Nothing says retro-future quite like a clear dome canopy. And, in the hands of 1saac W., retro-future has never looked quite so cool. There are plenty of beautiful curves to admire on this car, but the way the bubble top nestles into two sideways placed mudguards takes the cake. And those chrome details are the perfect finishing touch.
Grant Davis has been on a quest to depict the major moments from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings saga in LEGO form. Grant’s latest vignette is of Sam’s encounter with the vicious, spidery monster known as Shelob. Rarely has an arachnid been so perfectly captured in LEGO form. The secret is plenty of inverted rubbery tires to give Shelob some organic roundness and an eerie texture.
I think there’s a strong case to be made that no vehicle has been built in LEGO form more than the Millennium Falcon. There are dozens of official sets and countless more custom creations, but very few of them look as smooth as this Midi-Scale rendition by FlyInSpace. This near-studless Star Wars spaceship achieves it’s look thanks to plenty of overlapping panels connected via lots of clever Studs Not On Top construction. This is an especially impressive feat when you consider how thin the model is. And, while this ship might not be large enough for a minifigure crew, it still contains plenty of functionality, including landing gear and an openable boarding ramp.
As we all bask in the latest LEGO Lord of the Rings news, it’s a perfect time to celebrate other amazing Middle Earth constructions. Case in point, this tribute to the Mouth of Sauron by Marcin Otreba. This scene-stealing Return of the King character is perfectly captured here with his ornate armor and trademark spooky grin. Look closely, and you’ll see those creepy teeth are actually repurposed Battle Droid heads from the Star Wars prequels, which makes this build a loving homage to early 2000s blockbuster movies of all kinds.
What’s the biggest problem with exploring icy terrain? Ice melts. Thankfully, Andreas Lenander has devised a solution to hot lights shining on the cold terrain. This Nocturnal Ice Rover uses state of the art illumination technology (i.e glow-in-the-dark 1×2 plates) to light the way. Unfortunately, glow-in-the-dark tech only lasts so long, which keeps the exploration missions brief.
But while you’re waiting for the lights to recharge, you can check out the video below where Andreas walks you through the full vehicle specs.
When we last checked in with Jake Hansen (Mountain Hobbit), we were blown away by the intricate detail of his snow-covered mountain inn. But I’m equally impressed by this similar scene that Jake created from just 32 pieces. A couple of minifigure books and a handful of table scrap come together to craft a winter retreat that looks just as cozy and inviting.
I always think of winter as a time for slowing down. But Spaceruner knows there’s no time for that on an Ice Planet, and constructed a rover that’s one-part supercar and one-part bobsled to get Commander Cold and his crew where they’re going in a hurry. With room for a crew of three, this mean machine muscles through the frost and snow with powerful jet engines and a set of tires that can handle the roughest and iciest terrain.
The new trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 just dropped this past weekend, so what better time to look back on the previous installments of the franchise? Dan Ko was inspired by the upcoming Star-Lord’s helmet set to build a smaller version of the helmet, and then he completed the look with a brick-built Star-Lord. Peter Quill’s signature Vol. 1 look is recreated to great effect here, with the minifigure cape and wedge plates forming his long coat. And suspending the figure in the air via the thrust of his jet boots is the perfect finishing touch.
Febrovery is usually a time for LEGO builders to break out their biggest and best tire pieces. But Andreas Lenander has a knack for approaching the theme just a little differently. Last year, Andreas wowed us with an impressive set of bubble wheels, and this year it’s a rover with brick-built wheels, using a technique I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Round 1×2 plates and many curved arc tiles blend beautifully to craft a set of hollow wheels for a rover that’s so cool it barely needs any central vehicle parts at all.
Sebastian Bachórzewski previously wowed us with a one block stretch from a cyberpunk city, and now there’s more of the city to explore. The distinctive signage and railing over the street helps keep continuity between the two builds, but this section has a personality all its own. The high-rise hotel makes excellent use of some turntables for texture along the sides, while the street market area is loaded with grungy greebling and terrific techno-bits. We can almost hear the hum of the electricity running through the place.
Student Scissors has impressed us before with transformable builds based on characters from The Transformers franchise. But it’s one thing to try and replicate an existing character/transformation scheme. It’s a whole other challenge to invent one yourself. But that’s exactly what Student Scissors has done here with Cuff – a transforming police car who isn’t based on any particular Cybertronian, but who would fit right in amongst the Autobots. Cuff’s novel transformation involves the car’s windscreens and roof splitting into thirds to become both of his feet and the center of his chest, while the car grill forms his waist and hips. It’s an inventive solution to the problem of turning a car into a humanoid robot that I hope we see in the official toy line someday.
As part of the Iron Forge competition, gGh0st is putting LEGO leaves to work in as many places as possible for this kitchen vignette. From the curtains to the tablecloth, and even as spilled orange juice on the floor, there’s almost nowhere you can look in this build and not spot a leaf piece. But the real kicker is the wall construction, which allows for a framed portrait of Kermit the Frog in an almost Haunted Mansion-style effect.
