Steampunk fandom has been well represented in LEGO fan creations over the years, but it wasn’t until the latest line of Collectible Minifigs that the Victorian fantasy genre got its due with an official set. Builder Ciamosław Ciamek gives the Steampunk Inventor figure a fitting place to work his mechanical magic with this wonderful workshop where a “Hedgehog” Steambot Walker is under construction. The walker itself is a fun build, incorporating Bionicle spines, buildable character armor, and chunky mech legs over the traditional Steampunk colors of brass and wood. I also like the mix of visiting minifigs, here to appraise this autonomous steam-powered machine.
Category Archives: Models
A Batmobile for the ages
This original LEGO Batmobile by Oshi is firing on all cylinders. From the stance, to the sleek yet incisive lines, to the visual suggestion that its chassis includes some kind of hardened fire-proof safe room, Oshi’s offering fits the bat-bill perfectly. It’s fascinating how through countless reimaginings reinventions and reboots, every new Batmobile always reads as a Batmobile. What are the traits that make this possible? What do they all have in common? Beyond the obvious – powerful, pointy in parts, and pitch black (sometimes very very dark grey) – there is one essential trait that may not immediately leap to everyone’s mind. A Batmobile is handmade. Unmistakable as a whole, yet more than the sum of its untraceable parts.Speaking of parts, Oshi’s inception for this one-day build came from dusting off a previously abandoned idea to use trans-light blue wing elements from a series 15 collectible Minifigure for the headlights. Inspired!
One more reliable bat-trait just occurred to me. I’m betting this latest incarnation of the caped crusader’s signature ride doesn’t have much of rear view! Who needs it though when you’re the fastest ride on Gotham’s mean streets.
Jonesing for the truth about Area 51
As we all know, Indiana Jones’ final cinematic adventure ended with him riding into the Sunset with his dad, and yet rumors persist of two other films with an aging Indy continuing his globe-trotting adventures into the atomic age. Builder Negipon, perhaps the biggest Indy fan in the LEGO scene, recreates a scene from this supposed “fourth” Indiana Jones film where the good doctor gets into trouble with Russian agents infiltrating Area 51. Okay, I’ll admit, it was a pretty great sequence, and Negipon packs the LEGO version with fun details from the film (and a few easter eggs, like a LEGO Star Wars minikit!). The period vehicles are excellent, and the studless crates and scaffolding look phenomenal. As a bonus, the Area 51 hanger gate is motorized.
A closer look at the scene shows what mysterious contraband the Russian’s are after – a relief of someone who looks a lot like Indy made out of a strange carbon-like substance. Clearly it’s not from this galaxy!
If you’ve forgotten what happens next to good ol’ Indy, Negipon built a tribute to that scene as well.
LEGO Elesh Norn is here to convert your bricks to the Machine Orthodoxy
I’m a lapsed Magic the Gathering player, but anytime the Phyrixians are around, you can count me in for a draft. Elesh Norn, the Mother of Machines, is easily one of the venerable card game’s most iconic and beloved characters, fusing Cenobite horror with the sanctity of a white deck. Canadian builder alex_mocs creates a stunning LEGO take on the Phyrexian Praetor that looks like she just stepped out of a legendary Magic card. A face/mask made from Technic fins and constraction armor pieces gorgeously contrast with the sinewy red organic body beneath. The flowing red cloth is a supple contrast to the snaking machinework behind made from an unholy number of Toa Luwa feet. It’s brilliant work from one of the best LEGO character artists around.
“Sorry about the mess. I’ve really let the place go since you killed me.”
Combining AI and LEGO is a sure path to controversy, but there’s one version of this toxic combo I’ll always support – brick-built versions of Portal’s GLaDOS. Coosey Goosey gives the video game villain GOAT her due with this incredible recreation of Chell and GLaDOS’ reunion in Portal 2. The builder takes advantage of newer elements for a wonderful mix of curves and cyber-greebles.
Coosey Goosey frames this fated reunion with a wonderful slice of the overgrown Aperture facility. Visible from behind, a Companion Cube lies nestled in the debris.
As happy as it makes me to see GLaDOS still alive in brick form, I do wish I could battle wits with her again in a new game. Then again, why mess with perfection?
A LEGO monochrome microscale city
When I set out to build a white LEGO castle on a tall rocky cliff, I intended to make it medieval in style, inspired by illustrations of the Eyrie from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. But as the build progressed, and the structures took shape in brick, in my imagination, it began to take on a futuristic vibe. So, I decided to double down on that, removing many of the rounded elements I had started with. Adding stacks of smooth, square and rectangular levels, and increasing the number of individual structures left me with a sci-fi city.
