About Lino

Lino is an artist, humorist, and occasional responsible adult. He is the co-founder of a challenge-based LEGO car club called LUGNuts which boasts over 1100 members worldwide. He proposed automotive building challenges every month for ten years (120 challenges!) which he and the other members built accordingly. LUGNuts has retired its challenges on its 10th anniversary but still remains a cornerstone for LEGO automotive builders. Between his artistic work and LEGO builds, Lino has been published in several books, including Beautiful LEGO, Beautiful LEGO: Dark, and Beautiful LEGO: Wild. He lives in Washington with his girlfriend and dogs.

Posts by Lino

Rodan rounds out the kaiju ruckus!

If you’ve been paying attention recently you may have seen sightings of King Ghadorah, Mothra and the King of Monsters, Godzilla. Now VelociJACKtor’s Rodan rounds out the big LEGO kaiju battle in all his fiery-red glory. There’s something just so pleasing about a group of friends building amazing creations based on the same theme. Seeing and writing about these legendary monsters has been like watching a Creature Double Feature…twice! I’m flooded with fond memories of childhood, popcorn, and campy kaiju movies right after the Saturday morning cartoons. Thanks for the memories, friends!

If you love kaiju and other creepy creatures as much as I do, then check out our monsters archive for a wild ruckus indeed.

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“This is the way” ; “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes”

Welp, we pretty much know what is going to be Disney’s hottest new action figure this spring, but a few LEGO builders like Dad’s Bricks (Joe) have gotten ahead of Hasbro and wasted no time in getting their versions out first. Now Mando doesn’t have to crane his neck so far down to keep an eye on his adorable little ward thanks to Grogu’s new IG-12 mech suit. It’s more of a hollowed-out droid, really. With the help of little Grogu at the controls, the former assassin droid is capable of saying “no” and “yes”- usually in quick succession. Judging by the builder’s name, he’s probably a dad and so can understand the pride and wonder Mando must feel for his (mild spoiler alert, here) adopted son. He probably has a stockpile of good dad jokes, too. If you know some good ones, please leave them in the comments.

Shack up for a long cold night

Is it just me or is there something kinda thrilling about staying indoors? This LEGO creation by Joe (jnj_bricks) has me wanting to pack a good book, some hot chocolate, and maybe a few board games to spend the night in this cozy cabin. Sure it’s a breathtaking winter wonderland outside but there’s blankets and a fireplace on the inside. Plus you really can’t dig into six hours of playing Eldritch Horror if you’re outside building a snowman now, can you? I mean, sure, you should probably admire the amazing build techniques and snowy textures on the outside but the inside of this stunning little cabin; that’s where the whiskey is at. Am I right or am I right?

Ghidorah joins the kaiju battle!

The Brothers Brick feed has been looking extra kaiju-y lately and we’re all thrilled about it. That’s because a group of friends got together to build the coolest LEGO kaiju ever. You may recall recent appearances from Mothra and Godzilla. Now Daniel Olvera joins the big kaiju battle with King Ghidorah! I just discovered HBO’s Turner Classic Movies hub so I’ve been rewatching all the great kaiju movies of my youth and loving every guy-in-a-rubber-suit-with-the-zipper-showing minute of it. Sure the monsters are fighting battles for reasons understood by no one, it’s a whole lot of schlock and you can totally see the strings on the flying rockets but that’s all part of the charm, really. Don’t tell Godzilla but I was kinda rooting for Ghidorah all along. If you love kaiju and other monsters as much as we do, then grab some popcorn and click the blue link to dig into our archives.

A Gillig CNG bus just for the heck of it

The last time I did something just for the heck of it I ended up getting banned for life from Sizzler. But when LEGO builder Isaac Wilder does something for the heck of it you get this sweet little Gillig CNG bus. Admittedly his approach to doing things for the heck of it is far more constructive than mine. Hah-constructive, get it? Anyway, I’m enjoying all the build techniques here and the photography and wet look turn a nice little build into something amazing indeed. It’s such a relatable thing because it reminds me of all the times I’ve waited for a bus in the rain. That’s all in the past now because, for reasons unrelated to the Sizzler incident, I’m also banned from city buses.

