Posts by Kyle Keller

An Astounding LEGO Aegis of an Aureate Aesthetic

I have a bit of a weakness for life-size recreations in LEGO form, so this beautiful green and gold shield by Peter Ilmrud most certainly caught my eye. The odd angles of the outer gold band are mesmerizing in this blocky medium, creating a non-standard yet fitting silhouette for the creation. And the stripes of sand and dark green composing the interior fill color, again set at an atypical angle, pair nicely with the pearl gold trim. But the 3-D dragon head at the center is the real all-star here. Utilizing both Technic and System pieces, the sculpture incorporates some notoriously-difficult-to-use pieces into the fierce visage. Any knight would surely think twice before attacking a knight wielding this beauty.

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LEGO reveals 76417 Gringotts™ Wizarding Bank – Collectors’ Edition, available this fall [News]

Earlier today, LEGO announced the next set in the Harry Potter theme: 76417 Gringotts™ Wizarding Bank – Collectors’ Edition. Consisting of 4,803 pieces, this mammoth construction features both the above-ground wizarding bank and the catacomb of vaults below. All told, the set is an impressive 29.5″ (75 cm) tall, 12.5″ (32 cm) wide, and 10″ (25 cm) deep, and comes with 13 minifigures including Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Bellatrix, and Griphook. The set also includes the iconic Ukrainian Ironbelly that the Golden Trio ride out of the top of Gringotts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Designed to be compatible with 75978 Harry Potter Diagon Alley, 76417 Gringotts™ Wizarding Bank – Collectors’ Edition will be available for purchase through LEGO stores and their website on September 4 (September 1 for VIPs), and will retail for US $429.99 | CAN $559.99 | UK £369.99.

Take a stroll through the bank below

Winning at Minecraft, fatherhood, and LEGO

You may have noticed that the LEGO corner of the internet is currently awash in builds featuring the Drowned trident from Minecraft sets. And that must mean we’re amid another round of Iron Builder. Defending champ Caleb Schilling channels his love of LEGO minecraft with this tribute to the wholesome meme known as “Are ya winning, son?” The perfect recreation of the pixelated game on the son’s computer monitor is spot-on (and a great use of the skeleton head 1×1 plates I was drooling over in this recent review). The look of the two brick-built characters is wonderful, especially the little details like how the kid’s shoes bend outward slightly at the ankles, or the 1×1 brick with a stud on the side for the father’s mouth. And the trident part definitely takes center stage, used brilliantly in the legs of the desk. Intertwining the prongs to form a right angle is quite the pro LEGO move!

A pair of ripping LEGO railcars, with scenes to match

Builder Pieter Post has a history of some excellent LEGO railcar productions, and this pair of scenes adds two more to that list. First up is a rail weigh station, featuring a beautiful hopper car in brown. Here, his wonderful technique relies heavily on jumper plates to create the reinforcements along the sides of the car. I also applaud his use of brackets and cheese slopes to get the perfect clean slope up the sides of the hopper. The surrounding vignette is almost as detailed as the car, showing a daredevil railworker falling from a ladder while trying to change a lightbulb. What an unlucky fellow!

He’s almost as unlucky as the night watchman in Pieter’s other scene. Featuring a boxcar clad in dark green, the creation employs some brilliant tiling technique to provide a smooth, slatted look. The use of depth to break up the sides of the railcar, just as on the hopper car, is truly inspired. Hopefully the bandit in this scene doesn’t give the guard too much trouble…

When LEGO and basketball mix, it’s nothing but net!

You can keep your LEGO minifigures, because I’m an absolute sucker for brick-built people. And Cecilie Fritzvold provides two teams-worth with this homage to b-ball. In this first shot, we see a player going up for a dunk, with his outstretched arm palming the ball as he ascends upward over the defender. Bar and clip connections, angled parts, and ball joints are all employed to bring this scene to life. I can almost hear the labored mid-air shout followed by an inevitable crash of that outstretched hand as it grabs the rim.

But this is only one side of the court made by Cecilie. At the other hoop, we have a spirited game of 3-on-3. I love the unique takes on athletic wear and jerseys on all the players, each one sporting their own style. I also appreciate the intentional positioning of the players: the guy in black and yellow setting a pick, while the player in red calling for the ball down on the post. And all of this great action takes place in front of a gorgeous bit of wall art, spelling out “HOOPS” with an appropriately-themed double-O. Even the court is LEGO, utilizing an interesting technique to form the top of the key. Forgive me, but I can’t wrap up this post without calling this build an obligatory “slam dunk!”

