Posts by Chris Burden

Adding Dawson to the Circle

The music scene is filled with countless artists, so deep cuts that overlap LEGO and eclectic artists can be rare. Builder Eero Okkonen  recently completed this model of singer-songwriter Richard Dawson to update his past display of the band Circle. It’s no surprise Eero says he had an easy time going about this build, as the black uniform allowed for a great piece selection to maintain uniformity. The main issues he faced were building Richard’s face and hair, which come across delightfully in the final product. Dawson often works his voice from the top to bottom of his range in songs, so it’s wonderful that the models mouth seems to be caught mid-lyric. Other details such as the microphone, guitar, and speaker all add to the immersion of the scene. The only thing I can’t get passed are the skeleton arms as fingers because they just make me think Richard has more little hands at the fingertips. I’m disturbed but curious as to how it would help his guitar playing.

Richard Dawson

As a personal fan of Richard Dawson myself, this was a delightfully unexpected model to see. Plenty of builders have been covering famous musical artists over the last year, mostly mainstream or rock. This model has me curious about Circle, and pleased at how the process of discovering new music can be just as odd as your taste in tunes.

Magical LEGO Mario Mosaic

Interactive LEGO experiences aren’t the norm for the average set builder but public events can often feature large mosaics such as this. Builder Hans Demol designed this awesome Mario & Friends mosaic for LEGO fans to build as a group during an event. Each person would get a 16×16 plate to fill in and add to the picture, filling it in frame by frame until all 49 plates were done. LEGO has made bank on their Mosaic sets and it’s easy to emulate their method in stud or brick form. After all, you’re basically just working with pixel art, which is wildly popular on its own thanks to the Minecraft and classic gaming fanbase. As such, there are pixelating programs you can use to roughly design models like this but it’s also fun to try to freehand your own. It’s great to blend with regular models too. For example, I once used it to make a screen for drive-in theater!

LEGO mosaic: Mario & Friends

Speaking from personal experience, I can say pieces like this can be wildly popular with builders of all levels and ages. Little hands might struggle with 1×1 plates but bricks look the same from above and those are a lot easier for them to handle. Hans did an awesome job shaping and shading each character which means there are definitely going to be people searching for certain sections to complete. Those super colorful sections are super fun but can also be super confusing for little ones. It’d be awesome to see this completed in real life though!

Space Pirate-ship Keuppia

Presumably named after an extinct genus of octopus, the Keuppia by Builder BetaNotus is also inspired by an ancient expansion from 1994 of the Star Wars role-playing game. The Discril-class attack cruisers from Cracken’s Rebel Operatives may not be canon now but their general shaping was similar to the model that BetaNotus crafted in their honor. Like the once Imperial vessels which fell into the hands of brigands and thieves, this ship is “crewed by pirates seeking fame, fortune, and unsuspecting merchants,” as the builder puts it. Originally built for BrickFair Virginia 2021, there are a slew of techniques used in the shaping of this craft. BetaNotus covered almost ever crack and angle while also creating a frightfully armed front end. The grill slopes used at the front could be large vents or textured armor, either reads well, but the triple gun arms are real heavy hitters. I could see why pirates would like such an craft as it would be great for running down ships and disabling their shields while taking plenty of hits of its own.

The Keuppia

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Parting out a 1956 Super 88

Wow. There are lots of ways to breathe life into old things but Builder Thomas Gion found a new one using some crutches. Inspired while driving down the highway, Thomas decided to try to recreate the shaping of its front grill using that unique crutch piece and the rest was history. Not quite Speed Champions scale with its 5-stud wide cabin, this probably fits more into the midi-scale category. Either way, the parts usage on this build is ingenious. Not only is the detailing on the front of the model amazing, the coloration Thomas achieved in the body is simplistic but effective. He also made use of old trans-clear macaroni bricks for the windscreen which was also neatly sandwiched in with some cheese slopes.

