Posts by Theo Spencer

Three little birds, but not the Bob Marley variety

They say good things come in threes. That’s certainly true in the gaming sphere; look closely and you’ll see things pop up in threes all the time, from boss phases to collectible trinkets. And, as Cecilie Fritzvold‘s LEGO birds remind us, the world of Pokémon is no different! There are plenty of legendary or mythical ‘mons that make up a trio. Heck, for a time, the games themselves came in sets of three: Diamond-Pearl-Platinum, Gold-Silver-Crystal, etc. Cecilie is taking us back to the Red-Blue-Yellow era, though, and indeed we’re starting with red!

Moltres - Team Valor

The three legendary birds didn’t have any bearing on the names of the games they appeared in – it’s purely coincidence that they’re the same colour. (And anyway, pedants will be aware that the original Japanese releases were Red and Green, not Red and Blue.) Moltres, the fire bird, is of course red. It follows that the icy Articuno is therefore mostly blue. Check out that awesome use of a vintage LEGO watch strap for the tail!

Articuno - Team Mystic

I’m sure some of you will be shouting at the screen that the games weren’t originally a trio; Pokemon Yellow only came along two years later. But it completes the set nicely, and means I can keep the tenuous link going with the coolest of the three birds: Zapdos. According to Cecilie, you shouldn’t touch this one. Not because it has the Static hidden ability (as of the 6th Generation of games) – it’s quite fragile apparently. But no less pretty a build for it!

Zapdos - Team Instinct

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Look past the spook, and you’ll see some terrifyingly good LEGO techniques

The thing about finding great LEGO creations to share on the internet is that sometimes, you do see some really disturbing things. And no, I’m not talking about the price tags in stores. In this instance, it’s Oliver Barrell‘s entry into the Summer Joust building contest. It gives me, frankly, the heebiest of jeebies. I guess that’s rather the point, to be fair. But it does risk distracting me from some rather neat building techniques, be they the forced-perspective house in the back, or the ingenious use of a 1×2 current-carrying brick. Am I grateful I’ve seen this LEGO build? I suppose I have to be. I don’t want that… Thing coming after me if I admit I’m not!

Something in the forest

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A LEGO builder earns their stripes by re-visiting a fan favourite

Last year, we featured a terrific LEGO tiger from DeRa that was so good it made onto our Creation of the Year shortlist. As it turns out, that was just the latest iteration of a design that DeRa has been gradually improving over the years. Now, we have another update to investigate! In some ways the changes are subtle. The overall shaping is just as good, and its excellent posability has been retained. But the devil is in the detail, and that’s where this big cat truly shines.

LEGO Tiger

Click here to see what upgrades DeRa has made to their feline phenomenon

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A sled dog for the modern era

They say that dogs are humankind’s best friend. That rings true in several walks of life, and among the elderly, they can be a vital source of companionship. But as Sigmund Haugland‘s LEGO vignette proves, they’re just as useful in times of emergency! All it takes is a little ingenuity- and I’m not just talking about those forced perspective portraits. A defective stairlift is no match for a fishing pole and a doggy treat!

Out of order

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Is this temple big and close, or small and far away, or just built at microscale?

I love LEGO builds that mess with your sense of scale. Mattia Careddu is the latest to discombobulate me with a mysterious, watery fantasy world. Clearly that temple in the middle is massive: there are rocks floating around – literally – with waterfalls coming out of them. But hang on, those birds look like ibises, making excellent use as they do of some dinosaur tail elements. And I recognise those leaf elements too, which means this build isn’t actually that big. But then you see the steps up the side of the temple… Wait, how big are those birds?! And that’s to say nothing of the great big serpent tree deity thing that looks ready to devour the lot. Whoever’s on that little boat sure is brave going wherever here is.

Paradise Lost

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The Porsche 911 of LEGO van builders

There was once a time (I’m told) that vans were strictly for businesses and tradesmen. The humble VW Transporter changed that and made them cool leisure vehicles; now, the Transporter and its variants are a near-ubiquitous presence on European roads. LEGO car builder Sam Andreas even went as far as calling this 1979 T3 “the Porsche 911 of vans”. Now I know there is some VW lineage to Porsche, but I can’t say I’m seeing it – much as I love Sam’s two-tone brown livery here. Then again, I’ve never owned either vehicle. So what do I know? I’m pretty sure you’re not getting a rubber dinghy in the back of a 911 though. So score one for the T3!