Midnight in the Garden of Lothlorien

My apologies go out to John Berendt as I came dangerously close to the title of his famous novel with my title. LEGO builder Ralf Langer tells us this latest creation is called Lothlorien Riverside, which makes it a Lord of the Rings sort of thing. But he also says it’s not of a specific landscape so you can forgive me if I imagine this as a setting for an atmospheric Southern Gothic tale of murder and deceit. It is a setting of breathtaking beauty juxtaposed against an unsettling eerieness. Ralf truly understands the reflective properties of LEGO as you can see in our Ralf Langer archives. Black works particularly well here but he has done this with other colors in the past. The angle of the photography is also an effect he thinks about a lot. Shot at a high angle the green algae on the water would seem more blocky. But at this angle, it’s perfection! mastery of brick and photography like this is why Ralf is consistently among our favorite builders.

This builder prefers to do his own Stuntz

This wacky LEGO cottage built by Thomas Jenkins takes inspiration from an unlikely source. The City Stuntz sets have been entirely passed over by me but in looking over the neat build techniques used in this whimsical cabin, I may have to rethink that short-sighted strategy. He’s used the motorcycle ramps to shape the roof. What a neat use that part! I prefer to leave stunts (or stuntz) to the pros. Why the first time I try skateboarding I’m liable to credit card my gooch or land a gnarly face plant and, at my age, I ain’t about to get in on all that drama. But if you’re braver than I am, then check out our totally dope Stuntz archives.

Your mando coverage of Mando on Mandalore

I’m pretty sure we’re contractually obligated to feature LEGO creations from The Mandalorian every once in a while. I think it staves off a Mythosaur rampage or something. Thankfully, the aptly-named KevFett2011 is consistently willing to oblige us. This time we’re taken to Madalore where our hero needs to atone for taking off his helmet too many times during all the mushy scenes. Seems from now on we ain’t seeing Din Djarin’s beautiful, beautiful face anymore unless you tune in to that other channel where he’s fighting mushroom people. I’m digging Kev’s rugged Mandalore trinitite-strewn terrain and the added third foot on R5-D4 is a nice touch. I never get tired of seeing Mando’s hot-rodded N-1, either. Do you love The Mandalorian as much as we do? Then click the little blue link for more Mando goodness. This is the way.

The Cascade Fighter fights for cascade freedom-or something

Oregonian LEGO builder Jason Ruff hits us in the nostalgic feels and takes us to a simpler, more innocent time before mortgage payments and restraining orders. He’s built the Cascade Fighter Mk II (Mk I allegedly lost in the ether) in a lovely Classic Space motif. It’s part manta ray, part F-14 Tomcat, and all Classic Space goodness. I particularly like the curved leading edge of the wings as well as the smaller stabilizing wings up front. The missiles are also charming but then again I’d say that about all missiles. If you like Classic Space as much as we do, then please check out our archives in which you can dork out about Classic Space ad nauseam. Which explains all the restraining orders, then.

A snake of a guy gave me an evil wink

Master LEGO figure builder Matt Goldberg has constructed this sinister-looking Paladin L. S. Kobra and now we’re all a bit squigged-out by it. He tells us this serpent is the Bannerreptile of the Konda Kingdom, champion of the battlefield, and belligerent master to his squire. I’ve been all three of those things in the past, which landed me a trip to the HR office. All I can say is it was a different time back in 2016. Office politics were different, so that’s why I’m a school administrator now. Obviously. Anyway, click the little blue link to check out why we think Matt Goldberg would rule the office battlefield.

The Mil Mi-24 means business. Serious attack helicopter business!

If you see this hovering out your window chances are you’re in some deep trouble. It has a capacity for eight troops so you know things are about to get hairy. Thankfully for the rest of us, we can enjoy this LEGO replica built by Stefan Johannson from the relative comfort of our homes. Even as a LEGO model, this thing oozes menace! I particularly like the sag of the rotor blades. Initially introduced by the Soviet Airforce in 1972, this timeless gunship is currently being used by fifty-eight countries and has served in dozens of skirmishes, including the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This particular model is sporting Ukrainian colors so there is a high probability its real-life counterpart is defending its people and giving those invaders the business. Serious attack helicopter business! News reports cite that the resilient Ukrainian people have been successful in taking down Russian forces with pickled vegetable jars and farm equipment. I can only imagine what they can do with this.