1956 Oldsmobile Super 88

It can be hard to get the shaping right for some of the classic cars. They might be blocky in some ways but they’re also pretty smooth with an artistic flair. Its always nice to see when one is done proper justice.

Massive CAT themed Sloth Walker

Making its way through the canopy, this enormous piece of LEGO equipment keeps a steady grip on the weaving branches of the rainforest canopy. Builder Charlie Jones brings us his second ambling piece of construction equipment with a CAT-themed color scheme. Perhaps suited for traversing the jungles of Pandora from James Cameron’s Avatar, the Sloth Walker’s crew clambers about its hanging body, making their way up its legs to the thick branches to survey the unique biomes and the territory below. The builder spent almost 200 hours working on this beast, along with the branches above, and it surely paid off with an impressive final product. First off, the branches of the tree are ingenious, if not a bit laborious. Time consuming as they may be, their repetition and semi-woven pattern provide a convincing effect on the overall build.

CAT Sloth Walker

The Walker, if you can really even call it that when its making its way upside down like this, is its own masterpiece though. At just under a meter long, every centimeter of this build is detailed and intentional. Using droid bodies and arms on the claws gives a delightful industrial texture, while the pneumatic-like structures in the front arms compliment a convincing design. Of course, I can’t go without mentioning that awesome domed canopy for the pilot, providing a full view around them. Using the frames of Harry Potter’s glasses from the Hogwarts Icons set as the framing for the cockpit was an ingenious move, honestly.

I commend those workers on the outside of the craft. Making my way over the exposed engines, hanging on as the arms and legs move above me, I’d hope to at least be tethered somewhere safe. I wouldn’t want to fall and get caught by the tether only to get crushed by some mechanical components. I leave this part of exploration to this brave crew, I guess, and just move on to commending Mr. Jones for a magnificent build. Keep up the good work, mate!

Intergalactic Insect Extermination

Is your quadrant overrun with insect infestations? Ask for the Insectoid Incinerator by builder WyndGekko. The latest craft by an talented designer, this ship features a twin prong weapon system straddling each side of the pilot’s canopy. The massive heat output from the weapon discharge is managed by the large vent systems next to the pilot. Angular plating covers the engine and fuselage while giving the ship a sleek but aggressive presence. Simple landing craft can be seen below the ship, allowing for easy traverse throughout the universe, as long you have enough uranium in your engines!

Insectoid Incinerator

Speaking of engines, check out the ones that the Insectoid Incinerator is sporting. Twin boosters on each side compliment the weapons in the front while providing a boost to your pulse engine while you make your way through a system. You never know when you’ll need to engage your warp or close in on an opponent in the skies of an alien world but with engines like these, you’ll never have to worry. The builder chose a sleek, tapered nozzle for the boosters featuring barrels in light bluish gray. The Rock Raiders drill piece makes for great bulky design for the main engine and WyndGekko’s choices for the larger, stubbed nozzle were wise. I also love this better angle of the white and red plating over the ship’s body. From above and at this angle I can’t help but think of Kill la Kill or Gurren Lagan. Not too shabby of a way to dig to the heavens if you ask me.

Insectoid Incinerator

Wicked Wizard Anglia

Why a Wizard needed a car, let alone one that could fly and go invisible, is beyond me. Molly Weasley was surely perplexed when her husband revealed the blue Ford Anglia to her. Though this LEGO model by Builder Greg K doesn’t disappear at the push of a button, it does have plenty of room for two second-year rascals and their luggage in its floating chassis. Built at the scale of the Mini Cooper and the Volkswagen bus, this model features smooth detailing and brick-built ornaments. Since the car floats above the stand thanks to some clear brick supports, there’s room for some scale-accurate trunks and two cages for a rat and an owl.