Overall, I am quite happy with the finished product, with the many white structures contrasting the dark sand landscape, with the blend of old and modern architecture.
A LEGO Rozzum always completes its tasks
The Wild Robot is one of the most charming and lush animated films in recent memory and the protagonist, Roz, is up there with Wall-E and the Iron Giant as one of the all-time great screen robots. Builder Brickswick capturing the big-hearted Roz with tiny bricks. A ball turret, typically used for Star Wars lasers, makes a pacifist turn as Roz’s round body. The sticker damage comes courtesy of a Spider-Man: Homecoming set, capturing Roz after a year of roughing it. That’s how you build a wild robot.
LEGO lifestyles of the rich and famous, Edo edition
When the all-star builders of RogueBricks came together to recreate Edo era Japan in an epic LEGO collaboration last fall, the results blew the building community away. We shared an overview of the full collaboration, but now Markus Ronge offers a more detailed look at his contribution, a Goza Bune. Basically a pleasure yacht of the feudal lord (think Jabba’s Sail Barge or megayacht of kindred spirit Jeff Bezos), the boat offered all the luxuries of palace life with a side of sea sickness. For the craft’s design, there are few historical references to work from so Markus drew inspiration from several sources to create a composite that captured the spirit of the era.
Come along to see more of Markus’ remarkable Edo-era pleasure yacht
Get your LEGO game on with this fantastic Gameboy replica
Nostalgia for video game consoles and hand-helds is a very popular obsession with gamers of all ages so it is not surprising that LEGO fans are feeling it, too. And you can’t get much more classic than the Nintendo Gameboy. This homage by DanielBrickSon hits so hard, especially for me since I had one of these myself. I won’t show my age by telling you what my first hand-held game was (Okay, it was an LED football game)
The builder captures the iconic look of the Gameboy right down to the simple d-pad and buttons, the square screen with huge black borders, and the rounded outer case.
And if you are asking yourself if that game cartridge fits in the back… you bet your Charizard it does!
Wes Talbott’s Phthalo Phantom is a menace in Teal
It’s a well-known fact that two of the best things in the universe are Star Wars ships and LEGO teal. What do you get when you blend the two? Teal Squadron, the long-running collaboration between some of the top builders in the community that imagines a brighter look for the Rebellion. Last week, Teal Squadron saw its biggest display ever at the Bricktastic convention. Joining the lineup was a new fighter from LEGO set designer Wes Talbott: the Phthalo Phantom. There’s no letter in the alphabet to match these striking and unconventional wings (4xV-wing, maybe?). Wes based the design off the StarViper from the X-Wing tabletop game.
To match the collaborative display’s aquatic setting, Wes poses the ship over an aquamarine patch of sea with lovely spray kicked up in its wake. The rear view also offers a better look at those impressive engines, which cleverly employ LEGO shovels to focus the thrusters.
We’ve previously featured Theo Bonner and Tim Goddard‘s contributions to this year’s Teal Squadron collaboration. Beyond the Brick captured the amazing display in motion.
Floating through the sky with the world above you.
The most interesting part of this floating island scene by Jesse Gros, in my opinion, is not the elevated setting peeking in from the upper corner of the composition (which shows a tantalizing hint of a larger landscape) but rather the choice of the buildable planet of Coruscant used as the air-filled balloon for the small floating platform. The gray surface with geometric lines, combined with the clouds representing weathering, add visual interest to the otherwise simple design. A subtle but effective illustration of a city and mountains in the distance backs the scene.
Drawing on Italian architecture for a LEGO fantasy vignette
The Free City of Andérida is entirely fictional, but depicted here in LEGO, there’s such a rich sense of history that you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a real town. Builder Vertaro takes inspiration from Venice and Lombard architecture, with classical columns and decorated stone walls. The terra cotta rooftops and sun-bleached stone strongly evoke old Italy. Arches in low relief lend the walls a sense of heightened craftsmanship. My favorite technique is the roof decorations made from clipping heart-shaped tiles in an undulating row, but the marble fountain decorated with frogs and minifig hands is also a showstopper.
Vertaro built this scene of Aurelio’s reunion for the Age of the Unseated LEGO role-playing game, a collaborative storytelling experience told through LEGO creations. The builder tells the story of this scene here. This low-magic fantasy setting isn’t the only role-playing sandbox Vertaro builds in – we also highlighted the builder’s contribution to Star Wars Factions RPG.