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

The Yin and Yang of panda house design

This month is an exciting time for the Copenhagen Zoo because they will be introducing a pair of pandas to the public this month. The two bears will be taking up residence in the Panda House, an enclosure designed to look like the Chinese symbol for yin and yang. Builder Full Plate was commissioned to build a replica of the Panda House for the Copenhagen LEGO Store, where it will be on display. It’s a great likeness of the original, complete with the curved staircase and viewing area. The unique architecture is accentuated by lush landscaping.

More pandas!

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Saying goodbye to LEGO legend, Arthur Gugick (1960-2019)

The LEGO fan community is mourning the loss of kindhearted and prolific builder, Arthur Gugick of Ohio. On March 30th Arthur and his significant other, Barbara Becker, were tragically killed in a car accident. If you ever attended North American fan events like BrickWorld Chicago or BrickFair VA, you may have run into Arthur before. At these events, you could catch a glimpse of his elaborate architectural builds and mosaics. Arthur was featured in the Winter 2008 issue of BrickJournal magazine, and he was even contracted to recreate his model of the Taj Mahal for the Australian independent film, Taj (2011).

In addition to being an avid LEGO enthusiast, Arthur taught math at Beachwood High School. He was passionate about his job and had a knack for harnessing his creativity to make math fun for his students. In an interview with ABC News 5 Cleveland, Ed Bernetich (who had been responsible for hiring Arthur) commented:

I was very sad because he is one of a kind. He’s a total unique individual. There are many great math minds, but sometimes they don’t relate to other people very well. And here we had a guy with a mathematician’s brain who also was extremely skilled at reaching kids.

Arthur’s death has been a difficult time for Beachwood School District staff and students, whose lives he has touched over the years.

Ever the mathematician, Arthur approached his LEGO models from a mathematical angle. Some of his structures utilized calculus, and he even wrote his own software for building domes like the one on his Taj Mahal. According to Arthur, “I look at my buildings as more an exercise in mathematics than necessarily an art form, which might be a little different of a take than other people do, or maybe it’s the same… For me it’s a puzzle” (BrickJournal – Winter 2008).

Continue reading about Arthur’s legacy

A LEGO Bubble Tea shop that looks good enough to drink

Bubble tea is a drink that was originally conceived in Taiwan back in the 1980s. Since then, it’s popularity has spread throughout Asia and even major Western cities. The sweet drink is perhaps best known for the black tapioca pearls lining the bottom of the cup, which are easy to sip with the aid of a large straw. Great B.W. (大黑白) built a deliciously adorable LEGO bubble tea stand, cleverly designed to resemble the classic drink.

Check out what’s inside this bubble tea stand.

Dive deep with the return of Aquazone

LEGO fan Tim Goddard is perhaps best known for his space-themed builds, such as this microscale space station we shared in February. Building off of his intergalactic experience, Tim is now diving below the seas to revisit the classic mid-1990s Aquazone theme. The centerpiece here is a large submersible, cleverly designed to look like a lobster. Instead of building the sub in lobster red, Tim went with the iconic yellow, black, and neon orange livery of the Aquanauts. By combining a mix of period-correct parts and more modern elements, Tim has created a submarine that feels both modern and true to the original source material. Meanwhile, an adorable fishy “drone” makes for a fine finishing touch.

A bird that looks majestic in miniature

For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, Spring is finally here. In observance of the season, Jarema has built a small, yet elegant-looking LEGO bird returning from the tropics. It doubles as an excellent case study in how just a few parts can go a long way in modeling a subject that is instantly recognizable. Coupled with the tilted beak, black wings staggered above white wings imply we are birdwatching from beneath the clouds.

Meanwhile, the placement of each element is carefully calculated. Red crowbars make for excellent feet stretched out in flight, and the mechanical arm doubles nicely as a neck. I particularly love how the minifigure epaulette has been used to form the bird’s belly. It looks like it could hold a fish or two!

This micro Mount Rushmore is monumentally beautiful

Located in South Dakota and finished in 1941, Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic U.S. monuments. It depicts the busts of four famous American presidents, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. It’s an excellent candidate for modeling in LEGO, such as this beautiful microscale layout built by Rocco Buttliere. Rocco has gone the extra mile by building the visitor center, rows of state flags, and the surrounding terrain. It’s a sight to behold, and I bet it looks even more impressive in person.

See more of this tiny monument

Enjoy interstellar exploration in style with this sleek and silver spaceship

Cole Blaq is well-known for his LEGO spaceships, such as this starfighter we shared back in December. We’re pleased to see Cole back again with another slick-looking spacecraft. The color scheme is particularly striking, relying heavily on dark metallic bricks with a dash of tan here and there. This combination feels believably modern.

Dragon Ball Super’s Broly and Gogeta are built for the fight

Dragon Ball Super is the latest iteration of the hit Dragon Ball anime series. Builder Chak hei Mok has built LEGO versions of Broly and Gogeta, two iconic characters from the show. Slopes are extensively used to form each character’s muscles and spiky hair. Meanwhile, ball and socket joints allow for believable poses, and the eyes are packed full of attitude.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall....

What’s the scariest mirror of all? This ghastly-looking LEGO mirror built by Corvus Auriac comes close. While the ornate frame is largely black, pockets of gold and silver peek through in a futile attempt to rein in the darkness. I love the ghoulish hand extending from the mirror, singling out its prey with a pointed finger. It’s a frighteningly good build!

LEGO Build-a-Bulbasaur [Instructions]

Nintendo’s Pokemon series boasts a bestiary of over 800 colorful creatures, coming in all shapes and sizes. Even with such variety, there will always be fan favorites like Pikachu, Charmander, and Jigglypuff. Bulbasaur is another beloved pocket monster, and this LEGO version built by hachiroku24 is spot-on in terms of appearance and spirit. I’m particularly impressed by the expressiveness of Bulbasaur’s brick-built eyes. The model looks especially nice when placed alongside the little Pokeball, which was originally designed by Chris Maddison.

If you find yourself longing for your own LEGO Bulbasaur, you’re in luck! The builder has been kind enough to share a video illustrating how the model is pieced together.

What’s green and gold and red all over?

If there’s one thing I can say about Nikolaus Löwe, it’s that his last name rhymes with “wow!” We were certainly “wowed” by Nikolaus’ steam traction engines back in February and are happy to see he’s keeping the steam dream alive with this handsome locomotive. According to Nikolaus, it is modeled after a steam engine that was built in 1875. The way the green body with gold trim rests atop the red undercarriage is eye-pleasing. Speaking of the undercarriage, it sports some serious detailing that would look stunning on its own, including the use of 3D-printed elements for some of the rods. Now that’s the hallmark of an engineer!

LEGO my EGGO waffles!

Back in December, we shared ExeSandbox’s LEGO waffles. LEGO waffles are back again, this time having been built by -LittleJohn. This is a wonderfully photographed scene, blending together LEGO models with real-life objects. The entire dish looks delectable, complete with brick-built blueberries, strawberries, and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Plastic never looked so delicious.

Breakfast must be the builder’s favorite food, as they have also made a delectable yogurt parfait.

They are even cooking up some eggs, tomatoes, and greens. Freshly built avocado slices sit to the side.