Posts by Kyle Keller

A LEGO golden dragon “painting” that soars off the canvas

Builder Dad’s Bricks has a reputation for excellent Asian ink paintings made of LEGO. This latest addition to the gallery is a gorgeous golden dragon. But unlike a 2-D ink painting, the model springs to life, popping right off the canvas of plastic along with some surrounding clouds and crags. The colors here are so vivid – angular gold and tan scales standing in stark contrast to the wispy white feather parts coming off the beast. This is most pronounced around the dragon’s face, as its mane of whiskers accentuates the pair of 2×2 round tiles in pearl gold staring directly at you. It’s clear there’s ancient wisdom held within, but only shared with those worthy of such secrets.

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Keeping watch over the colorful terrain

There are so many bright pops of pigment in this goblin outpost LEGO scene by Carter Witz. Terrain of lime and yellowish green is dotted with golden flowers and trees sporting pink leaves, standing in stark contrast to the brilliant blue of the cascading waterfall and rich brown of the gobbos’ watchtower. The palette is incredibly immersive, reminding me heavily of the Elves theme from years ago. And amid the colorful scene, Carter sneaks in some terrific designs with the round concrete foundations of the outpost, the cute cave entrance on the left, and the craggy textures of exposed rocks utilizing studs in all directions. The use of slopes and exposed studs in trans-clear throughout the waterfall is a real triumph, too. I can almost hear the rushing water as it cascades down the goblins’ hill!

When it comes to magic-users, the kookier the better!

Straight from the mind of LEGO builder MySnailEatsPizza comes this wonderfully witchy character named Isobel. Complete with a pet frog on her shoulder, this sorceress is seen here riding quite the ornate broomstick, complete with white rubber bands for grips and floating magical zamor sphere. Another black rubber band (all of them official LEGO parts, mind you) is used in her satchel. Aside from this excellent parts usage, this construction does a great job of conveying Isobel’s “chaotic good” sensibilities through a slightly cocked head, open and expressive arms, and legs semmingly crossed for both comfort and balance. She looks to be mid-conversation, describing the intricacies of the “mana-flow” and how best to implement its energy. If only I could follow any of what she’s saying….

Grab some oc-tapas at the Octopus Bar & Grill

If you’re hankering for some seafood, best to check out the new LEGO restaurant on the corner of Modular Lane, owned and operated by Erek Weidner. The color scheme here really stands out: the light nougat walls with dark stone columns and red highlights making the building pop. I love the pattern of ornate shapes hugging the waist of the structure, the simple design on the tree formed around a piece of seaweed, and the gorgeous lettering on the restaurant’s sign. But I haven’t even talked about the 800-pound octopus in the room… or rather, on the roof. It’s an inspired idea to jazz up this modular, pulled straight from the pages of a used car dealership’s playbook.

Come and Marvel at this large-scale LEGO Stan Lee

We’ve seen loads of LEGO builds on TBB by Lego_nuts over the last three years. But his latest creation, allowing us to peer into the mind of the irreverent Stan Lee, has got to be my favorite yet! His large-scale office is full of references to Marvel properties, from an expertly crafted Infinity Gauntlet to Stark’s arc reactor. The use of the Constraction heads as busts on the shelf behind Lee is top notch. But it’s the big man himself that steals the show in this scene. The creation exudes that friendly charisma that Stan was known for, with his smiling face behind a white mustache. His glasses are spot-on at this scale, and I’m pretty sure Lee’s worn that exact outfit in one of his many movie cameos.

With Thanksgiving officially over, it begins!

Here in the US, the turkey has now been carved, the parade has concluded, and your relatives have sufficiently inquired as to why you still don’t have a girlfriend (I’m focusing on LEGO, obviously!). But that can mean only one thing. The Christmas season is headed right for us! I find it best to ease into the festive spirit, and what better way to do that than with this kitchen scene by Sarah Beyer. The use of lighting here is exquisite, and reminds me of midnight snacks in my parents’ kitchen from years gone by. And the scene feels clean while still remaining interesting, with a bottle of bright green dish detergent next to the sink, the tree set up in the corner, and the table with baking remnants upon it. But don’t forget the gingerbread abode resting on the counter, made with the clever use of some hinge pieces. The only thing that’s missing is some Mannheim Steamroller playing in the background.

