About Luka

Luka is a Slovenian LEGO builder and a member of Kocke Klub. He is most well known for building dragons, but does not shy away from other themes when time is right. In the community he goes by Deus "Big D." Otiosus (D. stands for "Destiny") and has been around for quite a few years. He is one of those builders who went through their life without a dark age. Besides LEGO he is a biology student that wastes a lot of time in the local forest or in interesting urban areas. MOC Pages Flickr Bricksafe Youtube

Posts by Luka

When you see it, run. If you can bear to look away.

Repulsive fascination is a strange feeling, but it is exactly how I feel about this alien creature creation by Moko. Right upon seeing it, I wondered who was it that used the armor pieces from the 8918 Carapar set in such an ingenious way. But I was not surprised to learn this LEGO alien is the work of a builder who has consistently amazed us for over a decade.

The organic shapes are achieved by combining spider leg parts, click hinge connectors, and the aforementioned armor pieces. The huge head, which is more complex than it may appear, really adds a lot to the alien impression. It might be terrifying, and yet, I can not force myself to look away – but with a creation this impressive, I take that as a good thing.

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A monument to a different time

Decay is a powerful tool for storytelling and Andreas Lenander has used it to great effect with this old, abandoned AT-AT. Of all Star Wars vehicles, the AT-AT has the most iconic and expressive appearance in a destroyed state. The rust and slight overgrowth place the walker in an environment without a need for a larger LEGO scene, although Andreas has hinted that a diorama might actually be made in the future.

I love how the holes look just like metal plates caving under their own weight, as well as the damaged leg and all the bits dangling from under the body. The skeleton in the corner is also a nice touch, and I like that the builder made it from scratch instead of using a skeleton minifigure.

Dance to the sinister music of Makuta

Makuta are the go-to villains in Bionicle lore and fan creations, most often portrayed by both as imposing warriors. Anthony Wilson takes a different approach with his vision of Makuta, the Handler, which appears to favor manipulation and shadow magic over physical strength and large weapons. I may just be desensitized to giant robots, but I think this actually looks more terrifying.

The Makuta is, of course, the focal point, with a creepy insectoid head and a robotic looking robe made out of wheels and tyres. What really makes it stand out though, are the little details around it, like the Matoran on puppet chains and the music box, which even has notes built on the lid!

A different kind of deathwish

If you are granted a wish by Death itself, does that count as a deathwish? Even though it probably does not by definition, The Tale of the Three Brothers sub-story in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows does indeed (spoilers!) end in death. Aaron Newman Has taken inspiration from this story to build this symbolic recreation.

The landscape is just enough to represent the setting, with the focus on the composition and the large figure of Death. Using monochromatic expressionless minifigures is always a sure way to shift the viewer’s attention to the symbolism and the thought behind the build, and Aaron has used this to full effect. Death itself is especially imposing, as it should be. The few features that can be recognized through its black cape are amazing, most notably the teeth that are made using dark gray clips, carefully shadowed to look like fangs. This is not the only presentation trick to bring out the most from this build; take a look at the minifig in the center, which has been partially photoshopped to appear as though it is really wearing a cloak of invisibility.

Surrender your life to the tyrant of the abyss

Who is the pirates’ greatest enemy? Imperial navy? Or is it really the mysterious ship-devouring monsters of the deeps? William Navarre tackles the latter with his latest creation, pitting a pirate ship against a gargantuan kraken. Of course I do not envy the pirates their futile fight, but seeing a kraken would probably be worth it either way…

This is a really dynamic image, owing this impression to the expressive curves in the monster’s tentacles and the perfect little tilt on the ship. As expected from Navarre, the build is full of intense textures and complicated techniques coupled with unique part usage. What most builders avoid like the plague, the builder uses to his biggest advantage: the water is more than a base or even just a blue background, Navarre has built it to show the forces at work with waves and splashes corresponding to the action in the scene.

Striking blue protector of humanity

Inspired by Pacific Rim, Marco De Bon adds a new mech to his expansive collection. Marco is one of the better builder of classic LEGO mecha out there and he shows that very well in his latest build.

The carefully distributed dark red and blue plating over a silver and gray construction is striking and shows complete control over the shape and colour scheme simultaneously. The use of ribbed hoses in the body and neck gives a realistic impression of functional robot parts, but the best thing is a minifig firefighter mask with a gold visor used as the mech’s head.

