Posts by Steve Barker

Run ‘n gun – the best of both worlds

Unparalleled play features and an eye for form make Moko‘s LEGO builds easy to spot but hard to imitate, and the fully transformable battle-ready beauty Vehichle-Bot 03 is no exception. Sand green is not exactly a rare color, but certainly harder to come by than some, with the available part selection used to great effect here. And that’s not to mention a well placed Technic gear differential housing used for the gun barrel. While the aforementioned cannon suggests a battlefield role of raining down on enemies from afar, the chest guard, resembling a truck’s cattle pusher (AKA moose bumper or ‘roo bar, depending on your region) boasts the brawn to mix it up if any bot rolls up close enough to trade some paint.

Vehicle-Bot 03

Speaking of rolling, if you’re curious about the transformation feature head over to the Moko Brick Laboratory Channel to see the full transformation sequence, and many shots of this build in other poses and from alternate angles – one revealing a clever use of LEGO crowbar elements for texture.

Vehicle-Bot 03

Been living under a rock and haven’t been introduced to this builder’s exceptional work? Check out Moko’s transforming police motorbike, including a video featuring Vehicle-Bots 01 and 02, or Vehicle-Bot 03’s apparent spiritual predecessor the FabuSoldier 01.

You’ll be Spirited Away

You don’t have to be an anime fan to appreciate this pair of incredible and contrasting LEGO builds, each one an astonishingly well rendered recreation of a memorable moment from Spirited Away. (Though if you haven’t already, do yourself the favour and watch this anime instant classic ASAP!) First up, this marvelously detailed microscale Bathhouse made by Marius Herrmann looks amazingly close to the source material when shot from this low angle

The Bathhouse (from "Spirited Away")

And next up, Joss Woodyard (Jayfa) treats us with this deliciously detailed and kinetic scene from the film’s emotional climax.

Spirited Away

There’s even more to love about both creations. Read on below!

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A Star Wars force to recon with

At a glance, one might mistake this exceptionally tidy creation by Thomas Jenkins for an official LEGO set, and you could be forgiven for that, as the Jedi craft’s distinctive lines are recreated spot-on. But there’s a lot more going on here than you will find in any set (including easily triple the parts count!) – a result of Thomas’ “totally SNOT approach” to the subject. To my knowledge, the “Eta-2 Actis-class Light Interceptor” or simply the “Jedi Interceptor” has been offered three times as an official set at this scale, all of them using some variation of the same Bubble Canopy element seen here. No doubt starting with that element, Thomas’ build easily blows them all away, having tried “so many combinations to get the angles to match just right” before striking “just the right balance of aesthetics and compactness”. I couldn’t agree more! Time well spent, sir.

Eta-2 Actis-class Light Interceptor | by Thomas_Jenkins_bricks

To borrow from another franchise for a moment, this is not the Jedi Interceptor we got, but it’s the one we deserve.

Reading into the scene

This creation by Bryckland titled simply “The Grand Tower” is an excellent example of visual world-building in LEGO. The characters are about to do battle, and Alex has provided a snippet of a larger story on their Instagram, but I’m referring to the environs themselves, which evoke a sense of history. Comparatively, the titular tower is not so grand in stature but the beautiful build more than makes up for it. Throughout, the restrained use of varied colour suggests the aging, decay, replacement, and repair of both wood and stone as the seasons pass, and the texture achieved by roof tiles not fully “in click” lends further authenticity. Plus I have always appreciated good stonework and that beautifully crafted dome roof is just the cherry on top.

The Grand Tower

Imagining what will come next, for “the Grime Brothers”, their unwelcome visitor, and for this alpine outpost, leaves me eager for the next chapter…

From the depths... of space!

Ahoy LEGO Pirates fans! If this terrific scene of peril an’ plunder rings familiar, it should, especially if ye’ve been hitting the bricks since at least 2009… Still not seeing it? Take off your cosplay patch and feast both eyes on Ben Spector’s loving redesign of 6240: Kraken Attackin’ built for the Eurobricks “Space Pirates – Back to the Caribbean Galaxy!” competition. Every bit of character from the original is represented here, with added spicy space-y flavour – from the crate full of loot about to be lost to the deep, to the colourful plumage on the pirate’s flighted familiar, handsomely reimagined and lending a little air support here as a faithful mount. (A weather eye will have already spotted the repurposed scooter chassis element. No lubberly LEGO builder here!)Krakkin Attackin'
Ben really didn’t miss a detail from the original, all of them amped up and expertly crafted as you’d expect from both a contest entry and a modern LEGO set redux from a skilled builder.
If this cracking creation fills your sails, cast yer’ deadlights on the Brothers Brick archives by clicking the links below, for more ship-shape Pirate and Space-themed builds.

Putting the vest in vestibule

This collection of towers proves you don’t need a towering collection to produce memorable LEGO creations, and that a little expert part usage goes a long way. Flickr user Cab ~ shows us how it’s done, by repurposing some well-known minifigure accessories, saying they “felt bad for the parts that never get any use”. At first glance I questioned whether the rocket-to-rodent connection was legitimate, thinking there might be some photo trickery at play or perhaps a gravity fit (that’d be some feat of balancing), but it checks out! So, no matter where you stand on such techniques, these Lilliputian landmarks can be enjoyed by all.

Little Castles