Perhaps he’s not quite up to the Empire’s recruitment standards, but this LEGO chibi Stormtrooper by nobu_tary is as adorable as an Ewok in armor. Come to think of it, maybe this is a post-Empire Ewok in salvaged armor? Whatever the case, it’s a fantastic little build with highly poseable limbs thanks to ball joints, and I can’t get over how good that squared-off helmet looks.
It took a random conversation in the grocery check-out line this weekend for me to realize just how happy I am that Lord of the Rings has returned to LEGO. While I admit, I’ve never been a die-hard Ringer, I appreciate so much that Tolkien’s work inspires others like no other fantasy tale. Case-in-point, check out this beautiful Gondorian hall by Nathan Smith. Depicting the scene where we are first introduced to Steward Denethor II, the build is deafeningly empty. Ornate walls and pillars cast in white, black, and tan lead from Gandalf and Pippin to the “empty” throne beneath the city’s emblem, the White Tree of Gondor. The brickwork here is gorgeous, from the inset panels in the arched ceiling to the design of the White Tree using Technic bits and bobs. Even details like the statues in white to the left of the hall are so intricate and effective in the design, while still not being 100% visible from this angle. The triumph here is how all these aspects combine together to emphasize the gaping chasm in this hall where a king should reside.
The Brothers Brick feed has been looking extra kaiju-y lately and we’re all thrilled about it. That’s because a group of friends got together to build the coolest LEGO kaiju ever. You may recall recent appearances from Mothra and Godzilla. Now Daniel Olvera joins the big kaiju battle with King Ghidorah! I just discovered HBO’s Turner Classic Movies hub so I’ve been rewatching all the great kaiju movies of my youth and loving every guy-in-a-rubber-suit-with-the-zipper-showing minute of it. Sure the monsters are fighting battles for reasons understood by no one, it’s a whole lot of schlock and you can totally see the strings on the flying rockets but that’s all part of the charm, really. Don’t tell Godzilla but I was kinda rooting for Ghidorah all along. If you love kaiju and other monsters as much as we do, then grab some popcorn and click the blue link to dig into our archives.
Beware, mild Mandalorian S3E7 spoilers ahead. Please forgive the title, but it’s not every day that I get to make an obscure Venture Brothers reference while I write about a LEGO Star Wars build. Believe me, I’m enjoying the moment! From the penultimate season 3 episode of The Mandalorian, Dread Pirate Wesley has channeled his inner Anzellan and created the best IG-12 I’ve seen thus far. Grogu’s new mech is looking extra sharp with spindly, Technic-heavy extremities. I especially like the use of the Constraction fig lightsaber hilts in the robot’s forearms, providing the perfect amount of texture with the glint of pearl silver. IG’s head is well-formed, especially with two pulley pieces. They critically allow stud connections for texturing/coloring while still maintaining a 3-wide cylinder. But there’s really nothing more eye-catching than that lime-colored pilot, complete with an adorable custom face print.
One of my LEGO building goals that I’m perpetually chasing is the creation of natural forms like plants in the blocky medium. And picea74 really shows me how to do it with this darling basket of flowers. First focusing on the wicker container, the weave has the perfect alternation of curved slopes to evoke the dry rustling of reed and cane. I particularly like how the builder handled the corners, adding to the structural integrity of the work by breaking the pattern, but doing so in a manner that still feels basket-like. The organics in this vessel are quite impressive, with the blue and pink carnations acting as paragons of “floral architecture.” And the use of sprues from the old tri-leaf part add a glorious bit of vine-ery to the vessel’s contents.
I’ve been a big fan of Dicken Liu‘s LEGO builds for a while now (find out why here), and my favourite type of build is when he dips into the traditions and mythology of Eastern Asia. The latest addition to that collection is this Buddha statue. Named Guanyin of the Southern Seas, the restrained colours with the eye-catching gold look absolutely gorgeous here. Liu’s masterful posing also makes him incredibly suave. In fact, the builder also tells us that this pose has it’s very own name: Maharajalila – “royal ease”. The name is almost as smooth as the pose itself!
For me, there is so much nostalgia pouring out of this beautiful battle droid LEGO build by Dylan Mievis. Appearing in this scale, I’m instantly reminded of the Battle Droid Technic set from 2000. While near-completely (and appropriately) monochrome in tan, Dylan’s clanker makes excellent use of the 1×1 round plate with bar to create all that Separatist jointery. It’s quite impressive that a build with so many minimal connections is capable of standing unsupported. The blaster is a real triumph on its own, perfectly matching the droid’s scale and intricate as all get out! This guy’s ready to help conquer Naboo, for sure.
Now I know I said before that Godzilla is undeniably cool. And he is. But I have to confess I’ve always held Mothra in higher esteem. So when Áron Gerencsér, AKA Pohaturon, unveiled this LEGO version of her, I was drawn to it like a moth to… Well, you know. As well as representing the coolest kaiju (I won’t be taking questions at this time), it’s a beautiful model in and of itself. The wings come from an Avatar: the Way of Water set, with their colours offset nicely by the white body. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was a regular moth, and not a gigantic monster!
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.
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.
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.
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.