HP Ford Anglia

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Wake me up when SHIPtember ends

Talk about a Seriously Huge Investment in Parts, this massive Maersk vessel offers plenty of space for all your cargo hauling needs. Builder Simon Liu, one of the founders of the SHIPtember prompt, has created yet another masterpiece to add to the ranks of this year’s armada. Built to scale with the New Hashima city collaboration that Simon previously contributed to, this cargo freighter will be added to the display as they attempt to make the whole city three times larger. When landed, this gigantic hauler will fit right in with the towers of the current skyline.

Wake Me Up, When

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One Kooky Covenant

Throwing a Classic Space twist onto a concept design from Alien: Covenant sure is one way to do SHIPtember. Flickr Builder Space Kook brought their A-game this September with at least five different ships over 100-studs, either in length, width, or height. Jumping around between scales, Space Kook drew inspiration for their fourth build, the LSS Covenant. Taking design cues from early concept art of the USCSS Covenant Colony ship from the Alien movie, large solar panels flare out at the rear of the ship. Progressing further up the body, past the cargo holds, you’ll see a little fighter or drop ship peaking over the main hull of the colony vessel. Decked out in blue and yellow with white and black accents, the choice to craft this ship in Classic Space regalia allowed Space Kook a plethora of parts and design cues. Between the two references, it’s no wonder this creation has such a satisfying bow. The bumble bee stripes and yellow view screen complete the Classic Space homage while sensor arrays and directional boosters grab the eyes as satisfyingly accurate greebling.

Shiptember 2022, The LSS Covenant

This builder really went the extra mile during SHIPtember to accomplish the Herculean task of building not just one, but five massive 100-stud vessels. The techniques and parts used show off  Space Kook’s ingenuity with the process across all five and it’s definitely worth checking out the other four ships that they created this year.

The face of the last Toa

This model hit the feed and gripped the mind of every Bionicle fan that saw it. Builder Sandro Quattrini took brick-built figures to the next level with this fresh take on that iconic Toa face, sans Kanohi. The builder’s take on this warrior’s body varies slightly in their recreation of classic figure-building pieces but pays proper homage to the original nonetheless. Nice parts usage abounds throughout the design as Sandro adorns a brick-built Bionicle with the remains of the Jungle Dragon. Surviving the Ninjago apocalypse can be pretty brutal but not so much for the Toa.

The Last Toa

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All-mighty Atalanta

Employing some delightful designs within the overall model, Builder Alexandre Bigeard has crafted a sleek spacecraft full of detail. Fans of ships such as this know well the similarities and slight differences that pop up as designer after designer tries their hand in this style. Panels made of stacked brick and laden with details attach at varying angles to a greebly central frame. Technically intricate pieces line every visible surface to really sell the spacey them. Industrial colors of gray, black, and tan are augmented with lines of red and yellow, lining this up to be quite the lurker within the dark void of space.

ATALANTA Battle cruiser (side)

More details and an exploded view on this build below

Restocking Fort Stockton

Part of a larger LEGO concept by the builder, this model of the docks at Fort Stockton, Wullham features some lovely architecture, delightful parts usage, and realistic rock formations. Flickr Builder Evancelt enjoys historical era models full of red jackets and muskets set against natural scenery with old buildings. Here they used some simplistic parts as crenellations and molding along the top of the fort, while cleverly employing letters with a red seal as diamond-leaded windows. Well-molded sea grasses and foliage compliment the sharp change to rock as we move down to the dock. Basalt formations are a delightful bit of geology that we don’t see enough of in LEGO builds or real life. Using dark grey at the base to illustrate the spray and waves of the sea on the rocks is a great decision that adds to the realism of the build.

Supply Dock at Fort Stockton, Wullham

Of course, the multilayered dock is also wonderfully detailed. Multiple shades of brown make up the boards, while reddish brown and dark brown in the supports mirror the water effect used on the rocks. The lamp piece is a good period setting element that matches well with the flat-topped chest. I love seeing historical models that aren’t focused on war. Sure, these are soldiers at a Fort but still, this is more about daily life than about a battle and I’m all about that. Not to mention how soothingly executed that blue sea is on the eyes. Well done, Evancelt, well done.