Okay Yaramanoglu turns the idea of a floating island upside down with this Inventor’s House in the sky. Constructed on an inverted raised baseplate, this house has an eclectic mix of visible gears and propellors that call to mind LEGO’s old Time Cruiser’s theme. Inside the home is a variety of gadgets and gizmos, work spaces and living quarters. There’s even a basement inside the baseplate. It’s a high-altitude home with attitude.
Tommaso Vedruccio invites us to celebrate the holidays with some theater. Perhaps a holiday ballet? Or would you prefer some live music? Either option is on the table with this city park stage with easily swappable sets. Each set includes plenty of details, like realistic light riggings and decorative backdrops. Surrounded by the snow and the lights, this outdoor venue makes for a serene setting for either show. There’s even a concession stand selling sugary treats and hot cocoa to keep you warm. And those are some of the best-looking LEGO pine trees I’ve ever seen. What a perfect night out.
Duncan Lindbo knows that any mode of transport is valid if your tunnel is wide enough. The T-22 Tunnel Viper races through the dark recesses in search of ore, lost miners, or just a good time. The brown railing of the cockpit calls back to LEGO’s Rock Raiders theme, but the constraction parts help give the ship some unique personality all its own.
This bulldog is the latest recruit in the series of animals in mechsuits by Moko, and it’s one of my favorites. The medium nougat dog really pops against the dark green and grays, and the eight stacked bars slotted into the shoulder cannon is an inspired technique I hadn’t seen before. Plus, the flaming skull on the asymmetrical shoulder shows that this is a watchdog you’ll want to watch out for.
It’s a matter of record that George Lucas used World War II combat footage as a placeholder for the starship battles in early cuts of the original Star Wars. LEGO builder Jordan Fridal has built on this fact by creating an inspired series of digital mash-ups; Star Wars vehicles combined with the WWII-era planes that might have stood in for them before the special effects were done. Here we see an X-Wing/P-51 Mustang trying to outrun a Tie Intercepter/Messerschmitt ME BF-109. And just like groundbreaking special effects need a team to complete them, sometimes a LEGO creation takes more than one person to bring it to life. With that in mind, Jordan credits brick_squadron and Inthert for a bit of help on the X-51.
Look up into the sky and you might spot a man looking even further up into the sky. Herschel’s Observatory by Ayrlego is an academic’s retreat floating aloft in the clouds. It’s the perfect vantage point for stargazing. Ayrlego has done some really impressive building here. The texture of the roof is sublime. And I love the way the cobblestone gives way to vegetation, which in turn gives way to the stone that keeps them up in the sky. I’d love to see what kind of aircraft soars up to that dock.
Rod Gillies brings TV’s most successful soldiers of fortune to life with this microscale creation. Every child of the 80s knows this black and gray van with its striking red stripe. Even if you didn’t watch the show, the van adorned toy aisles and Halloween costumes and lunch boxes. Heck, even younger kids might know the van, thanks to it’s recent-ish inclusion in LEGO Dimensions. But Rod’s gone even smaller than LEGO did, and he’s accomplished it without needing to use a printed piece for the stripe. I love it when a MOC comes together.
John Kupitz is on a LEGO speed run. We just covered his recent build based on The Legend of Zelda, and now he’s shocking us with this greebly mosaic of Pikachu, the default Pokémon mascot. Using a technique similar to his past Mario mosaic, John has taken a “gotta catch ‘em all” approach to the pieces used to create this pocket monster portrait – minifigures, tubing, flags, crabs, steering wheels, clips, bars, tiles, and hearts. It’s all here.
It’s almost advent calendar season, which means LEGO fans the world over will soon be assembling some tiny spaceships from Star Wars and the MCU. But Tim Goddard has gotten a jump on things by crafting his own fleet of miniature spaceships. Despite their small size, there’s lots of cool shaping and detail to be found. From the minifigure videogame controller used as wings to the green and red thrusters on an Octan ship, Tim has crafted a fleet of microscale marvels.
Silly turkeys were on the menu for a recent Fun Friday group build, and Tommy Frost took his contribution into orbit. This Neo-Classic Space themed turkey mech is suitable for navigating alien terrain or walking the Macy’s parade route on a cold November morning. Bonus points for the red space suit getting an upgraded helmet, thanks to the Collectible Minifigures Series 23.
This 16×16 vignette by Fuku Saku brings the half-sunken ruins of Osgiliath to life. The former capital city of Gondor is instantly recognizable in comparison to its big-screen counterpart. The damaged brick, open archways, and domed tower are spot-on with the production design of Peter Jackson’s epic. And bonus points to the Orc’s brick-built legs that create a “wading through the water” effect that perfectly compliments the scene.
LEGO builder Isaac Wilder is known for retro automotive creations. But this time Isaac is bringing us a vision of the future – or, at least, the way the future was envisioned back when the cars he normally builds were new. Does that all make sense? Isaac’s hover car is all old-school curves up top, while the bottom is a gaggle of technological greebles keeping it aloft. And it’s getting gassed up by what looks like the love child of a Star Wars droid and a Radiator Springs gas pump. The full effect is a scene from a future we all remember, but haven’t quite reached, yet.
