About Matt Hocker

Matt Hocker has been an avid LEGO fan since the age of 4, when he received a box of his father's 1960s era LEGO bricks. In addition to being a builder at heart, Matt is passionate about LEGO history and has amassed a sizable collection of LEGO ephemera to provide context for the LEGO story. Matt's collection forms what he likes to call the Library of the Brick, and he lives by the slogan "building history one stud at a time." He invites you to ask him any questions you might have about the hobby or the history behind the brick.

Posts by Matt Hocker

This orca is set to create some killer waves.

When it comes to ocean-dwelling mammals, the majestic black and white killer whale (also known as an orca) is a fan favorite. The killer whale’s beauty is matched by its power, which can be seen when they breach the surface. Both of these characteristics are expertly captured by timofey_tkachev in his model of an orca leaping out of the waves. I am especially impressed by the builder’s ability to use a variety of curved and angular slope elements to capture both skin color patterns and the sleek shape of the whale’s body. The brick-built base with with waves following the whale’s trajectory is also a wonderfully believable touch, plus the builder included instructions for an added bonus.

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Hadouken! This LEGO Ryu from Street Fighter II isn’t taking it easy

Growing up in the 1990s, Street Fighter II was all the rage in arcades and home video game consoles. One of the most iconic characters from the series is Ryu, whose signature special move is the hadouken in which he releases a massive fireball with his bare hands. Thanks to John Cheng, we now have a slick-looking chibi version of Ryu getting ready to unleash his famous attack. John’s representation was instantly recognizable, right down to Ryu’s tattered sleeves (made possible through the use of the 1×2 modified plate with 3 teeth). Moreover, the figure is fully articulated, perfect for recreating Ryu’s wide range of moves.

This brick-built Final Fantasy character takes it to the “limit break.”

The Final Fantasy video game franchise has been going strong for over thirty years, but of its many incarnations, the 1997 Playstation release of Final Fantasy VII continues to hold a special place in my heart. TBB regular Moko has reignited my nostalgia with a beautiful rendering of the game’s protagonist, Cloud Strife.

What really makes this version of Cloud unique is Moko’s commitment to remaining faithful to the original in-game character design. Like his 32-bit counterpart, brick-built Cloud is a little blocky and rough around the edges but full of brilliant charm. I love that the figure is fully poseable, and Moko did an excellent job of capturing the character’s iconic golden, spiky hair. It would be great to see the game’s other characters recreated in this style.

All aboard the tiny train!

All aboard! We’re taking the train through Taiwan, and our next stop is the Taichung train station. The station began operations in 1908 and was closed down after an elevated station was built and opened in 2016. The original station is a beautiful piece of architecture, and Maxime Cheng’s microscale rendering is superbly detailed. His model is rich in texture, right down to the ornate architectural accents along the perimeter of the roof. While the building itself is stunning, the tiny train is an equally impressive-looking feature that really helps bring this model to life. Dare I say, Cheng’s Taichung station feels like it would be a great companion to sets in LEGO’s Architecture series?

Gravity ends as the race begins...

When it comes to futuristic racing games, the Wipeout series has been going strong since it first appeared on the Playstation back in 1995. Thanks to Volker Brodkorb, we can now enjoy two Wipeout racers in LEGO form, such as this sleek-looking bad-boy. The builder has done an excellent job at using curved slope elements and hinges to form the aerodynamically shaped body. The red, white and blue color scheme is also particularly well-executed.

Next up is an exciting ride comprised of dark blue and different shades of gray.

The split down the front-end of this flying vehicle makes for an excellent contrast to the first model. This one also makes good use of custom cut stickers from the Ninja Turtles Shellraiser.

Finish him!

“Get over here!” for a pair of cute but deadly BrickHeadz characters by Julius von Brunk. They are none-other than Scorpion and Sub-Zero from the hit arcade fighting game franchise, Mortal Kombat. The two figures are instantly recognizable, and I especially like how Julius used two different slopes to form the shapes of their masks. I can almost imagine a fatality move involving a brick separator, which begs the question…Do BrickHeadz have green or red blood?

