Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Fabulous Final Fantasy Carriage and build your own chocobo [Instructions]

If there’s one thing you can count on with a Final Fantasy game, even more than chocobos, moogles, or a mechanic named Cid, it’s the inevitable remake. In that spirit, Kevin Wanner, the Brick Ninja, revisits an earlier build with an all-new LEGO recreation of a beloved Final Fantasy VII scene. It’s impressive to see how the builder has grown in the intervening years. The chocobo looks fluffier than ever with a rounder aesthetic, and the terrain goes from afterthought to an immersive scene with integrated lighting. The main attraction is the carriage itself, which Kevin redesisgned from the ground up. Expanded to 8 studs wide, the carriage is now proportional and screen accurate and features an interior space for Tifa to make her under-cover trip to Don Corneo’s.

But about that chocobo, if you’re interested in building your own, click on the poster below for Kevin’s free instructions.

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This Week in LEGO Bricks: Contests to push your Creativity! [Video]

A lot happens in the LEGO building world each week. Thankfully we have ABrickDreamer to help round up the must-read articles, essential videos, and provide extra MOC commentary. Some highlights from this week: Markus Rollbühler rounds up all the currently open contests and prizes, Tips&Bricks breaks down one of our favorite builds of 2024, and with F1 fever upon us, ABrickDreamer plays with racing-themed minifig habitats.

Hero Factory’s Stormer gets a chillingly good Ice Planet makeover

During February, constraction fans paid tribute to their favorite Hero Factory characters with some amazing modernized updates. One of my favorites is this icy fresh take on Stormer courtesy of Benjamin Anderson. Inspired in part by this classic take from Ben Cossy, Benjamin reimagines the freeze-themed robot with Ice Planet colors. The builder swaps Stormer’s traditional gauntlet to the left side to make way for a searingly cool maul equpped with Ice Planet chainsaw blades to cut through glacial terrain. To appreciate how much constraction building has evolved in recent years, take a close look at the abdomen and legs where Benjamen deftly blends larger armor pieces with a dense configuration of small system parts.

Benjamin and fellow builder Loafbuilds also made a fitting foe for Stormer in this reimagined Drilldozer.

A workshop worthy of a collectible Steampunk Inventor

Steampunk fandom has been well represented in LEGO fan creations over the years, but it wasn’t until the latest line of Collectible Minifigs that the Victorian fantasy genre got its due with an official set. Builder Ciamosław Ciamek gives the Steampunk Inventor figure a fitting place to work his mechanical magic with this wonderful workshop where a “Hedgehog” Steambot Walker is under construction. The walker itself is a fun build, incorporating Bionicle spines, buildable character armor, and chunky mech legs over the traditional Steampunk colors of brass and wood. I also like the mix of visiting minifigs, here to appraise this autonomous steam-powered machine.

Jonesing for the truth about Area 51

As we all know, Indiana Jones’ final cinematic adventure ended with him riding into the Sunset with his dad, and yet rumors persist of two other films with an aging Indy continuing his globe-trotting adventures into the atomic age. Builder Negipon, perhaps the biggest Indy fan in the LEGO scene, recreates a scene from this supposed “fourth” Indiana Jones film where the good doctor gets into trouble with Russian agents infiltrating Area 51. Okay, I’ll admit, it was a pretty great sequence, and Negipon packs the LEGO version with fun details from the film (and a few easter eggs, like a LEGO Star Wars minikit!). The period vehicles are excellent, and the studless crates and scaffolding look phenomenal. As a bonus, the Area 51 hanger gate is motorized.

A closer look at the scene shows what mysterious contraband the Russian’s are after – a relief of someone who looks a lot like Indy made out of a strange carbon-like substance. Clearly it’s not from this galaxy!

If you’ve forgotten what happens next to good ol’ Indy, Negipon built a tribute to that scene as well.

LEGO Elesh Norn is here to convert your bricks to the Machine Orthodoxy

I’m a lapsed Magic the Gathering player, but anytime the Phyrixians are around, you can count me in for a draft. Elesh Norn, the Mother of Machines, is easily one of the venerable card game’s most iconic and beloved characters, fusing Cenobite horror with the sanctity of a white deck. Canadian builder alex_mocs creates a stunning LEGO take on the Phyrexian Praetor that looks like she just stepped out of a legendary Magic card. A face/mask made from Technic fins and constraction armor pieces gorgeously contrast with the sinewy red organic body beneath. The flowing red cloth is a supple contrast to the snaking machinework behind made from an unholy number of Toa Luwa feet. It’s brilliant work from one of the best LEGO character artists around.

