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

The future of details is now

There are times when a LEGO creation is futuristic because it is a spaceship, robot or another sci-fi element. There are other times, when the build itself is futuristic in its construction techniques and concepts. This spaceship by Nick Trotta is one of the cases when these two aspects intersect. LEGO creations keep evolving and advancing with time and this one is at the cutting edge for sure.

From complicated angles to unique solutions for round shapes, there is a lot to see on this little spacecraft. The best and most progressive parts, though, are the technical details like hoses and gears, carefully enclosed by surrounding panels. So many different colours would not look good in most cases, but Nick has balanced them into a pleasing colour scheme.

For more inquiring readers, the builder has a video showcasing his creation in detail.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

To move space cargo, you need space freighters

Freighters are a not uncommon amongst LEGO spacecraft, but still notably less frequent than fighters – that is why they are always a welcome change from the usual militarized space genre. This time we can thank James Zhan for the refreshment, although the guns mounted at the side still hint at a somewhat violent universe.

The cargo crate’s shape and texture contrasts nicely with the core of the spacecraft, but I do wish James contrasted the colour too. As far as the freighter itself goes, it has a lot going for it. The rounded shape, while simply constructed, is pleasing to the eye and the body is filled with different doodads and details to break it up without making it look too chaotic and scattered. The careful little hints of orange make an otherwise utilitarian colour scheme quite a treat too.

A symbolic spacecraft for the Horde

If you are unfamiliar with the source material for this LEGO model, the Horde is a faction in the Warcraft franchise, but usually has little to do with spaceships. The builder, Evgeny Susekov, does not specify whether he took inspiration from the game or just from the faction’s symbol. The builder uses every detail of the symbol’s design to add something interesting to the spacecraft; from the curves and side appendages, to the unique diamond element in the center, which is a cockpit connected by what appear to be energy beams.

The build is an interesting use of fantasy inspiration in a sci-fi theme. However, besides the shape there is not much more to remind us of the games, and it might have been good to include at least an Orcish pilot or many, many spikes.

Dancer’s disintegrator daydream

All she wants is some decent clothing and a less demeaning job. Or so says Aaron Van Cleave, the builder of this fun LEGO Star Wars scene. The iconic Jabba’s Palace setting from Episode VI is given an interesting twist here.

Die-hard LEGO purists avert your eyes — the dancer’s Palace outfit is made of cut netting, and Salacious Crumb’s eyes are cut stickers. But this creation doesn’t rely wholly on such techniques. While the white daydream side does not have much to it, the Jabba-side has many interesting layers, light tricks and editing. We may have seen Jabba and his lair done in LEGO before, but never so uniquely. This model sits in a strange limbo between being a faithful recreation of a movie scene and being something of its own.

Four guns, two legs, one purpouse

Autumn is quite the time for LEGO community projects; having blasted through SHIPtember with some massive spaceships yet to be covered, we are moving into Ma.Ktoberfest at full speed. If you are not up to date, Ma.Ktoberfest is an annual October building challenge when builders create mecha, hardsuits and even spacecraft inspired by the Ma.K (Maschinen Krieger) universe. One of the first to pick up arms (or bricks?) is Marco Marozzi with this beautiful curvy bipedal mech.

The mech just oozes with Maschinen Krieger aesthetic. From domes and curved surfaces to hoses, guns and intense technical details. It stands out even without considering the source material, with an exotic colour scheme and unique shaping. Marco really shows how to make a creation within some restrictions, without letting them define the build.

Swooshing through space at 100 studs per month

I had a friend with a dream to build a huge spaceship out of LEGO. One which would fit two classic LEGO standards: the famous Vic-Viper style, and the 100 stud-long SHIP (Significantly Huge Investment in Parts). I have yet to hear from that friend again. However, Matt Rowntree has taken on the same subject, and completed the job in a single month!

This creation is more than just two established building genres mashed together — Matt’s M-47 Bushmaster is the best of both worlds. A unique-looking SHIP, and a detailed Vic-Viper too. The level of detail is unsurprising considering the scale. What might normally be achieved with stickers is brick-built, and nothing looks overly bulky or out of place. You might wonder why a spaceship in a format usually reserved for micro- or minifig-scale is so large. The answer? It’s piloted by a technic figure!

