While most mechs stand on two feet and resemble a humanoid shape, builder David Liu explores a new subject with an unexpected mech in the form of a lobster! It’s more likeable than one might expect, especially because it has a tiny lobster as a pilot and a cannon mount to blast anything into smithereens. In this case, Batman and his plate full of lettuce and butter are the target!
See more of this hilarious crustacean mecha after the jump
We all had a good laugh and surprise at Finn’s response in The Force Awakens when we learnt that stormtroopers had day jobs back at the base. Even better, they do menial jobs even if it means cleaning up unmentionables, perhaps. Builder Andreas Lenander gives us a peek at perhaps what Finn had to do on days that they were not chasing the Resistance. You know what? I’d find that a perfect reason to defect from the First Order! No more sanitation duties!
When LEGO released their new Skyline Architecture series, it was inevitable that we started seeing LEGO builders take the diminutive buildings to heart and begin creating skylines closer to their own homeland that LEGO missed in their official sets. This build of three iconic buildings in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia expresses the love that Ng Wen Yeh has for his country. These are great, iconic buildings that highlight a spectacular, multicultural and multi-racial city.
The left-most building, Sultan Abdul Samad Building was built in the 19th century and today houses the Information, Communications and Culture ministry. If we step back in time, it was once the home to various key departments during the British administration.
In the middle we have the Petronas Towers, sometimes referred to as the Twin Towers of Malaysia, which was once the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 until 2004.
On the far right, we have the 7th tallest communications tower in the world, simply named the KL Tower which broadcasts free to air radio and TV channels.
Once in a while you see a build that not only looks great, but simply blows it out of the water, combining great details and huge playability potential. This build by Andrea Lattanzio of a famous hot rod workshop is surely one of them. What brings this place to life are the small details scattered around, such as the electrical poles and the junkyard at the side.
Andrea tells us a little history of the Mooneyes Headquarters, where gearheads and hot rod modders hang out to get their repairs and mods. Today, Mooneyes is still located in Santa Fe Springs, California, where it’s been since 1962. The builder is obviously a huge fan, and has painstakingly recreated the full workshop layout inside.
Click to see more of the Mooneyes shop
The Imperial forces from Star Wars sure do know how to have fun when they’re off-screen not fighting the rebels. At least that’s what Star Wars fan Handoko Setyawan imagined by taking the design of 10196 LEGO Creator Carousel, recoloring it, making a few mods, and throwing in some Micro Fighters to create what he calls the Imperial Carousel.
According to Handoko, the original design of LEGO’s carousel had to be structurally enhanced to accommodate the heavier Micro Fighter vehicles, which also required some tweaking. I love the various replacement motifs (such as the Storm Trooper helmets) as well as the muted Imperial grey theme.
The build really stands out once you see it running, as shown in the video below:
Disney’s 1928 short Steamboat Willie is considered to be the first appearance of Mickey Mouse, and now Dick Cheung brings us this lovely – and completely monochromatic – representation of the famous 89-year-old mouse in the current LEGO Brickheadz style.
Mickey is seen with his hands on the ship’s wheel as he appears in the opening roll of almost every Disney production these days. I do like the accommodating base as a decorative piece; I could almost imagine it on top of a mantelpiece or a work desk as a nice memorabilia of the good ol’ days of animation.
Gerald Cacas brings us a well-shaped LEGO version of the turboprop Fokker 50. There’s a lot of grey going on, but that’s because the build is modelled on the Royal Singapore Air Force version. This old warhorse of an aircraft is still in service with the RSAF in a Utility Transport and Maritime Patrol role. Aside from its realism, the muted tones of the model create an uncluttered feel, really showcasing the builder’s skill.
Nice innovative parts use with the claw element forming the six-bladed propeller on each side. Aviation fans will also notice the attempt to shape the cockpit window as close as possible to the real McCoy.
Builder vir-a-cocha takes the phrase “life inspires art” to a new level with a beautiful, charming, colorful and cute representation of their daughter in LEGO form. The details of the little girl in a polka-dot dress, her mom’s oversized heels, shades and a beach hat nicely captures the essence of a child growing up!
And yet it does not end there, as it’s complemented playfully with a loudspeaker to amplify the microphone. And to save the best for last, a LEGO rock piece which has so few alternate uses in official sets is used for the torso of a huggable teddy bear that’s irresistible. If LEGO had an Oscar for me to recognise a great build and excellent execution, this would be in my list of nominations to win!
Malaysian builder Shirley Yoong brings us this amazing Modular-style LEGO store. Built with a yellow and black theme, it features an almost classical Art Deco grand facade. It feels as though it were a residence, such as an apartment building, now transformed into a modern store with steps leading up to the front entrance. Consisting of approximately 3,000 bricks, it’s sized to be placed amongst the official LEGO Modular series like Assembly Square, and the builder says it took roughly a month to design.
It’s not just a pretty facade, though. The interior is packed from top to bottom with details.
Click to see more of the LEGO store
The animal suit characters from LEGO’s Collectible Minifigures line have proven to be highly popular and rather hard to find. The result: many crumpled blind packs left in every retail case, due to heavy violation by human fingertips in search of a pig- or chicken-suited minifigure. Jared Chan decided to stop looking and build his own – in a slightly different scale. And thanks to Jared’s talents they look just as cute in Brickheadz form. My favorite? Lizard Suit Guy on the rampage! I really hope Jared works on the rest of the suit family members, just to satisfy our completionist needs.
Builder Nathan Haseth has got something right with these lovely giants that I can’t place my finger on. They just feel like something that should be coming out of a LEGO factory for all of us to enjoy. He’s built a gang of prehistoric herbivores: Triceratops, Parasaurolophus and Ankylosaurus. The color scheme may not be scientifically accurate (as far as we know) but the contrast is certainly appealing, especially the nice techniques used for the various bodily textures of these beasts.
These brilliant LEGO figures by Bryan To stand out from the current crowd of Brickheadz-styled creations. We have famed writer and director Tim Burton, alongside the quirky fairy-tale characters played in his movies by Johnny Depp. From left to right we’ve got Tim Burton himself, Edward Scissorhands, the Mad Hatter, and Sweeny Todd. My favourite build is Edward, with his cute-looking claws and his weird hair-do.
