Steven Howard wasn’t sure this build would work. Inspired to use wing pieces as the beard for a dwarf king, Steven started with the head and rolled the dice that he’d have enough parts to finish. The final build is a 20.5-inch-tall hulk that weighs more than 10 pounds! Plenty of Technic components make up the dwarf’s inner frame to keep him sturdy, and Steven even made use of magnets in the back of the model to make the core easily accessible for moving the model around.
This December, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is going to celebrate the holidays with a yuletide special on Disney+, written and directed by James Gunn. Naturally, LEGO has seized on the opportunity to release one of its annual advent calendars themed entirely around the Guardians. 76231 Guardians of the Galaxy Advent Calendar is a 268-piece set available September 1st for US $44.99 | CAN $59.99 | UK £29.99.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
When a program on your PC stops responding, there’s only one hero who can save the day: The Task Manager. Ivan Martynov has personified the Task Manager in battle against a monstrous glitch in this fantastic Bio-Cup entry. The scene works especially well thanks to a terrific trio of pop-up browser windows, which the bug is crawling through. The full build is an action-packed reminder to save your work often.
Eli Willsea brings us a double dose of fun by combining two LEGO themes into one. This mash-up of Adventures and Island Extreme Stunts brings the best of both worlds into a radical ancient skatepark, with plenty of obstacles like ramps, stairs, and even a quarter pipe. I like to think that Dr. Kilroy is trying to deduce the perfect sequence of tricks to open a secret passage.
The insect-themed Captain Flywing tries to evade the terrifying tongue of Mr. Tad the Toad in a comic cover-worthy LEGO build by Nikita Nikolsky. The dramatic perspective achieved in this shot is due not just to the angle of the photograph, but the size certain elements were built at. Captain Flywing’s head and left hand are built to a larger scale than his right hand or his legs. But when viewed from the proper angle, it creates the illusion of a perfectly proportioned crime fighter in a dynamic action shot.
The Story of Ferdinand is a classic children’s book that tells the story of a bull who’d rather smell flowers than fight matadors. But Maddison Stapleton brings us a twist on Ferdinand that makes us wonder if he’s had enough of those pesky flowers. This bulldozer is equipped to quickly and decisively unearth the roots of any plant he comes across. But Maddison has crafted quite a gentle face on this mean machine. Maybe, like his bovine counterpart, he’d rather sniff than shovel afterall.
A few years back, the lightcycle battle from TRON: Legacy got an official LEGO set. But if that was the 8-bit version, builder Koen Zwanenburg has given it the 16-bit upgrade. Inspired to start with the 4×4 macaroni tile as the sides of the wheels, Koen built the rest of the model to scale with that, resulting in a much larger representation of the film’s iconic vehicles. Koen smartly kept exposed studs visible on the riders for a textural contrast, so that they don’t completely blend in with the similarly colored bikes.
This purple pest-catcher by LEGO builder Dan Ko is an excellent example of repurposing pieces for unexpected uses. This wolfen beast’s snout is crafted from a purple minifigure motorcycle, and his tufts of fur are leaves. The result is a ferocious-looking beast that’s happy to keep the city streets free of vermin, who are clever little brick-built creatures themselves.
Builder lokiloki29 has crafted a tribute to home cooks throughout history with this scene of a blacksmith letting his pork dinner go up in smoke. Who doesn’t know the struggle of enduring a too charred meal because some household chore distracted you for too long? The build is filled with delightful details, from the cobblestone floor made from wheels to the forced perspective castle in the distance. And it all comes together for a grade-a piece of storytelling worthy of a chef’s kiss.
Victor van den Berg has a penchant for crafting ornate rooms with fantastic flooring. Victor’s latest creation is this ballroom with a stately swagger that makes us feel like dancing. The ivory columns framing the back wall are full of flashy style. The grand piano makes for a perfect centerpiece, with keys built from a combination of regular and jumper plates. And, of course, Victor’s talent for tile makes for a wonderful waltzing venue.
A black knight encounters a white ghost in this garden scene, but the only color you’ll see is green. ABrickDreamer took on the gradient challenge for Summer Joust, and this wonderful little vignette is the result. Eight shades of green are used to give life to this delightful little garden. And the limited color palette forced some excellent parts usage, like those Hulk bigfig arms making up the little hill.
I’ve learned so much about the cardiovascular system lately. First it turns out that oxygen is hauled around by tiny men on motorbikes, and now buttloaf_builds reveals where blood comes from – the Bloodsmith! This Bio-Cup entry makes extra eerie use of minifigure crowbars as spindly fingers on his four hands. And the golden tubing gives just the right pop of color without distracting from the deadly red and black. This is definitely a science lesson that’s gonna keep me up at night.
