by creative netizens to represent a tank rolling over obstacles, is censored by China's internet every June. You c

Little Apple gets an upgrade

This little LEGO beige box, by Thilo Schoen, is none other than the original 1984 Apple Macintosh. Over the years, I’ve seen quite a few builds of the Mac in question. But Thilo’s Hello Mac! is sporting something special. With the real one traditionally packing 128 KB of RAM, this sweet little recreation has been retrofitted with technology 25 years its junior: a 2009 iPod nano. Built tightly around this powerful futuristic processer, Thilo has kept its iconic shaping with some seamless SNOT work. The beveled edge framing the screen hasn’t been lost in the process either. I’m particularly fond of the modified 1×2 grille bricks used along the bottom as venting. Most impressive to me though, was that he has raised the front side up one plate thickness. This subtlety allows the whole unit to give it its classic tilted face.

Hello Mac!

AL-SPSS-N9 Spessar redefines striking darkness

A prolific name in the realm of LEGO mecha is Lu Sim. His mecha present functional articulation, compact cockpits and a ton of character. Each one holds its own in originality and portrays a definite omnipresence. Lu’s latest titled “AL-SPSS-N9 Spessar” is an excellent example. Supported by a predominantly black and dark bluish grey frame, the encasing armour has been completed in a brilliant use of trans-neon/trans orange elements.

AL-SPSS_N9 Spessar

See more of this great orange mech

Classic flight plan hanging around

If you love LEGO flying vehicles, chances are that you may have come across the models of Maelven. His ability to switch between slick renditions of Star Wars vehicles and classic planes is beautiful. It always makes me wonder what he’s going to come out with next. His Blind Man’s Bluff Hangar is full of fine elemental compositions. The plane by itself looks great, with one wing folded up and step ladder at the ready.

Blind Man's Bluff Hangar

This is a new rendition of Maelven’s previous Hawler Sea Fury T.20, a LEGO plane he has been refining since 2012. Accompanying it are a host of other fine details, from his beasty Ratrod to the stripped fuselage and workshop fixtures. However, my eyes kept being drawn towards the top of this superb diorama to take in the roof trusses of this classic hanger. A seamless combination of Technic connectors, liftarms and Technic bricks achieving a specific form such as this always makes me happy. Between the truss and the rigid hose conduit, this fantastic scene is well-framed.

A countryside cottage to call home

17th Century Europe was a period rife with change, from feudal powers to the birthing stages of parliament. It also brought with it a decline in houses constructed of wood, giving way to stone and brick-built abodes. Benjamin Calvetti has replicated this style with stunning class, and his English Cottage is jam-packed with lovely details. The continuity in stone work, from the bordering fence line to the walls of the cottage, speak more of the local quarry than they do of a random handful of LEGO bricks.

English Cottage (main)

See more pictures of this quaint cottage, including a fully furnished interior!

Another shrimp for the barbie

The Penaeus monodon, otherwise known as the Tiger Prawn, is native to the Indo-Pacific region. It’s also cultivated for food consumption all over the world. Jason Cichon has done an excellent job at bringing these LEGO marine crustacea to life….Well, one of them at least. Seafood connoisseurs will recognise the orange prawn on the bottom, largely due to their understanding of what they look like after having been cooked.

IMG_20190612_213631

His mix of modified plates and 2×1 Wedge’s in the abdomen creates smooth articulation within the build. This combination allows the pleura to sit snugly against each other. A flexible spike minifig weapon has been used for the rostrum while, further down, the leg assemblies have been topped off with small red horns. In the end, the part that brings this model into the realm of realism is the flexible hose with connection ends as the antenna. The colours employed throughout are so incredibly fitting, I’m sure Jason stood around a barbeque in the summer quite a few times.

An Atlas to take your personnel further

Sometimes I come across LEGO builds that add a new wrinkle to my brain as I’m scanning all the details while trying to spot all the exquisite parts uses. Markus Rollbühler tends to be a name synonymous with said builds. His newest addition to Mech Monday, #22: ATLAS – Multipurpose Carrier, is absolutely no exception. The first question I thought was, “Where do I start?” and the first elements to grab me were the Minifig Jet Pack and 1×1 Decorated Tile with Telephone Speaker Pattern. That combination is pure greeble at a tiny scale. Next, the new(ish) Minifig Blaster with studs on all sides. Not only did they get used for legs, they were also used for its well-armored head stock. It took me a few seconds of admiring Bucket Handles and Minifig Hands, to realise Markus is even hiding segments from a Yoda Wristwatch for the mech’s back.

Mech Monday #22: ATLAS – Multipurpose Carrier

All of that without even mentioning the paint job. The militarised tone is well balanced between its shell of sand green and its industrial framework of bluish greys. Add some touches of Dark Tan into the mix and its complete. I am curious to see it in other colour schemes though–adaptations for different purposes perhaps?

If you missed it, check out Markus Rollbühler’s last LEGO Mech we featured.

Lean, green and mean.. Built for separating the pack.

Early in May, we showcased Inthert’s previous Speeder, and now barely a month later he shares another great one. His new LEGO Speeder Bike comes with the feeling of a deluxe personal outrigger, capable of some spectacular turns. Impressively bold in colour, Victor-Vine’s Bike looks striking with the simple but well-balanced gradient running through its core. The main body, built from twin green brick separators, gives way to its sleek design and powerful rear end. The steering pinion-shafts lead to the lengthy upper-stock, reaching the nose rudder with ease. It makes me wonder what sort of G’s it would pull taking a tight corner. The front end is held together with a couple of 2×2 white Rubber Bands, giving enough pressure to keep the nose assembly in fine form.

Victor-Vine's Bike

Towards the engines, we see some nice parts usage, tightly constructed and predominantly in black. I was personally pleased to see the white 1/2 Technic Bush and the Modified 1×2 Plate with Ladder. Such a simple element like this ancient ladder plate, tends to be abandoned for the 1×2 – 2×2 Bracket and a couple of 1×2 Grills, so it’s good to see it pop up here.