It may sound like something Robin would exclaim, but this great flying turtle by Markus Rollbühler is delightfully whimsical instead. Markus notes that the whole LEGO build clocks in at just 96 pieces, though I spy some elements in there that are quite uncommon, like the dinosaur head that’s the turtle’s head….except backwards! All the gear piled haphazardly atop the turtle’s saddle completes the feeling of a wandering magician.
TBB regular Andreas Lenander takes us to a desert port of commerce, and while it’s a lovely LEGO scene at first glance, the details bear close examination. There are obvious points of excellence like the stonework that just has the right amount of weathering or the gently curving hull of the trading vessel, but I’ve got my eye on those beautiful palm trees, which might be the best LEGO palms I’ve ever seen. And of course, let’s not leave out that beautiful blue domed roof on the tower made with tails.
LEGO builder Ted Andes brings us a more upbeat take on the dystopian cyberpunk future with a gorgeous sculpture he calls the Shrine of the Cyber Tree. The tree is made of stacked Vahki head elements from Bionicle, and their angular lines and matte finish creates a striking use for that rarely used piece. The sculpture is surrounded by a simple but elegant stone garden wall, which has great details like one broken egg post cap.
Master LEGO figure builder Matt Goldberg has constructed this sinister-looking Paladin L. S. Kobra and now we’re all a bit squigged-out by it. He tells us this serpent is the Bannerreptile of the Konda Kingdom, champion of the battlefield, and belligerent master to his squire. I’ve been all three of those things in the past, which landed me a trip to the HR office. All I can say is it was a different time back in 2016. Office politics were different, so that’s why I’m a school administrator now. Obviously. Anyway, click the little blue link to check out why we think Matt Goldberg would rule the office battlefield.
This LEGO space station from OA KD is giving off some very 2001: A Space Odyssey vibes, don’t you think? It’s a delightful mix of greebles in a ring that gives this station its name. At first glance it looks like there are LEDs used to light it up, but that’s actually down to the clever lighting. The light just out of shot is reflecting off the transparent bricks in the station (and in the trails of the nearest spaceship), passing very convincingly for a nearby star. I think it’s this that gives it that Kubrick sci-fi flavour. That and the masterful construction, of course!
Whenever a LEGO set hits the shelves with new parts or recolours, you can be sure that Thomas Jenkins will make short work of them! The idea behind this whale was to show off the black Technic panels in last year’s Porsche Formula E car. These parts have of course been great for Technic builders, but they pop up almost as often in creature creations like this one. Thomas hasn’t contented himself with making great use of these pieces though. Take a look at the mouth (or baleen, to be specific). This is a cloth piece from 75113 Rey. Two awesome parts uses in one awesome build? Now that’s just showing off!
Builder Dan Ko has applied his special LEGO character treatment to the man, the myth, the legend: Mr. John Wick. The construction here is downright lanky, and appropriately so for Keanu Reeves’s titular hitman. As such, the build does a lot with a little, relying heavily on the perfect part choices for John’s slacks and jacket. The hair is an impressive tussle of various claw pieces, while his beard is nothing more than a double-wide cheese slope. But the most brilliant bit has got to be the 1×1 tile stuck inside a vertical clip for Baba Yaga’s nose. It feels perfectly in proportion with the rest of the construction, and is right in line with Dan’s impressive record of brick-built facial formations.
As the northern hemisphere is awakening from the cold slumber of the last 5 months, Ventum Vox drags me back into the icy chill of winter with this frigid-looking LEGO scene. The trees here, with rootholds in this snow-covered crag, are a masterful compilation of brown bits. They eschew the typical grid of the blocky medium, instead providing some of the most natural gnarls of wood I’ve seen in a build. There’s plenty of flex tubing and minifig utensils in the mix helping to manage this natural aesthetic. And the rockwork these trees cling to is no slouch, either. There’s a clear delineation in style between the stone of the ruined structure and the rocky precipice it sits upon, going well beyond just the color change. And while managing that transition perfectly, Vox still is able to add in enough snow to remind us that this is a cold, exposed destination. Let’s hope that knight is wearing some long underwear.
Taking off at the nearest cyberpunk runway is this lovely LEGO plane from Sylon_tw. The build blends the cyberpunk theme with the classic aviation look to get this tight little flyer. You have the more classic aviation look from the 1930s and 1940s in the overall shaping and especially the blue in the front. The rest of it is definitely cyberpunk in theme! I do love the exposed wings to see all those details, and those wingtips remind me of starfighters. This thing looks like it can really move, pulling all kinds of stunts as it flies around. This is some great styling, and I hope to see more in the future.
![[cybersky] Tomtit - main](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52769932682_6a03bd7851_k.jpg)
Check out some of the details on this slick jet below, including shots of the cockpit and landing gear.
![[cybersky] Tomtit - details](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52772125240_a4bdb2a6f8_b.jpg)
Perennial LEGO castle constructor Louis of Nutwood has debuted a glorious watchtower complete with palisade wall. I’m amazed at all the different brick-built textures he’s managed to work into this model. The cobbled stonework utilizes half-plate gaps to great success. The smooth wood of the watchtower’s roof stands in contrast, relying heavily on tile parts to emulate wooden beams. And the wonderful implementation of curved slopes in that tattered red flag evokes a weatherworn age that can be difficult in plastic bricks. But the real highlight for me (pun intended) is the choice of lime for the surrounding grass. This pop of color contrasts the grays and browns of the rest of the build well, further emphasizing all the brilliant textures in the construction.
For me, as long-time fan of the Transformers and having built LEGO Transformers myself, LEGO releasing LEGO Transformers 10302 Optimus Prime was a pleasant surprise. It looks great as a robot, decent as a truck and the transformation sequence is fantastic. Its look is also largely faithful to the original Optimus Prime toy from the eighties. In my book, the one thing that could make it even better was for Optimus to have his trailer or Combat Deck. So, I built one myself.
I’ve lost count of how many LEGO versions of Porco Rosso’s iconic seaplane we’ve featured here on TBB, going way back to Uspez Morbo’s Savoia S.21 I wrote about in 2008. And yet I enjoy every version we’ve highlighted, not least this fantastic microscale version by Marcin Otreba, complete with stand and tiny Adriatic seascape. A miniature Porco pilot may try to steal the show here, but the details I love most are the little contrails emerging from the engine exhaust and the rounded cowling on the seaplane’s bow.
