About Jonathan

LEGO was always Jonathan's favourite toy growing up in Middle Zealand, until around the age of 16 when he was told he was too old for toys. 16 years of Dark Ages later he decided you are never too old for toys and became hooked again with 7477 T-1 Typhoon vs. T-Rex and has since amassed over a hundred thousand bricks to facilitate his MOC building obsession. Jonathan runs a small IT business from home with his wife and three young boys under 5 (who are allowed to play with Daddy's LEGO when they can learn to stop putting it in their mouths!). When not working or spending time with family Jonathan is usually sorting LEGO.

Posts by Jonathan

A lighthouse keeper’s worst nightmare and a dentist’s best friend

If you aren’t familiar with Ultraman, allow me to introduce one of his many nemeses, the kaiju Yamaton — a heavily armed battleship with vicious claws and sharp pointy teeth. This microscale LEGO Yamaton by TOKYO TAG TEAM is inspired by the monster that initially appeared in the Ultraman The First manga. I love the trans-blue of the bridge and main deck windows and the aerials and dishes mounted all over the top. The mounted ninja claws make perfect complimentary guns to the main triple gun Technic pin connector turrets. The characterization of the mutated shark part of the kaiju is simply perfect; from the point of his snout with metallic eyebrows, through to his belly/hull with nasty clawed feet, to the tip of his strong tail.

Yamaton

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Last year Chris McVeigh kicked it old-school with a superbly recreated retro computer desk that made us nostalgic for floppy disks. And since reboots, remixes, and reinvention are all the rage these days, I’m inclined to forgive Chris for creating a remix of his own model. Besides, unlike certain unnamed failed reboots of recent decades, he has improved on an already excellent idea. The highlight for me is the inclusion of my all time favorite computer – the Amiga 500 – complete with joystick, floppy, and disk caddy.

My Old Desktop: Pal Edition

Chris has also captured a standard blue office chair perfectly with some very cool techniques. And the desk makes my inner grumpy old man think “they don’t make things like they used to”. It even includes working drawers! I also love the inclusion of a trusty calculator and cassette tape. All that is missing is a pencil for rewinding the damn thing …ok, maybe some things are better now than they used to be.

Drawers

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.

Who doesn’t love a good book? Brother Steven appears to enjoy a healthy tome or two as he has created these lovely brick-bound beauties for the ABS Builder Challenge. Featuring a trilogy of tempting treatises, Steven has chosen my three favorite LEGO colors to represent these classy antique publications. I love the hints of gold laid into the spines of the hardbacks to indicate high-quality binding and printing. Simple idea, perfectly executed, very effective and ingenious.

Pages of Knowledge

I’ve got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel

Most people know Rowan Atkinson from his most famous character Mr. Bean, who we’ve featured before driving his car. For a lot of us though, his greatest comic character was the infamous Edmund Blackadder. And now Letranger Absurde has made this acerbic anti-hero the subject of his latest brilliant character build – from his goofy conical hat to the tips of his pointy boots.

The Black Adder

Build your own city of tomorrow

Who hasn’t taken LEGO to school in their lunchbox before? Simon Liu received a cool Build your city of Tomorrow lunchbox as part of LEGO Canada’s celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday. Simon was then inspired to build his futuristic version of Toronto inside the lunchbox! I love that future microscale Toronto features plenty of greenery throughout the city, including on the roofs of skyscrapers, but the highlight for me is the little tube transportation system. However, I don’t know how much luck Simon’s going to have transporting his miniature city in the lunchbox without losing the top of the CN Tower.

City of Tomorrow

Vibrant hulking Mobile Defense Tank

Jme Wheeler has created the MDTDX Fiona Far, which is meant as a re-imagining of the official LEGO set 7706 Mobile Defense Tank. The builder notes that they thought the set “had a lot of cool things going for it, but the actual build was flimsy and lacking a bit in substance”. Starting with that basic idea, Jme rebuilt the set from the ground up, including adding more flexibility in the form of four sets of movable caterpillar tracks to replace the original’s rubber treads.

