About Dan

Dan Rubin has been an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) since he became an adult. He joined the larger AFOL community on LUGNET in 2003, and that was also the year in which he attended his first BrickFest. Dan largely builds space MOCs, so it should come as no surprise that he is also the Main Admin of the forums at Classic-Space.com. He is also the creator of the Galactic Inquisition space theme. Dan has been a member of the LEGO Ambassador program since the third cycle of the program. Read more about the program here. You can check out Dan's LEGO creations on Flickr.

Posts by Dan

Tugging at my heartstrings

I think I may be in love with this re-purposed space tug by Pha][_,][_,. The story of a second-hand utility spaceship being purchased on “ShipTrader,” and converted for personal use is cute and humanizing. Meanwhile, the color scheme is one that I love to build in myself. The use of a car fender piece to cap off the curved canopy is something I’ve never seen before, and it looks great! Add in the many many compound angles that make the shape at once simple and complex, and I’m sold. What’s the URL for ShipTrader again?

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“YGGDRASIL” Nano-tree Archology

No clever title for this post, just a fascinating combination of space and foliage in this creation. The builder, Shamisenfred, has provided an explanation as to how a tree was engineered to grow in space. I’m more concerned with how cool this looks. The organic shapes of the tree and the structures built into them contrast quite nicely with the repeated architectural forms of the “pot.” Similarly, the contrast of the clean white engineered portions really make the colors of the tree pop out.

It’s pretty much my favorite animal

The Light Infantry Grid Runner (LIGR) is my own take on a future fighting vehicle, in the style of the JLTV. I felt that my Iron Mountain Legion theme needed a small scout vehicle, akin to a Jeep or Humvee. Arguably, the name is a bit of a reach, but once I’d decided to put “Light Infantry” in the name, I couldn’t help but try to name it Liger. While this is a post-apocalyptic theme, every apocalypse has a before-time, and these were clearly designed to run on or across a highway grid girding what would become the wasteland. Yeah, that’s the ticket, it’s a Grid Runner.

I thought that it was important to make it capable, and fun to play with, so I started by building a chasis with suspension. From there, I tried to add the usual visual style of the theme, so the model is a little tall and oversized, and, obviously, dark gray. In further pursuit of playability, I added working doors and tail hatches, and a nest on the roof.

When Vaygr Meets Somtaw

We get this awesome micro-scale dreadnaught, posted by Sydag on flickr. For those not in the know, the Vayger and Somtaw are both factions in the PC game series Homeworld. They each have their own visually distinctive style, and each have been inspiring LEGO creations for some time now. This is the first time I’ve seen someone try to combine the styles, though, and I must say that I enjoy the result.

Highlights include the booms sticking far out to the back and sides of the creation, as well as a very interesting shape at the nose of the ship. The trans blue area at the back is illuminated by a LEGO light brick, as well. I also have to praise the builder for successfully mating two car fender pieces (the capsule shape with an orange dot inside), as I have seen this piece used repeatedly with a gap lately. Kudos for going that extra mile!

Still Alive

Obvious Portal references aside, I was drawn to this ship by Jack McKeen (madLEGOman), because of the interesting shapes I saw in a thumbnail. The cockpit shape is really quite beautiful, even if it can’t actually fit a fig inside. It reminds me of a compound eye, as it’s covered in various facets. The angular engine pods contrast with the bulbous cockpit for an interesting build overall.

I’m not goint to lie, the cake looks great, so delicious and moist.

When Worlds Collide

Ted Andes calls this ship an M-Wing Viper, and sets it in the Star Wars universe. I can’t help but see some Cylon Raider in the shape, though, and the Viper name also reminds me of Battlestar Galactica.

All talk of provenance aside, this is just a well built ship. The wings blend smoothly between parts with lovely effect. Then there is the sticker usage, just enough without going overboard. In addition, the stickers on the windscreen knock that piece in a completely different direction than I’m accustomed to.

Green Monster

Sorry if I suckered any baseball fans among our readers, this post is about a big green tank by Jason Heltebridle (Moctagon Jones). The smooth curves of this creation, coupled with the unusual gun certainly push this well into the sci-fi realm. Some of the details on the turret are also quite nice, in particular, the work between the wheels.

What’s more, it has taken me long enough to write this post, that it seems Jason has posted ANOTHER interesting tank.

Winging Away

I’ve long been a fan of the Sky-Fi genre (or as we called it years ago, Crimson Skies). However, I’ve never quite managed to build anything in that vein. That is, until now, with this little flying scout.

I think I may have been a little bit inspired by Kiki’s Delivery service, it would certainly explain my choice of pilot. Combine that with a World War II technology vibe, I was thinking of a motorcycle, and you have The Magpie. The introduction of official LEGO RAF stickers was the final bit of inspiration I needed to get building.

Neville the Little Bot

This “little” robot that m_o_n_k_e_y just posted on flickr is simply adorable. The bot has quite a lot of character, as well as a striking color scheme. The proportions between the body parts (big head and feet, small body) give lend a babylike quality that’s quite cute. Meanwhile, the gigantic gun warns us from pointing that cuteness out.

Every Piece in its Place

The level of thought and planning that must have gone into building this scene is quite impressive. Paul B. Hartzog has given us a truly lovely sci-fi interior scene. From the mating of the prints on the dish and the wing pieces at the center of the composition to the single removed floor panel (revealing circuitry underneath), everything about this scene clicks. There’s enough to see here that the composition doesn’t suffer from its lack of minifigs. Even the ceiling has a nice level of detail!

Keep on Truckin’

I’m absolutely loving this truck by Christoph Monnaie (stenertje). The level of detail in the truck bed is absolutely amazing. This vehicle looks perfectly suited to its role of hauling around and deploying the small aircraft accompanying this creation. This has the feel of an awesome toy from the 80s, and I can’t get enough of it.

What would C3PO drive?

Clearly, C3PO would drive this landspeeder by Luka (kost u grlu). It makes great use of the limited palette of gold parts available. What really kicks this creation up, though, is the interspersing of detail and mechanical bits throughout, much like C3P0’s exposed midsection. The use of the Build a Buzz’s helmet visor as a windscreen is just icing on the cake.