Chris has been involved in many parts of the LEGO community for over twenty years, and has been building most of his life. A love of transparent bricks and pop culture combine in most of his creations, which tend to be pretty large scale. His website, Reasonably Clever, featured one of the longest running brick-based webcomics, as well as one of the first LEGO-themed avatar creators. His photographs and creations have appeared in several books.
The Gibson Les Paul was one of the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitars. There are a lot of versions and editions, but this is the first time I’ve seen one made out of LEGO, at least at a 1:1 scale. Builder morimorilego has paid close attention to realism in this reproduction of the “Les Paul Standard”. The body is decked out in layers of red, orange, and yellow tile and brick, with the pickguard standing out in vibrant white. Golden dishes and transparent yellow 2×2 round brick are used for the control knobs, and the output jack is courtesy of a system wheel rim. Those details complement the work done in the neck and headstock, which help make this build feel like it’s ready to play.
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As the heroes’ mobile headquarters, Destiny’s Bounty is a key vehicle in the Ninjago universe. We’ve seen three versions of it before, and the Summer 2020 Ninjago wave brings a fourth in the form of an updated “Legacy” version. 71705 Ninjago Legacy: Destiny’s Bounty is available now for US $129.99 | CAN $159.99 | UK £124.99. As a callback to the earliest days of Ninjago lore, can this set hold up to fan’s nostalgic expectations, as well as providing something new? And what appeal does it have for those of us who just like ninjas but don’t have any real context for the set? Read on and see!
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In the Star Wars universe, R2 units are super useful droids. They can help navigate hyperspace, handle power routing, and even do spot repairs. That’s all great if you have a starship, but what about us here on Earth? What sort of assistance can we hope for? Well, John Cooper has a possible answer: this LEGO version of R2-D2 is a fully functional gumball machine. There’s a crank in the center of the chest, and opening hatches on the front reveal a hidden coin slot and gum dispenser. A hatch on the back protects the accumulated cash. I love the clear dome panels used for the head – the exposed gumballs remind me of an old Fisher Price Corn Popper toy. Sadly this version lacks that pop-o-matic type function.
Curious to see things in action? Check out the video!
John also shared a few behind-the-scenes tidbits about the build with us: Originally the gumballs were going to come out a simple hinged door at the front. But when I decided to use the three-leg configuration, that tilted the body back. So I devised the drawer to capture the gumball when it exists the sloped vertical drop.
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The passenger pigeon went extinct in 1914, the victim of deforestation and overhunting. Matt Goldberg pays tribute to this lost species with a beautiful LEGO recreation. This build is a complex mix of Technic, Bionicle, and System parts, with overlapping panels recreating organic curves. Minifigure arms help shape the head, and small radar dishes and 1×1 round plates give this bird just the right mournful eye line. I also like the inclusion of some props to give some context to things. The perch may be a simple build, but the tan creates a nice color contrast for the plumage. It’s a somber image, but a lovely one.
Birds are a popular subject for LEGO builders. For more avian goodness, check out some other featured models.
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The Fujifilm X100 Series is an iconic camera line, and builder John Huang has given it an equally iconic LEGO treatment. Curved slope tiles in grey and black give the housing clean edges and lines. A minifigure frying pan makes a great stand-in for the viewfinder selector switch, and a Technic gear forms the shutter speed dial.
As nice as those details are, the viewfinder on this one is really a cut above. It’s also cool to see the lens housing rotated and sitting at a tilted angle; it makes this feel even more like a functional piece of camera equipment. I’m just loving all these 1:1 scale LEGO cameras lately, but this one makes me particularly happy.
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LEGO builder Moko has created an ultra-chibi version of Ultraman. Does that make this Chibi-Man? Or Ultra-Chibi? Chibi-Chibi-Spam-Ultra-Man? Well, whatever you call him, he’s a pint-sized pack of awesome. It’s the overall clean lines that make this build stand out to me. Clever use of quarter-circle and macaroni tiles create a cool take on the eyes, and plenty of slope brick helps make the figure feel streamlined.
