Posts by Daniel

North Pole has great snowplows

Finding the perfect Christmas tree is an important part of the holiday season, at least in some parts of the world. And the North Pole is no exception. In this scene by Andrea Lattanzio, when Santa sets out to find the perfect tree, he comes prepared. Not only does he have a nice sharp ax, and a reliable pair of snowshoes, he brought his faithful companion in case of trouble. Santa lucked out this year and didn’t have to wander far off the road. And speaking of roads, The North Pole has a superior infrastructure, with well-maintained roads, and industrial strength snowplows. These trees are very nicely shaped, and the softly curved slopes make great snow drifts.

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Marvelous microscale metropolis

There has been a recent increase in the number of microscale city blocks in the world of LEGO creations, which could be partly a result of our 2017 Creation of the year by Jeff Friesen. Wherever the inspiration is coming from, I am thrilled to see so many builders stepping up to build in this challenging and fun scale. Here we see the 4th micro city district by Marco De Bon which is dominated by a central plaza with a massive three-tower building which would look right at home in any major city. The three separate buildings in the back have the look of luxury apartments, while the skinny shorter buildings on all four sides look like they might be low-income tenements.

See more of Marco’s microscale city districts

Bladerunner spinner scours the skies for skinjobs

One of the most interesting concepts to emerge in Ridley Scott’s noir-style dystopic Bladerunner would have to be the police hovercar, also known as a spinner, which we first see descending through the rain on clouds of steam. Meticulously re-created by Davdup at larger than mini-fig scale. Aside from the most excellent sculpting of this unique profile, the inclusion of several custom stickers perfectly captures the details of its onscreen inspiration. The only thing that could improve the overall effect would be some white steam clouds.

And just in case you are wondering if it also drives on the ground, the answer is yes. Both of the doors open as well.

LEGO Doomfist is a smashing great model

You don’t have to be a fan of the Overwatch game to appreciate this stunning model depicting one of the characters from the game. His name alone, Doomfist, immediately captures the imagination. Mech builder Kelvin Low brings this character to life and captures the likeness of its onscreen inspiration very well.

One of the many subtle details that make this model work so well is how the gold pyramid slopeson his left hand mirror the same detail in dark grey on the larger right hand. Kelvin, who typically builds mechs and robots, does a great job of creating sculpted muscles and clothing to take this figure to the next level.

Strikingly strange stilt bot makes an impression

If you’ve ever witnessed a building contractor installing drywall, with those funny looking stilts, then you know why this long-legged robot by John Judy caught my eye. The builder has taken a more familiar sight, of a somewhat boxy bot in basic grey with no upper appendages, and turned it into a striking figure that I can’t decide whether to pat on the head like a friendly puppy, or run screaming for my life.

If the basic silhouette seems familiar to you, maybe that’s due to the fact that if you squint your eyes, it might bring to mind the profile of the AT-AT “chicken” walker from Star Wars, which John has also built with striking accuracy.

A dementor descends over this diminutive Hogwarts

Wow–either someone cast engorgio on a dementor (and who in their right mind would do that?) or diminuendo on Hogwarts castle. Whatever happened, this brick-built dementor by Maxime Cheng hovering menacingly over Hogwarts is magical. Special recognition goes to the dementor’s mouth, made from two collars from the William Shakespeare collectible minifig. The sculpted body and the streams of tattered cloak give this model a very sinister appearance. The school grounds and building are also very nicely detailed at this scale.

Large-scale LEGO hardsuit pounds into action

One of the defining subjects of the Maschinen Krieger sci-fi world is the hardsuit, an environmental suit that is meant to help the wearer survive in hostile environments like outer space or in radiation-heavy post-apocalyptic locations. While mini-fig scale LEGO hardsuits may be more common, this one by Marco Marozzi is built to a much larger scale, and as such, is packed with details. Like many of Marco’s mechs, this one has plenty of poseability. I especially like the ball-socket shoulder attached through a wheel rim.

The white engine cowl found on many space shuttle sets provides the hardsuit with the pod-like look that seems to take some inspiration from early deep-sea diving suits, and an abundance of tubes and canisters come together to lend an industrial feel to the model.

A splash of red

Building realistic-looking home decor is a niche that Heikki M has been a master of for years. The use of scale, colors, lighting and the absence of LEGO minifigures all factor into the illusion that you are looking at a real-world space. This latest model is directly inspired by furniture website photograph. LEGO bricks have never looked so comfortable.

Another pint-sized drone that packs a punch

It is the mark of great talent when a LEGO creator can build something that rises above the simple bricks and other elements to be easily mistaken for a mass-produced plastic model. I have been a great fan of FLAVIO‘s WIFFY series of cute and capable drones for years. These incredibly intricate and detailed robots are built around a signature part, the soccer helmet, which reminds me of old-fashioned football helmets from the 1920’s. This well-armed WIFFY also features a number of the new espresso handles, bar holders, and bar holders with clips. Another great detail are the binoculars tucked in under those red eyes.

Not your typical centaur

Centaurs are typically depicted as fierce but loyal warriors. This take on the mythical creature by Dr. Zarkow is most certainly fierce! Aside from the frightening helmet and the string of heads hanging from his armor, the size of the beast is truly intimidating. To add to the other-worldly feeling, check out the dragonfly in the foreground. The crocodile top jaws emerging from the water are a nice touch. And speaking of water, it blends in perfectly with the background.

This alternate, “minifig-eye-view” shows just how imposing the centaur really is!

Angelic titan stands between you and the hereafter

Microscale LEGO building is not just about building things on a small scale as the term suggests. Context can help a creation take on epic proportions with the use of a part or parts to provide a size comparison. Take this celestial automaton by Brian Kescenovitz made from a relatively small collection of elements. The micro-figure in the foreground, as well as the minimalist background, give this golden mechanical angel an impressive stature.

The multi-jointed legs have an insect-like feel, and the lack of a recognizable head or face lends even more otherworldliness to this guardian of the afterlife.

One cute monster prince

This adorable creation by Anthony Wilson is Ralsei, the monster prince who teams up with the player in the recently released game Deltarune. The stand-out design of his simple white-rimmed glasses is probably one of the best uses of Technic rubber bands usually reserved for providing tension in the moving play features of official sets. There is another great part used in the black boots, a car tire. The wind-swept scarf is also a very nice touch.