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

The Black Breath

If you are like me, you’re probably thinking the world could use more LEGO creations inspired by The Lord of the Rings. Am I right? Who is with me on this? As it turns out, Cole Blood (who, in my opinion, has the coolest name in the history of the world) has answered all our prayers with this stunning piece he calls “First Appearance of the Ringwraiths”. Having no physical form, the wraiths are cleverly depicted as hellish black apparitions that seem to seep into the landscape. The orc heads on pikes, the toadstools, and the small flowing stream create excellent visual cues throughout. Stay tuned, because this is merely one piece of a larger Second Age collaborative series we’ve been covering that Cole is participating in with his equally talented friends. I will eagerly wait, right after heading over to the registry to change my name to Rex Awesome or something.

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Hang in there, little plant.

We love progress. Our cities, our monuments, even our parking lots are all built for the betterment of mankind. But no matter how far we progress, how tall we make our buildings or how shiny a monument may be, one fact will always remain true. Someday Mother Nature will reclaim what was once hers. Builder Emil Lidé illustrates this notion with this creation he calls “Breaking Through”. No stranger to building beautiful flora and fauna, he clearly has a deep respect for nature. We’ve highlighted his Yin and Yang Panda House before and while this piece is less extravagant, its message conveys strength and endurance. It is important to remember that the balance between mankind and nature is precarious. Every skyscraper began with a plan and every mighty oak began as a humble acorn. I have never rooted for a plant to win more than this little guy here.

A binge-worthy adventure in the clouds

You can binge-watch your favorite shows on Nexflix, or any other streaming service, all while skipping the intro. Because…who needs that nonsense, right? Or you can tune in to Markus Ronge’s flickr page for his faux “Netbrix” series entitled “Full Steam,” which revolves around a pleasure cruise turned catastrophic. The Royal Brixton Fire Brigade has rescued most of the passengers, including the Queen herself, but two remain unaccounted for. Will they be rescued in time? Airships and adventure abounds in this imaginative LEGO-built drama!

No matter which panel you click on, you are treated with intricate settings and stunning photography. My favorite is this one featuring the Queen losing her otherwise dignified composure at the sight of Van de Maersk. The microscale model ship on the desk to the right is also a nice touch.

I am caught up all the way through Season 1, Episode 10. I suggest you do the same so that we can talk about it around the water cooler at work. We have featured other models from the series, including Maersk Pier and the ill-fated Skytanic.