About David Guedes

David Guedes, aka Lettuce, has been building with LEGO all his life, though he had a “dim age” in his teens, and didn’t buy any new sets for 6 years. He has been active in the fan community since 2014, regularly displaying creations at conventions like BrickCon and BrickCan, as well as interacting with fans of LEGO of all ages. David is a member of the VLC and a founder of DaveLUG. He lives just outside of Vancouver, with his wife, two sons, a dog, and a house full of little plastic bricks. His flickr account can be found here.

Posts by David Guedes

Terrifying leader or smelly bad guy?

When first introduced in 1977, Grand Moff Tarkin was just the bad guy that dies at the end of Star Wars. Since then, he’s been included in other movies, TV shows, books, and even LEGO. While the few minifigure versions are certainly a great representation, none of them come close to displaying the true power of the Empire’s grandest Moff the same way as this sculpture by Brandon Griffith.

Grand Moff Tarkin

Standing tall as if the Tarkin Doctrine was a set of rules about posture and uniform, he appears as the ultimate example of loyalty to the Empire. The variety of parts used in this LEGO creation is about as varied as I would expect the fictional Grand Moff’s life to be: almost all plate, slope, and tile, with the odd variation like binoculars and a jumper to represent his code cylinders and belt. And while this model has been restricted to only a few colours, the resemblance is unmistakable. Even without different coloured eyes, the single studs make it easy to see the daggers he is certainly staring.

Miniature Tom and his miniature seaport

Many LEGO fans love to build miniature LEGO cities at home, and it seems that some minifigures share this passion. Tom, as depicted by Ben Tritschler, has build a small seaside scene that any human builder would be proud of. I see so much of myself in this little builder, albeit with a better hat and hair, and altogether cooler setup. Just look at his furniture: rather than simple vertical posts, he’s crafted some much more detailed table legs from modified round tiles and bar holders. Even the legs of his smaller work tables are repurposed bucket handles.

Tom's Wooden Idea Of The Future

My favourite part of Tom’s little workshop though are his simple little buildings, using 1×1 printed plates to represent small buildings with doors. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the techinic pin perfectly representing a little watchtower.

Wander deep into the woods to find something magical

If you’ve been reading the Brothers Bricks for a few years, no doubt you’ll recognize the distinct style of LEGO characters created by Patrick Biggs. I always tend to come across them online in the same way: I’m browsing some social media platform and this fantastic LEGO model scrolls onto my screen. I think to myself, “this is amazing, who built it?” And then I read the caption and realize “Of course, it’s Patrick!”

The Branching Elk

While I’m sure he agonizes over parts selection and placement, his models have an effortless look to them; the organic feel makes me believe they naturally grew, rather than being pieced together by an intelligent designer. With this Elk, there are so many things to love about how it’s sculpted, but my favourite is the legs. The 1×1 round plates stuck in the sides of the technic connectors – while not an uncommon technique – perfectly imitates how joints are thicker than other parts of the leg. And the armor plates on the front of the hooves so perfectly represents that layer of overhanging thick fur, really bringing this woodland creature to life. I’ve long been a fan of Patrick’s work as a LEGO artist and his ability to adeptly mix system and Bionicle elements, and this is one sculpture, in particular, I’d love to find a place for on my mantle.

Fun fact: You don’t need a body to drive a car

Sometimes, it can be difficult to build LEGO cars that look the right size for a minifigure, while also fitting a minifigure inside. Calin solves this problem by doing away with the figures completely from the neck down! By cutting out most the bodies of the driver and passenger, the car can be properly scaled and slender. While remaining this compact at minifigure scale, the parts usage can get quite interesting. On one hand, I love the grille brick used as the car’s grille. On the other hand, I also love how in some places, 1×2 tiles have been replaced by ingots, offering that extra level of detail that really bring this car to life.

1915 Saxon Model 14 - Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade

A dark lord to rule over Middle Earth

Marcin Otreba’s latest LEGO creation doesn’t appear to have anything inscribed on it, but I’m sure if you held it up to the flame, you’d find an inscription that loosely translates to:

Three batarangs on his chest up high,
Seven on his face mask, pearl dark grey blades shone
Fine the bricks he did apply
One model Dark Lord we’d like to own.

On the internet, where LEGO builders vie
One brick to rule them all, one sorter to find them,
One builder to bring them all, and with clutch power bind them,
In the land of LEGO where bricks mystify

Sauron in Gorgoroth ????????????

I bet it’s as slimy as it looks

I’ve always thought sand green is the perfect LEGO colour to capture the feeling of being sea sick, and what better subject for “seasick” than Davy Jones’ decapitated head? Well, maybe Rickard Stensby agrees with me, because he’s so greatly captured what I just described.

