Posts by Michael

Pirating takes you to all kinds of places

Builder Deus Otiosus gives us a wonderful island scene of LEGO buccaneers. Pirates make off with a chest full of treasure, heading across the beach to their waiting ship just off the island. It’s a pretty usual day for a band of exploring pirates, and these pirates navigate all the dangers with experience. The build itself is something to behold! The trees are well done with some flexibility for that leaning and swaying of palms. I like the sculpting on those ancient statues on the beach hearkening to LEGO minifigs. The whole ancient ruin is so well crafted there’s a sense of history about it. And of course the pirate ship is just amazing with those curving greens and flex-tubing for the rolled up sails. Overall this is a spectacular pirating build with plenty to explore for curious pirates and adventurers.

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This bowed ship cuts through space like an arrow

Another SHIPtember LEGO spaceship blasts its way through space! The bows from the Horizon game series serves as -soccerkid6‘s inspiration for this piercing craft. It comes in at 104 studs in length (or should we say height?) and weighs just over 3 pounds—the weight of such fine design! It’s nearly impossible to miss the bow influence in the design with the bend and curving bits at the top and bottom. Where an arrow could nock on a bow rests the central engine and the pointing bridge, giving a clue that it’s a microscale ship. I like the color choices of the build, with that yellow drawing you in to the middle with the teal highlights to balance it all out. The details of the ship stand out and work well together, allowing us to fully appreciate the look and feel of the clever craft.

A silky frigate for those deep space patrols

Builder Red Spacecat serves up a silky smooth LEGO frigate for SHIPtember. Coming in at a length of 120 studs, this ship possesses the curves of a luxury liner and the firepower of a deep space frigate. The ship retains lovely definition for each section, despite having mostly white pieces. This allows the colors of the details to really pop and stand out, especially the black details against the stark white body. I particularly love the engine wings with their colorful banding and slick design. And check out that tower at the ship’s rear center–it has nice shaping and parts usage. Overall, I’d say this frigate wins both space battles and battles of style. It’s a great display piece and awesome design for a spaceship, no doubt in my mind.

These pirates are feeling a little crabby

Behold the mighty Hermit ship, constructed of LEGO by Thomas Jenkins! What happens with a bunch of little crabs team up with a giant hermit crab with a ship for a home? They all turn to pirating the seas, gathering all the goodies they can in their claws and stowing it away in the ship. They make use of the old ship’s stores to outfit themselves, and they roam the ocean floor looking for their next haul. The build before us here is adorable and colorful, giving a sense of whimsical adventure. Good usage of Bionicle and Hero Factory parts give the hermit crab form. The ship makes use of Technic parts for the bowsprit, and some nice slopes for the curving bits of the keel. The crabs make use of pirate tools, though the one atop the forepeak makes use of some scissors to cut opponents down to size.

The biggest issue with stowing loot in a broken ship? The cargo hold doesn’t exactly hold anything, as seen with the treasure chest being left behind. From this angle we can better see the details of the broken ship. Meanwhile, life in the sea continues as the pirates pass by. Fish swim around the coral and another crab goes about its life instead of joining the buccaneering crew.

Soak in some sunshine at this modern home

This three story LEGO home shows off a modern look and some solar panels in this build from Letranger Absurde. The walled estate sports a lovely tree amongst a garden, some of its leaves even offering shade to the pool. Greenery surrounds the house, showing a love of nature. There are a few balconies running up the side of the building, boasting some patio furniture and nice awnings with slates. The railing of the balconies offer some cool texturing in the form of those grey ingot pieces.

Personally, I like the yellow framed windows with their panes alternating in size. Looking over the whole build, there are many interesting textures going on like the tower’s windows, the frames of the solar panels, and the yellow brick and white stone of the encompassing walls. This is one of those builds you just want to look over every detail.

Beware Captain Kraken! No one is safe from his reach

This LEGO pirate ship build from Julius Kanand brings a whole new level of fear to the phrase “beware the kraken”! Captain Kraken and his roving band of Marauding Mollusks aren’t taking guff from anyone. They roam the seas, hunting for unfortunate ships to prey upon. Even those who think there’s a path to escape lose hope and limb to the terrible tentacles of Kraken’s ship. Some say the ship is a living organism, others that it’s just a lot of mechanisms. The truth can be found aboard the ship, but none have returned to speak of it! The skeleton of the ship is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ship the Silent Mary, but the rest of it is from Julius’s mind.

