Posts by Norm Harper

Bulked-up Benny

When The LEGO Movie debuted in 2014, the world was introduced to Benny, a Classic LEGO Spaceman with an enthusiastic love of spaceships. In 2019, The LEGO Movie 2 gave Benny an apocalyptic upgrade which found him sporting a clawed robot arm and carrying a toolbox. Now, builder Chris Yee has upgraded Benny yet again, translating Benny’s apocalyptic minifigure look into a larger Bionicle/Hero Factory style figure. I particularly love the Classic Space logo recreated with a pearl gold conical hat and a red minifigure hand and rubber bands. I’m forced to wonder if there’s a spaceship spaceship spaceship! in all the galaxy that’s capable of containing this much awesome.

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Darn good deals on discount droids

As vast as the on-screen Star Wars universe is, there’s probably no corner of it that hasn’t been rendered in LEGO at one time or another. So, it should come as no surprise that LEGO fans have begun imagining their own corners of the universe to build. Abe Fortier does a particularly impressive job of rendering a heretofore unseen section of Tatooine with his Jawa Rummage Sale custom build. Even without the familiar aliens and Stormtroopers hanging about, this building would be instantly recognizable as a locale on the famous desert planet. Abe makes excellent use of greebling for the sci-fi trimmings, and the oft-ignored single groove side of the masonry brick adds interesting texture to the building. Be sure to look closely at what each of these shady characters is up to, so you can spot all the great gags and easter eggs that Abe has hidden in the model.

Solo Transformer Assault Group

One of the things that made The Transformers such a great toy line was the arms race nature of the Autobot/Decepticon conflict that kept piling on the gimmicks for kids to drool over.

“We turn into cars.”
“We turn into jets.”
“Well then we turn into dinosaurs.”
“Oh yeah? We combine.”
“Well then we also combine.”
“Okay, but now we turn into two vehicles.”

And on and on it went, with each new gimmick creating a new set of must-have toys. And undoubtedly, one of the most impressive gimmicks was 1987’s Sixshot, an evil robot with five different alternate modes. Sam C. has taken on the challenge of replicating all six configurations in his custom LEGO recreation of the Decepticon warrior.

Click here to all of Sixshot’s alternate modes in action!

Sailing the open “C”

Ralf Langer is on a roll. Using a technique he’s employed previously in some sci-fi builds, Ralf has created a gorgeous display piece worthy of a shelf in any captain’s quarters. And, while the shape of the build is bound to monopolize your attention, there are some smaller details here that are worthy of a second look. I particularly like the way he’s used color beneath the transparent light blue tiles. The ocean gets darker the further out from the land masses you go, creating a sense of ever deepening water. If you’d like a chance to build this yourself, you can sail over to the LEGO Ideas site to lend your support.

Negative space (travel)

Two of the bigger challenges that a builder can face when creating a custom LEGO creation are angles and empty space. Blake Foster has done a great job of conquering both with his Procyon Planetary Research Hovercraft. I can only imagine the number of techniques at play in creating the craft’s hexagonal outer wall. Complicating the matter is all that empty space in the center, which gave Blake the opportunity to outfit the sides of the wall with some great greebling. But I think my favorite aspect of the whole build is one of the more subtle choices – the use of the 1×4 spring shooter launchers, added so that the notch of light bluish gray from the scaffolding cuts slightly into the dark bluish gray of the engines. It’s a great touch that helps keep anything on this craft from looking like a plain old square.

Conversion Van Conversion

Sometimes the best inspiration for a custom LEGO Creation is an official LEGO set. When 1saac W. saw the brown van in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame Final Battle set, he knew he had to have one – but in classic black with stylish pin stripes. In addition to the color swap, there’s some more subtle upgrades that make the model even more accurate to the real 1970s Ford Econoline: a round window in the back, an exhaust pipe just behind the rear wheel, and even door handles made from minifigure roller skates. I bet if we could see inside there’d be some stylish shag carpeting and a rocking 8-track player.

Stolen Spyrius Technology

Back in 1994, the LEGO Space Police had to deal with one of their most challenging foes in the form of SPYRIUS, an intergalactic band of espionage agents who specialized in stealing the technology of more peaceful citizens in the United Galaxies Space Council. Now, in 2021, Spyrius has finally gotten a taste of their own medicine thanks to builder Moppo!, who has managed to steal some technology from Spyrius and used it to create this custom LEGO creation, a modern update on the Saucer Scout.

This version of the vehicle is larger, but it hasn’t lost the feel of a smaller ship perfect for recon missions. It’s still got those perpendicular engines, ready to blast the ship off in any direction, in case it needs to make a quick getaway from Space Police patrol ships in the area. The pops of lime green near the cockpit are a great compliment to the traditional red and black color scheme. And, of course, it’s not a real Spyrius set without that trademark printed tile.

Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips

Actually, their names are Ike and Mack (Ike’s the tall one). But when I saw these two LEGO Creations by builder Silvak The Mocist, I had an instant flashback to that old Schoolhouse Rock series about a skateboarding kid and his computer-headed pal. Despite a passing resemblance to that old cartoon, I get the impression these two are less likely to teach us about computers and more likely to grind along some railing, leaving a rotary telephone-headed old man shaking his fist at those darn kids. Silvak’s done a great job of communicating character here, from Ike’s expressive limbs to Mack’s radical pair of kicks. I’m particularly impressed by how those Technic panels hang like an open hoodie on Ike. And bonus points for using the old M-Tron logo so Mack can put his initial on his skateboard.

Click here to see more Ike and Mack on your iMac (or PC or phone or whatever)

A black and blue Tytharer swoops in

Let’s start with the obvious; this monster Tytharer by Aiden Rexroad is incredible. The combination of traditionally mechanical parts like black Hero Factory armor and hoses actually feels organic here, thanks in large part to the medium azure Technic axle connectors flowing along the back. But it’s the subtle curve in the water below the beast that makes this LEGO creation feel alive to me. There’s an impression that the same wind keeping the creature aloft is churning the sea below it. And even though the base of this creation is only a fraction of the length of the centerpiece beast, it’s impossible for me not to imagine an entire ocean stretched out below him.

We’re ready to receive you

LEGO custom creations that play with scale and perspective remind me of old-fashioned movie special effects. There’s something magical about matte paintings and models and perfect camera angles combining together to make the viewer believe they’re watching a vast expanse of space when it’s really all set up in a parking lot in Culver City. Mountain Hobbit has produced a little classic sci-fi Hollywood magic of his own with this Iron Builder submission. The seed part is the Crane Grab Jaw with Axle and Pin Hole, which he used to create the “teeth” on the hangar door. He’s also used orange ingots to bring a little pop of color detail to the largely gray interior. The complementary hues of color on both the spaceship and the landing bay give us a sense that they’re part of the same sci-fi universe.

And the best part is, the doors are functional.