I’ve really come to enjoy building in microscale, especially for space models. I can build large scenes that actually fit on my desk, like my latest foray into microscale, this asteroid mining colony.
Posts by Chris
Monolithic Builds: Giant Sushi and a Robot Uprising
This latest Iron Builder contest has provided an incredible slew of fascinating models from the uuber talented contestants. Sean and Steph Mayo pull out all the stops with this monstrous sushi roll fit for a giant.
And Bart De Dobbelaer fires back with this super cool Monolith. I don’t even pretend to know what’s going on here, but I’m imagining some sort of robot sentience emergence, ala 2001.
The Right Way to Explore
Speaking of photographing your LEGO models well, brothers Joe and Will Merzlak do some of the coolest “on-location” LEGO photography around. Their latest, a hulking beast of a vehicle called the Goat, looks prepared to drive through positively any sort of terrain, and actually seems to be doing so.
Watch the World Burn
This scene by James Pegrum is wonderfully atmospheric, depicting the origins of the Great Fire of London, which ravaged the city for four days in 1666. More than simply building a cool diorama, though, James has carefully planned his photograph to take advantage of the terrific lighting and the placement of his structures, to keep the entire image within his creation, giving it a fantastic sense of calamity.
Gorgeous in Green
From flickr user RedCoKid comes this roaring art-deco Skyscraper. I usually find LEGO towers pretty dull, but that’s because all too often they’re little more than just stacked windows and basic bricks. This beauty, though, has classic style. And if I make it out correctly, the elevators are powered and actually move, too.
Making Time: LEGO Ball Clock by Jason Allemann
Here’s a really gorgeous piece of horological gadgetry. Not satisfied with those giant LEGO minifigure digital clocks, Jason Allemann has built a mechanical timepiece worthy of any classy desk. Better yet, he’s made a video showing it in motion and given lots of details on how it works.
The Perils of Planetary Exploration
Jon Blackford has made this fantastic diorama illustrating what might happen to an unfortunate Neo-Classic-Space landing party. He’s got a great style going on here with the limited colors and the nifty shaping of the rock platform.
An Ocean of Awesome: Finding Nemo in LEGO
Husband and wife team Sean and Steph Mayo are known for being among the craziest builders out there, churning out stunning models at an unbelievable pace. Their latest work, built for the on-going Iron Builder contest (where they’re up against stiff competition, even for them!) is a mind-blowing coral reef, all decked out in the wildest underwater colors and vibrant with sea-life. Many of LEGO’s lesser-known parts lend themselves well to creating the organic shapes of coral-dwelling creatures, and it’s amazing to see how life-like some of them can be (like the sea anemone Nemo is hiding in on the far left).
Ushiabu from Nausicaä
I’m not one-hundred percent certain what this is, but given the builder’s (62778grenouille) history of creating other gorgeous models from Miyazaki’s films, I’m guessing this is the giant horsefly, or ushiabu, from Miyazaki’s 1984 masterpiece, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. In any case, it’s a fantastic and slightly terrifying creature, with some really interesting building techniques.
Best Van Ever: An RC A-Team Van in LEGO
Vimal Patel has built a sweet LEGO Technic version of the the A-Team’s iconic van, and it’s remote controlled.
Vimal’s also filmed this awesome video of it in action (though I wish it had that classic A-Team music, but I’m guessing Vimal doesn’t want to get sued).
Microscale Helm’s Deep
This miniature Helm’s Deep from Tolkien’s The Two Towers is impressive in its level of detail. George G has captured the towering might of this mountain stronghold, and it looks ready to be defended until dawn. All it needs now is a retinue of Rohirrim to guard its walls, and a few ten-thousands of miniature orcs to assault it. Hmm, now it makes me want to go watch the films again…
When You Need Some Heavy Weaponry...
…call in this guy. This mech by flickr user Bockaderunner sports some terrific heavy weapons, and looks great to boot. The posing of the mech is awesome, and gives it a much more dynamic presence than a simple at-attention pose.