The squid-like shape of the ship is really cool! You’ve got the point of the head with the extension coming off the stern. Then, there’s the bow of the ship where the squid comes to life with big eyes and a bigger maw! Using some technic pieces, the ship’s tentacles reach out and grab the soon-to-be-eaten ships it preys upon. Taking a closer look at the mouth reveals rows and rows of sharp teeth ready to feast! Built in about two months, this ship is mighty impressive. Just, you know, be careful around it or it’ll eat you.

Home is where the tree is

This LEGO scene by Josh speaks of gentle breezes and a relaxing atmosphere to rest. Take a moment to appreciate everything on display here. Vibrant colors are everywhere, from the coral beneath the water to the bright blue house and the greenery surrounding it. And there’s wildlife everywhere! Some crabs hang out underwater while a rabbit explores the verdant foliage. Butterflies and a cute little bumblebee visit the blooming flower patch, and a green duck lazily floats by the house and reeds. Standing tall over all of it is the great living tree with it’s branches spread wide to offer shade to all below. But not too much shade, or those flowers and vines atop the house would have trouble growing! This is a lovely build with cool techniques in the suspended water layer and the curving roof. Oh, look–a blue bird!

Raccoon paladins are just as fierce as they are cute

Let’s follow this LEGO raccoon paladin by Miscellanabuilds into a world of fantasy and high adventure! The build comes to life from a roleplaying game campaign where this paladin is Miscellanabuilds’s character. Meet Procyous Loftyre, a Paladin of the World hailing from the Magic Woods. Dressed in green with a satchel and weapon, this paladin is ready for adventures across the land to help as many people as they can. Entwined flex-tubes make up the satchel’s strap, giving it a great woven and organic appearance. Speaking of great organic looks, the shapes of the raccoon paladin are lovely. The soft features of the fur balance the hard look of the paladin’s eyebrows. There’s no question this paladin is someone you want in your adventuring party.

A smooth build for a bumpy ride

Embrace your inner child and take a trip to an amusement park of LEGO in this wonderful build from KitKat1414. For this Iron Builder contest round, the seed part is the LEGO Friend’s theme horse saddle in dark azure. A rather versatile part, the saddle here is put to use in a lovely variety. In the foreground we have the standout bumper cars with their fishing pole contact shoes to supply them with power from the ceiling. A cool use of magic wands still in their sprues are the railing details behind the bumper cars. A roller coaster train sails by in the background, affording some breezy sights. Further in the background is a little stand made of the saddle turned on its side.

What a looney way to catch a road-runner

Builder Greenarj presents us with a LEGO scene in which we can observe the Eternalii Famishiis in his native habitat. Wile E. Coyote possesses great determination to catch the uncatchable Tastyus Supersonicus, aka Road-runner. Wile E. Coyote also possesses a longtime subscription to Acme products, the latest of which is the rocket here. There’s a high chance this could go south for Coyote, yet he seems unfazed by the possibility. Nonetheless, Greenarj has wisely provided a medical kit–just in case! The build makes good use of rail plates for the rocket’s mobile launcher. The shaping of the rocky outcropping looks like it was taken right out of the old cartoons. And no small feat is the lettering of “ACME” on the open crate full of tools and dynamite. Even now, I can hear the “meep meep” of Road-runner, beckoning Wile E. Coyote onward to–KABOOM!

You must go to the Dagobah Swamp and find Majisto, the wizard who instructed me

A long time ago, in a LEGO theme far, far away…. NikiFilik gives us a wonderful mashup of Star Wars and LEGO Castles in this cute vignette! Luke Skywalker crashes his knightly cart in the Dagobah swamps where lives Majisto the wizard. Majisto, much like Yoda, finds Luke to be lacking in confidence and belief in the Force–ahem, pardon–Magic of the land. Majisto must raise the cart from the murky waters lest it be claimed for all time. The bright colors in use here lend a cute and fairytale-like feel to the overall scene. The lovely sculpting of the grass and water also helps with this lively feeling, showing that Star Wars pairs nicely with other fairytale themes! I also love the door, with the different layers standing out. And shoutout to the horse watching over Luke’s shoulder–I can only assume its name is Artoo after that spunky little Astromech droid we all love.

Mail delivery flying with style

A lot of planes have pleasing lines for the eye, and this plane from Slick_Brick is no exception! In fact, it might even look better made of LEGO than IRL. The plane is based on the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft, and succeeds in its homage. There’s not a single hiccup in the lines of the aircraft. The whole vehicle is built with great care and an eye for detail. Brick built mountains rise in the background, giving the scene its setting and scale. And the lakeside pier speaks to further stories. Maybe the bottles and fish hint at a living of trading fish and syrup. Of course, there might be a sci-fi story waiting with that eye the dog is watching…