An artistic recreation of an artistic recreation of a medieval castle

Motivated by a fictional castle building contest, Isaac Snyder has made a questionable move by recreating the Lichtenstein Castle, located in the non-fictional Germany. Although it might seem like a complete miss on the contest’s rules, it turns out surprisingly appropriate, because the castle in question is not of medieval origin and never served a defensive role. It was built in the nineteenth century from romantic inspiration.

The LEGO version is as much of a work of art as the original. The colours themselves are notable, as most builders are afraid of doing what so many real-life castles do: using the same colour of stone in the castle itself as the rock it is built upon. The mix of dark green and dark brown in the landscape down a bit lower also add a very natural feeling. I love all the parts used throughout the build, from grille tiles and lever bases to 4×4 hinge plates used as crenellations.

Penguin delivery on the Ice Planet

Amongst LEGO space themes, Ice Planet 2002 is one of the most unique, and it’s beloved by many nostalgic LEGO fans who grew up in the 90s. What is unique to Ice Planet 2002 is how important the environment is to the build; seeing the iconic ice pillars, blue ice, and orange windows really facilitates the nostalgic feeling in a fan creation, perhaps more so than it would in other similar themes. Chris Perron ticks off most of the boxes with this cheerful build of a penguin transport.

This is not Chris’ first creation in this theme, and we see here what he has learned from the earlier “study”. The balance between colours is perfect and the build style reflects the original theme well. Across the vehicle there are numerous textures that are mostly done in black and just a bit in blue too. The brick-built wheels are well done too. Scenery is always important, and this particular model is a prime example. Wedge slopes represent the snow pillars perfectly, but the translucent blue ice is really the important part — especially the odd “rock” element included adds just a bit of texture to the surface.

No secret is safe from the 5PY 8UG!

Unique LEGO creations are great, bringing a new idea or two into the builder community. The latest build by Aaron Newman is one such creation, but the amount of original ideas is just off the charts for a model this size. While we see robot bugs and fully functional transformers every now and again, the whole approach to the concept is completely new with this build. Making the “bug” transform from a translucent egg that then doubles as its wings and the way it was achieved, as well as the bug folding in a logical way within the egg, has many layers of innovativity to it.

The shape of the creature is quite nice, with characteristically bent feet and what appears as a split mandible. There are some neat parts usages like ray guns and goblets used as legs and translucent pyramid pieces that seem perfect for insectoid eyes. I think the most rewarding way to view this creation is trying to understand the way it transforms and consequentialy appreciating the effort put into it.

Gold-toothed king of the wasteland

For people well immersed in the online LEGO community, Mark Erickson is one of the best and most influential castle builders out there. In recent times, he has branched out into other themes more often and one such occasion is with this apocalyptic roadster. It is not a direct recreation of a vehicle from a Mad Max movie, but the inspiration is all over it.

Getting the obvious part out of the way, the huge back wheels are amazing and by far the best part of the build, but there is so much more to see, so here are some more points of interest: the flames bursting from the engine give an incredible sense of movement and the engine itself is very well built. There are some more subtle segments as well, but I feel like they add a lot to bring the build together – the colour choice for the black windscreen is important, many people would have tried to make it clear, which would just not look as good. The most subtle, yet most characteristic part in my opinion, is the little golden spike amongst silver ones at the front. Like a gold tooth in a postapocalyptic survivor’s grin.

A market raid worse than a medieval Black Friday

Unless you’re stuck in the Middle Ages, you’ll probably know that contemporary LEGO castle building techniques call for texture overdoses and lots of earth tones. That is all great, but I often like builds that are different from this new norm, because variation is key. Joel Tyer approaches the problem of originality from a different angle – the addition of white pillars at the side of the wall in this market scene gives the creation a unique and memorable appearance, without sacrificing complexity for uniqueness’ sake.

The terrace alone is not the only reason the build is so good, of course. The landscape is very fluid and the little stream outlines the base perfectly. The tower has an interesting hexagonal shape, rounded off at the edges with Technic pin connectors. This looks surprisingly good even with the different levels of textures in play.

And don’t miss the action at the back of the market, with soldiers and merchants going about their business.

A cute castle by the cute sea

Microscale castles are ever-present and always pleasant to look at, but often the width of LEGO bricks works best for minifig-scaled castle walls, making ones built at smaller scales too blocky. Aaron Newman has gone around this problem by using panels and the bottom sides of bricks as walls proportionate to the scale.

The build has a good sense of clutter naturally present in medieval castles, but my favourite part is the fortifications on the towers; the creation is made for a competition that stipulates using silver goblet pieces in unique ways, but all I can see is the brilliant use of upturned 2×2 round bricks!