Four million years ago, a young dock worker named Orion Pax lived on the planet Cybertron. At the start of the great Cybertronian War, Orion Pax nearly died after an attack by the evil Megatron. Thankfully, he was re-built into the powerful Optimus Prime by an ancient robot known as Alpha Trion. Now you can dispense with Alpha Trion and build a fully transformable Optimus Prime of your very own, thanks to this tutorial by Tiago Catarino.
Click here to check out the instructions
I’m not much of a modern gamer. Somewhere around the release of the Playstation 2, I stopped trying to keep up with the latest video games. Nowadays, Dr. Mario on my NES Classic is all the virtual thrill I need. But one of the last major video game phenomenons before I bowed out was Final Fantasy VII, and I have an intense love of it. Not as intense a love as Brick Ninja, as evidenced by the fact that he built a life-sized replica of Cloud Strife’s Buster Sword and I didn’t.
Six feet long and over a foot wide, this majestic build floods me with some late 90s nostalgia. (Even though it’s technically based on the sword’s appearance in the recent FF7 Remake.) Brick Ninja has done an amazing job getting the angles of the blade just right. Check out the video below of the builder himself wielding the sword to get a better sense of its weight and stability. It’s such an impractical weapon, but that’s part of what makes it so cool. And when your name is as awesome as “Cloud Strife,” your weapons need to be cool.
When you think of Star Wars, I bet your mind goes first to the Millennium Falcon and X-Wings. But that franchise has brought us just as many beloved weird creatures as it has spaceships. I mean, who doesn’t love a tauntaun? Or a rancor? And my house is full of plush porgs. But one Star Wars creature that doesn’t seem to get enough love is the varactyl, a reptavian creature from the planet Utapau. Koen Zwanenburg is attempting to make up for that with this excellent rendition of Boga, the varactyl mount that helped Obi-Wan chase down General Grievous in Episode III.
Koen began the build inspired by the NINJAGO Jungle Dragon set, and kept modifying until the results looked enough like Obi-Wan’s helpful steed. Personally, I’d never have guessed this model started as anything other than an attempt at a varactyl. The stance is a perfect match for the movie character, and the use of blue and green plant plates does a fantastic job of replicating Boga’s feathered back. In fact, the only varactyl detail that this build lacks is the lizard’s trademark cry. And, really, it’s better for it.
Simon Liu has a history of building mech-style creations with unconventional operators. When he saw the Frog Mario upgrade from LEGO’s Super Mario Bros. line, he knew pretty immediately that he wanted to use the hat in such a creation. But instead of a sci-fi type mech, the creative process took him in the direction of a fairy tale frog prince in shining armor.
The final result is both adorable and imposing. This regal frog is ready to leap into battle with armor that looks custom made for his amphibian anatomy, thanks in large part to the ample use of Overwatch Reinhardt shoulder pieces.
Hopefully it provides enough protection that he won’t croak in battle.
Scientists from all across the LEGO galaxy have come to United Systems to share their research and make new discoveries. But one of the prototype robots has gone haywire. Could it be sabotage by evil Blacktron and Spyrius agents? Tim Goddard is no stranger to sci-fi themed builds (in fact, he co-wrote the book on it), but this one stands out for how much character and story is brought to the scene. The collection of Space minifigures from across so many eras is great to see. Every figure has some business to attend to, which creates a feel of hustle and bustle within the complex. And the malfunctioning robot makes a great centerpiece. I’m impressed by how posable it is, particularly in the hips, thanks to a combination of round plates with a horizontal bar and the hexagonal piece from a weapons accessory pack.
Bridges are primarily about function. Whether it’s rope, or wood, or stone, or steel; it needs to connect point A to point B and hold your weight. If it does that, it’s a pretty great bridge, no matter how ugly it is. But Andreas Lenander doesn’t settle for anything so basic. The bridge at the centerpiece of his latest build is about function and form.