Birkin’s mean green Bentley machine

When it comes to British antique cars, Sir Henry Birkin’s 1930 4 1/2 litre Bentley is perhaps one of the most iconic. Birkin’s car was known as the Blower, owing its name to that of the supercharged racing engine which was designed with the help of a former Bentley mechanic. The car has been portrayed through countless forms, from scale model kits to Matchbox cars and now, thanks to Bricksonwheels, a beautiful-looking LEGO model. Bricksonwheels has managed to pull off an amazingly accurate representation, with plenty of key details inside and out.

See more of this gorgeous vintage vehicle

In space, no one can hear you “swoosh.”

Over the past few years, Rob Damiano has been building up a believable world around his Classic Space-inspired Nova Team. We have featured his work before and were pleasantly surprised to see this lovely Nova Team star-fighter. In a nod to the Classic Space ship numbering system, Rob named his star-fighter the LL-824 Paladin, and it is clad in the iconic blue, gray and trans yellow colors. It looks incredibly fun and swooshable. However, what really makes Rob’s work stand out is his photography, which utilizes a mix of practical effects and digital editing. While the Paladin is great, the setting and lighting help bring it life. It is reminiscent of the lively scenes found in LEGO product catalogs of the 1980s and 1990s, which also happen to be one of Rob’s sources of inspiration.

Newsweek Special Edition: LEGO – The toy that changed our lives [Review]

When you play with LEGO, it’s a birthday party every day! Throughout 2018, the LEGO Group has been celebrating two very special birthdays in the form of the patented LEGO brick (60 years) and minifigure (40 years). To celebrate the occasion, LEGO has given us Wal-Mart exclusives, a special 60th anniversary set, and a series of collectible minifigures dressed for a party. Thanks to Newsweek, we now also have a special edition magazine that is entirely devoted to our favorite interlocking plastic building bricks. We finally got our hands on a copy and are eager to share our thoughts with you.

Read our full review of this Special Edition magazine about LEGO

Do you really believe your puny powers can threaten a member of the Order of Mata Nui?

Long-time fans of Bionicle may remember the character of Brutaka, released as set 8734 in 2006. Masteryker has completely revamped and re-imagined the classic design into a beautiful but brutal-looking Brutaka. Brutaka has his signature mask and pearl gold colors but is constructed at a much more massive scale. The overall build feels wonderfully organic.

See the weapons wielded by this mighty Bionicle warrior

“How about a ride, mister?”

When it comes to fan-built Back to the Future models, there are a plethora of DeLorean time machines out there. Heck, there was even an official LEGO set! While I love the DeLorean as much as the next person, who can forget the 1985 Toyota SR5 pickup truck (also known as the Hilux outside of the U.S.)? This was the truck Marty McFly pined over with his girlfriend, became a reality when he returned home to a transformed 1985, and nearly ruined his life when Needles called him “chicken” for refusing to race. Fortunately, Nikolay Gamurar remembered Marty’s truck and built a fantastic rendition of the vehicle in Technic form. While the Toyota from the movie was a two-door model, Nikolay modified his truck to have four-door extended cab. Outside of this mod, the sculpting of the rest of the body feels faithful to the original truck. As a Technic build, it looks stunning in black.

Nikolay’s truck is packed with a lot of detail, right down to the Chassis. This photograph also gives at glimpse at some of the Toyota’s key mechanical functions.

It also features a nice and roomy interior, perfect for a comfortable drive to the lake.

A trifecta of tiny travelers

When it comes to minifigure-scale cars, Jonathan Elliott has proven to be the master of his craft. Jonathan is back on the road with three great cars, two of which might look a little bit familiar if you happened to be following us back in November 2017. He is back with two sweet mods, as well as something completely different! Get ready to start your engines for the Porsche 911 Turbo, which first hit the scene back in 1975.

Jonathan’s modifications bring the 260 hp turbocharged legend to life, complete with the famed “whale tail” spoiler. The iconic Porsche curves are also here, right down to the subtle slant of the rear windshield and feels proportioned just right. (If you will recall our review of Speed Champions set 75888, one of our laments was that the 911 was just a stud too long.) An added bonus is the car’s vibrant orange exterior color, which is reminiscent of the Porsche 911 set available through LEGO Shop at Home.

See more of Jonathan’s fantastic LEGO cars