The Porsche 911 of Vans - 1979 VW T3 Transporter

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This LEGO market square makes up part of a massive modular medieval metropolis – with over 14,500 pieces!

The last couple of LEGO builds we’ve featured from Sandro Damiano have all been just small parts of a greater whole. Slowly but surely, Sandro is building up an enormous modular castle world. It’s a rapidly-growing settlement! This is already the 5th segment, and number 6 is apparently on its way too. What’s impressive – aside from the modularity – is how all the sections stand as great models in their own right. The latest addition is a medieval market village. This portion is well over 100 studs long! And that means there’s plenty to explore…

Medieval market square

Click here to take a tour around the market!

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August LEGO Star Wars sets and Soundwave now available [News]

May the Fourth may be behind us, but that doesn’t mean we’re done for big LEGO Star Wars set drops! Several LEGO themes are getting set releses this month, including Creator and Wicked, but the big draw for many fans will be the next line of Star Wars sets hitting shelves. We’ve been gradually reviewing them over the last few weeks, and if our reviews whetted your appetite, now you can get your hands on these new sets from a galaxy far, far away. It’s not all Star Wars, though – the third large-scale Transformer set, 10358 Transformers: Soundwave, will also be available in just a few days’ time.

There are plenty of others newly available – be sure to head over to LEGO.com (US | CAN | UK) to see what else is new!

Take a look at the galaxy far, far away’s latest offerings here!

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LEGO Catbus from My Neighbour Totoro puts a massive grin on our faces!

If you’ve been following Joss Ivanwood over on Instagram, you’ll know he’s been hard at work building a bus out of LEGO. That might sound a bit odd – Joss is better known for making fantastic creatures than vehicles, as our archives will attest. But it all becomes clear once you realise it’s the famous Catbus, from Studio Ghibli favourite My Neighbour Totoro! It’s been several months in the making, and now it’s debuted, we can see what a magnificent creation it is. We’ve even got the movie’s other protagonists too!

My Neighbour Totoro

I absolutely love Totoro; it’s probably my favourite Ghibli film. So indulge me, and let’s take a closer look at Joss’ cracking Catbus!

All aboard…

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This LEGO medieval house has a private dock, view of the sea, and a rather alarming angle to it...

Now that we all have cars and bikes, it can be hard to imagine just how important a method of transport boats once were. Sailing was the best way to transport a decent volume of cargo a long way at relative speed (well, unless you were landlocked, of course). Peter (forestArcher) is building up quite the repertoire of rickety LEGO medieval buildings, and for the Summer Joust castle competition, he’s tackled a seaside residence! This one is receiving some vital supplies by boat. And although it’s brilliantly built by Peter – the different angles at work are great, particularly that yellow house – I can’t help but think whoever lives there might need them, lest this precarious pad falls into the sea!

The sun-gilded cliff

There are plenty of other Summer Joust builds trickling in – take a look at some of the ones we’ve featured in our archives, and be sure to keep checking back for more!

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Shiny hunting for a massive LEGO Pokemon

LEGO phenom Zane Houston has been on something of a Pokemon kick of late. First Pikachu, then Haunter both left big impressions on us (although we’ve seen some equally good smaller ‘mons, too). But after two Pokemon from the first generation of games, Zane has brought a touch of Gen-2 epicness to the majestic Gyarados. It’s in these games that we first encounter shiny Pokemon, with a red Gyarados popping up at the Lake of Rage. Zane has captured the moment in all its studly goodness; we make a lot of builds that hide their studs, but I like how all these statues are really embracing their studs!

Thrash

The framing here is superb. The shot from below, combined with the brick-built splashes of water, really make you feel the ferocity of this powerful water Pokemon! Make sure you check out Zane’s photostream to see some fascinating insights into the build process, too.

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LEGO celebrates upcoming season 5 of Stranger Things with Brickheadz four-pack [News]

LEGO’s BrickHeadz line has proved to be one of the most enduring ways of collecting brick-built characters from your favourite IPs, with literally hundreds having been given the treatment over the years. With the fifth and final season of smash hit Stranger Things coming to Netflix this November, it’s perhaps little surprise to see LEGO return to the theme to celebrate the occasion. A four-pack of characters from the show’s first season, 40801 Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will Figures, will hit shelves later this year. 542 pieces make up, as the name suggests, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair and Will Byer. Although we don’t yet have a confirmed release date, we do know that it will retail for US $39.99 | CAN $54.99 | UK £34.99.

Click here for a closer look at the latest in the BrickHeadz collection

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