About Keith Goldman

See Keith Goldman's LEGO models on Flickr.

Posts by Keith Goldman

Take me to 311 South Wacker, and step on it!

Inspired by the collected works of Spencer Rezkalla, TBB newcomer Rocco Buttliere has slowly amassed a fine collection of microscale skyscrapers with a focus on the architecture of Chicago Illinois. For his latest project, Rocco takes on the 961 ft tower at 311 South Wacker in downtown Chicago. According the the builder, “311 was the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world at the time of its completion. It is the seventh tallest building in Chicago, and sixteenth in the US. It is also the tallest building in the world whose address is also its formal title.” Considering the limited availability of Medium Dark Flesh colored elements, the building seems all the more impressive. Enjoy today’s slice of architectural history.

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Greetings from Nantou

Next up is a fabulous mosaic by a pair of Taiwanese builders Swar(left) and 娘娘槍(middle) called Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake. The photo comes courtesy of lixia_1982 who has more photos from the recent Train Festival exhibition in Nantou.

Don’t even think about going all Elvis on this model, you unruly hooligans, these guys (and gal) don’t look like they would brook your shenanigans. This post was ripped off from the good folks over at Mosaic Bricks.

“The Cosmic Castaway (yeah)”

It is time for a blast from the past (not literally of course, we only bring you the freshest content here on TBB) courtesy of Awesome-o-saurus and his retro-rocked the Sarthîon Cruiser. It’s good to see that the builder, who has been around for a bit, finally dropped the “not so great” from his moniker. It is time for Lego nerds everywhere to embrace their inner awesomeness without all the annoying qualifiers. Now all Mr. O-saurus needs is an exclamation point after his name to complete the transition from very hungry caterpillar to beautiful butterfly.

What do you want from me in terms of commentary on this one?…it’s a cool pointy rocket.

“My friend the witch doctor, he taught me what to say.”

The doctor is in, constant reader and he’s ready to hear your myriad of problems dating back to childhood. Hankyung Ryu (uhank) is the responsible party for this out of left field Bionicle creation which he calls Witchdocter-bot. The righteous headgear drew me in, but I stayed for the fine details like the ribcage and fancy accessories.

Since sharing is caring and the Bionicle Tribe is notorious for their strong bonds of friendship and consumption of Mountain Dew, I’m going to sneak in one more non-System model. The builder is Belarus native Vlad Lisin ([Rhymes_Shelter]), whose work has graced the pages of TBB in the past. Enjoy G’Loona, part of your Sunday serving of Bionicle…which is totally not dead.

Cruise the high seas in luxury with Orion Pax

It is time to beat the heat, constant reader because the stupid sun has had it too good for too long. Inspired by a good friend who runs a dive-center in Thailand, TBB regular Alex Jones (Orion Pax) takes to the high seas with his latest build the Sunreef 100 TDS. The boat looks like something you’d see in a rap video, with scantily clad babes cavorting with gold-chain wearing shot-callers. Alex gives you unprecedented insider access to his build process with an extensive work-in-progress photos and commentary and it’s all available on his website Orion Pax Blog. This isn’t the first time the two pals have teamed up for some aquatic action, check out Alex’s tribute to Thailand’s Similan Islands.

Nécropole Nationale

The Douaumont Ossuary is a war-memorial containing the remains of French and German soldiers who died on the battlefield during the Battle of Verdun in World War I. The monument is located in Douaumont, France, within the confines of the Verdun battlefield itself. French Builder Cyrille (TheBrickAvenger) shrinks the cemetery down to Microscale for this outstanding rendition. Unfortunately, perhaps the most interesting detail of Douaumont Ossuary was left out, a rotating red and white beacon at the top of the tower called “the lantern of the dead” that shines on the battlefield at night. Maybe Cyrille will tackle the structure in minifig scale some time down the road, and include the lantern. Quel hommage exceptionnel fourni aux soldats tombés au combat de la France, bien fait Cyrille!.

I offer my standard disclaimer / apology for my substandard use of the French language, no disrespect is intended.

“Hail to the king, baby.”

What was I talking about…oh yeah, dioramas done correctly. Although the frame of reference changes from the future to the past, the results are largely the same in this colorful model entitled “Welcoming the King“. The builder is Teabox (henrik_zwomp), who makes his sophomore appearance on this venerable blog with a diorama that pulls you in with a bear-hug and doesn’t let go. Although there is a mob of minifigs in a pretty tight space, the scene manages to never lose clarity. This wide-screen shot is my favorite of the bunch. You just know the black-hatted wizard on the second floor is up to no good…never trust a wizard.

Trouble in the hangar.

My big knock on many sci-fi builders is that they rarely build a setting for their awesomesauce pointy-nose spaceships, opting instead for the typical TBB friendly eye-burning white background. Raoul Baldwin (Raoulosos) clearly knows the power of a well constructed diorama to not only complement but elevate a futuristic personal conveyance. This immersive scene has all the sci-fi boilerplate a viewer could ask for: elevated walkways, floating ship, textured walls and wacky minifigs. Raoul also shows that he understands how to use color, using tan and olive for the ship and its container and nowhere else. My only nitpick is that if the builder had zoomed in just a little more, he could have eliminated the white border entirely. Many builders won’t go this extra step because it means that part of the build will inevitably be cut off. Enjoy your Saturday serving of sci-fi action.

“Stop that train, I’m leavin’ today! “

The king o’ the rails, Peter Norman (swoofty) claims his latest train is “really just a green Lego Super Chief“, but I’m not buying that self-effacing rhetoric and neither should you. I wish I could ramble on about all the realistic details that make the Southern FP7 #6133 great, but the sum total of my train related knowledge wouldn’t fill a shot glass. I do know that it bears a striking resemblance to the source material.

Small Town Memories

John Stephens (-=Steebles=-) makes his third appearance of the year with a growing micropolis that is more concerned with small town life than big city action. Let’s get small, constant reader and wander around hicksville looking for trouble, or at least a big greasy hamburger at the drive-in.

Friday Night Fights (Round 14)

Welcome back fight fans, to Sin City Nevada for another pulse-pounding edition of Friday Night Fights! Tonight’s bout features a struggle of nerds with nothing to lose but their pride. Let’s go to the tale of the tape:

Fighting out of the red corner, from the nerdiest corner of the internet…the Lompoc Lightning-bolt Tommy Williamson (Geeky Tom) and his “The Oatmeal“.

And fighting out of the blue corner, from the bad streets of Berlin…Brucewaynelego-Toyshansolo and his “Family Portrait – Kids playing on the Beach“.

As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding the outcome of this pugilistic endeavor by way of comment. On the last edition of Friday Night Fights, the battle for trainyard supremacy, it came down to a single vote as TBB rookie Nik J Dort took down a living legend 7-6. Tune in next week for more action!

“Well, I can drive that loader.”

Aliens meets Bionicle in the latest cool creation by Kyle Peckham called Cervatus and his Power Loader. Built for the annual Bio Cup competition on MOCpages, the exosuit is designed to accommodate a 10 inch tall Bionicle figure while being fully poseable and removable from the character itself. The competition is bringing out the best of the Bionicle tribe, so check out the other entries if you have the time an inclination.