Beware this long-faced LEGO Jack O’Lantern man built by Leonid An. The expression on the character’s face is spine-tingly spooky, yet chillingly captivating. His sorrow-filled eyes are convincing–would you believe Leonid achieved this look with an upside down Bionicle mask? Mr. Jack O’Lantern is dressed to kill, complete with a white shirt, midnight-black jacket, top hat, and even a gold belt buckle. What’s more, he and his raven companion are overlooking the grave of…Leonid An!
The LEGO Group has committed itself to making LEGO plant elements out of plants. Thanks to Sarah Beyer, there is now a LEGO house to compliment them. Sarah’s eco house, named Lilium after the lily flower, has been designed with self-sustainability in mind. Electricity is supplied by roof-mounted solar panels, while large windows on the south and west walls capture warm rays of sunshine. The house looks fresh and modern, enhanced by the surrounding colorful landscaping.
Sarah’s house has been constructed so LEGO minifigures can immerse themselves in the outdoors. The second-floor porch and vine-laced patio offer an excellent view of the garden. Click to see more, including the interior
Jordanian builder Firas Abu-Jaber has built an international reputation on making authentic-looking LEGO cars. You might remember us featuring Firas’ cars before, such as his Bugatti Chiron. This time he’s back with a sleek and powerful 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. His model’s body is orange, just like the official LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS but is distinct enough to stand on its own.
See more details and working features on this LEGO Porsche 911
If I were a minifigure, I would be fast to jump out of the way of this LEGO mech by Markus Rollbühler. Markus drew his inspiration from a plastic model kit by Industria Mechanika. Markus carried over several characteristics from the kit while still remaining distinct and original with his design. For being a static model, I’m particularly impressed by how mechanical the finished build feels. In the mid-section, inverted plates expose the pins underneath in such a way that is reminiscent of rivets. Dark and light gray elements are mixed together to great effect, giving off the impression of working hydraulics. Other fun details include the driver’s outstretched legs and rolled fabrics, which could represent sleeping bags and/or tents. Meanwhile, the olive green color is a welcome bonus.
“M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!” Thanks to Shawn Snyder, one of Walt Disney’s most beloved cartoon characters comes to life in LEGO-form. LEGO Mickey is instantly recognizable, right down to his red trousers and white gloves. In particular, I was impressed by Shawn’s use of a wide variety of angles to form the shape of Mickey’s head and facial features. Finishing off the build is an elegant black and gold base which would make this model a perfect fit for Disney Store shelves!
One of the joys of writing for the Brothers Brick is seeing how LEGO builders make clever use of the parts in their collection. Emil Lidé has been experimenting with parts in unconventional ways, including using dark green minifig plumes for grass. The plumes are affixed to the 1×1 round tile with bar and pin holder, which allows them to be tilted in multiple directions. This in turn gives the grass a random but natural-looking pattern. As someone who loves LEGO landscaping, it would be exciting to see this technique used on a larger scale!
While the LEGO Group is famous for plastic building bricks, the foundation of the company was built on the success of its wooden toys. In light of this, it’s charming to see LEGO fans like Jens Ohrndorf making brick-built versions of classic wooden toys, including this train set. Jens’ model is reminiscent of the wooden railway toys made by BRIO of Sweden, capturing the colorful simplicity of these vintage pull-toys. The iconic metal axles found on BRIO trains are represented by 1×1 round tiles in silver.
Last month LEGO revealed Forma, an experimental kinetic sculpture set designed to target the adult market. The product was launched via crowdsourcing platform Indiegogo but is currently only available to buyers in the U.S. and U.K. The product was of interest to Jason Allemann since he enjoys building LEGO kinetic sculptures. Because Jason lives in Canada and is unable to order the Forma set, he decided to reverse-engineer the design well-before its official release!
Jason’s shark is more than a direct copy, as it contains his own personal touch. Since the Forma skins are not currently available, Jason created a stunning brick-built skin. The brick-built shark body doesn’t interfere with the model’s functionality and will likely appeal to LEGO fans who were not impressed by Forma’s plastic skins. Jason modified the mechanism to achieve a more realistic swimming motion, and the lower level consists of a small school of fish swimming beneath the shark. Finishing off the entire model is an attractive coral reef base, which offers a nice splash of color.
Back in the late 1800s, bicycling soared in popularity. One of the more unusual bikes to emerge from this period was the penny-farthing high wheeler. It earned the penny-farthing name based on the size of its wheels, which were compared with the size of a British penny in relation to a farthing coin. Melan-E has taken this scary looking cycle and transformed it into an impressive large-scale LEGO model. In addition to looking fit for riding through the streets of London, Melan-E’s model also offers a case study in how the natural flex of stacked bricks can be used to achieve convincing curves. The wheel consists of 2×2 round bricks, and the frame utilizes 1×1 round bricks. Both examples appear to be threaded together with flex tube, allowing the bricks to curve without falling apart. The cycle is supplemented with LEGO versions of period props like a phonograph and Victorian parasol, which help create a cohesive scene that breathes life into this high wheeler.
Last month, a story on LEGO bricks being used to help an injured turtle went viral. An Eastern box turtle was found with multiple fractures on its plastron (the name for the underside of a turtle/tortoise shell). Veterinary staff at the Maryland Zoo of Baltimore performed surgery, but they were concerned about allowing the turtle to move freely while healing properly. According to zoo employee Dr. Ellen Bronson, turtles take much longer to recover than mammals and birds due to a slower metabolism.
To help the turtle move without injuring itself again, Garrett Fraess (the Zoo’s veterinarian extern) and his colleagues sketched out some plans for a wheelchair…
Click here to read how people help turtles to recover…
Four years have passed since LEGO last produced sets based on the Ninja Turtles TV series. If BrickHeadz had existed back in 2014, we would have likely seen sets featuring blocky versions of the turtles. Fortunately, Charles P has filled the void with seven charming BrickHeadz versions of characters from the classic franchise. All four of the turtles are here, complete with their appropriate weapons. Raphael’s tilted eyes perfectly capture his “rude” attitude from the original TV show’s opening song. Master Splinter, Shredder and even Krang have also received the BrickHeadz treatment, and they look just as whimsical and fun. Speaking of fun, I think singing the show’s opening song is the best way to introduce Charles’ models.
“When the evil Shredder attacks, these turtle boys don’t cut him no slack.”
See more TMNT BrickHeadz after the jump
From 1972 through 1994, Ford marketed the Granada (not to be confused with the U.S. Granada, which is a different vehicle) as a an executive car for the British market. Mateusz Waldowski built this slick LEGO version of a 1977 Granada MK1 station wagon, and it looks well-suited for any minifigure family vacation. In terms of accuracy, Mateusz has done a great job of capturing the overall shape of the vehicle. The grille is spot-on, and the five-wide half-stud offset technique used for the upper half of the vehicle helps emulate the subtle slant of the window pillars.
Mateusz put a lot of effort into detailing his station wagon, and the end result is enjoyable. It sports windshield wipers, a top-mounted luggage rack, clever door handles, and even custom chrome trim (represented by strips of silver decals). Another enjoyable feature is the tilt to the front wheels, which helps create the impression of steering. I almost want to take this adorable wagon on an overnight camping trip!
