Posts by Chris Burden

Spooky, hungry alien will eat you in good time

Doesn’t he just look…friendly? Those big eyes and that toothy smile just set your mind at ease, right? This model of B.A.R.R.Y. the hungry alien by LEGO Masters contestant Caleb Campion is a grotesque balance between friendly and frightening. His delicately sculpted head has a Grendel-like appearance that only a mother could love, not to mention the cursed Jar-Jar Binks heads that Caleb used as hands. The red cape from the Monkey King mech gave him a bit of a challenge but the final result blends well into the red tentacles swarming out from beneath B.A.R.R.Y.’s body. The bright red stands out well against the stark background and perfectly frames the mess of exposed innards in the creature’s chest. If I had landed my craft and been greeted by this, I’d be hightailing out of the atmosphere already.

B-A-R-R-Y, the hungry extraterrestrial

B.A.R.R.Y.’s ready for his close-up! This creepy face might be the last thing you see on this distant exoplanet. Eagle-eyed builders will recognize the plethora of droid arms used to round out his head in addition to the droid head used as his nose. With everything going on, or going wrong, with this build I’d believe it if you told me this is what it looks like when you take a Muppet’s skin off. This looks like someone locked Animal in that attic from the insurance commercial for a hundred years.

B-A-R-R-Y, the hungry extraterrestrial

It’s no surprise that a LEGO Master’s contestant could weave together bricks in such a cute but creepy way. Caleb Campion continues to show us the chops that got him on the show in the first place, setting up not only well built characters but also complimentary scenery that helps tell the story.

A Nahuatl future

Taking its name from the Aztec or Nahuatl word for strength, the Chikautok Jr-2 by Flickr builder Oskar certainly has a strong design. This spacecraft features some powerfully contrasting color blocking to break up the otherwise smoothly flowing body. Various Bionicle elements work their way into the engine and wing sections, adding texture and a technological feel to the build. White rubber bands blend in with the triangular engine/wing combos, serving a functional purpose with a design flair. The red canopy for the cockpit flows smoothly from one side of the craft to the other while blending in almost seemingly with the red stripe along the center of the craft.

Chikautok Jr-2

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Ghalad Grommash the Bust

Much like orcs, some builders get attention by just existing. While Orcs face any number of judgments about their character and culture due to their appearance, builders like Steven Howard garner a fandom by making intensely detailed models. A spaceship and figure crafting legend, Steven is an accomplished builder with a seeming ability to perfectly render his ideas into LEGO models. This bust, loosely based on Grommash Hellscream from World of Warcraft, is somewhat of a first for Steven, since he usually crafts full bodies for his characters too. Not that he doesn’t plan on trying to build one eventually, once he can get ahold of all the parts. After all, this orc’s head is not small by any since. I’d wager this whole build is probably bigger than the upcoming Mighty Bowser and it packs a bigger visual punch to show it.

ORC

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Then why is it a HAMburger?!

This cyborg version of an old Fabuland figure is pretty torn up about your food choices. Flickr Builder Moko has been making mechs for a long time and, after creating some cyborg versions of LEGO animals, they’ve moved on to some LEGO legends. For the unfamiliar, Fabuland sets were introduced at the end of the 70s and went out of production at the end of the 80s. As Moko puts it in his blog, Fabuland offered a more “picture-book-like world view” with anthropomorphized animal citizens. Think of them as the middle sibling between Duplo and LEGO with a twist of Richard Scarry’s Busytown. Though these figures and sets aren’t produced by LEGO anymore, they still have a core fan group among some collectors due to their rarity and obscurity.  Here Moko has created a mercenary cyborg soldier with an edgy appetite. The plethora of detailed, hinged elements that Moko uses combine in the arms, legs and bodies provide a thick, responsive frame to protect the rider within. Fully armed and prepared for combat, this mech only has one week spot but its a necessary one. After all, how else are you supposed to keep eating during battle? Can’t have crumbs in the cockpit either.

FabuSoldier 01

Aside from all of the amazing details and angles that Moko has created, the solid yellow crystal piece with a red brick as French fries is a stand out detail here. The color-blocking and range of motion that Moko employs always renders a satisfying product that reads well and strikes envy in LEGO mech fans everywhere. Either that or fear, given its intense arsenal and bulk.

