Eevee, in almost all instances, is adorable beyond measure. This LEGO portrait from Tim and Dannii (who you may know from LEGO Masters Australia) continues in the tradition. Right away, I’m super glad Dannii allows Eevee’s ears to spill out over the frame! Eevee has beautiful ears that get to shine rather than being clipped by the boundaries of the frame. The building technique at work here, the brick-built 3D character, gives the portrait the feeling of a window. It’s like Eevee is taking a peek at us from the Pokémon world! Definitely a great choice over doing a flat studs-only picture. This way Eevee seems more alive, which is exactly what we all want with Pokémon.
Category Archives: Models
All hail Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Is there anyone out there who thinks a giant sea-dwelling lizard monster isn’t cool? No? Good. How about one made of LEGO? An even more resounding no? Excellent! In which case, take a look at this epic Godzilla by Joss Woodyard. Godzilla has many incarnations, and this one is based on its appearance in the Monsterverse films. The texturing is simply incredible. Joss makes great use of the stepped bow slope and a variety of textured rock pieces for the monster’s rough skin. Worth paying careful attention to, though, are the ridges up the spine. This is a mish-mash of curved and straight slopes and tiles; simple parts, but used to devastating effect to complete Godzilla’s menacing form.
Godzilla might be the King of the Monsters, but we’ve featured plenty of his subjects in our monster archives.
Rock Raiders Revamped
Sometimes a LEGO piece is so iconic that it reminds you of only one specific theme. I am talking about the Roll Cage part from Rock Raiders. As far as I know, it has only been used in the Rock Raiders theme. Seb71 recreated this iconic part on a much bigger scale for their 4980 revival. Because their rendition of the part looks so spot on, you might get confused about the sheer size of this creation. But let me tell you, it is big! All this creation needs is a couple more minifigures and it could hit the shelves. I’d dare to bet that this would sell like hotcakes.
No admittance except on party business!
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. So begins The Hobbit, and this LEGO build of Bag End by Kris Kelvin looks just as a cozy as can be, overflowing with verdant foliage and a charmingly weather-beaten look. The flexible rubber elements make a fantastic rustic fence, while a patchwork road and pathway seem very appropriate to Hobbiton.
A Gillig CNG bus just for the heck of it
The last time I did something just for the heck of it I ended up getting banned for life from Sizzler. But when LEGO builder Isaac Wilder does something for the heck of it you get this sweet little Gillig CNG bus. Admittedly his approach to doing things for the heck of it is far more constructive than mine. Hah-constructive, get it? Anyway, I’m enjoying all the build techniques here and the photography and wet look turn a nice little build into something amazing indeed. It’s such a relatable thing because it reminds me of all the times I’ve waited for a bus in the rain. That’s all in the past now because, for reasons unrelated to the Sizzler incident, I’m also banned from city buses.
The slickest Republic Gunship
One of the things I love about the LEGO community is that no matter how many times something’s been done, it’s possible for someone to build a new take on a model and add more details and accuracy. Star Wars ships are a prime example; because of their ubiquity both in official sets and fan models, there’s no end of inspiration and various designs, and Thomas Jenkins has crafted a jaw-dropping new version of the LAAT, better known as the Republic Gunship from Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars. Thomas has used lots of great design details here to make a super accurate minifigure-scale version, with clever bits ranging from the oars on the engine nacelles to the backpack on the nose. But perhaps the most impressive thing is that all of the detailed color blocking is brick-built.
All aboard the nostalgia submarine
People are suckers for nostalgia. This is a well-known fact that even the LEGO company has been tapping into lately. It is no wonder that this creation by Bob DeQuatre is hitting all the sweet spots. It is a rebuild of the 6175 Crystal Explorer Sub from the Aquanauts theme. This version is quite a bit larger than the original. The cockpit manages to fit 3 seats and a hatch to access the ocean. I am not sure, as it is not mentioned by Bob, but I can imagine quite well that the big trans purple windscreen from the Pop-up Party Bus was the starting point of this amazing build. To top it all off it even has working lights.
Aren’t you a little cute for a gangster?
Isn’t the mythology around gangsters odd? Although they were criminals, they do seem to make for fascinating characters in novels and on screens. In fact, as Versteinert demonstrates, they can be excellent subjects for LEGO creations! And if you’re going to depict a gangster, you might as well depict the gangster: Al Capone. For someone who was designated public enemy number one, there’s a lot to love about this build. The parts usage is great – I count at least four alternate uses for things like bananas and stud shooters – but the characterization of Capone is what makes this build. The tilted fedora and cigar off to one side give him heaps of personality, and I daresay he almost looks cute!
Some towers have spires and some towers inspire
There’s magic waiting to be revealed in every LEGO piece, and builders like exis- (or like you, dear Reader) bring it out. In this case, the build itself is quite magical, being a mage tower of sorts. The black roofing and crenellations create a forbidding–or foreboding–presence. However, the tan of the rest of the architecture balances it out. Perhaps this hints at the risk vs reward of entering such a place. Looking closer, you’ll see wonderful details abounding throughout the build. I really like the use of minifig legs for details in the base floor windows. I do recommend taking a trip over to the builder’s photostream to take a look at the wonders that fill the tower’s interior. There’s even a brief video showing off some cool play features.
Where’s a Strider when you need one?!
We’ve had a glorious wealth of LEGO Lord of the Rings builds lately, thanks in large part to a contest going on right now over on the LEGO Ideas site. As a result, we can see builder Faëbricks ply their expert rock technique in this beautiful recreation of the Weathertop scene. Faëbricks does an excellent job of distinguishing between two types of weathered stone. There’s the ruins of the watchtower, built in light gray and retaining evidence of man-made features: crumbling arches, a few ruined statues, and so many clean lines intentionally broken with a crack or crevice tell the history of this place. Juxtapose that feel with the rocky terrain in dark gray, dark green, and brown. The weathered earth appears in larger “chunks” and involves far more slopes and natural shapes than the construction atop it. And yet both sides of this metaphorical coin coexist wonderfully in this exceptional recreation from the movie.
Game Boy Color: Get into it!
While this LEGO Game Boy Color (GBC) doesn’t play actual games, it’s still a treat to see from Nick Brick. Personally, I never owned one of these handhelds, but that has never stopped me from appreciating the look and feel of the hardware. This build captures one of the iconic bright colors of the console – kiwi green. That’s something I love about the GBC: all the different colors it came in instead of the flatter colors of the Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket. It takes some imagination and sweet designing to build this handheld out in LEGO. It looks like you can just flick the power switch and hear that iconic chime before playing whatever game you want. Personally, I’d love to throw The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX into this thing and play around on Koholint Island.
Bringing back the classic Boba bust
While the LEGO Star Wars helmet series has been terrific, I also enjoy builds of a smaller scale accomplishing the same thing. Builder George Panteleon provides an excellent example of this scale with his classic take on Boba Fett. The dark green coloration stands out here, especially next to the bits of white and red trim. And I love the shaping, utilizing an array of slopes and curves to get the Mandalorian helmet just right. But the best detail for me has got to be the perfect use of handlebars to create the hexagonal pattern on Boba’s chest. It’s the perfect part for the job.