The first teaser trailer for the new LEGO Batman movie was only released 4 days ago, but apparently Batman is impatient and couldn’t wait for us to have another hilarious look at the brick-built world of Gotham’s battiest hero. The film, which is a spinoff of 2014’s The LEGO Movie, is slated for a Feb. 10, 2017 release.
Posts by Chris
George R.R. Martin sits upon the Iron Throne with these LEGO Game of Thrones characters
A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin takes his rightful place in the Red Keep atop the infamous Iron Throne, from whence he will cast judgment and pronounce life or death upon the world’s inhabitants (mostly death). This magnificent entourage of LEGO characters by Callum brings many of your favorite characters to brick form, from Eddard Stark and Jon Snow, to Jaime and Tyrion, and Daenerys and Khal Drogo.
Click to see more Song of Ice and Fire characters
Builder spotlight: Aaron Newman and his alternate LEGO Castle universe
Set 64044 Ardun Observatory is part of the new wave called Mythic Machines in the Dragon Lands theme, and features a semi-circle three-tiered castle with astronomical equipment in the tower. Arrayed around it are the forces of evil, orc-like creatures with a battering ram, small catapult, and a fearsome red dragon. Play features include hidden passageways, spring-loaded catapults, a working drawbridge and portcullis, and breakaway walls.
Not familiar with LEGO set 64044? That’s because you can’t buy this set from the LEGO company, or anywhere else — it comes from the mind of Aaron Newman.
64044 Ardun Observatory by Aaron Newman
Aaron Newman doesn’t simply look at his LEGO collection and wonder what he can create; instead he looks at his bricks and asks, “What if LEGO sold different sets?” A 21-year-old UCLA theater student, Aaron’s got a knack for designing LEGO creations to fill his own alternate universe where LEGO produces the sets he’d like to see. And he’s got a fantastic sense of style. Aaron’s models center around a castle theme called Dragon Lands, which is a hybrid of LEGO’s official Vikings and Fantasy-Era Castle lines. He creates sub-themes to mimic LEGO’s habit of releasing sets in waves, and includes a set designed for each price point. His latest sub-theme, titled Dragon Lands: Mythic Machines, features crude orc siege machinery pitted against dwarven and elven strongholds. And, of course, there are lots of dragons, because no Castle theme is complete without them.
I recently had the opportunity speak with Aaron about his unique style and learn a bit about how he designs fan creations that look like sets.
Click to read the full interview
You never know what’s in the cellar of an evil wizard
Strange technological contraptions? Weird magical equipment? Portals to another dimension? Dusty books of arcana? A cage full of—cough—volunteers? An evil wizard’s basement always holds a mystery—just pray you’re not one of them. I’m not sure precisely what’s going on in this scene by Pistash, but it’s certainly fascinating and maybe a little horrifying.
LEGO.com celebrates its 20th anniversary today [News]
LEGO joined the digital revolution on March 23, 1996 when its first iteration of LEGO.com went live. The original website was a spartan layout, since large images and fancy graphics were the bane of dial-up modems. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the intervening 20 years, including huge leaps in technology and the usefulness of LEGO.com, as well as major changes within the company itself. Just a few short years after 1996, LEGO would find itself on the brink of bankruptcy, but thanks to a shift in focus back to its roots, centered around solid building and strong themes, LEGO has rebounded to become the world’s largest toy company.
LEGO has put together a special site to celebrate its 20-year anniversary, which includes a simple game where correctly matching five 1996 versions of sets, minifigs, and animals with their 2016 counterparts nets you a download of a nostalgic 1996 LEGO wallpaper. There appear to be 10 wallpapers, one each from Freestyle, Train, Pirates, Technic, Castle, Aquazone, Town, Exploriens, Western and Time Cruisers, and you can play multiple times if you want the full set.
Blacktron Rhino rides the rails
Nefarious Blacktron forces may inhabit the remote reaches of space, but that doesn’t mean they lack sweet infrastructure. We’ve already brought you a peek at Stephan Niehoff’s take on Blacktron’s new battle tank, the Scorpion II, and now Stephan lets us get a good look at the sleek Rhino, Blacktron’s on-planet wartime materiel supply solution.
Magnificent LEGO seaside castle diorama
There aren’t many places more picturesque for a castle than on a cliff by the sea, so that’s precisely where Alex Jones has placed his new fortress. Giant walls encircle this palatial castle, and the king even gets a strip of beach to relax on, as well as his own ship anchored in the harbor. You can see more of the diorama on Alex’s website.
Giant LEGO City set to launch Space Shuttle in 3, 2, 1
South Korean professional building team Olive Seon specialize in creating huge layouts for retail stores to showcase official LEGO sets (like this epic UCS-scale Star Wars trench run or a true minifig-scale Stay Puft marshmallow man terrorizing the city). Though the official sets are the focus, the team are masters at integrating them into beautiful custom backdrops, and I never tire of seeing the official sets nestled into dioramas like the LEGO catalogs from the 80s and 90s. Olive Seon’s latest diorama is worth it just for the epic shuttle launch they’ve portrayed. Never has the 60080 Spaceport shuttle looked so good.
Amazing LEGO Arc de Triomphe in French tricolor
The famous monument Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile stands in Paris as an iconic memorial to French soldiers, and LEGO builder Brian Yu has recreated it splendidly in brick, awash in the French tricolor. Brian’s model makes great use of greebling and the undersides of basic plates to mimic the relief sculpting on the arch, and the result beautifully tricks the eye into seeing finely sculpted details.
Incredible LEGO model of Liebherr LTM 1750 mobile crane
Huib van der Hart is a master of large LEGO cranes. His latest effort is a Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 mobile crane owned by Northwest Crane Service. At 1:16 scale, the model packs in loads of detail, and Huib tells us the crane uses close to 15,000 pieces, is over 4 feet in length and weighs 33 pounds. It’s even completely drivable with 18-wheel steering thanks to LEGO Power Functions. This isn’t Huib’s first humongous crane, either, as he previously built this crane’s sibling, the Liebherr LTM 11200 9.1. He’s continuing to work on the 1750 model, and has plans to make the boom arm fully extendable.
LEGO Ideas: 21305 Maze [Review]
The latest product of LEGO Ideas has arrived, and unlike many of the previous Ideas sets, it’s not a pop-culture reference. LEGO Ideas is the company’s crowdsourcing initiative, and this set was originally designed by LEGO fan Jason Allemann. It is a classic two-axis ball maze familiar to kids and frustrated adults everywhere. We highlighted Jason’s original LEGO Ball Maze way back in 2012, and now almost four years later LEGO Ideas 21305 Maze will hit shelves April 1. The Maze contains 769 pieces for $69.99 USD. LEGO has provided us with an early copy to review, so let’s dig in.
Click here to read the full review
Awesome diorama of The Elder Scrolls Online’s city of Orsinium
The great Orc stronghold of Orsinium is a key location in the sprawling world of The Elder Scrolls Online, and there are few to do it more justice as a model than Thorsten Bonsch. Thorsten has previously brought us into Tamriel through his stunning depictions of a Dolmen and Stonefalls (and he’s also shown his diorama-building mastery by creating possibly the coolest Tardis model we’ve seen).
The technique Thorsten employs for cobblestone here — accomplished by using white tiles turned on edge, then filling all the gaps with grey tiles and slopes — has been around for awhile. But rarely is it so expertly done, with minimal gaps and perfect integration into the landscape. Be sure to take a close look at the stonework on the structures, too; it’s a great example of skillfully combining flat planes with textured details.
