About Chris Doyle

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.

Posts by Chris Doyle

When you gotta go, you gotta go

While it’s best to stay indoors, sometimes you just need to go outside. Particularly when you need to “go” outside. This slice of modern LEGO life from Crises_crs is just cute enough to not be super-depressing.

There’s just the right hint of disrepair to the scene. The mix of exposed studs and 1×1 round tiles has the grass looking a little ragged. The pavement has a similar mix, leaving it just a little cracked. But both the dog and owner look pretty happy in their protective gear, all things considered. You have to wonder where they found that toilet paper, though. My local shops have been out of stock for a while.

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Ce n’est pas un mème

René Magritte had something to say about the treachery of images. And the Matrix film series had a lot to say about the nature of reality. It looks like Timofey Tkachev has some thoughts on this matter, too. I mean, a picture of a LEGO sculpture of a scene from an imaginary world played by a real person? That’s some mind-bending stuff if you think about it enough. (Or maybe this self-isolation is just getting to me.) Regardless, this is one stunning bit of sculptural work. In The Choice, Timofey has once again built with an enviable level of photo-realism. I mean, just look at the shaping in those hands!

My favorite detail is the choice to replace the traditional red and blue pills with appropriately colored 2×4 LEGO bricks. Part of me wishes that one of them was a knock-off brand, though. Just for that added bit of snark.

Yes, you can take it with you

When you want your coffee “to go”, Breado’s Bricks has you covered. This compact LEGO brewer can fit in your pocket! I mean, you probably wouldn’t want to do that. But you could. That’s all I’m saying.

Like other offerings from this builder, there’s extensive use of custom silvered elements to bring a shine to things. But don’t overlook the “standard” LEGO elements in there, too. I like the use of the compass-print 1×1 tile (From the Collectible Minifigure Hiker) and the 1×1 round gauge tile as indicators.

My coffee orders tend to err on the side of “does that come in gallon jugs?” so maybe this isn’t an ideal size for my personal use. But it sure would free up some space in my kitchen.

OSHA would like a word

Some LEGO creations are great at telling a story. Take “Clunker” by Inthert, for example. The story here is: “Mining asteroids is a sucky, sucky job.” This scene of futuristic yet questionably maintained drilling equipment is full of great details and part usage. In particular, I’m enjoying the Minecraft-esque blocks that are being removed from the surface. I’m all for hyper-realism in LEGO creations, but when you can keep things “blocky” for a reason…well, it’s a nice treat.

A stand-out technique is the texture of the rock, created by layering lots of ball-socket plates. A more subtle, yet impressive, trick is the use of the firing pins from stud shooters braced diagonally in the underside of 1×1 plates. I hadn’t seen that one before. I shouldn’t be too shocked about that, though, as this build is part of the MOC Wars 2020 competition. You have to be as tough and skilled as these miners to survive that.

Why not self-isolate in some Warhammer 40k armor?

It’s the end times, and you need to stock up on obscene amounts of toilet paper to see you through till doomsday. But you dare not go outside… you might come into contact with someone. What to do? Well, maybe take a page from Funnystuffs and deck yourself out in some LEGO-based Warhammer 40K power armor!

This batch of Ultramarines feature cool details like brick-built chain-swords, Lion-tribe heraldry, wings, and even mini Batarangs. And check out that cool insignia made from minifigure plumes and claws. It should be noted that there are also some custom elements like stickers and epoxy clay molded helmets. The purist in me winces a little at that, but these are some of the nicest sculpts I’ve seen. Plus, it’s the end of the world. Who am I to complain?

So, in these trying times, do the right thing. Limit your contact with others by sealing yourself into some power armor. And wash your hands.

Curve your enthusiasm

LEGO has released a lot of great sets in their Architecture theme, but they all have one big drawback. They’re all based on buildings that exist. I mean…c’mon. This is LEGO we’re talking about. Can’t we be a bit less derivative and a bit more creative? Happily, F@bz didn’t limit themselves to recreating a landmark, they built something new for us to enjoy. In Architecture #1, we get a functional, realistic-looking building with some pretty unique shaping. Those big curves are made from a series of split-level plates sandwiched between 1×2 transparent plate, bent around a curved-slope base. Sweet.