“Sorry about the mess. I’ve really let the place go since you killed me.”

Combining AI and LEGO is a sure path to controversy, but there’s one version of this toxic combo I’ll always support – brick-built versions of Portal’s GLaDOS. Coosey Goosey gives the video game villain GOAT her due with this incredible recreation of Chell and GLaDOS’ reunion in Portal 2. The builder takes advantage of newer elements for a wonderful mix of curves and cyber-greebles.

Coosey Goosey frames this fated reunion with a wonderful slice of the overgrown Aperture facility. Visible from behind, a Companion Cube lies nestled in the debris.

As happy as it makes me to see GLaDOS still alive in brick form, I do wish I could battle wits with her again in a new game. Then again, why mess with perfection?

A LEGO Rozzum always completes its tasks

The Wild Robot is one of the most charming and lush animated films in recent memory and the protagonist, Roz, is up there with Wall-E and the Iron Giant as one of the all-time great screen robots. Builder Brickswick capturing the big-hearted Roz with tiny bricks. A ball turret, typically used for Star Wars lasers, makes a pacifist turn as Roz’s round body. The sticker damage comes courtesy of a Spider-Man: Homecoming set, capturing Roz after a year of roughing it. That’s how you build a wild robot.

LEGO lifestyles of the rich and famous, Edo edition

When the all-star builders of RogueBricks came together to recreate Edo era Japan in an epic LEGO collaboration last fall, the results blew the building community away. We shared an overview of the full collaboration, but now Markus Ronge offers a more detailed look at his contribution, a Goza Bune. Basically a pleasure yacht of the feudal lord (think Jabba’s Sail Barge or megayacht of kindred spirit Jeff Bezos), the boat offered all the luxuries of palace life with a side of sea sickness. For the craft’s design, there are few historical references to work from so Markus drew inspiration from several sources to create a composite that captured the spirit of the era.

Come along to see more of Markus’ remarkable Edo-era pleasure yacht

Wes Talbott’s Phthalo Phantom is a menace in Teal

It’s a well-known fact that two of the best things in the universe are Star Wars ships and LEGO teal. What do you get when you blend the two? Teal Squadron, the long-running collaboration between some of the top builders in the community that imagines a brighter look for the Rebellion. Last week, Teal Squadron saw its biggest display ever at the Bricktastic convention. Joining the lineup was a new fighter from LEGO set designer Wes Talbott: the Phthalo Phantom. There’s no letter in the alphabet to match these striking and unconventional wings (4xV-wing, maybe?). Wes based the design off the StarViper from the X-Wing tabletop game.

To match the collaborative display’s aquatic setting, Wes poses the ship over an aquamarine patch of sea with lovely spray kicked up in its wake. The rear view also offers a better look at those impressive engines, which cleverly employ LEGO shovels to focus the thrusters.

We’ve previously featured Theo Bonner and Tim Goddard‘s contributions to this year’s Teal Squadron collaboration. Beyond the Brick captured the amazing display in motion.

Drawing on Italian architecture for a LEGO fantasy vignette

The Free City of Andérida is entirely fictional, but depicted here in LEGO, there’s such a rich sense of history that you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a real town. Builder Vertaro takes inspiration from Venice and Lombard architecture, with classical columns and decorated stone walls. The terra cotta rooftops and sun-bleached stone strongly evoke old Italy. Arches in low relief lend the walls a sense of heightened craftsmanship. My favorite technique is the roof decorations made from clipping heart-shaped tiles in an undulating row, but the marble fountain decorated with frogs and minifig hands is also a showstopper.

Vertaro built this scene of Aurelio’s reunion for the Age of the Unseated LEGO role-playing game, a collaborative storytelling experience told through LEGO creations. The builder tells the story of this scene here. This low-magic fantasy setting isn’t the only role-playing sandbox Vertaro builds in – we also highlighted the builder’s contribution to Star Wars Factions RPG.

As Febrovery rolls to a close, it’s time for a final rover roundup! [Feature]

Alas, Febrovery has reached the end of the road. If only February were a few days longer, then we would get more amazing LEGO rovers rolling across distant moons. On the other hand, more days might burn out those hard-working builders creating a new build each day. Let’s celebrate our favorite rovers from the second half of the month. In case you missed it, here is is our mid-month roundup. Tell us in the comments which rover you’d most like to take for a spin!

Two-seater Monowheel Rover by Wynd

We lead with greebles courtesy of this delightful monowheel from builder Wynd. It’s a fresh spin on her rover from last year, maintaining the neo-classic space vibes, but expanding for an extra passenger and bringing in a rubber tire.

Our Febrovery roundup continues with many more amazing space builds