We’re seeing a lot of Dungeons & Dragons-themed builds lately thanks to the LEGO Ideas D&D contest, and I’m a fan of this miniland-scale build by Miscellanabuilds, which depicts a party of adventurers. A good variety of races and classes are represented from the human wizard to the orc barbarian and halfling bard. The D&D logo is what really makes the whole build shine though. And don’t miss that tiny mimic!
LEGO spaceships sometimes get named after animals. Perhaps a creature insired the ship in question, or maybe it’s just a name like mantis that just sounds cool. Chris Perron has taken the name of a yellowfin tuna and used it in quite a literal sense with this colourful craft. It certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to a fish. The colour gradient on the fins stands out, but I love how the colour blocking goes even further to get the fish appearance across. If you squint, the trans-red cockpit looks like the gaping mouth of a fish, with the white its lower jaw. Of course the big dishes on the side look like eyes. I might be reading too much into this – perhaps Chris just wanted to make ship with yellow fins. It can’t be a coincidence though can it?
Confession time: while I’ve always secretly wanted to, I’ve never played a game of Dungeons and Dragons (or other games of its ilk). Seeing all the great D&D builds popping up lately is doing nothing to scratch that itch. There have been some incredibly creative entries as well, such as this one by Ralf Langer. I love the inclusion of the pencil and notepad – crucial for remembering just what it is your character is up to. While they’re great in their own right, it’s hard not to focus on the amazing playing field curving up next to them. Ralf has somehow managed to make forced perspective work in an arc – te further up the cylinder you go, the more the landscape disappears into the distance. It’s a quite remarkable bit of workmanship.
Don’t let its size fool you! This teensy LEGO SR-71 Blackbird by Greyson is a mighty recon machine from the factories of Lockheed Martin. Even while working in a monochromatic palette, this plane still feels dynamic, a perfect recreation of its real-life kin. Each wedge plate feels perfectly placed, and the shaping on the fuselage is all the better for Greyson’s excellent use of the katana minifig accessory. I even like the shaping on its gray stand: a simple bit that only accentuates the clever design of the micro aircraft.
This one gets me right in the feels. Growing up, I didn’t have any LEGO to play with…but I did have just about every Micronauts toy ever produced. SPARKART! has re-created one of the great characters – Acroyear – in LEGO action figure form. Making great use of Mixel ball joints, this warrior is super articulated and ready for battle. Aircraft tail fins match up perfectly with the classic helmet’s shaping, and those big chunky feet are super fashionable and provide some great stability to boot.
Be sure to check our archives for more retro goodness!
LEGO fans are nerds and that is just the way I like them. One of the best things for me is when hobbies cross-over. Here we see a Dungeons & Dragons inspired LEGO creation by Mihał Ch. The scene is quite cleverly done. There’s a bunch of kids playing the popular game in a basement. In the clouds we get a look at the adventure the kids are having in the world of their imagination. It is nice to see how the minifigures of the kids and the minifig statuette reflect their imagination counterparts very well. It is nice to see the hooded statuette pop up as the bad guy and the Heroica micro figure gets to play a role too. Now all I want to do is clear out my LEGO table and start playing a board game or two.
There is a race track (or more specifically, a drag strip) in the UK called Santa Pod. I wonder if that’s where Sergio Batista‘s festive hot-rod is headed, to spread some festive cheer worthy if its name! It certainly wouldn’t be out of place. The custom chrome pieces, while not completely purist, really complete the look, particularly with that red-and-gold combination. It’s probably not the most subtle way of delivering presents – you’d definitely hear Santa Claus coming, looking at the size of the exhaust. I imagine it’s still fairly rapid though. What’s the conversion from horsepower to reindeer-power again?
I’ve earned a reputation in my LEGO circles for introducing fellow builders to a certain indie video game through one of my creations. And while I was building to express my love of Stardew Valley, NikiFilik is all about the equally-excellent Untitled Goose Game with their latest construction. This may look like a standard water fowl to the uninitiated, but the nameless goose was instantly recognizable to me from its head shape, simple color palette, and malicious gaze. The use of the plane fuselage for the bill is spectacular, as is the complex network of white slopes and wedge plates to nail the bust’s overall shape. Villagers beware, this bird is out for blood!
Silly turkeys were on the menu for a recent Fun Friday group build, and Tommy Frost took his contribution into orbit. This Neo-Classic Space themed turkey mech is suitable for navigating alien terrain or walking the Macy’s parade route on a cold November morning. Bonus points for the red space suit getting an upgraded helmet, thanks to the Collectible Minifigures Series 23.
This Pioneer Outpost by Ayrlego recycles the cabin from an earlier north-western themed build and a tower from an even earlier effort. Builders enhancing their earlier works is nothing new, but even recognizing the “seed builds” doesn’t diminish the achievement here. The cabin is now elevated well above the water line, fully integrated into a dense forest of greenery. Are those pink flamingos lawn ornaments or actual wildlife? Maybe one of each? But look beyond those pops of color and you can find great details like the vine on the roof – that looks like a cut up sprue from around the 3-leaf LEGO plant element. That’s some unusual part usage – and a great way to recycle.
Love immersive scenes like this? Check out our achieves for more vignette goodness!
Siege weapons are cool and all, but Aidan Hayward adds some much needed flavor by infusing a trebuchet with the great taste of crab. A great meld of system and Hero Factory armor, this crustacean crusher has pincers for pinchin’ when the going gets tough. There are fun construction touches to be found, too, like the minifigure head and bandanna that help give the crab a suitably grumpy expression on either side of the black hot dog eyestalks. The shell-mounted rock-hurler is pretty nice, too, with a heavy looking grey counterweight ready to toss what looks like an enormous pearl (a silver Technic ball) at whoever is unwise enough to stand in the way.
Does this build inspire the seafood lover in you? Check out what’s going on under the sea in our crab archives.
Alternate realities are all the rage these days. Consider, for example, the variant reality where Benny (the lovable 1980’s Spaceman from The LEGO Movie) was fixated on robots instead of spaceships. Psyro TtunTomato has been peering into this timeline and brings us a stunning rendition of Benny’s Titan Mech. The classic space blues and greys are there, as is the transparent yellow canopy we know to expect. But check out that arm rocket – a clear tribute to the 897 Mobile Rocket Launcher. I also love how Benny’s Space Squad is still ready to lend a helping hand as the ground crew. There are a lot of great construction techniques on display here – I’m particularly fond of the design on the feet and hands. Even the display stand is an interesting build, with integrated LEGO ingot elements creating a smooth-yet-greebled texture. I’d love to see this one animated…have they finalized the script for The LEGO Movie 3 yet?
Classic Space Nostalgia runs high in our archive, too. A plethora of great Neo-Classic Space builds are just a click away!