MDTDX Fiona Far

See more of this re-imagined LEGO tank

Giant exhibits bear-faced aggression

Run farmer, run! A fearsome LEGO hill giant lumbers his way along the cobbled path, doubtless “Fe, Fi, Fo”-ing under his breath. David Zambito‘s giant has an excellent face (cleverly built around a backward Teddy bear), an impressive chin, and crazy wiry hair. The shoulder pauldron, the chains with skull motif, that cow under the arm — all of it creates a great overall look. Special mention should be made of the dark red kilt and those matching boots with their straps of LEGO string.

Hill Giant Cattle Farmer

Piecing it all together

Do you ever feel like the pieces don’t fit? That you don’t fit in? Anne Mette V illustrates many examples of the seemingly insurmountable social chasms that can exist in today’s world. Superbly staged and photographed, each thought-provoking situation is sitting on its own brick-built misfitted puzzle piece perfectly juxtaposed against the black backdrop.

Fit in...

We see the divide between the haves and have-nots, and the awkward feeling of not fitting in with the cool crowd. Anne has included discrimination of many kinds in her LEGO creations including age, race, sex, class and ability.

Fit in... Fit in...

The next time you see someone who appears to be having a hard time fitting in, offer them a hand, a smile, or a friendly conversation. You might just make a new friend and help move all the pieces a little closer together.

Fit in... Fit in...

And yes, the pieces do actually fit together.

Don’t play the saxophone – let it play you

A little photo editing has been used to great effect in this bustling scene by legomeee, making the saxophonist stand out against the washed out surroundings. It creates the feeling that the busker is bringing vibrancy and color to an otherwise drab and dour market scene. The builder has chosen the perfect expression for the musician’s face as he plays his sax, and the motion blur of the people in the foreground helps complete the illusion of a lively flea market.

Flea market?

I’m gonna pick up the pieces and build a LEGO house

Mini Modular’s are brilliant when you can’t afford the full-sized thing. Clearly inspired by the new LEGO House under construction in Billund, Chris Wight has created a perfect addition with his LEGO House 2. I love the blocky layered design and the brilliant choice of colors. Little details like the air-conditioning unit on the roof and the simple tiled sidewalk with perfect mini trees all serve to round out the creation and give it a lived-in feel.

Lego House 2

It looks great sitting between the Mini Modular Fire Station and Cafe Corner:

Lego House 2

Beware the Barqan Fire

Looking like a cross between napalm and chili sauce, Barqan Fire appears to be nasty stuff with a lingering afterburn. Jonas Wide showcases the weapon’s devastating potential in this explosive vignette. Everything about the build is pure class: the tiled roof is simple yet grand, the hints of woodwork and sand green give subtle highlights throughout, and the style of architecture is excellently done. The centerpiece, though, is the fire-breathing beast spewing hell itself at the nearby wall, which Jonah has enhanced with a light brick behind the explosion for extra effect.

Siege Workshop in Barqa

Jonas notes that “the soldier doing the final adjustments to the pumping mechanism has however unknowingly built up way too much pressure in the cylinder…” Let’s hope a bigger explosion isn’t imminent!

Siege Workshop in Barqa Siege Workshop in Barqa

Down periscope with the Brickmania X-Craft Mini Sub

Welcome aboard Daniel Siskind‘s X-Craft Mini Sub for adventure under the high seas. The captain salutes from the forward top hatch, grabbing a breath of fresh air after months of stale air tinged with the sweet smell of submariner sweat. Waves crash over the bow as the submarine slices through the turbulent seas (a large trove of translucent white and blue studs). With the British Naval Ensign flying proudly astern, the silent hunter of the deep will slip back into the depths and continue to patrol the oceans.

X-Craft Mini Sub

Inside, the belly of the beast also features working hatches in the bulkheads, periscope and various crew stations.

X-Craft Mini Sub X-Craft Mini Sub

Like most of Dan’s work, copies of this model are for sale through his company Brickmania, which recently produced our own Senior Contributor Ralph’s Antarctic LC-130 aircraft. The X-Craft Submarine will set you back $445, and new kits often sell out quickly.