A fifties Ford in fitting LEGO form

Builder Tony Bovkoon takes us back to the mid-fifties with this modified Ford F-100. This vehicle is quite the collection of sand green curved slopes! It’s the signature contours we saw in the early days of the F-series, accurately recreated in this beautiful truck. Tiny details like the katanas for windshield wipers and the tan bed liner really make this construction pop. And I love the modern wheels and lowered chassis on this resto-mod design.

The hood even lifts open, revealing a detailed engine design. The radiator design at the front of the cavity is such a simple, yet easily recognizable classic truck feature, even for a fair-weather auto fan such as myself. It’s beautifully executed, and my favorite part of the build.

These LEGO dominos keep getting knocked down, but they get up again

Engineering mastermind Grant Davis comes to us today with an infinitely brilliant design: a machine that knocks over and resets ten LEGO dominos. The simplicity of the tan dominos atop a plain gray box with only “D-O-M-I-N-O” spelled out on the front belies the complex machinery within. Grant has rigged up sections of of the base to open, revealing liftarms that right the fallen dominos in reverse order. This allows for another round of toppling via a different poking device, again hidden in the base. But the really impressive genius here is the magnet system in each domino making sure that the rectangular tiles always fall and reset into the same positions. To hide the standard LEGO magnet in a two-stud width without sacrificing any exterior design is truly marvelous!

Of course a picture can only do this build so much justice. Check out a full explanation of Grant’s design process, and the final product in action, in the video below. Oh, and prepare to pick your jaw up off the floor, as well. This machine isn’t designed to reset that…

An inventor whose mind wanders the skies

In the steampunk-esque LEGO world of Wandering Skies, floating rocks make up the land… sorry, sky-scape. And Okay Yaramanoglu shows us how one inventor makes a home amid the levitating boulders. I adore the cartoon quality of Okay’s creation here. The tudor-inspired walls of the inventor’s abode contrast well with the golden shades of its roof. And the green highlights from the surrounding vegetation and window shutters add brilliant pops of color against the blue background of the sky. There is some fantastic parts usage throughout, including the cloud sculpting using 1×1 curved slopes and all the mechanical contraptions coming out of the building’s roof. But the best by far is the rock on which this “church” is built. The large rocky baseplate and craggy wheel from Nexo Knights for the two islands fit perfectly into this scene.

A character that sticks with you

I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the new adhesive 8×8 plate available in some LEGO Dots sets. And while I haven’t been able to work it into one of my own builds yet, Eero Okkonen puts the new part to work in this swinging character suspended from the underside of a bookshelf. The sturdy swing design is impressive, not once relying on an unstable stud/antistud connection for the attached chains. And the character’s winged boots are dynamite, taking full advantage of a build without a bottom. But my favorite bit of the design has got to be her flowered sleeves. Each dark pink bloom pops against the jacket’s black background.

A boxy X-Wing precursor from a bygone age

If you’ve ever wondered what starfighters looked like in the days before “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” Alex Simion imagines one possibility with the non-canonical X1 Freedom Rebel Fighter. I love the rugged texture of this ship, trading in the typical sleekness of Star Wars fighters for something a bit more utilitarian. All the sharp corners and exposed mechanical panels definitely add to the implied age of the craft, and it feels reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon as a result. And check out those massive blasters on the front! I’d hate to be in front of this thing while over Alderaan.

And here’s a view of the back. I love all the mechanical texturing around the six engines. I can only imagine how fast this fella could go! This angle also highlights one of my favorite bits in the build: the pair of red friction cylinders on top of the craft. I love the pop of color amid so much gray and black, drawing the eye in to all the details surrounding them. And the technical connection to the two pairs of wings feels appropriate given all the other mechanisms on display. But where does the astromech droid go?

LEGO reveals the Eiffel Tower as the next set in the Icons line [News]

The LEGO Icons theme is going to new heights with its next set: 10307 Eiffel Tower. Clocking in at just over 10,000 pieces, this will be the tallest official LEGO set ever made, standing almost 5′ tall when fully assembled! The dark gray darling is detailed with intricate trusswork and topped with a French flag. Other structural details include elevators and an office on the top floor. Given its size, the build separates into four sections to aid transport and storage. Expect this architectural wonder to be available through LEGO stores and their website on November 25th, and will retail for US $629.99 | CAN $799.99 | UK £554.99.