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

An autumn haven for the Post Master

Imagine a world in which the trees keep their vibrant autumn colors all year round. Vermont and New Hampshire aren’t even that charming, and they make a mint in tourism on account of their autumn leaves! Ayrlego has built such a world in LEGO and it’s called Otoño (The Autumn Isle). Here we see that a post office has recently opened in the sleepy settlement of Hojaroja on the Eslandolan Island of Otoño. When not delivering the mail, the Post Master lives upstairs in his quaint Tudor style home. I can get lost in all these details, particularly the lantern and the rustic chimney. I can imagine standing on that porch and soaking in the autumn splendor. We quite often get lost in Ayrlego’s worlds. Settle in for a while because you can too.

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This Loxodon wins by a nose

In the event that you haven’t nerded out enough lately, Eero Okkonen has you covered. He has recently built a LEGO version of Jörn, a Loxodon ranger from northern Nordovik. This is a character he’s playing in a quarantined Dungeons & Dragons campaign called Heroes of Auronia. Eero scores extra nerd street cred as this bipedal beast was inspired by the Woolly Loxodon from Magic: The Gathering. I like the use of the baskets as feet as well as the dragon wings in dark green. Check out our archives to see more of this builder’s stuff. As for playing D&D while in quarantine, I feel your pain, Eero. Most of my own gaming has become a solitary endeavor due to the pandemic. And let me tell you what a soul-crushing embarrassment it is when someone walks in on your one-handed solo campaign.

For any load, any road the 1950 GMC has everything!

I like it when a LEGO creation has me searching retro ads for title inspiration. This retro red slice of pickup truck heaven is brought to you by Dallen Powell. All the shapes and curves of the 1950 GMC are represented nicely with this model. I particularly like the hood and the door handles. That gascan in light gray can only be found in one DUPLO set, the 18808 Little Plane.

The open hood reveals the inline six in blue. The doors and tailgate open and this model seems to have steering capabilities as well. The 1950 GMC pickup is perfect for all your fruit, vegetable, and fishing needs. That last bit was not a line stolen from retro advertising but rather thought up on my own. Brilliant, right? I’ll be expecting mail from GMC soon. Whether it be a check or a cease and desist order at least I’ll be happy to know they’re thinking of me.

The smell of heat and oil

Sometimes a LEGO creation enables you to smell, feel and imagine a whole slew of things that aren’t even there. Take this render by Douglas Hughes, for example. It is called Sunset in the Gulf and it depicts a helicopter and oil rig silhouetted against the sunset. I can imagine wearing ear plugs to squelch out the noise and a hard hat that barely contains the sweat and grime. I can envision wrenching on an uncooperative bolt with all my strength, filthy coveralls and a squeal of machinery. Do I have an overactive imagination? perhaps I do, but an imagination fueled by life experiences. While not quite an oil rig I have been in the boiler rooms and engine rooms of ships and there is a certain taste and smell to an environment like this.

While your experiences and feeling for this piece may vary, at least for my ol’ reptile brain this conjures up rusted memories of now ages gone by. And for that, Douglas, you have my kudos.

Among these massive SHIPS, here comes the tiny Terribilis

With the fleet of massive SHIPs we’ve seen lately it’s refreshing to know that someone still loves small, one-man spacecraft. This LEGO Blacktron attack craft was built by none other than The Brothers Brick’s own Mansur Soeleman. While he could have written a better post about it himself, once I’ve dedicated thirty seconds into a post, there’s really no stopping that engine. With that said, I’m smitten by Mansur’s use of these pieces from the Ninjago Arcade Pod sets. I also like that this diminutive yet deadly BT-145 Terribilis is named after the equally diminutive and deadly Golden Poison Frog. We’ve been smitten by Mansur’s creations before and while they refuse to give me the keys to our recruiting office, I’m guessing this is why he’s writing for us now.

Cab-Over, Down Under

In other news today this LEGO render by Tauriel1 is totally something I’d be into. So much for unbiased reporting, then! With copious chrome, bitchin’ exhaust pipes, a flashy color, retro curves and mean honking’ tires, this cab-over truck checks all the boxes that makes my heart go pitter-patter. The builder, who apparently hails from Australia, tells us they were just having fun with this and keeping their mind occupied. If this is how they spend their time, then I will totally tune in to their frequency again sometime to see what they’re up to. Now that you all know what tickles my fancy, Christmas shopping for me has been made that much easier. You’re welcome, readers. You’re welcome.

