Category Archives: Building Techniques

Not sure what SNOT is? Want to learn innovative new ways to create awesome LEGO models of your own? Peruse our posts about LEGO building techniques to pick up tricks & tips from the best.

PLUG members build LEGO underwater

Fernando Correia of TechnicBRICKs and his fellow PLUG members got together recently and did something that I believe has never been done before: They donned scuba or snorkel gear and built LEGO sets underwater. “Okay,” you say, “I did that once at my grandma’s place in Orlando.”

Fine, but did you build the set underwater while it was still in the bag?! Hmm? Hmm? Did you? I think not.

Only slightly less impressive is Fernando building 8418 Mini Loader with full scuba gear on — though not in the original polybag:

(Thanks for the tip, Roger!)

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Remyth gets into a bit of a skirmish

The last time we blogged Thomas Wunz, I noted his castle-building skills, observing that he improves with each new diorama.

For his latest, Thomas applies these skills to ApocaLEGO in a scene titled “Clash”:

The architecture is great, and the scene has all the elements of good post-apocalyptic LEGO (including the requisite telephone pole), but what floored me was this photo:

That’s a white car door that Thomas is using as a bandage being unwrapped. That right there is pure genius.

Sailing the Steampunk Seas

SlyOwl’s latest creation combines two of my favorite themes into one sweet little ship. Crammed with all the fun details we have come to expect from this builder, this pirate ship sets off on its quest to plunder the Steampunk world!

Steam is hard, let’s go shopping

Making big LEGO steam engines that run is hard work. LEGO train track has very sharp curves which mean all sorts of clever trickery is required to make a steam train even get around it without looking totally stupid. Fortunately Cale Leiphart is quite an expert in it and shows off a lovely 4-4-0 locomotive (that’s eight wheels) from the Maryland & Pennsylvania railway. The presentation in front of the Twin Cities LEGO Train Club’s layout is pretty snazzy too.

The transforming mecha of Izzo

One of the things I love about Izzo is the building phases he goes through. Lately, he’s been on a bit of a transforming kick.

For several of his transformers (lowercase T), Izzo has included a diagram illustrating the stages of their transformation:

Izzo’s diagrams include a handy chart showing precisely how transformable each mecha is, ranging from “Fully Transforms” at the top to “Does Not Transform” down at the bottom. I suspect Izzo is being hard on himself with his low transformability rating. ;-)

Be sure to check out all six of Izzo’s transforming mecha on Brickshelf. Izzo also has a great roundup post of recent transforming mecha by other Japanese builders. You don’t need to read Japanese — just click the links!

Brent Waller releases Batman Tumbler instructions

We featured Brent Waller’s desert-camo Tumbler back in April, and now he’s released full instructions for the black version of his LEGO Batman Tumbler.

You can download the instructions from Brent’s site (4.5 MB PDF), or view the parts list and page-by-page instructions in HTML.

Neo-Classic Space LL-497 by Peter Reid

Peter Reid‘s series of Neo-Classic Space vehicles evoke simultaneous feelings of awe, jealousy, and nostalgia.

For Pete’s latest, he gives 497 Galaxy Explorer the contemporary treatment:

Pete’s use of modern bricks and current building techniques, applied to the shapes and colors of LEGO from the Classic Space era, results in creations that combine the best of both worlds.

Lino shows his age

As part of LUGNuts‘ “Show your age” contest, Lino Martins rolls out yet another jaw-dropping tribute to the open road.

Lino’s 1971 Cadillac Eldorado:

Sweet ride, Lino!

A horse by any other name...

…wouldn’t be as cool as this one.

Check out this incredible pegasus by edulyoung

Many thanks to Bruce of VignetteBricks for pointing this out on Classic Castle

How to armor your post-apocalyptic minifigs’ shoulders

Big, bulky shoulder armor can certainly contribute to a minifig’s overall ApocaLEGO look, but attaching helmets is difficult and limits the minifig’s arm movement and poseability.

Austin S (MOCpages) has figured out the perfect combination of bulked-up armor and range of movement by using the old Rock Raiders helmet:

Cool. Off to try this on my own figs…

Exterminate! Kill the doctor!

Steven Locke (legoavon) presents a work-in-progress Dalek and Davros which are already by far the best I’ve seen at their size (Steven has also built bigger ones which are possibly better). His part use is breathtaking. I invite every sci-fi lover to browse Steve’s folders as he is an incredibly talented builder.

A classic dilemma

Master craftsman Jojo illustrates a fairly classic dilemma for LEGO builders: form over function or function over form. The differences are, for the most part, subtle but the ‘form over function’ design is definitely a little prettier.