What happens when you’re building and grab a Ninjago fig instead of a TIE Pilot? Generally I toss it back and keep building, but I imagine TBB alumn Simon Liu runs with it, as evidenced by this Kai Fighter, a TIE-turned-mech that’s as cool as it is well done. Ninjago and Star Wars may not be the most common crossover, but after seeing this I can’t wait to see Lloyd Vader and Jedi Master Wu.
Perhaps he’s not quite up to the Empire’s recruitment standards, but this LEGO chibi Stormtrooper by nobu_tary is as adorable as an Ewok in armor. Come to think of it, maybe this is a post-Empire Ewok in salvaged armor? Whatever the case, it’s a fantastic little build with highly poseable limbs thanks to ball joints, and I can’t get over how good that squared-off helmet looks.
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. So begins The Hobbit, and this LEGO build of Bag End by Kris Kelvin looks just as a cozy as can be, overflowing with verdant foliage and a charmingly weather-beaten look. The flexible rubber elements make a fantastic rustic fence, while a patchwork road and pathway seem very appropriate to Hobbiton.
LEGO Technic has just revealed 42156 Peugeot 9X8 24H Le Mans Hybrid Hypercar at the FIA World European Championship race today in Portugal. The 1,775-piece set models the sleek futuristic racecar with a dark grey livery and glow-in-the-dark headlights. The 1:10-scale car is 19.5 inches (50cm) long and 9 inches (22cm) wide. It’s set to be available May 1 for US $199.99 | CAN $279.99 | UK £169.99.
One of the things I love about the LEGO community is that no matter how many times something’s been done, it’s possible for someone to build a new take on a model and add more details and accuracy. Star Wars ships are a prime example; because of their ubiquity both in official sets and fan models, there’s no end of inspiration and various designs, and Thomas Jenkins has crafted a jaw-dropping new version of the LAAT, better known as the Republic Gunship from Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars. Thomas has used lots of great design details here to make a super accurate minifigure-scale version, with clever bits ranging from the oars on the engine nacelles to the backpack on the nose. But perhaps the most impressive thing is that all of the detailed color blocking is brick-built.
Today LEGO is revealing the newest Ideas set, 21340 Tales of the Space Age. The 688-piece set will feature four vignettes in striking colors depicting sci-fi scenes in a vintage style. The four scenes can be displayed separately or connected together, as well as standing up or hanging on a wall. The set will be available for LEGO VIP members starting May 5, with general availability May 8, and will retail for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99.
The set is based on a submission to LEGO’s crowdfunding platform by Jan Woźnica which was chosen in the first 2022 round and we featured back in 2021 when he first entered it into the LEGO Ideas “Out of This World” challenge.
LEGO builder WG Productions takes us down to the surface of Teth for this elite Clone Trooper raid on a Hutt ion cannon guarded by battle droids. The clouds above a black surface give a foreboding sense of the pinnacle the defensive structure is perched upon, and the posing of the figures lets you feel the action frozen during this tense aerial combat mission.
Last month I wrote about Andreas Lenander’s desert port, and now he’s already back with another waterfront LEGO medieval build. This one seems to be more inspired by Venice, but it’s every bit as wonderful, absolutely chock full of great techniques and little details. For instance, don’t miss the black wands, still attached to their sprue, that are used as the bars on the top windows, or the dark tan skates that are used as details throughout, from the roofline to the inside of the main arches.
Today LEGO has taken the wraps off the latest Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) set, returning to its roots with 75355 X-wing Starfighter. This set marks the third iteration of the X-wing as a UCS set, with an X-wing being one of the original two UCS sets, and the most recent version having been discontinued in 2015. The new set takes advantage of more recently released elements (including at least one previously unseen) to give more details to the starfighter model. It’s also the largest version with 1,949 pieces. The set includes Luke and R2-D2 minifigures. It will be available starting May 1 for US $239.99 | CAN $319.99 | UK £209.99.
It may sound like something Robin would exclaim, but this great flying turtle by Markus Rollbühler is delightfully whimsical instead. Markus notes that the whole LEGO build clocks in at just 96 pieces, though I spy some elements in there that are quite uncommon, like the dinosaur head that’s the turtle’s head….except backwards! All the gear piled haphazardly atop the turtle’s saddle completes the feeling of a wandering magician.
TBB regular Andreas Lenander takes us to a desert port of commerce, and while it’s a lovely LEGO scene at first glance, the details bear close examination. There are obvious points of excellence like the stonework that just has the right amount of weathering or the gently curving hull of the trading vessel, but I’ve got my eye on those beautiful palm trees, which might be the best LEGO palms I’ve ever seen. And of course, let’s not leave out that beautiful blue domed roof on the tower made with tails.
LEGO builder Ted Andes brings us a more upbeat take on the dystopian cyberpunk future with a gorgeous sculpture he calls the Shrine of the Cyber Tree. The tree is made of stacked Vahki head elements from Bionicle, and their angular lines and matte finish creates a striking use for that rarely used piece. The sculpture is surrounded by a simple but elegant stone garden wall, which has great details like one broken egg post cap.
