About Rod

Rod likes building stuff, particularly steampunk and microscale. He's built for a number of the Dorling Kindersley LEGO books, including LEGO Play and the Awesome Ideas book. When he's not building, he writes, and has published a trilogy of old-fashioned adventure stories. To pay the bills he works in innovation and marketing for one of the world's biggest brewers, inventing new beers and ciders. This is clearly the best job in the world.

Posts by Rod

Enter the underworld, if you dare

A haunted forest, a ruined castle, an underground cavern — a lost world awaits. Eli Willsea‘s LEGO scene is a masterclass in microscale, creating a sense of epic scale and mystery with a tight colour palette and a small footprint. The forest ruins were a treat to begin with, but the vast underground chamber beneath the structure is where the excitement lies. We’ve got everything an adventurous explorer expects, from arching masonry and rickety wooden stairs, to perilous drops over deep dark water. My favourite detail is the section of the castle, poking from the water beneath the hole its collapse created — lovely stuff. I’ve obviously played too much Tomb Raider in my time — my immediate thought was that a jump to the hanging chain would surely activate some ancient mechanism to drain the water allowing access to a hidden chamber.

The Old World

A cozy cabin where you can play through the winter

We might be heading into the summer up here in the northern hemisphere, but this LEGO model by Little John is all about cuddling up by the fire as the cold nights draw in. This rustic cabin makes for a cozy home for a family and their pets. They seem to be LEGO fans too, maybe even collectors, judging by the set boxes on display around the room. There’s an excellent use of printed tiles as pictures throughout the scene, and the furniture is simple but in keeping with the rest of the interior. I dread to think how long it took to put that floor together; it’s made entirely of brown plates in a selection of shades — an effective way to create a wooden floor look. My favorite detail is the boy playing with the toy castle — check out the wonderful little dragon with which he’s threatening the ramparts.

No Place Like Home

Nothing fishy about this sushi ship

Hungry? Grab your chopsticks and get tucked in to Anakin Skywalker 2012‘s LEGO sushi. Brought to your table in a classic serving boat, there are all kinds of sushi delights to enjoy. This looks like a complete feast, with the palette of bright LEGO colors making for an appetizing spread — and who’d have thought shiny black tiles (normally so difficult to photograph well) would look so good as the gleaming seaweed wraps on the maki rolls. The serving boat is excellent, too, with a smattering of discolored tan bricks included to create the impression of a well-used piece of serving ware. And if you’re thirsty, there’s nothing better than a flask of sake to share with a friend. Presented all together, this is one tasty piece of LEGO building.

[LEGO] Sushi Ship

Alfa Romeo romeo, wherefore art thou?

First introduced in Europe in 2013, the Alfa Romeo 4C was rolled out in North America the following year — the Italian manufacturer’s first foray into the US production car market in the 21st century. As you’d expect for an Alfa, the car is a stylish beast, with smooth curves and that distinctive plunging V-bonnet which always make me think of an eagle’s beak. And as you’d expect from a LEGO car from Noah L, his brick-built version is a smart recreation of the original’s lines, put together in a remarkably tight 15-stud wide footprint.

Alfa Romeo 4C (1)

I’m always thoroughly impressed with the level of detail Noah manages to cram into his cars, whilst still keeping the exterior lines smooth and clean. Even better, his models usually boast opening doors and bonnets or boots, and this vehicle is no exception. Check out the detailed interior…

Alfa Romeo 4C

Go west, life is synthetic there

“It doesn’t look like anything to me…” The stock response of the hosts from TV show Westworld is absolutely not applicable here. Mitch Phillips‘ LEGO rendition of a host being put together is immediately recognizable — the striking Vitruvian Man and the surrounding printing technology provide one of the show’s iconic images, familiar even to non-fans. But a closer look reveals some excellent building techniques on display as well as a fine capture of the overall feel. The robotic printing arm is well put together from a selection of Technic parts, and the half-formed host is a mass of different pieces, brilliantly conveying the idea of synthetic musculature. The lines on the torso, in particular, are excellent — check out those abs! The presentation of the model is spot-on too, with dramatic lighting creating a real sense of scale — this looms in the image, much larger in the eye than it is in real life.

Westworld Host Printing

Popping pills and chasing ghosts

Taking on an iconic character can be an intimidating prospect; it’s all too easy for people to spot when something isn’t quite right. But no such worries here, as Marin Stipkovic nails this LEGO version of Pac-Man. The shaping on display here on both figure and cherries is fantastic, especially for such small models. Pac-Man’s expression is wonderful, and accurate right down to the nicks out of the eyes. But my favourite part has to be the gloves — a spot-on recreation from the original using only a “handful” of parts (do you see what I did there?)

