Nothing evokes the 60s like a cyan-colored Cadillac — oozing the charm of the era of flower power. I always wonder why our modern cars don’t come in this shade any more? Anyway, buckle up, and put the pedal to the metal — now you can own a piece of nostalgia with this mini Cadillac build by Grantmasters.
Click for the parts required and a guide to build your own version
Brickheadz are like The Terminator — no matter how much you might want them to die, they just keep coming. Yet despite some of the ambivalence out there towards the style, this Terminator transformation by Dick Cheung is just too delightful to miss out on! From flesh and skin to the infamous exposed red-eye and the final exoskeleton in all its glory! My favorite part has to be the special effect of censorship via the mosaic pattern — a nice touch to avoid Arnie’s full-frontal.
Jizō or Kshitigarbha statues are a unique part of Japanese culture,standing quietly around temples or cemeteries like little beings — tiny guardians or protectors. These cute LEGO versions by delayice capture a peaceful and serene atmosphere. In recent times the statues are believed to be protectors of children and unborn babies — offering some comfort for mothers who have had losses, helping them find peace amongst calamity, and reassurance their loved ones will always be protected and comforted in the afterlife.
I’m not sure if these still even exist on television broadcast channels anymore, but for me this build by Jason Cichon brings back a flood of childhood memories of waking up early in the morning to catch my favorite weekend cartoons. And on the other end of the spectrum, during my teenage years, this is what we dreaded at the end of the day, when TV broadcasts would go off-air.
Consisting of roughly 530 pieces, this is quite an accurate build of the PAL PM5544 test pattern that often is broadcasted before or after the closing of a TV channel. For you young ones: yes, there was once a time when TV channels did not broadcast round the clock and operators actually had to go home and sleep, leaving us to figure out how to entertain ourselves during those periods.
I’ve recently become a fan of Rick and Morty, and everything alien I see triggers all instincts of another time and dimension. This frog-like humanoid alien built by Random Vector is worthy of an ally in one of those adventures. You’ve got to love those magnifying glasses turned space goggles and the armed and dangerous pose of our croaking time traveller. I still can’t figure out how that mouthpiece area is held in place, but it’s an ingenious use of a part. I will always wonder, do space frogs eat bugs too?
The “Piece of Peace” LEGO exhibition is traveling show that recreates UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites with LEGO bricks. The exhibition originated in Japan and today consists of 43 reconstructed World Heritage sites representing landmarks in 34 countries. Singapore is the fourth country to host the exhibition, after Japan 14 years ago and Hong Kong and Taiwan back in 2014.
The exhibit originated in Japan in 2003, and TBB covered the Japanese Piece of Peace exhibit back in 2006. In 2017, the show opened in Singapore. To commemorate ASEAN’s 50th anniversary, 8 local builders contributed to 7 new replicas of World Heritage Sites in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries.
Click to see photos of the exhibition and an interview with the builders
Builder Sam Cheng is back with his Chibi-Transformers, this time, however, defecting to the side of the Decepticons. The leader of all things against good and hoarder of Energon-cubes, Megatron is beautifully sculpted with over 40 points of articulation, and is fully transformable to its weapon form. Sometimes a good amount of tinkering is required to get things right to personal satisfaction. Sam has been at this since April and tried a dozen different methods to achieve the look he wanted. The headpiece is inspired by Moko‘s Megatron. Standing at an estimated 500 elements, the toughest part of the build is making sure that the alternate ‘gun mode’ is totally asymmetrical and in proportion.
I’ve always wondered about birds of the same family and their natural talents. A distinct difference between a parrot and a cockatoo are their capabilities of speech – cockatoos aren’t as skilled in that department as their colorful cousins. This brick-built perched cockatoo by Alanboar Cheung looks deceptively simple, but with the added twist of using LEGO brick separators for its feathery crest. It just goes to show that as long as there’s a stud exposed, a connection will find its way. I really like how they can also be raised as a surprised cockatoo would react.
There are a few things that make a LEGO model stand out if executed particularly well – life in motion, and organic shapes. This build by Timofey Tkachev does both well, with this killer whale in an iconic breaching display. It is strange to know that to date, we have little knowledge on why whales perform this elegant dance of the waves, with only guesses on what it could mean. We still enjoy their majestic maneuvers nevertheless – and find ourselves amazed by it not only in real life but with this cleverly constructed jump that almost seems to be defying gravity.
Lynn MinMay from the Robotech/Macross anime series is brought to life by SPARKART! in a modified Brickheadz doll. The styling emphasises the head over other features, with her eyes capturing that genuine anime sparkle. Below you’ll find the parts list and instruction guide to build your very own singing space celebrity.
Click for parts and instructions
Here’s a LEGO temple to stir the soul of an explorer. W. Navarre has covered his pyramid temple with just enough foliage and texture to create an Indiana Jones adventure spirit in me. I want to scout out these ruins for anything that glitters and sparkles. The mix of greys, and the tumbledown rockwork makes for a real sense of age and decay, whilst the shaping of the structure creates the unmistakable feel of Central or South American antiquity.
Based on looks alone, BB-8 is always a little less interesting for me than R2-D2 — a couple of sphere’s stacked on top of each other and you’re good to go. But what makes him come alive is his ability to glide across any surface gracefully while looking around and making charming bleeping sounds. Jedi brickmaster Takamichi Irie cleverly constructs a body-spinning, head-turning, light-illuminating BB-8 to bring the character to life in LEGO. All that’s missing is a lighter for recreating that memorable “thumbs up” gesture!
