Jan Woznica has engaged in a little bit of meta-LEGO building with this mosaic style recreation of a classic treasure map tile. All the major details are perfectly captured, from the compass to the latitude and longitude lines. I think mosaics of classic prints could spark a new MOC trend thanks to the near-endless possibilities…computer screens, instrument panels, license plates, wanted posters. What printed tile mosaic would you want hanging on your wall?
Two Rebel soldiers find themselves a little too close to the Empire for comfort in this vignette by Jonas. Thankfully, Jonas has constructed a lush amount of Endorian flora for them to hide among. The Imperial Soldiers have it easy, with their elevated walkway and a dirt road constructed from some surprisingly elaborate techniques. Hopefully they don’t look too closely at what’s hiding in the local vegetation.
With The Rings of Power debuting on Amazon Prime, it seems a fitting time to check back in on Jonas Kramm’s The Lord of the Rings vignette series. Here, Gandalf the White appears before Théoden in Meduseld and drives Sauman’s magic from the corrupted king. This cross-section style rendering of the Golden Hall is worthy of royalty, with the carved wooden horse heads being an especially nice detail.
Caleb Flutur had always wanted an old brass scale to display, so he decided to build one. Looking like it just came out of an apothecary shop, Caleb’s work definitely measures up to the real thing. Capturing such an ornate design with such a limited color pallet must have been tricky, but the final looks to balance form and function brilliantly.
Aido Kessler knows that LEGO can be an expensive hobby. As piece counts in official sets continue to rise, so too does the price of the sets. Heck, I paid less for my first car than I did for certain Star Wars sets on display in my house. That’s why it’s so nice of Aido to remind us that you don’t always need a lot of bricks to stage an epic build. Here, Aido has recreated the iconic Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back with scarcely more than a dozen pieces. It’s a budget build that’s big on blockbuster action.
BetaNotus has fallen into a familiar trap. When you cover the work of the Adult Fans of LEGO community, there are just certain themes you’re going to see repeated over and over again. Custom Batmobiles, X-Wings, and Back to the Future DeLoreans are as plentiful as can be. And a familiar build that ranks right up with those is the classic quadrupedal mech for fishing expeditions. I can’t tell you how many… Hold on, I’m getting a message. I’m sorry, I’m being told we’ve never seen a build like this before. Word from TBB leadership is this build is delightfully creative and more mechs for unexpected tasks would be welcome. My bad.
The ongoing Pi-rat competition has yielded a lot of interesting pirate ship builds. But Bard Jaskier has gone in another direction and constructed a brick-built buccaneer with a treasure chest full of delicious Swiss. Bard’s mousey marauder is not just adorable, but makes good use of pirate ship pieces, like the crow’s nest barrel halves that make up the legs of his shorts.
Devid VII delivers a devastating desert destroyer with this high-tech hover vehicle. The insectoid shape calls to mind the Dune ornithopters, but the markings suggest this is a future Earth military vehicle, rather than an otherworldly piece of technology. Wherever it originates from, Devid’s done an amazing job with not just the build, but the small vignette that supports it. Thanks to the angle of the ship and the dust cloud it’s kicking up, we can practically hear the hover engines as it speeds past us.
Tim Goddard is known for his marvelous mechs and spectacular spaceships. But it’s important to branch out and flex your creative muscles every so often. That’s why we’re so enamored with this racing rabbit. Tim’s done an amazing job of capturing the animal in motion and creating a sense of speed in this static model.
I’m still writing on the same desk I bought in college and have been meaning to upgrade for some time now. Thankfully, Pan Noda has crafted an industrial desk and chair set that is just my style. The use of various tans and browns creates a realistic wood grain texture that pairs perfectly with the ample use of black bar elements to suggest rugged, pipe style fixtures. And details like the minifigure ice skates as drawer handles and the chair’s lift lever elevate this furniture to top tier décor.
Caleb Flutur didn’t have to go this hard for the pun, but we’re glad he did. By transforming the classic children’s character “Thomas the Tank Engine” into simply “Thomas the Tank,” Caleb has produced a surprisingly accurate military vehicle. Sure, it’s made from primary colors and has eyes, but look at the details! The intricate tank tread mechanics, the machine gun atop the turret. And it had to be done while incorporating some of Thomas’s iconic striping, which actually ups the difficulty level beyond what a regular tank would require.
The recent release of LEGO’s revamped Galaxy Explorer has put a lot of builders in a Neo Classic Space frame of mind. This creation from Titolian combines that classic color scheme with a healthy dose of angles and curves. The result is an insectoid-style craft that leaves us itching to own one ourselves. If you dig this, make sure to check out more of Titolian’s clever characters and spectacular spacecraft in our archives.