Set the controls for the heart of the sun

It’s not my fault, really. Our new Brothers Brick contributor, Mansur got us thinking about it and now I can’t see all this LEGO SHIPtember business without hearing Pink Floyd tunes. I can’t even fathom anymore how space travel is even possible without Pulse on continuous loop. While I already have the soundtrack in mind, Marko Petrušić gives us a glimpse of what real interstellar travel could look like. Of all the massive SHIPs we’ve seen lately this one stands apart. The inclusion of solar sails certainly help give this craft a different profile.

Marko calls this creation Daedalus whom, if you recall your Greek mythology, lost a son to wind-surfing or something. If you like nerd data, Marko tells us this measures 177x177x136 studs with the solar sails and 28x28x54 studs without. While this is indeed a computer render, he also tells us this took only a day to create…or about the length of a live version of your average Pink Floyd song. Here’s a closer view of the craft without regard to the solar sails. Check out that amazing detail!

Star Wars: Return of The Child, Season two, featuring The Child

If there’s just one thing carefully-crafted scientific data has proven, it’s that if you post something to do with The Child (aka Baby Yoda) from The Mandalorian, you’ll get all the clickity-clicks and likety-likes in the world. Take this cute little LEGO chap built by Thomas Lundström. While he is small and not overly complex, you will still go ga-ga for the little scoundrel. See, you can’t resist clicking “like”! I can just see our views skyrocketing already.

If you care to flood your cuteness overload with more of this lovable little space-toddler then check out our archives.

If it’ll please the court, Exhibit A...the wedding photos.

A photograph is a literal snapshot of a moment in time, but often so is the camera. This LEGO disposable camera by nobu_tary reminds us that the real sweet spot for these was from about the late eighties to the early oughts. The builder pretty well captured the sort of the throw away cheap quality these cameras possessed. The lenses were usually plastic, the photo quality questionable but they served in a pinch. One popular use of these was at weddings. A disposable camera was placed at each table and wedding guests were encouraged to snap impromptu pics of themselves. Then once the honeymoon was over, the newlyweds would then develop their photos only to find a record number of butts, boobies, and ding-dongs. It was immature and a complete waste of film if you ask me! Thankfully we all do the same now but on our smartphones like responsible adults.

You may feel a slight prick

Have you ever had the feeling that your mind and body has been taken over by time-traveling extraterrestrial beings for the purpose of one day inheriting the Earth? No? Wow, I don’t even know how to respond to that other than you people are a bunch of weirdos! A LEGO builder who surely knows the gentle mind-touch of a Yithian is Ivan Martynov, which definitely isn’t weird so don’t get that idea in your heads. To be clear, this is a computer render as evidenced by a few of these parts in non-production colors but to the likes of Ivan and me, this is instantly recognizable. He tells us that “there lies upon this world of man a mocking and incredible shadow out of time.” Indeed, Ivan. Indeed. Still not attuned to our wavelength? Then just let Ivan and I have our knowing nods. Remember, you people are the weirdos, not us.

But if you’re totally jibing with what we’re into, then you may want to submit your delicious minds and check out some of Ivan’s other creations.

You kids and your TikTok!

I fancy myself as too old and too unhip for TikTok. With that said, LEGO meme builder and Brothers Brick alumni Iain Heath is a few years older than me and probably already on the AARP mailing list. Yet somehow he has his middle-aged finger on the up-to-the-minute pulse of what the crazy kids are into on TikTok. You may have heard that the Tweeter in Chief nearly banned TikTok for new American subscribers as recently as last Sunday but apparently has since struck up a lucrative business deal that’ll maybe put the ban on hold and thus somehow TikTok is no longer a national threat. Thank giblets for progress, right? Thankfully Iain already has an account and can clue the rest of us in on what we’re missing. Presenting TikTok sensation Bella Poarch whose schtick is apparently making faces to the beat of Techno tunes. Check out Iain’s 10-second video to get in on all the fun. Your lives will most certainly be enriched.

Dearly departed...

Call me weird, but given the money and space I’d make a classic hearse as my daily driver. I already have the somber disposition down pat, and when not sweating gravy during the summer I can pull off a black suit with some semblance of charm and poise. I’m no expert on the matter but by the looks of the fins and taillights I’d say this LEGO creation by Plastic Pauper is representative of a ’58 or ’59 Cadillac. That is some automotive excellence right there! The coffin is also well-built. The neat thing about hearses is that, for some of us, it marks the first and only time we get to ride in a fancy car. What, too soon? I’ll just let myself out now.