Hey y’all! Been busy lately (what else is new?) but I just got three more entries wrapped up for the Colossal Castle Contest.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
May Day
You ain’t getting in here!
Category Archives: Building Techniques
Fox News reports on Forbidden Lego
In a Fox News article today, reporters comment on a LEGO book that instructs you how to make automated inventions including an automatic LEGO pistol that shoots out LEGO plates. Check out the video, read the news, and take a look at the book Forbidden LEGO.
Hikone Castle by Takeshi Itou
Takeshi Itou may not be the most prolific builder, but his creations are always worth the wait. His latest creation is Hikone Castle. Today, the castle is a National Treasure because it’s one of the rare castles from the feudal era that wasn’t torn down or destroyed and then rebuilt in modern times as a tourist attraction.
But enough about the real thing. What makes Takeshi’s version special is the technique he used for the base of the castle; the three-dimensional rock wall is amazing, built from bricks, slopes, and tiles. The scale of the castle seems pretty close to MINILAND (as compared to the smaller minifig scale Takeshi normally builds in), which has enabled Takeshi to use plates for the roof rather beautifully.
Read more about the real Hikone Castle on Wikipedia (in English) or the 400th anniversary site (in Japanese).
(Via Klocki.)
Evangelion Mass Production Type minifig by Mike Crowley
Mike Crowley wins. He just does. At everything. More specifically, he’s found 7668 Rebel Scout Speeder and promptly created a truly unique minifig using the new helmet. Behold! Eva Mass Prodution Type (from the anime series Evangelion).
Mike Yoder’s Raptor Tank
Tanks seem to be popular these days, thanks I’m sure due to the plentiful supply of treads in 7787 The Bat-Tank. Here’s Mike Yoder’s TII Raptor:
Love the Exo-Force stickers on the tank’s skirt. Don’t miss how Mike built the wheels.
Nelson’s snowflake
You couldn’t tell it’s lego from a distance. Nelson Yrizarry uses white tree leaf pieces to construct the beautiful lattice of a snowflake. The snowflake is sturdy enough to be hung, amazing.
Daddy Longlegs by Cthulthu
Given how most LEGO elements are pretty blocky, creating something that’s truly spindly is a challenge. Making it stand up on its own is nearly impossible. Fedde (aka Cthulthu) proves that it is indeed possible with his “Daddy Longlegs.”
Something’s afoot at Dock 5 of the North Central Positronics Shipyards
Mike Yoder has “tweaked” his Last Flight diorama, and the result is “Dock 5 at the North Central Positronics Shipyard.”
In addition to an interesting curved slope technique, Mike’s diorama includes microscale versions of several iconic ships by other builders:
How to make a life-size minifig from cardboard, by Ryan Hendrix
Photographer Ryan Hendrix has created a life-size minifig from cardboard. Click the image for a description of the materials and techniques he used.
(Via Klocki.)
How to make a Pepper’s ghost, by Alex Eylar
In addition to being a band, “Pepper’s Ghost” is a stage technique in which actors appear as ghosts in the production. Alex Eylar has tried his hand at creating this illusion in LEGO:
Click the image to read Alex’s description of the building and photography process on MOCpages.
1-800-Suicide
The highly familiar Misterzumbi has brought out another great vehicle (car? truck? monster???), the famous Grave Digger. The model is 100% pure LEGO, even the stickers (although they may be pushing the definition). It’s worth noticing the high level of detail in the shock absorbers and the rod and hand structure for the base.
I think this model also has the best photography I’ve seen from Misterzumbi and possibly the best I’ve seen of LEGO ever.
Porkins by Mike Crowley
Mike Crowley is one of the most talented builders in the universe and a really nice guy too! (Go to Chinese food with him sometime, its great.) He is also the only person I know who has gotten an official copyright on his screen-name (“Count Blockula”, all rights reserved by Mike Crowley).
Check out his latest: Porkins and his finger!