Captain Davy Jones

This trophy just oozes with character too. The tail pieces as facial tentacles blowing in the wind seem very deliberately selected and placed, while the square corners around his mouth perfectly represent the character from the films. The eyes and eyebrows convey so much with so little. My favourite little touch are the 1×1 round plates with holes used a barnacles on his hat – making it truly appear that he was fished out of the ocean.

A scraggily troll lives under a scraggily bridge

When I think of building with LEGO, the first thing that comes to mind is building with bricks. Jessica Farrell has taken that to the next level, and built a bridge out of bricks, that themselves are built with LEGO bricks.

Troll Bridge

And these brick-built-bricks ain’t your standard sized bricks either – they’re all kinds of odd shapes, cobbled together to build a bridge with character. Some have moss growing on them, there are even weeds poking out through the cracks. The vast array of different parts used give the bricks and bridge a quite amazing texture. Underneath the bridge you’ll find your standard bridge-hider-under, an ugly troll, ready to eat whatever goats go trip-trapping over his bridge. Luckily both sides of the river are quite lush. I really like the healthy-looking lime and green grass, as well as the custom-cut lengths of flextube for reeds and bulrushes.

Weeping Angels and Cybermen and Daleks – oh my!

The well-known Paul Hetherington is a LEGO builder and artist we’ve covered a few times in the past. His distinct style of large brick-built characters and scenery, mixed with minifigure scale scenes is unmistakable whether it’s Batman, Fabuland, or a giant automaton ripping its robot heart out. His latest masterpiece is his take on Doctor Who.

LEGO Doctor Who Tribute

Typical of all his creations, it’s hard to say what part of it your eyes will be drawn to first. When I usually see something new he builds, I notice one part of it, and think it’s amazing. Then I notice another, and another, and another. My eyes dart around looking at all the components of a complex and beautiful creation. From top to bottom, you start with the clever lettering of the title BBC Doctor Who, then you see the giant Weeping angel and Cyberman surrounding the TARDIS. Continue reading →

The Nettledrake hides in plain flight

Thank you for joining us again for another edition of The Brothers Brick’s nature documentary series, Planet Brick. Today we’ve spotted Joss Woodyard’s well-camouflaged Nettledrake. Made up of many LEGO pieces you’d traditionally think to use for plant life, this magnificent beast is naturally hidden. If you happen to come across one in the wild yourself, it’s best to observe from a distance and see it spread its wings and take flight. Don’t be drawn in by its pretty pink spots or tail. If you get too close, you might get stung by the vicious beast’s teeth or talons. Thanks for stopping by and discovering another beautiful creature inhabiting Planet Brick.

Nettledrake

Daaamn bro, check out this rover’s rims

With the Perseverance recently landing on Mars, rovers are all the rage again. And when you’re building a cool LEGO model like a rover, what better way to make it ice cold than to give it some giant rims, just like Andreas Lenander has.

Q-21-R

While I’ve seen the 1×2 plate with rounded corners used as tiny rover tracks before, simply by flipping it up on its side, this rover puts them to work in an all new, spectacular way. By only pressing one side of the pieces together – leaving a gap on the opposite side – it’s quite possible to bend flat or square bricks to make curves and circles. This technique might not fly in an official set, but who says LEGO fans have to listen to any rules when they’re making their own creations. It may just be a simple looking little 1×2 plate with rounded corners, but I know tons of LEGO builders were excited when they first saw it. This is just another innovative use for it.

Look closely at the coral and spot a seahorse

Welcome back to the Brothers Brick’s LEGO nature documentary series, Planet Brick. Here you can see, hidden among the coral atop a 1×1 brick, a tiny little pygmy seahorse. Yes, James Zhan’s creation is well hidden, away from the mouths of crabs, rays, or fish looking for a little snack. The pink and red specks of this pygmy’s pigment help it to blend in with the vibrant colours of the coral, home to a number of other tiny camouflaged sea creatures. If a predator gets too close and the tiny little seahorse and tip the LEGO brick below it over and hide inside. A truly remarkable little creature to find on the reef. Stay tuned for our next episode as we explore other brick built flora and fauna inhabiting Planet Brick.

Pygmy seahorse

A cozy temple tucked into a jungle cave

I’m often reminded that good landscaping can really make or break LEGO scenes or buildings. When builders like Jake Hansen build their structure right into the landscape through – chef’s kiss – words are hard to describe how good it can look. Jake is pretty masterful at LEGO landscaping, and his new pieces never cease to amaze me. The composition of slopes gives the perfect look of natural stone. The natural curves of the landscape perfectly nestle the structures of this hidden jungle temple and the smooth spring water it surrounds. A couple features I’d like to point out are the curving staircase, brilliantly constructed out of flags, and the table made from a brown witch king’s crown. Does anyone else wish this was a real place we could go and explore?

Jungle Temple