You may have to look a little longer to get your bearings with this clever creation by Milan Sekiz. It’s certainly a unique perspective of a simple sunny autumnal day when a minifigure has a spot of good fortune.
Posts by Elspeth De Montes
Spider-Man distracts Venom from beautiful building
Thorsten Bonsch has nailed this scene from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. Not long after 13 year old Miles Morales takes over as Spider-Man, he has one of his most important early fights with Venom. This build really grabbed my attention but it had nothing to do with the minifigures initially, or even the Venom creature… it was the fantastic building in the background. Thorsten’s brickwork is really special here, especially the window lintels and decorative roof. Lovely use of LEGO’s colour palate with dark orange, dark tan and black all coming together beautifully.
Thorsten tells us that the Ultimate Universe Venom is much, much bigger than the 616 one, with no white spider symbol on his chest. I can’t say that I know a lot about Venom but I love his shaping and the ingenious use of white minifigure hands to create his sharp teeth.
This castle stands out from the bunch
Castles are a popular type of creation in the LEGO fan world so it takes something special to really stand out from the crowd. Christope has certainly managed this in his latest build, Laslan Castle. I’m used to the muted tones of medieval life but orange, yellow, lime?? The use of such bright colours is very refreshing and actually works incredibly well for a this castle scene. As well as the great use of colour, there is also some lovely LEGO stonework to admire with the castle walls and the angled stone steps to the front entrance.
Don’t miss the details around the dock and the little merchant stall in the right-hand corner. This closer view also reveals the amount of work that has gone into creating the lovely textured stonework.
Do you also practice the art of Irish Yoga?
Every country has it’s stereotypes and when someone mentions Ireland, what are the first things that pop into your mind? Friendly, chatty, red headed, like a drink or three, plenty of siblings …but yoga gurus? Well, these three Irishmen created by Matt Rowntree are all expert practitioners in the art of Irish Yoga. We have a passed out ‘mooner’ who has lost a shoe as well as his belt! Mid-celebration soccer fan who seems to have enjoyed a half-time tipple when his team won (or maybe lost, given that black eye). And finally my favourite, with an ingenious flaming red beard who thinks he’s still walking and socialising, judging by his relaxed position on the floor.
The great thing about Irish Yoga is that it is all-inclusive. After a few celebratory drinks, we can all become masters in this ancient art.
A sound blast from the past
If you like retro music production, you will love this half-size LEGO reproduction of an MPC2000 XL, a 16-bit sampler and rhythm machine from the 1990’s by Arran Hearn. The MPC2000 XL is a straight classic in the hip-hop industry that is still widely used today, and Arran has captured its chunky looks, retro styling and all the buttons, knobs and sliders in this fantastic build.
This LEGO sampler also has a play feature, as the floppy disc is fully ejectable from the disc drive. But sadly it will not turn you into a hip-hop star.
Fan built LEGO UCS Batpod in black and very dark grey
Built in black and very, very dark grey, Haeundaddy, whose Kaneda’s bike from Akira we featured a couple days ago, has created a version of the UCS Batpod that will definitely please the Dark Knight. The Batpod is Batman’s escape vehicle integrated into the Tumbler — highly manoeuvrable, but leaves Batman somewhat exposed without the Tumbler’s armour.
Haeundaddy has included the important weaponry with dual front-mounted cannons, machine guns and grappling hooks. The Batpod is all about manoeuvrability so check out that steering mechanism, apparently all under the control of Batman’s broad shoulders. That’s real power steering!
Cloaked in flowers
This beautiful LEGO sculpture by Xavier Viloria is both intriguing and unique. The builder was inspired by the works of Mari Shimizu and hakkachan and those influences do show in this lovely build. The central doll-like bust is well shaped and those silent tears are a lovely touch. I also like the tendrils that travel through her neck and open into a flow of flowers within her chest.
Without a doubt, my favourite part are the flowers that are made from minifigure cloaks. What a great use of those cloth LEGO parts — very effective.
The changing seasons in LEGO microscale
Normally there are only four seasons each year, but Emil Lidé has created a series of six microscale landscapes to capture all the changing colours found in nature throughout the year. Each of the six scenes depicts a trio of trees and ground foliage using the LEGO colour palate to full effect, especially those vibrant autumnal tones.
Emil’s trees are fantastic of course – he kindly shared his methods for constructing LEGO trees earlier this month. Interestingly, Emil tells us that the initial starting point for these was this cool technique for a base by o0ger, and the circular bases are a great way to keep each scene compact and contained. My own favourite is definitely late autumn.
Kaneda’s bike from Akira in LEGO
Korean builder Haeundaddy has designed and built probably the best LEGO version of Shotaro Kaneda’s bike from Akira that I have seen. This larger scale bike is shapely, detailed and full of the smooth lines that characterise this famous red bike. The specially designed base is a nice touch as a model of this calibre needs something a little special to rest upon.
The details are fantastic, from the sports seat to the handlebar area, and Haeundaddy has taken the time to capture his work with some excellent photography.
Click through to see more of this excellent anime bike
Enlightening LEGO antique street lamps
Judging by his latest builds, Jonas Kramm must be preparing for the darkness of those long winter nights. His three decorative antique street lamps are designed around a selection of parts that are being examined in more detail over on parts-obsessed blog New Elementary. The first lamp is my favourite and shows an inspired use for the Mini Pony Tail in Black but special mention must go to the lamp on the right, as Jonas has definitely shown a fresh use for the paint-roller and tassel.
If you want to read more from Jonas about his techniques and parts used for these builds, Jonas’ lamps are the first in a series of posts using a fun selection of new parts on New Elementary.
This paunchy black dragon has a spare tire
This intriguing looking black dragon by Al Fi has clearly been enjoying a few too many dragon snacks, as that oversized paunch reveals. The builder has mainly used Bionicle parts for this unusual creation, but some LEGO System and Technic elements are present too. I say ‘unusual’ as it’s not often you see a couple of tires used to form the central stomach area of a creature in this manner!
It’s worth having a look at the rear side of this dragon to see some more lovely shaping and spiky details. The purple and pearl grey highlights are just enough to break up the black without making this dragon look too much like a LEGO Friends creation!
Mr T and his fab Model T Ford
Mr T is looking suitably pleased with himself in this great little scene by Calin. I’m not surprised that he has caught the eye of a fair lady who happens to be strolling nearby. His shiny Model T Ford is a lovely build with some fab parts usage.
I love the little details that Calin always brings to his builds, in this case, the rubber band across the windscreen is a lovely touch. Also, in case you haven’t realised, the wheel base is the Fabuland car chasis. What a great way to turn a comedy Fabuland car into a classy classic car.