LEGO’s 90th anniversary sets have pushed the fandom’s collective nostalgia into hyperspace, prompting all kinds of throwback builds. This tiny spacecraft by Pascal is a perfect example of old-school styling and modern construction. The blue and gray color scheme recalls the classic sets of yesteryear, but the studless construction and greebling details put this squarely in the “modern marvel” category.
The best part about being friends with us Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) is the custom gifts. To celebrate a friend’s birthday, Dan Ko crafted this tribute to The Dark Knight, and what a gift it is. This stunning statue depicts Batman leaping from a Gotham City gargoyle and into action. The Caped Crusader is perfectly captured here, with an impressively effective cowl construction and a video game controller ingeniously repurposed for his chest emblem. And the gargoyle head itself has so much character that I almost want to see a mad scientist bring it to life. (As if Batman didn’t have enough to worry about…)
The microscale throwbacks just keep coming. This time, John Tooker has created a miniature version of set 6048 Majisto’s Magical Workshop. John has captured all the details I remember from childhood – the ladder leading upstairs, the pot brewing something over the fire, and he’s even included a tiny Majisto and a Dragon Knight. It’s abra-kadorable.
Xamura might look monstrous, but never fear. This kaiju creation by Cody Avery is actually a pretty swell fella. Descending down from his home in the stars, he uses his powers to defend cities and provide them water. (We could use his help in California right now.) Xamura’s primarily black color scheme really helps his pieces blend together to create an effective organic look, with just enough visible texture and pops of color to keep it interesting. And we can practically hear the waves as the wall of water from his tail curves around the delightful microscale city at his feet.
The Star Wars Prequel trilogy is old enough now that the original target audience’s nostalgia has begun a full-scale reevaluation of how those films are perceived in the culture. And Okay Yaramanoglu has taken full advantage of that to give us this microscale rendition of Otoh Gunga, the underwater city that is home to Jar Jar Binks and his fellow Gungans. While my own perception of Episode 1 hasn’t changed much in the last couple of decades, I’m in love with this build in part because it’s a refreshing change of pace for Star Wars builds. Don’t get us wrong, we here at The Brother’s Brick will never tire of Star Wars content. But, that said, sometimes all the shades of gray in the spaceships or the hues of tan in yet another desert landscape can start to feel a little monotonous. Here, Okay has broken that pattern to capture the unique bubble design of the city and even paired it with the departing Bongo sub, taking a couple of Jedi to Theed to see the queen.
After Reddit user jjakk bid farewell to their dog Arden, they decided to commemorate him with a portrait done in LEGO. One part sculpture and one part mosaic, this build is a stunningly beautiful likeness. The variety of color and texture gives the final model a fabulous artistic flair that we’re sure would make Arden proud.
Joss Woodyard puts a mammalian twist on kaiju with Molethra. No mere garden pest, this giant beast has risen up from the subterranean depths to wreck untold havoc. Joss has done an amazing job of layering the stylized wing pieces to create a furry texture. And the damaged microscale city street does a perfect job of conveying the monster’s massive size.
Dan Ko has packed a lot of detail into this 12×12 vignette of a medieval butcher’s stand. Inverting the tiles in the awning lets the anti-studs add a pop of texture, and the use of a few 1×1 round plates amongst the round tiles on the ground help give a sense of rough and uneven cobblestone. But the most interesting technique is the way the minifigure roller skates are holding the bars in the underside crevices of the 10×2 brick being used as the butcher’s workspace. It’s details like that which can pack a small build with a smorgasbord of visual intrigue.
Vol. 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 drops this coming Friday, and to celebrate KaijuBuildz has crafted a Hawkins Labs suitable for creating mysterious happenings in your own LEGO Town. This digital build does an impressive job of recreating the TV location’s unique wired windows, and the rooftop is loaded with 80s era communications equipment.
Inside you’ll find plenty of details from the show – the Rainbow Room, the sensory deprivation tank, and even a portal to the Upside Down. We’d love to see LEGO release something similar to this to pair with set 75810.
Nikita Nikolsky takes us for a play date on an alien planet with this creative build. An extraterrestrial child dreams of interstellar conquest as he plays out his flying saucer toy attacking the sand castle he built. Despite his murderous intentions, there’s tons to love about this alien, from his expressive face to the use of the lime elements as sporty beach wear. I’m not looking forward to having to one day bow before him after he’s conquered Earth. But, at the same time, it’s gonna be like, “I’m proud of you, kid. You made it.”
Spider-Ham had better beware, because Sandro Quattrini has given Wilson Fisk a suitably suidae upgrade. Inspired by the idea of a minifigure basket as a pig snout, this character grew to an immense size during construction. So much so that he can use a Dots bracelet as a belt!
When Tim Goddard sees a new LEGO piece, a new droid can’t be far behind. Tim’s put the recent 1×2 round brick with center bars to use as the torso in this adorable bot that’s full of life. The bend in the abdomen helps convey a sense of motion, while the dark turquoise and pearl gold create the perfect pops of color against the mostly gray robot body.
