As something of a Disney geek, I was delighted to get the opportunity to review the new LEGO Disney Cinderella Castle set. However, I have to admit I was somewhat taken aback when the box arrived and I began to realise what an undertaking the build process was going to be…
Marco De Bon says this latest LEGO creation was inspired by the videogame series Super Robot Wars. Regardless of where the inspiration arose I hope there’s more of this sort of thing to come. The robot’s color scheme is bold — red, black, yellow, and gold, and that splash of blue at the hips. It shouldn’t work, it should be too much, yet it leaps off the screen at you.
Beyond the stark color choices, there’s great brickwork here in the armor and the robot’s “face”, and the big drill manages to be both intimidating and funny at the same time. But the best detail of all? Those exposed pistons at the heels. Brilliant.
LEGO Friends don’t just hang out at the cupcake store, they also race sci-fi motorcycles — or at least they do in the future (past?) imagined by gray mini.
The bike itself is cool, but it’s the overall race scene which sets my heart pumping. I dread to think what happens if the other racers overtake you. I think your bike (and you) might get all chewed up in the carnage.
David FNJ has built a lovely little vignette for Mickey and Minnie featuring a building which wouldn’t look out of place down on Main Street USA. The touches of pearl gold detailing and the blue and white bunting add a festive feel, and that “hidden Mickey” made with the black boat studs is a nice touch. Mickey and Minnie look like they’ve secured themselves a great spot for watching the parade…
Kevin Ryhal engages in a little Castle-building… Frank Castle, that is. For anyone who doesn’t know (and who’s been living under a rock and missed Daredevil Season 2) that’s the real name of the hardcase vigilante known as The Punisher.
The crimefighter’s signature suit and skull device are captured well here, but what makes the model for me is the posing and the stripped-back scenery. The image comes together like one of the classic covers from the Punisher: Warzone comic series, and coming from a serious John Romita Jnr fan, that’s high praise indeed. Best of all, I love that Kevin has perfectly rendered Frank’s broken nose…
Devid VII is getting married. And what better way to celebrate than to build a beautiful little model to commemorate the occasion? The expressions on the character’s faces are lovely, and the top hat and veil add enough detail to make clear this is a bride and bridegroom. Finish it all off with an irregular base, a smart heart shape, and some flowers and you’ve got a perfect LEGO tribute to love. Good luck Devid — I hope you guys will be as happy together as the characters in your scene.
Recently Heikki Mattila has been building scenes depicting cool-looking interiors, like the LEGO spa we covered a few weeks ago. This latest diorama wouldn’t look out of place in an IKEA catalog — a smart, modern living space, all geometric lines and stark colors. The clock is a nice touch, and I like the tree in its stylish pot, but what makes this image pop for me is the splash of red provided by the sofa cushions. This is a great example of what happens when a nice model combines with decent photography and an eye for a smart color scheme — great stuff.
Finnish builder Eero Okkonen has built a fabulous character model of Excela Noa Aura, an Imperial Princess and Dragon Knight from the roleplaying videogame Shining Resonance. Whilst I don’t know anything about the source material, I know a great LEGO creation when I see one. This model is packed full of nice touches and detail — don’t miss the hinges and arches used on the unmistakably anime hair, the smart use of “big fig” pieces for the rather shapely legs, and the near-genius deployment of a neck ruff from the collectible minifig Shakespeare for the lacy cuffs peeking out of the sleeves.
Dead Frog Inc builds great mechs and spaceships, and presents them in a stark style which has become something of a signature. This satellite model makes great use of the still-relatively-new balloon pieces to create smooth flowing lines around a central core of functional-looking details. I like the satellite’s “face” — the central curved grey eye and the flanking lenses (provided by minifig binoculars) are excellent. I have no idea if this is meant to be a recon satellite, but I imagine it panning slowly round in low-Earth orbit, keeping an unsuspecting target fixed in its implacable gaze.
Томас Чижаускас mixes Star Wars and LEGO’s Classic Space to great effect in this X-Wing-inspired build. I can just imagine the arguments between Luke Skywalker and Benny The Spaceman over who got to take this out for its maiden flight.
I’m sure LEGO builders have mashed these themes together before, but I don’t recall having seen it done, and certainly not with this level of impact. The combination of that signature shape and the nostalgic color scheme is ticking all the right boxes for me. There’s some smart greebling but it’s not overdone, and I’m enjoying the builder’s work on the “anti-stud” surface of the lower wing — those turntable pieces make for some cool detailing. The only thing missing for me is the Classic Space black and yellow striping — whilst there’s a hint of it in the Technic wing-opening mechanism, it might have featured as a more prominent nod to the theme’s conventions.
I’d love to fly this model around and make engine and pew-pew noises — it looks eminently swooshable. Judging by the facial expressions on the guys in the cockpit, everything is obviously awesome when it comes to piloting this wonderful spacecraft…
Summer 2016 sees two additions to the LEGO Architecture range — Washington DC’s Capitol Building and London’s Buckingham Palace. Here’s the Brothers Brick’s look at LEGO’s version of a very rich old lady’s house…
Click here to read our verdict on this new set
“All the specialized parts have taken the creativity out of LEGO building…” If you know someone who regularly trots out this sort of baloney then just show them this model. In one of the finest pieces of creative parts usage I’ve seen all year, this microscale Golden Gate Bridge by liqsr uses hot dog sausages as suspension cables. That’s right, hot dog sausages — possibly the single most “specialized” part LEGO has ever produced. I’m now trying to come up with more sausage-related puns, but none of them quite cut the mustard. Just look at the bridge and be amazed instead…