By building up two towers of 1×1 plates with vertical clips, connecting them with bars, and then bending the resulting structure, Andreas has devised a bridge that looks right at home in the serene wilderness surrounding it. And there’s some pretty clever technique in that wilderness, as well. In particular, the minifigure whips twisted together make for realistically gnarled tree trunks. All in all, it’s the kind of locale you’d want to stroll slowly through, holding a loved one’s hand. Or trek through on your way to a mystic temple. Whichever is more your speed.
Ho, weary traveler. Fatigue stains your face as the dew of the morning stains the grass. But good fortune smiles on thee. For you have found yourself at the Medieval Holiday Inn, by LEGO builder ilive. These walls of patchwork stone, with their charmingly crooked ingots, have shielded sojourners in need of rest for generations. We can’t provide you with cable, or Wi-Fi, or whatever frivolities the lords busy themselves with at the palace. But we have a warm fire, hearty meals, and a giant barrel full of mead. So, step inside and let me show you to your room. You’ll be sharing a bed with Rogan the Terrible. And this pig.
It’s that time of year again. The pool toys are being replaced by school supplies. The pumpkin spice cravings are growing more powerful. And the thoughts of LEGO fans are turning to SHIPtember. Every September, LEGO builders across the world create original spaceship builds using a Seriously Huge Investment of Parts. (Hence the ‘SHIP’ in ‘SHIPtember.’) This year, Jason Corlett has begun warming up his seriously huge shipbuilding skills with The Revolt, heavy-duty craft sporting tons of detail and cool play features.
With its twin front pylons and the angled rear section, the Revolt would look at home in any big-budget sci-fi franchise. In addition to the boatloads of tech detailing, the Revolt is packing retractable landing gear, a full interior with a bridge, and two cannons on each side that rotate together with the turn of a dial. Check out the video of everything in action below, and let us know if you’re planning your own SHIPtember crafts this year.
The last 18 months have brought a number of challenges, and we’ve all had to find our own unique way to deal with them. Corry Lankford dealt with the stress by letting his mind get lost among the stars – Star Wars and Starcraft, specifically. The result is an original space station of his own design: the ST-01, a staging base where Rebel Alliance pilots vet prototype Starcraft to determine if they’re combat worthy.
This beast of a build measures 12 feet in diameter. But you don’t really get a sense of just how big it is unless you scope these pics of Corry hard at work on it.
Click here to take a tour of this mammoth space station
In the 23rd century, biker gangs rule the skies on their modified hoverbikes. The most dangerous of these gangs is the Tunnel Snakes, named for their tendency to use broken flux conduits as their primary highway between crime scenes. This futuristic build by David Roberts makes excellent use of Technic tread links, a part most commonly used in official sets on construction equipment or sci-fi vehicles. But here, these treads are the road through which the sci-fi vehicle travels. There are 40 links in each complete circle, a shape that David has made use of before. But this time the staging successfully implies a much larger scale. It’s easy to imagine the broken conduit tube stretching on for miles across a futuristic cityscape.
We’re all familiar with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Probably everyone reading this can sum it up in just a few words: Magic beans, giant’s castle, golden goose. But how many of us could tell the story in brick form as well as Markus Rollbühler has? Considering this vignette sits on just a 12×12 footprint, it’s amazing how much technique is packed into it. From the books and their detailed pages, to the microscale farmland, to the magic castle in the clouds. I’m particularly enamored with the use of Clone Trooper helmet antennae as a windmill. And that brick built “J” replicating a medieval drop cap is the sort of detail that makes this small vignette a giant-sized success.
Spinning us a magical tale, Chris Perron has built a 12×12 vignette depicting two thieves stealing a magical potion from the storeroom of a busy wizard. Chris was inspired by Harry Potter and Hero Quest, and the influences really shine through. There’s a lot to love in this whimsical build. Chris makes great use of color throughout, and there are plenty of wonderful details like the slightly askew boards on the trap door. The stack of scrolls on the top floor, made by attaching 1×1 cones together with a trio of One Rings is a great touch. One has to wonder what these thieves plan to do with the magical elixir. Restore a fallen comrade? Win the heart of a fair maiden? Or maybe they just think it’s booze…