As enviable as that curve is, though, don’t overlook some of the other great details. The roof-level mechanics include ingots and minfigure accessories. My favorite, though, is the stamped letter used as a tiny statue/sign in the courtyard.

This is F@bz’s first venture into microscale building, but hopefully not the last.

If you’re going to build something goofy, go all in.

Pretty much every time Batman gets a new movie, he gets a new Batmobile. From the 1960’s family-friendly two-seater to the 2000’s militaristic Tumbler, there’s a version for just about every taste. And if you can’t find what you want on the big screen, you can always turn to LEGO builders to give you an alternate take you probably wouldn’t find elsewhere. And if that search fails you, then you can look to LEGO builders like Chris Doyle (that’s me by the way) to take things to a purely ludicrous level.

Click to see how ludicrous!

LEGO Masters: Tyler and Amy reach for the sky

I was really iffy on the whole LEGO Masters thing at first. Mostly this was fueled by a stubborn reaction to every single one of my friends and coworkers asking if I had heard about “that new LEGO show,” mixed with a just a touch of envy at not being on the show myself. After getting caught up on the episodes, though, I have different opinions. First, I now think it’s a really entertaining bit of fun. Second, I thank my lucky stars that I wasn’t a contestant. I would have washed out in the first fifteen minutes in weepy humiliation. Instead, I get to enjoy some amazing builds by actual masters of the craft like Amy and Tyler Clites. Last week, the challenge was mega city builds, and Amy and Tyler were up for it. Their building featured an interesting spiral of triangular levels, each housing a different City sub-theme.

After each episode airs, Tyler shares a cool micro-scale version of their larger creation. This week’s scaled-down build has the same twists as the original, including the “twist” of an attack by a fire-breathing monster.

Connect the dots

The best LEGO builds are the ones that look the easiest. Sure, this ladybug by Pistash seems straightforward. There’s “generic” nice part usage like Maleficent hair for the mandibles, and balloon panels for the body. Very nice, but not particularly tricky. And then you notice those spots. Are they glued on? That doesn’t seem like a legal connection method… No, wait. Is that a little bit of exposed string? Those radar dishes are tied on! That’s the sort of lateral thinking that really highlights a creative build.

A twist on deepfake images

More and more these days, I worry about the truth of what I see online. From deepfakes to bot accounts, it feels like nothing can really be trusted anymore. And then…and then…people like Joe Klang make me start doubting reality itself. I mean, look at this Leica M camera. Except it’s not a camera at all, is it? Of course not. It’s made out of LEGO bricks.

It’s the creative part usage that makes this model so realistic. Minifigure weapons connect a length of chain serving as a perfect camera strap, with small rubber tires cinching things up nicely. An X-Pod lid doubles as a lens cap, and a variety of 1×1 tiles mimic the camera housing with just the right level of texture.

At least I know I can take a break from this madness and go and play some classic Atari games. (Or maybe not…)

Build your own microscale Phoenix from Gatchaman [Instructions]

One of my absolute favorite cartoons growing up was Battle of the Planets – the Amercanized version of the Japanese anime classic Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. I loved the cool vehicles, the best of which was the Phoenix, the team’s giant carrier jet. Although it’s already been done, I’ve often dreamed of making a minifig scale version out of LEGO. In the meantime, though, I’m absolutely going to be building this microscale version created by len_d69. This 51 piece build just makes me stupidly happy.

The curved bow plates are the real star of the show, doing double duty as both the nose cone and wing details. The 1×1 tooth plate is also a perfect choice to match the vehicle’s shaping. So…what are you waiting for? Check out the full parts list and make your own!

A magical adult beverage

You may have heard of the Green Fairy associated with Absinthe, but did you know that Guinness has a fairy, too? Perched atop a foamy brew, this red-headed sprite is ready to promote all sorts of questionable decision making.

Okay, maybe I made all that up. And maybe that’s just root beer. But something makes me think this drink is higher octane than that. Only LEGO builder Timofey Tkachev knows for sure.

Built for the Fairybruary contest on DoubleBrick, Timofey has used garage door panels and ice cream scoops to bring the beverage to life. The fairy has some interesting part usage, too, including more of those garage door panels and even Unikitty tails.

My only concern really, is that she’s decided to sit directly in the beer. That can’t be sanitary.