LEGO Arcana Number Nine

When I first saw this model, I had to do a double-take. It didn’t register as LEGO at first but the second glance proceeded to blow my mind. Builder Ted Andes created this fantastic model for a big competition between builders that happens most summers nowadays. Inspired by the ninth card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, The Hermit, this model utilizes a slew of old and new pieces from the System and Technic alike. Light nougat hands hold key objects from The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck’s version of the Hermit art. Candlesticks in dark tan make a simplistic staff that fits perfectly with the hands. The other arm lifts up a lantern made with slim black wedge belt wheels linked with bars and studs as the frame while two oppositely oriented triangular clips create a light flare effect to match the card. Spiky Hero Factory armor in white is inverted as a beard that consumes the Hermit’s face while his hood is made of a large Chima Gorilla head. A clever camera angle hides the gold and mouth details of the mask just enough to sell the hood effect. A fabric cloak hides most of the inner structure of the figure which is mounted on a raised mountain baseplate that mostly showed up in Bionicle sets.

IX - The Hermit.

The meaning of this card within the Tarot is somewhat clear. It is a time to look within and identify those things about yourself that may need reexamined. Sometimes the answers to life’s questions lie inside and only through introspection will they be revealed. Similarly, Ted Andes has presented a magical model that hides the secrets to some of its construction behind that dark robe and black Technic panels.

Intergalactic Telephone Crew: Volume Two

It’s been a while since we covered the fourth of 8 builds from the second round of the Starfighter Telephone Game, or STG, so lets do a recap as we highlight the final build in the series. The STG-2 Beyonder, built by Simon Liu, the spaceship legend himself, made for a super strong finish for the whole game. For those not in the know, the game includes eight builders, passing along a spaceship design that they reimagine and redesign with each subsequent build. As such, the form and function can shift and change in dramatic ways from the first ship to the last. The bright green canopy surrounded by white angular canopy pieces smooth out the cockpit and compliment the triangular shaping achieved with the left and right roof tiles that Simon pulled from the Bone Demon set. Dark grey mock-wings stretch out from the green, white, and blue fuselage while gold tiling on the engines can be seen peeking out from behind the craft. Unfortunately Simon hasn’t provided much of a look at the back. Thankfully, the front is so beautifully built it’s worth appreciating on its own. The greebly, detailed interior of the cockpit feature’s many LEGO fans’ favorite frog piece as this sleek ship’s pilot.

STG-2 Beyonder

Check out the previous ships!

A tiny bit of Amsterdam 1627

Building a house from LEGO can provide plenty of challenges, from aesthetic to structure. Builder Aukbricks went for both in this rendered microscale model of a canal house in Amsterdam, circa 1627. The crow-stepped gable high above the tree employs a plate stacking technique that’s repeated throughout the model to achieve an intricate pattern of stacked plates. Much like Hollywood sets, this facade is a well crafted fake propped up and properly decorated to trick the eye. Nonetheless, the resulting model employs some clever set decoration to sell the image. Stacked brown stud blasters create a textured trunk ripe with connection points for the branches above.

Amsterdam 1627

The builder provided a view into the structure of the building’s front. Taking out the sides and revealing the complicated means that everything is connected, Aukbricks shows us the tricks it takes to make some art. Though this building lacks a livable interior, it would still make a lovely addition to any tiny neighborhood. Honestly, I’d like to see more microscale cities with the number of trophy figures that we have out there at the moment. Then again, with interiors like this, it might just be a little more complicated to achieve than I’d assume.

Amsterdam 1627

The LEGO boar of Erymanthos

Don’t let the weapons sticking out of the creature’s side, Hercules really is trying to take him in alive. This June seems ripe with Kaiju-inspired creations and Builder MySnailEatsPizza has added their own to the mix. Based on the fourth of Hercules’ twelve labors, this massive boar terrorizes the villages and forests surrounding Mount Erymanthos. A brick-built snout and face blends in with Technic and Bionicle pieces in the body. A smattering of bones of those that have fallen before it compliment its numerous, massive tusks.

The Erymanthian Boar

Pig out on some more pictures below!

A blockbuster Classic Space ship

It all comes full circle. Builder Dana Knudson pays homage to the Classic Space theme with this recolored adaptation of the XL-15 Spaceship from Disney-Pixar’s Lightyear. Director Angus MacLane is an ecstatic fan of LEGO and, like many AFOLs, falls into the space-nerd camp. In fact while working on the designs and story of Lightyear he frequently turned to his bricks to sketch out the concepts, even choosing to make the canopies for all the ships yellow just so LEGO would be forced to make a new yellow canopy again. So it was destined that we would eventually see the ships from that film adapted with Classic Space regalia as Dana Knudson has done here. Much of the ship is practically the same as the XL-15 but Dana did have to come up with a SNOT brick and cheese slope solution near the pilot’s seat. Since the roof tiles used in the original design aren’t (yet) available in blue, Dana had to come up with a different way to mimic their structure.

