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.

How to make a Buckminsterfullerene (and other fun shapes) from LEGO

It all started with a man named Bucky. Well, maybe Bram. Okay, possibly Jon. Whatever. The latest building trend seems to be buckyballs, icosahedrons, dodecahedrons, rhombicosidodecahedrons, and ‘hedrons of all sorts. I’m going to call the trend Hedronism.

Here’s Bram Lambrecht‘s original (virtual) design, alongside the first one built from “real” LEGO, by Kevin Heckel:

Adrian Drake gave it a try, and Ley Ward tried a different design:

Finally, my favorite of the bunch, another buckyball by Ley:

Long live Hedronism!

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Tile 1 x 2 with Computer Pattern (3069bp25), amplified by Jon Palmer

I often think (and I’ve mentioned it often enough here on TBB as well) that the simplest ideas seem to yield the most beautiful results. Sure, complexity has its place, but paying homage to a lowly but beloved 1×2 printed tile is sheer genius.

But then again, we already knew that about Jon Palmer.

A Christmas Carol by Ed Diment

The brick-built lettering alone makes this very cool house from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, as built by Ed Diment, worth sharing with the world. Of course, the minifigs and interior are wonderful as well.

Jon Palmer tells us how to make a geodesic dome from LEGO

Building a geodesic dome is a complex engineering challenge. Jon Palmer tackled the challenge a while ago with his “Shpleem Dome”, and has just shared instructions on how to build your own. Head on over to ZEMI and read all about it.

Clone Wars V-19 Torrent by nnenn

Nnenn had some issues with LEGO’s official version of the V-19 Torrent fighter, from the upcoming Star Wars Clone Wars TV show, so he made his own.

What’s so very very cool about nnenn’s version is that the folding wings are synchronized. Check out the gears:

(Via Brick Blogue.)

Pool party at chibichistos’ place!

TBB reader chibichistos wrote us late last month with some news about 2008 LEGO sets (thanks!). Although Nannan beat me to blogging the news itself, filing the e-mail today reminded me that I hadn’t blogged this wonderful vignette, which I originally saw on VignetteBricks. (Okay, that was a way too complicated “via.”)

Aaaaanyway, I think the way chibichistos created the guy in the pool is just genius.

10182 Cafe Corner Space Roll by Mashikuf

Brickshelfer mashikuf (of the LEGO/Playmobil blog Toys in the Attic) has been building “space rolls” for quite some time, and has even posted specifications.

His latest space roll is inspired by 10182 Café Corner:

Click the picture to see the full gallery with lots of cool details.

Beirut AT-89 mecha by Adrian Florea

Adrian Florea seems to have cornered the market on unconventional, spiky mecha. In contrast, Adrian’s design for the mecha’s head is beautifully smooth.

LL-142 by Peter Reid

What’s not to love about Peter Reid‘s latest Classic Space ship? There’s the awesome retro color scheme, an X-pod for a cockpit, retractable landing gear, and enough greebly bits to blow your mind.

Ða com of more under misthleoþum / Grendel gongan, godes yrre bær.

It’s been a while since we’ve featured any creations by Micah Berger, so it’s nice to see a whole bunch of updates to his Brickshelf gallery.

My favorite is a rather grisly scene from Beowulf, accompanied by the quote “Then came Grendel… He bore God’s wrath” (that’s the original Old English in the post title). I’ve never seen minifigs dispatched in quite this many different ways…