Messing with scale can be extremely satisfying with LEGO. Build Jannis Mavrostomos works some magic once again with this brick-built robin fitted for passengers. The theme of Rescue Rangers and scenes of The Rescuers blend with Thumbelina and The Borrowers for this whimsical build. Climb the precarious stairs and saddle up for a closer look at the clever little details.
Okay, Star Trek fans, yours truly (Christopher Burden) here with something fresh! For the last few years my best friend Capn.Brickard and I have been exchanging custom models for birthdays and holidays. We love giving each other a challenge, and this year I had my work cut out for me. Out of three options that he gave, I chose to take on La Sirena from the 2020 Star Trek spin-off Picard. Honestly, as soon as it was revealed, I wanted to build it, but at the time, I wasn’t quite ready to take it on — all the different angles and slopes, not to mention that accursed command deck.
Bonsais have been a hit this year thanks to the introduction of the Botanical Collection 10281 Bonsai Tree. Builder Ashton Douglas took some time to design his own version as a gift. Two bonsai sets and some extra elements came together to create a delightful custom model for Ashton’s friend to display. Though the base and pot are elements from the Bonsai set, rock work, trunk, and interesting foliage make this a beautifully unique build. There’s a wistfulness to the build with the way the pink frog seems to be staring at the lamp hanging from the branches.
The collaborative community of the LEGO fanbase is fed by builders sharing their techniques and designs. Builder Magnus W was inspired to build a model of his old Yamaha DT50MX based on the Technic frame of builder George Panteleon’s Yamaha XT550. Full of details, plenty of which are personal to the builder, this model makes itself distinct while still hitting all the right notes. I’m sure building it was a nostalgia-flavored treat.
Watching the Harry Potter films is somewhat of a holiday tradition for my family. Builder Castor Troy has surely seen the films plenty of times because his model of Gringotts bank is spot on. The size and bulk of the build match perfectly to the Minifigure Ron and Harry hanging out by the large front doors. The leaning columns that make the face of the bank so distinct are wonderfully captured. The dome capping it all off is actually Yavin-4 from the second series of the Star Wars Planets. I have to commend that parts usage due to its marbling of greens and gold. It perfectly matches the gold detailing around it and the bank as a whole. The architectural style of the building is well built, full of detail and prestige.
Harry and Ron are probably off to spend their holiday money amongst the shops of Diagon Alley. Hopefully, they get something practical in addition to the sweets, Quidditch gear, and joke supplies. Then again, it is Ron and Harry.
Oh, Zoids. For those hip to this classic mecha series, it’s hard not to get excited when you see something like this pop up in your feed. When I see builders like Juan Fernando Vargas Correa celebrating the series with such massive LEGO models, I swell with nostalgia. I mean, Gundams get tons of love (as they should) but Zoids are rarely celebrated as much as they deserve. This model, which he calls a Brachiosaurus, is based on the Ultrasaurus. It’s giant body is designed to serve as a mobile command center with some serious armaments. Two massive, long-ranged Supercannons are mounted on its side along with a plethora of other weapons lining its shoulders, tail, and chest. Not only does it pack a punch but it can take one too. The builder’s color blocking and plating show off the massive amount of armor necessary for such a ginormous, lumbering beast to defend itself in battle.
This thing is truly large and would be a beast to build. Hopefully it has lots of little vehicles and tiny Zoids to go with it, just like the kits would. That launch pad on its back certainly would hint at it, right? Builder Juan Correa will surely continue to impress with his awesome recreations and re-imaginings of these beloved toys.
The marriage of Star Wars and LEGO has made them so intrinsically connected that making your own version of the iconic X-wing starfighter can be a crowning achievement for some builders. Or maybe more like a litmus test for your building skills? Either way, Builder Jerac clearly understood the assignment while working on his 1250+ piece version of the T-70, first revealed in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It may have taken him 22 tries to get it exactly right, but I’m sure Poe would be proud to fly this beauty.
This time of year always brings out a plethora of adorable builds. From massive to microscale, there’s always something to enjoy. This delightful, tiny display by Builder Hawaii Toad is modeled to look like a music box with a small golden crank on the side. The holiday theme runs throughout, from the color-blocked bricks in the base to the snow-capped peaks looking over the sleepy village. As a train emerges from a tunnel, clearing snow from the tracks as it goes, a tiny version of Santa’s sleigh flies overhead. While the scene is quite picturesque, my favorite part is the use of frogs…er..toads? Whichever is appropriate in the builder’s mind, those adorable little pieces have had quite the year in pop culture. It’s nice to see them included in the holiday.
Alternate builds for LEGO sets have long been part of the fun. When I was a kid, I remember loving to see the variants featured on the back of the box. As a young fan of LEGO, it inspired me to look at that box of bricks in a different light — to try my hand at my own alternates. Twenty years later, I can count myself amongst a crowd of LEGO fans devoted to alternate builds. Though you can find all sizes of re-imagined sets, few are as ambitions as builder Lucas Bolt and his Modular variant of the microscale 71043 Hogwarts Castle. Inspired by the magic school aspect, Lucas created the University of Cambricks to fit perfectly on the corner of a LEGO Modular city street.
The winged horse of Greek mythology has evolved quite a lot over the eons. Controversial origins and dangerous quests have fluctuated with ideas from fairytales and childrens’ stories. Well, Builder Stijn van der Laan has presented his own version and its certainly not suited for little girls. Unless those little girls have a penchant for war. The RX-12 Pegasus is an unmanned aerial vehicle partly inspired by modern drones with a prop plane twist. Some nice parts usage with newer elements rounds out this build for a smooth design.
The clean, almost studless top portion of this build does well to trick the eye. Stijn made use of the new wedge pieces from the Porsche 911 to achieve the nice slopes on the nose and prop sections. The counter-rotating propellers also use black “flipper” elements to nicely emulate the style of the real thing.
Of course, something like this usually has to land eventually. The builder did a great job with the thin but effective crafting of the landing gear, which I imagine nicely tucks away under some of the exposed panels. This drone has a delightfully sleek profile and a ton of accesories if you feel like checking them out. I love seeing models build to scale with the Technic figures. They may be a bit of a relic but they’re still a delightful piece of LEGO history.
Oh, a little disclaimer from the writer. War is a serious and difficult aspect of the human condition. I will celebrate the design of the builder and even certain capabilities of the real-world inspiration but I do not stand by the warfare supported by such devices. Instead of bombs, I wish we could use these to drop knowledge. For archaeological and ecological surveys, for species and habitat maintenance. Perhaps one day we shall see such an aspirational era.
Gearheads and design fanatics will always find a way to include cars in their life. Those that share a love of LEGO (and sometimes even those that don’t) get to delight in tinkering on their own project cars. Even if they’re a fraction of the size of the original. Builder Dave J faced some extra challenges with this model of ’69 Camaro Convertible in dark azure. The limited parts available in that color forced Dave to get pretty inventive with some brackets to achieve a smooth and clean design.
A few episodes into The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime and fans of the original series by Robert Jordan have already sounded off about what’s disappointed them. Being outside that group but familiar with the disappointment a book-to-film/series adaptation can bring, I can understand a few of their points. Nonetheless, I’ve enjoyed most of what I’ve seen so far. Pacing and casting choices aside, the series has inspired fans of the series and LEGO to create their versions of its iconic moments and places. Builder Douglas Hughes brings us the second in a series of scenes he’s contributed to a Randland-inspired collaboration. Here he’s created his own version of Whitebridge in Andor. Or should I say the White Bridge? Both, I guess, so take a moment to appreciate all those detailed and ornate buildings rising up to match the height of the bridge.