XL-15-CS

Not a technically new design but a satisfying homage worth celebrating none the less, I know we can expect more space-themed redesigns of this iconic ship.

A reflection of the past

Bound within the limits of an old ring, this art nouveau inspired scene by Builder Ralf Langer is an improvised snapshot into a fantasy world. This master of scenery shows us yet again why he’s gained such a legendary status amongst the community. His style is instantly recognizable, especially if you’re familiar with his past works which feature such bright pink, finned trees as we see here, or intricate, almost gravity defying, buildings with life-like stonework. Wanting to work in some Jugendstil ornamentation, the Germanic parallel to Art Nouveau styles between 1895 and 1910, Ralf started with the windows and used thread with stud parts to create curvy and loopy decorations. After abandoning a handful of tower designs that looked like they came from a galaxy far, far away he settled one with a thin, wispy elegance. The fragility of both structures is only visual while the tree itself apparently needs a hidden Ninjago Spinner as a counterweight under the reflective surface of the pool. Another strong suit of Ralf’s is using the sheen of our favorite plastic playthings in a way that isn’t directly obvious. Here he forces our perspective of the flat sides of the sand green bricks he used in the pool so that we see the buildings and the trees reflected in its surface. Bits of blue and white are worked in to break up the monotony and he even adds some red and pink near the tree to help the reflection of the tree’s leaves.

The pool

While the greebly ring may be the remnants of his old Halo ring build, Ralf still proves his inventiveness with ornamental statues and sculptures at the base and tops of the two towers. As usual, his strong suit as a builder is making us all scratch our heads at how his work is even possible. I mean, he even tells us that the ring needs an extra frame to hold its structure until the whole thing has been built. That’s a level of dedication that few of us have the space to commit. Keep up the awesome work, Ralf.

Schedule a stop at the Station Hotel

From near and far, this world and any other, all are welcome at the luxurious and grand Station Hotel. Builder Andrew Tate delivers yet another lushly decorated building, this time in the form of an ornate, four story hotel inspired by Victorian-era architecture. Built at modular scale but sure to dwarf most other buildings that LEGO has designed, this massive corner hotel’s interior may remain a mystery to most looking up at its windows but for those that take up residence within its halls, it is sure one of the most luxurious accommodations Earth has to offer. Black roofing atop the penthouse suite contrasts the dark red brickwork while complimenting the golden filigree and details worked in above the street windows.

The Station Hotel

As the intrepid young traveler we see approaching the entrance has learned, not every Earther is welcoming to extraterrestrial guests such as himself. Thankfully, he’s stayed at the Station before and has known most of the staff, including Howie the doorman, for many cycles. On top of that, since the fountain outside of the hotel’s entrance is a common gathering spot for locals and tourists alike, he’s enjoyed becoming part of such a welcoming community.

The Station Hotel

Looking at the rest of Andrew Tate’s work, I can tell that he’s great at exteriors and interiors alike. As such, I hope one day we’ll get to see the interior of this beautiful hotel. Minifigure me can always dream of his own life of LEGO luxury, can’t he?

Spooky castles at a distance

This latest model by builder LEGO Monkey certainly provides some challenges moving level to level. Adorable, spindly castles are perched on floating islands connected by cascading waterfalls. The whole thing reminds me of a level from Kingdom Hearts 2 that I remember playing through back in 2006. Where’s Sora, Donald, and Goofy when you need them? While they’re out protecting the universe with Mickey, I hope you have Glide Lvl 3 unlocked for this tour of the castles’ grounds. Horns and minifigure accessories adorn a variety of light bluish grey elements to make delightful towers and halls which come to a cute, curved point. Angled and sloped pieces are used in dark bluish grey to create each of the floating islands, while different shades of green elements make up the lawns and foliage. Vines stretch between each block and blue flame elements are wedged together to make microscale waterfalls reaching down to the trans-blue and clear tiles of the sea below.

Mage Mountain

Honestly, I’m not sure how each of these islands is staying up but I love the results in this edited photo. Whatever spooky actions LEGO Monkey used to keep them in the air, I hope they can keep the magic going.