As a bonus, there’s a lot of articulation to play with, making this guy even more action-packed. It makes me wonder if the underlying structure could be adapted for even more characters at this scale. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to have Moko give that idea a try.
In the meantime, how does this build stack up against Moko’s other featured creations? There’s just one way to find out…click and see!
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I love the films of Guillermo del Toro, and Pan’s Labyrinth is one of his creepiest. In “The Feast”, mr_youm brings us a LEGO rendition of the Pale Man that’s every bit as creepy as the cinematic counterpart. Technic gears form a frightful maw, topped by minifigure legs creating the nose. Layers of wedge plates creates some great textures in the torso, and there are a lot of Mixel joints present to make him extra poseable. But don’t overlook the feast itself. I really like the silver carafe design, including that inverted tooth plate for a spout and dinosaur tail for a handle. And the mix of black and transparent red 1×1 round plate in the bowl just looks…eerie. Oh. And there are eyes on the plate. That’s not sinister at all. You know, maybe I won’t stay for dinner…
So…that “gears for teeth” thing. Is it a building trope I missed? Because it feels like I wrote about another creation with the same technique just the other day…
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The summer 2020 Ninjago sets offer a wide range of options, from small Spinjitzu Spinners to giant mechs. The largest set, 71722 Ninjago: Skull Sorcerer’s Dungeons clocks in at a solid 1171 pieces, including eight minifigures. Costing US $99.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £89.99, this set is available now. But does it have appeal outside of the Ninjago theme? Are there good parts? Is it a good value? Is it…any fun? Read on and see!
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Nostalgia time! Builder Cameron has created a superb LEGO version of the star of 90’s Nicktoon Rocko’s Modern Life, and great part usage abounds. There are minifigure arms repurposed for the fingers, and a car hood for the snout. The nose itself is courtesy of a Dodge logo sticker. Stickers also form the pupils on those shoulder panel eyes. The Hero Factory theme is tapped for those red shoes, and Technic for the ears. But the most clever part usage? That has to the Scala dress that makes up Rocko’s shirt.
This build isn’t nearly as mysterious as the last one we featured from Cameron. Or….is it??? (Answer: No. The other build is much more mysterious. Go look.)
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When I think about the rebel fleet from Star Wars, “dirty and ragtag” are usually the watchwords. “Clean and sleek” don’t usually come to mind. But, as we saw with the Millennium Falcon from Solo, even the grubbiest vessels were once showroom-new. That’s what I like about this LEGO X-Wing from Sam K Bricks. Complete with redesigned triangular engines, this modification of the base design feels right at home in that blue sky. The additions of some front-facing sensors on tail fins change the shaping of the nose to make for a more streamlined look, too. It’s probably the first time a starfighter design has made me feel…relaxed.
If you like your X-Wings a bit more on the used side, be sure to check out another featured variation of Sam’s, this time with square engines.
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If a ninja had to pick a favorite bit of weaponry, you might think they’d opt for a throwing star, or a sword, or something like that. But I suspect there’s a different answer, at least as far as Ninjago ninjas go: I think it’s pretty clear that they all prefer giant robots. The summer 2020 Ninjago line features a new one, 71720 Ninjago: Fire Stone Mech. This 968 piece set is available for US $69.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £64.99. Sure, all the ninjas like it, but how cool is it really?
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LEGO has been doing their part to make their bricks more of a renewable resource in recent years. Builder Green Axles takes things a step further with Nature taketh, nature giveth, showing us a full cycle of plastic life. At first glance all you may see are the vibrant colors of undersea plant life. There are clever techniques and creative part usage everywhere you look. I like the yellow dinosaur tails topped with Technic Bushings, orange Bionicle shooter halves, and dark turquoise Technic ball sockets.
Look again and you’ll spot a more somber inclusion in the form of the skeletal remains of a diver. Their suit has rotted away, leaving only a collar and a bit of brown cloth. The use of tan Technic gears for the teeth provide a visual context to the bleached bones.
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