It seems like one of us here at TBB blogs every model vehicle built by bricksonwheels, but that’s because they’re awesome. His latest is this lovely, chromy Ford Tudor hot rod, with working steering and suspension, plus details like wiring and hoses.
Check out more pictures on Flickr, and you can see it in person at LEGO World in Utrecht today through the 27th of October.
We’re big fans of Chris McVeigh (powerpig on Flickr) here at The Brothers Brick, and we’ve been enjoying his brick sketches for a couple of years. But Chris hadn’t tackled a self-portrait until now. Chris’s signature mustache and resplendent beard come through wonderfully with just a few plates and tiles.
Earlier this year I visited MoMA in New York City, where I saw a wonderful exhibit titled “Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955-1980.” I was particularly impressed by the architecture of Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil built in a lightning blitz of construction between 1956 and 1960. Daniel Stoeffler has built a microscale LEGO version of the Metropolitan Cathedral, designed (as were most buildings in the city) by architect Oscar Niemeyer. I’d love to see Daniel extend this LEGO series with the dome and bowl of the National Congress Building, the president’s residence, and so on.
Jason Allemann has used nothing but LEGO to build a fully functional combination safe. Not only does the safe lock with a three-number combination, Jason has designed the safe so that the safe itself cannot be removed from its outer case and opened without either knowing the combination or physically breaking LEGO pieces!
A picture doesn’t really prove it, so here’s Jason’s amazing video.
If you want to build you own LEGO safe, you can download instructions from Jason’s website.
Seb Toutouille has been posting cute “blockhead” versions of iconic characters for several months now. His latest is Link from The Legend of Zelda, with posable arms and quizzically tilted head.
I also love Han Solo and Chewbacca.
Finally, a wee Yoda and even tinier Artoo.
Be sure to check out all of Seb’s great Blockheads on Flickr.
The Olympic Games of 1972 in Munich, Germany were the first to feature a mascot. Waldi the dachshund was designed by graphic designer Otl Aicher, who modeled Waldi after a real-life doxie named Cherie von Birkenhof. Even in this simple but excellent LEGO version of Waldi by umamen, you can see the attributes of resistance, tenacity, and agility.
Talented multi-theme builder Joshua Brooks isn’t just about giant Waterloo dioramas and beautiful castle gardens, he’s also a solid train builder. His latest engine is an EMD SD40-2 locomotive in Burlington Northern livery that would look great as TBB livery as well. The railings and brick-built “BN” lettering on the engine are excellent details, while the setting gives the impression of the train speeding through the great American West.
After a hiatus of several months, Jon Hall has returned with this lovely little fighter with a giant rotating Gatling gun on its nose. My own favorite detail is the air intake in front of the cockpit.
See more photos in Jon’s photoset on Flickr. Jon says he’s back to building after a move, so I can’t wait to see what he shares next!
Well, it happens to the best of us, I guess. While I was at work, TBB went down again, and I’ve just gotten the site back up after several hours of intermittent downtime. While MySQL database repairs, Apache rebuilds, and PHP version upgrades all help in the short term, Brothers-Brick.com has been running on the same physical hardware for too long. Unfortunately, migrating to new or upgraded hardware isn’t free.
Photo by TBB Server Downtime Contest winner Leopold Mao
While we try to be good LEGO community members by sponsoring contests and events using the extra funds our loyal readers help us with, there’s also the very unsexy, much less visible business of hosting a website that receives several hundred thousand visitors a month.
So, to get us to the point where we can consider migrating Brothers-Brick.com to an improved server, you can help by buying your LEGO from the LEGO Shop online and clicking through from Brothers-Brick.com when you make any Amazon.com purchase. That’s right, any Amazon.com purchase — not just LEGO. Buy your next HDTV, paperback, music MP3, or Post-It notes from Amazon, and you’re helping The Brothers Brick at no extra cost to you.
TheBrickAvenger has posted his most ambitious LEGO diorama yet, with this scene inspired by the heyday of piracy in the 17th-century Caribbean. While one’s eye is certainly drawn to the steeply slanted roof, clock tower, and minifig action, the standout detail for me is the studs-out half timber construction. The builder also uses three completely different techniques for windows, including an ingenious but incredibly complicated bay window shared back in March by Sheo. Spend some time poring over the picture — I’m sure you’ll find something I’ve missed that’s even cooler.
Over the years, we’ve featured a number of great LEGO vehicles from the Alien franchise, from the ever-popular Cheyenne dropship & APC to the Sulaco and Nostromo. But I think Grantmasters is the first builder I’m aware of to tackle the massive ore refinery that the Nostromo is designed to haul through deep space. At this scale, the famous freighter is built from only eight pieces, but is still quite recognizable.
It’s just over three months to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the new LEGO sets are hardly the only things generating excitement. Like many of us, Burglarhobbit has been poring over every new frame of footage that the Empire has been doling out to loyal Star Wars fans. The result is this fantastically detailed diorama depicting the making of The Force Awakens, complete with a prop and costume shop, green screen, and cockpit on a motion base.
Take some time to pore over this great creation yourself and let us know what your favorite detail is in the comments.
You can watch the actual behind-the-scenes footage that inspired this great LEGO scene here:
Via BrickNerd.