It’s a chert-y job, but someone has to do it

Sometimes LEGO can be educational in the most unexpected ways. For instance, I had no idea that chert was a type of sedimentary rock until I espied the aptly-named Chert Chewer by builder Zane Houston. And, boy, does this Rock Raiders mech know how to chew! Equipped with 6 chrome drill bits, there’s no stopping this beast from taking down it’s quarry. The whole thing is a beautiful balance of color, occasionally allowing bits of turquoise and yellow to pop out from behind its gray skin. And I appreciate the inferred articulation with joints and pistons all over the hulk, frozen in place as it scoops out another handful of rubble. But the base it stands upon is by far the highlight for me! Those clean striations in the brown rock set the perfect scene for when the chert needs to be chewed.

42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP is the latest LEGO Technic vehicle coming this summer [News]

Freshly-premiered on the LEGO website, the Technic motorcycle 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP will be speeding into stores in a little less than a month. Made from 1,478 pieces, this heavily-detailed mechanical marvel is 17.5″ (44 cm) long and 9.5″ (25 cm) tall. The bike is outfitted with a working suspension, a 4-cylinder engine, and 3-speed transmission, so it’s ready for a spin when you take it off the included display stand. And you can use the LEGO AR app on your device to see the finished model in a whole new light. 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP will be appearing for purchase on LEGO store shelves and their website on August 1, and will sell for US $239.99 | CAN $319.99 | UK £199.99.

Take the new Yamaha for a drive below

Continuing the LEGO Disney100 celebration, 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera now available for pre-order [News]

Hot on the heels of the new LEGO Disney Castle, the Disney100 sets just keep on coming with 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera. Constructed of 811 pieces, this tribute to Disney’s formative years includes a vintage film camera, strip of LEGO-ified Disney scenes, and a small vignette featuring four classic characters and Walt, himself. The camera is modeled to showcase the multiplane style used in classic animated Disney movies such as Bambi and Snow White. 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera is currently available for pre-order, and will be available from LEGO stores and their website on September 1, and retails for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.

Take a look at this great new set below!

A pair of all-star mosaics from a diehard LEGO and Seattle Mariners fan [Video]

After only 10 minutes of conversation with Owen Jones, it’s clear that he loves two things in this world: LEGO and Mariners baseball. So he certainly wasn’t going to let an opportunity to fuse his two passions pass him by. To commemorate Seattle hosting this year’s MLB All-Star Game, Owen worked up a beautiful mosaic of the official logo. Featuring a very Pacific Northwest silhouette, the insignia is clad in Mariners colors of turquoise and dark blue. It’s such a clean representation that it feels like an official LEGO set. But Owen, with all his baseball nostalgia, didn’t stop there…

There’s more to this story! Click for the builder interview!

LEGO Minecraft 21189 The Skeleton Dungeon [Review]

I know what you’re thinking: this isn’t a new LEGO set, Kyle. And no, it’s not. 21189 The Skeleton Dungeon has been out for almost a year now (August 2022). But this remains, in my opinion, one of the best sets for the money in stores right now. So this isn’t going to be one of those reviews where I leave you in suspense until the end to figure out what I think. Much like the mob spawner featured in this set, my praise is going to be popping up throughout the write-up. The set contains 364 pieces, 4 minifigures, and retails for US $34.99 | CAN $44.99 | UK £24.99.

I went out and bought my own copy of the set for a review. Actually, to be honest, I’ve bought five of them at this point. I can feel you judging me through the computer/phone/tablet, but by the end, you’ll see why.

Mine a little deeper into the set below

Out near the Pacific, we find a LEGO town of fur traders

It’s been 27 years since LEGO brought us the Western theme, but Marshal Banana wants to bring us back to that time with their beautiful riverside town, clad in a brilliant array of earth tones. I love the distinct construction styles used on each of the town’s buildings. The whole build is a clinic in old-timey build techniques: the angled boards jutting out from the sand green hotel; the larger sand blue panels on the dockside hut; the long, dark red slats making up the façade of the fur-trading store; and of course the timber poles of the log cabin.

This quartet of structures nestles neatly into the side of a beautifully-sculpted hill of plates, complete with a well-worn path down to the river’s edge. I love the bits of dark green and olive vegetation, with pockets of rime distributed throughout the build setting the calendar in the winter months. While Marshal isn’t specific as to the setting, the whole thing screams of the Pacific Northwest in the United States around the early 1800s.

For a pair of LEGO Adventurers, the rivalry may never end

It’s only been 25 years since we were introduced to the Adventurers LEGO theme. And we can see how much Johnny Thunder and Sam Sinister have aged since then in this unique creation by Gregory Coquelz. The scale here is fantastic, providing a detailed look into the retired lives of these rivals, something that would be difficult to convey at minifigure-scale. Tiny details like Sam’s monocle and the bent brim of Johnny’s hat are brilliant bits of character creation. And I love the Easter eggs paying homage to past adventures like the Baron’s photo, the Anubis bust, and the T-rex head, each holding a revered spot above the mantle. Even the detail put into the board game makes it instantly recognizable as Monopoly. Good luck keeping that gem of a dessert out of Sam’s clutches, Johnny! I’m sure he cheated anyway.