Posts by Ryan Kunz

That’s one big chicken!

The mythical cockatrice gets its day in the sun in this exciting build by Ids de Jong. A cockatrice, a monster devised by people in the Middle Ages who looked at a dragon and thought it needed a bit more chicken to it, has the potential to be a bit silly-looking, but this monster looks appropriately menacing. Those claws aren’t something I want to face, whether or not I’m wearing armor. The rest of the build looks great too—I’m a big fan of the luxuriant foliage, as well as the clever parts usage in that rickety fence. Just don’t take your eyes off the cockatrice for too long. Those slitted eyes look like they mean business.

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Set your sights on this amazing A-wing

Despite being named for a pretty basic letter of the alphabet, the A-wing is a notoriously tricky design to reproduce in LEGO bricks. The notch in the front, the smooth angles of the fuselage, and the tilted stabilizer fins don’t lend themselves easily to existing elements. But Inthert and Trevor.2004 set out to build an A-wing anyway. They managed the curves along the front with a flexible spike element, while the cockpit is made from Throwbot and Technic figure visors. The result is aesthetically pleasing enough that you’d think twice before, say, crashing it into the bridge of a Super Star Destroyer.

Settle down for a long winter’s nap

With the holidays coming to a close, food consumed, and relatives gone home, you might think it’s time for a good solid nap—and the hero of Yuan He’s (aka BuildGoNuts) latest work would agree! The old gentleman has fallen asleep in his favorite rocking chair by the fire, midway through a book about boats and attended by his two cats. You’re probably not as comfortable as he is, but feel free to settle in as you peruse the fun little details surrounding him, from the pastries on the dining card to the model ship on the mantel. I also love the overlapping rounded bricks for the gramophone’s bell and the sideways grooved bricks used to get some fun texture on the rug. And that’s just scratching the surface of all the abstract little details on every surface that make the scene look so lived-in and cozy.

There’s something fishy about this vehicle

Anyone fancy some fish and ships? This flying craft darts through the air without the aid of feathers or wings thanks to the imagination of filbrick. A striking color palette (love that red webbing between the gold spines for the fins) combines with a streamlined design to create a truly memorable vehicle. I can imagine that golden propeller spinning as the segmented body weaves its way through the clouds. The question is: would this fish out of water handle just as well under the sea?

The details run deep in this mine

Descend to the depths of imagination with “The Echoing Mines of the Mountain’s Heart” by syrdarian. This fantastic cross-section of some fabled dwarven caverns is a ~~gold mine~~ mithril mine of detail, conveying a sense of scale from the faint light at the top of the staircase all the way down to the rivulets of lava far below. A big part of any great model is presentation, and these mines are no exception, with superb lighting in the right places. Thanks to that light, along with the combination of natural-looking rock formations and easily recognizable dwarven architecture, it’s easy to see the dwarves’ masterworks deep within the earth. Let’s just hope these particular dwarves resist the temptation to delve too greedily and too deep.

A holiday creation you’ll want to just eat right up

Mike Sinclair had a lot of medium nougat LEGO bricks lying around (probably leftovers from a gingerbread LEGO creation of his that was on display at the LEGO House in Billund), so he did what any festive-minded LEGO builder would and built an upscaled gingerbread person minifig. The “upscaled” part, of course, means it has the same proportions as a regular minifig, just a lot bigger. Such a scale allows for greater brick-built details, like the white croissants as dabs of frosting that serve as the gingerbread’s eyebrows. Greater detail in turn means greater expressiveness. All in all, they just look like a sweet gingerbread guy or gal. It’ll be a shame when it comes time to be ~~eaten~~ disassembled.

This cute reindeer really shines (you could even say it glows)

You know Star Wars and Harry Potter and City and Friends . . . but do you recall the most festive advent calendar of them all? Deborah Higdon‘s LEGO hearts calendar, a response to LEGO’s #BuildToGive campaign, yielded this adorable little wooden reindeer on day 7. The sweet little guy (or gal) looks ready to guide Santa’s sleigh tonight—or just hang on your tree. Take a look at the builder’s Flickr page to follow along as the merry advent calendar continues till Christmas.

What is love? Seriously, please tell me.

Love is a lot of things to a lot of people. To First Order Lego, it’s apparently a sword stabbing a metal arm clutching a white heart bursting with foliage. The artist declines to explain the meaning of the creation, instead inviting the viewer to take what they might from it. It’s the sort of thing that invites both inspection and introspection, letting you ponder the meaning of love even as you examine the clever parts usage. The dripping white elements in particular add a sense of motion and life to the piece. So is hope on display, or does the art reveal a more cynical view of love? That’s up to you.

This Conviction Crusader will show its enemies who’s boss

“Constructed around a massive particle cannon and also equipped with ion guns and anti-fighter turrets, these destroyers decisively end space fleet battles with overwhelming force.” Victor K‘s description of his Conviction Crusader lets us know how menacing the ship is, but the description stops short of describing how cool the ship looks. There’s no “up” anywhere, with plates and bricks being stacked in all directions. The bulky, angular engines face one way, while the main lines of the hull are perpendicular. The result is a craft that looks right at home in space, where “up” and “down” are mere suggestions.

LEGO Steampunk “Swallow” takes to the skies!

“L’hirondelle,” a mighty LEGO creation by Gus (aka Faëbricks), is the fastest vessel in the Royal Navy. Its name is French for “The Swallow,” a bird known for its ability to feed mid-flight, so what better name for an airship in search of prey? Mighty wind turbines and a streamlined hull (love the hidden rowboats giving it the curved shape) work with the elongated balloon to keep the airship aloft and stalking the skies. Its crew are hard at work, having repurposed Fremen stillsuit masks as breathing apparatuses in the thin air. I also love the cannon on the gear swivel, ready to unleash hell in any lateral direction. There’s also that wicked-looking blade at the prow, ready to poke holes in anybody who comes too close. All in all, it’s not an airship I’d want to mess with.

High score: nostalgia achievement unlocked!

As someone who grew up in days of yore, David Zambito‘s “Time Out” arcade is a feast of nostalgia, one that conjures up phantom smells of mediocre pizza and pubescent excitement. I don’t even know where to begin. Look at that radical retro carpet, cleverly rendered with a bunch of multicolored SNOT cheese wedges and plates (probably sticky with the residue of countless spilled drinks). The games are instantly recognizable. Counterclockwise from the left, I see Dance Dance Revolution, Pac-Man, that claw thingy that always deceives you into thinking you can actually pick up a stuffed animal, air hockey, Skee-Ball, and pinball (with little cow horns as the ball flippers!). The assortment of prizes is just as great, with the top-shelf prizes including some Wolverine claws and a Ninja Turtle shell. The good stuff always seemed to go for approximately 5,000,000 tickets each, so if you want those claws you’d best start gaming.

Brickmaster and commander

For someone who grew up with the old Pirates LEGO theme, it’s always gratifying to see the theme’s evolution at the hands of able builders. Case in point: “Redcoat Navy Brigantine” by Evancelt Lego. The Imperial Navy sets sail in a slick, stylish vessel that pays homage to the original theme while really hoisting the yardarm a few notches in terms of detail and accuracy. This incarnation of the pirates’ nemesis has a distinctly Napoleonic feel. The deck hums with activity while bayonet-wielding marines stand at the ready. I love those brick-built furled sails, which are almost indistinguishable from cloth, and the trans blue and white tiles standing in for a serene sea. Is the Navy on the trail of pirates, or do they have another mission in mind?