BSL Marcus Garvey is orange for launch

October has started, but we still have much to cover from SHIPtember — the month-long celebration of building massive LEGO spaceships. This particular addition, BSL Marcus Garvey by the OG LEGO builder Keith Goldman is actually a recreation of a concept art by another builder.

With dozens of top quality large spaceships built in the community each year, it is hard to be original, but Keith’s ship excels at being true to the concept art, nailing a color scheme, following complex angles and textures, and leaving no boring spots whatsoever.

We are all worms to the true tyrant of the sea

When you think it can’t get any worse, sometimes life likes to surprise you. Such is the case with this band of pirates as Dwalin Forkbeard tells us: The pirates have survived an unfortunate battle with an Imperial ship, only to be attacked by an ancient sea monster. They are doing everything they can to escape, going as far as blowing into the sail, but will that be enough? Judging by the skeleton on the animal’s back, they do not even have to be eaten to meet a tragic end.

While the textures are somewhat simple, the inner construction of the creature has to be impressive to achieve the smooth, rounded shaping. The segment on the back resembling a small island is a common theme with sea monsters, but I have never seen it done in LEGO before, and a conservative amount of seashells and other sea animals spread across the monster really gives it a realistic impression. While the whale (or is it a fish? Is it any of that, even?) is obviously the focal point and the best part of the build, its surroundings help, too — the raft is positioned so that it gives a feeling of action and the water spilling off the diorama looks just so dynamic.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright...

Possessed by the fever to follow the call of the wild, this magnificent tiger stops by the water to drink, or possibly to bathe as one of the few cats who actually likes water. Tigers are actually often portrayed in LEGO and we have even featured some in the past. There is something about the tiger that makes it ideal for a great builder to show off their skills — the shape itself is somewhat difficult to capture, but getting the colours right is a whole new level of difficulty. Simon NH did not let that discourage him and has created one of the best LEGO tigers I have seen so far.

The shape is achieved with plates and wedges set up at different angles and some exotic parts rounding off the edges. The fur on the chin and the rounding on the back are especially good. The cat itself is great, but Simon did not stop there. Any good tiger needs a good jungle to go along with it — and what a good jungle Simon has made! The plant life is unique and the ground colours and textures flow very nicely. But my favourite part, except for the build’s focal point — the tiger, obviously — is the water, which uses many colours we do not associate immediately with water in LEGO, but somehow it looks distinctly like it.

Hexagons plus fury equals awesome spaceship

With exotic colours, contrasts and aggressive angles, there is a lot to this little speedy spaceship by Chris Perron. The front prongs are simple, but they do not detract from the whole, and thicker ones would probably not even look as good with this compact construction.

The general shape somewhat resembles the once-popular Vic Viper spaceship style, with some deviations. I wonder if adding a tail fin to meet pre-existing templates would make it more impressive or whether it would feel less fresh. In either case, Chris is a very good builder and has probably considered both options and chose the better one.

A demonic Bionicle straight from feudal Japan

The 2017 Bio-cup Bionicle contest is a great source of outstanding creations in the titular theme, with Tengu by the Belarussian builder Vlad Lisin as a prime example. Vlad’s theme for this round was feudal Japan and this samurai- and oni-inspired character has Japanese style to spare.

The menacing and muscular body gives a strong first impression, and details like the bead necklace and sandals reward closer inspection. In the end, all that is overshadowed by the masterfully sculpted face with a glorious white beard and the yellow eyes standing out in contrast with the dark red skin.

The tunnels hold many secrets

These two adventurers seem to have come across quite an interesting structure – mysterious ancient catacombs. While in real life the dangers are limited to unstable ceilings and toxic mold, I expect a more fantastic fate to befall them if the builder, Forlorn Empire, continiues their story.

But for now, all that we know the catacombs contain are some amazing techniques and architectural details built from cheese slopes and masonry brick. The builder mixes different earth tones and careful lighting to create an immersive scene, and while the details and construction techniques definetely are the best part of the build, it is the composition in the photo that really brings it all together.