Posts by Jarrett Gercken

LEGO Blastoise and Venusaur join the fray!

Following his incredible Charizard build last month, MitchBuilds has rounded out his party of Gen 1 starter final forms with Blastoise and Venusaur. Both of these builds feature just as many neat building techniques, and all appear to be nicely at scale with each other.

Blastoise is an imposing build, and positioned just like we’d see him in the game or anime. I’m particularly fond of the face shaping, where Mitch has managed to perfectly capture his eyes and give him quite a bit of personality with his open mouth. You may notice that his nose is made out of one of the old stiff minifig capes, which is an excellent touch. The shell frame technique that we’ve seen recently with The Mighty Bowser and Spiny Shell works really well for Blastoise, though it’s been highly customized for this build to make sure everything fits perfectly.

Venusaur’s up next, as well as Mitch’s behind-the-scenes videos!

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These Friendshiptember builds are out of this world [Feature]

Friendshiptember is that wonderful time of the year where builders of all experience levels come together to create a ship (space, sky, or seafaring, all are fine!) inspired by the colors and minidolls of LEGO Friends. With another successful Friendshiptember in the rear view mirror, we rounded up some of our favorite entries to share. We also sat down with the event organizer Aubree (moctura) to reflect, so scroll to the end to read our interview. But first, let’s see these fabulous friendships!

Brilliantly capturing both the aesthetic and the color palette of the Friends theme, Chad Rhodes first-ever entry is a sight to behold. This ship is smooth and sleek, yet feels like a true crossover for Friends and Space. The Star and Heart tucked away in the top of the ship is a perfect touch.

With another impressively sleek design, Jason Bourassa shows off this colorful ship adorned with embellishments. Even if the jewels or hearts are blasters, they still seem quite friendly. The bright purple engine exhaust is the perfect final touch.

Travel further into the beyond with these builds

Soft serve toad with a cherry on top

We never get tired of seeing new additions to the Frogust lineup, even in October, and this spin from LEGO’s newest set designer, Nathan Don, is especially sweet. Dubbed ‘Cherritoad’, this frog gives the theme its just desserts with a whimsical design that wouldn’t be out of place in the Pokémon universe. For a LEGO model, the shaping and techniques are incredible. My favorite details are the wide cartoony eyes and the way the ‘cone’ scales upward (we’d love to see what the inside of this build looks like!). You can’t help but love this little guy!

You can read more about this build on Nathan’s Woomy World blog.

Behold Karak-Mahizrinul, a massive Dwarven Stronghold built in LEGO

Grab your preferred hammer or axe, a pint of ale, and join us on a tour of this Dwarven sanctuary nestled within the Red Mountains. Dwalin Forkbeard brought this imposing mountain fortress to life, and nearly every chamber and foothill of it is bustling with Dwarven activity.

The faces chiseled into the very face of the mountain bear resemblance to many of the characters within, and the sheer amount of gold and stone that is used tastefully throughout this build feels very true to character for these delvers. The water technique here is lovely, and I’m half-tempted to check for a treasure chest behind one of the waterfalls.

Take a sip and join us on the full tour of this Dwarven stronghold!

The Mighty Mythological Minotaur

Inspired by Wes Talbott’s ‘Dungeon Dangers’ template and series of MOCs (see those fantastic sets here), TBB alum turned fellow set designer Carter Baldwin set out to make his own dungeon crawl with an ancient Greek mythological twist. The color choices and contrast are stunning, and the assembly behind the stark blue decorations on the pristine white pillars are more complex than they may first appear. The imposing minotaur is riddled with fun build techniques, my favorite detail being the usage of a full hand and arm assembly to round out its eyes and face. This is a beautiful build that manages to capture both the elegance of Greek architecture and the thrill of a fantasy adventure at once.

The most compact Game Boy yet!

Over the course of 20+ years, Nintendo released a number of Game Boy models – but none as tiny as this. Pending the release of the official LEGO Game Boy set, builder mc tung shared his micro Game Boy that puts the original Game Boy Micro to shame. It’s an impressive feat at this scale, though I doubt any of us who were around for the original Game Boy are playing anything on a screen this small these days.

You can see a breakdown of the micro building techniques used here (and build your own!) by following the tutorial on YouTube. The technic axle D-pad is especially inspired!

Take a tour around the Galaxy with these incredible Star Wars location builds

With the largest LEGO Star Wars playset soon hitting shelves (and wallets), we thought it would be a prime opportunity to review some of the best location builds from around the MOC galaxy. The Star Wars community is no stranger to incredible landscapes and structures, and these are some of the best that the Holonet has to offer. Whether you’re a Republic loyalist, a Rebel freedom-fighter, or sympathetic to The Resistance, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy.

Where better to start than where it all began? Our first stop is Naboo, where interstellar_bricks shows off a stunning recreation of the Duel of the Fates. The giant beam pillars here are as imposing as they are in The Phantom Menace, making this a perfect location for a Hero Showdown match in Star Wars Battlefront II.

Where to next? Engage the hyperdrive and let’s find out!

A grand finale: The Hollow Knight

In a surprise follow-up to his Bugs of Hallownest series (see our summary here), creature builder extraordinaire Joss Ivanwood (jayfa_mocs) presents the final boss of the original Hollow Knight entry. We’re once again captivated by how well he was able to capture this character, which is also perfectly to scale with the other buggy builds. Joss shared a few unique parts easter eggs, including using fabric wing membranes from the Harry Potter thestral and a rare neon orange Bionicle mask tucked within. He also teased the potential for Silksong characters in the future, and we can’t wait to see what he builds next.

Journey through the Forgotten Temple

Inspired by their own traveling adventures, pickybrickster created this fictional forgotten temple that blends various architectural styles and inspirations to create something new in LEGO form. The outside of the temple is lush and overrun with vegetation, featuring incredibly realistically shaped trees that bend and bow with an explosion of leaves at the top.

The contrast between the overgrown wildlife on the outside and the crisp and patterned architecture of the temple itself is a beautiful touch. A journey further into the temple may seem like a foolish venture, but rumors abound that treasures untold lie within.

Pikmin and Pellet Posies make a Perfect Pair

neo_mocs has done it again – this time with an adorable recreation of some of Nintendo’s most colorful characters. The colors work so well here that I’m actually surprised that Pikmin hasn’t been more represented in LEGO MOCs. Regardless, these little guys are just as endearing here as when Shigeru Miyamoto first revealed them at E3 in 2001, and the Pellet Posy is the perfect addition to this ensemble cast. Seriously, how does the #1 work so well with just 3 pieces?

NPU galore in this stunning fantasy scene

There’s nothing finer than nice part use and unique building techniques in a fantasy LEGO model, and the latest creation from yr_bricks is a sight to behold. From the skateboarding helmet in the rocks to the Ninjago dragon head and Belville saddle that make up a portion of the tree stump, there are incredible parts and build techniques all over this scene.

The shaping and color contrast of the door comes together beautifully, as seen in the close-up shot below. We especially love the framing and almost spiral descent of the path, as nearly every portion of this build has a rounded or angular aspect that brings the viewer’s focus back to the center to fully appreciate this build.

A LEGO artist’s workspace

The overlap between traditional art and LEGO art continues to grow, thanks in part to LEGO’s official Art theme and the ever-growing community of MOC artists. Alysa Kirkpatrick takes this pairing even further with an incredible representation of an artist’s palette and workspace that perfectly captures the post-credits scene of an artist’s creation. The details used to represent all of the different colors and textures of the paints is done extremely well, and at a distance or a squint you can hardly tell that it’s not the real thing. There’s something beautiful about the mess that follows a piece of art.