Pac-Man (from Pac-Man World)

Hospitality on hold

LEGO builder Alex Eylar captures the mood of many with his latest creation Lonely Chef. Alex says he’s missing restaurants during the current lockdown, but in this melancholy composition he also manages to communicate the quiet despair felt by many in the hospitality industry. I’ve spent my entire working life in the bar and drinks trade, and right now it feels like I’m watching the whole industry slide off a cliff in slow-motion. On a less gloomy note, this is a wonderful LEGO model — clean lines and a simple colour scheme, nicely-lit, and well-photographed. I’m looking forward to when such creations depict a moment from our history, rather than from our present.

Lonely Chef

Where Anakin lost a game of The Floor Is Lava

Here’s a teeny tiny LEGO rendition of Mustafar, lava-drenched mining planet, and the venue for The Big Jedi/Sith Showdown between Obi-Wan Kenobi and his errant apprentice Anakin Skywalker. This microscale Star Wars build by Tino Poutiainen is a cracker, packed full of clever parts usage and smart styling. Hammers and spanners make up many of the distinctive details of the mining facility, and a line of rollerskates adds some interesting textures to the structure’s upper surface. Best of all, a miniscule rendition of an AT-AT Imperial Walker which is the smallest-whilst-still-recognisable design I’ve yet seen. Lovely stuff.

Mustafar mining facility

AI been working on the railroad

LEGO builder Zachmoe took inspiration from a classic mech model by Adrian Florea from over a decade ago, putting together his own spin on a railroad shunter mechanoid, but using some contemporary pieces and adopting a smaller scale. The result is a great piece of clanking robotics. You don’t doubt this rail-riding mech is strong enough to heft a shipping container on one shoulder, but it also has an undeniable character — it would surely give you a wave as it whizzed past. Those minifigure rollerskates certainly make for excellent eyes, but what caught my attention was the trailing clouds of dust sent up in the robot’s wake — a nice touch which creates a real impression of speed. I distinctly remember Adrian’s original model back-in-the-day, and it’s great to see his idea get such a cool modern makeover.

Model 17 Shunter Mech

Grab a two-for-one deal at the spaceship yard

The spaceship’s colour scheme would have been enough, but Mansur Soeleman takes it one step further with his latest LEGO model and produces some retro-styled box art to really get the nostalgia pipes flowing. The ship is a greeble-lover’s delight, festooned with a wealth of light grey pipes and grilles, intakes and rockets. I particularly like how tight the blue cabin section is around the trans-yellow canopy, leaving most of the model grey, but enough to make it abundantly clear which LEGO theme has provided the inspiration.

LL-527 Falchion Box Art

In a brilliant touch, Mansur also built a retro version of his retro-throwback, delivering the same distinctive shaping, but using a more limited old-fashioned brick palette. I admire the building skills in these two models, but also love the extra effort of producing box art and two versions. Fantastic nostalgic fun.

Stealth Fighter

LEGO horse puts on a show

Using LEGO bricks to capture the organic curves of a well-known animal is no mean feat. It’s all too easy for observers to spot when the proportions of a limb or torso are incorrect. They might not be able to articulate exactly what’s wrong, but they’ll know something is just a little “off” about the whole thing. Vincent Kiew‘s showjumping horse, however, is spot-on — a triumph of poseability and shaping. The mane and tail, the ears, the curves outlining the horse’s musculature, are all excellent. But to deliver this in a model which looks good in so many different poses is testament to the builder’s skill. The jockey is as well put together as her mount, and looks comfortable in the saddle whether trotting, galloping, or jumping — the pair are putting on quite a show, as is Vincent.

Equestrian

The heart of a good home

Amidst a slew of spaceships and post-apocalyptic scenes, it’s always good to take a break and enjoy some food for the soul. Miro Dudas‘ latest LEGO model employs a larger-than-minifigure scale to depict a wonderful domestic kitchen. The styling here is excellent — from the panels of the kitchen cabinets through to the Belfast sink set into the worktop. I particularly like the neat stacks of crockery, the roller blind above the window, and the smooth tiling on the walls, which offers more texture than a blank background but doesn’t distract attention. There are a couple of small details worth a closer look — don’t miss the “cheesegrater slope” used as a knife block, and the hammers providing the rings for the gas stove. Overall, this kitchen wouldn’t look out of place in an IKEA catalog. Great stuff.

Farm House Kitchen