It can be argued that the best art is that which invokes an emotional response. This otherworldly LEGO “Arbitrator” by Aidan (AjRed17) certainly does make me feel… Something, but I can’t put my finger on what. Is it the creeps from those spindly arms holding up a balance scale? Is it awe inspired by the clever use of an old gray tyre for the face? Or am I simply hypnotised by the Gungan shield which resembles a solitary eye? I’ll let you be the judge…
Check out this excellent LEGO microscale cove built by Flickr user Pixeljunkie. The heavy use of slopes laid upon their sides provides an organic, rocky backdrop for a tiny beach scene. But it’s not just any beach! This is the hideout of Porco Rosso, the Italian flying ace slash anthropomorphic pig from the Studio Ghibli film of the same name. You can see his iconic red plane, a Savoia S.21, sitting in the water. On the coast are his tent, chair, and radio, where Porco would relax between bouts with the sky pirates of the Adriatic. The shaping of the plane in such few bricks is inspired, and immediately recognizable to someone familiar with the movie. Also of note, the 1×1 plate with tooth used as a dock is some great parts usage at this scale.
I wouldn’t advise taking a big bite out of this LEGO cake by Martin Gebert! This was built for a 101-piece challenge, and each of those hundred and one parts are used well. From white frogs and unikitty tails on the frosting to an obscure Scala flowerpot, this cake’s parts usage is pretty sweet! The layers of various chocolate and raspberry jelly filling look delicious and the flowing frosting tops it off wonderfully. And the cherry on top? It’s a dark red minifigure helmet.
Bright green foliage permeates this dynamic scene, cascading down to the produce stands set up in the square below a vibrant, sustainable stack of apartments. Builder Abe Fortier built this slice of life from an Afrofuturistic city that could fit anywhere in the world. Inspired by different elements of African architecture tied in with environmentally friendly urban planning, these apartments have a spark of individuality that lifts them above the greyscale of the typical city scene. Ladders and stairs provide access to the apartments (though I hope there’s an elevator somewhere, otherwise moving in would be a major pain). Couriers and cleaning drones stick to the street while the residents gather for groceries, enjoy the sights of the city from their balcony, or maybe even get some exercise on the rooftops. There is a lot to notice in this build but the most stand-out portion is the brick-built portrait featured on the wall. The sideways building techniques that Abe used to “paint” this picture are no easy feat, yet he managed to make quite the work of art all around.
I’d love to see the rest of this city, or more like it, but hopefully, as time goes on we’ll get to see more real-world examples of the intersection between technology and the African Diaspora. Afrofuturism shouldn’t be treated like “another genre” but as a peek into what our world could one day become with a more equitable and equal society.
The spring equinox has just been and gone, so the days are getting longer and summer is on its way. To get us in the mood, Grant Davis has crafted an idyllic-looking bit of LEGO coastline. The still pictures on their own are already making me long for a bit more sunshine (especially having just been through the Finnish winter!), but these only tell half the story…
See what secret lies in the water…
I just can’t get enough of this LEGO Venator-class Star Destroyer by FlyInSpace! The lines on this build are so clean, it looks like the edges were cut with a hobby knife. At 27 inches long, it’s hard to believe this model is actually a step down in scale from the LEGO Ultimate Collector Series.
See lots more details of this LEGO Star Wars ship
Meet the Epyft, an alien being created by Mattia Careddu. This LEGO creature brings to mind a hummingbird crossed with a butterfly, as its long mouth reaches down to the bright blooming flower, drinking up all the rich nectar. No doubt the sugar is needed for the energy to stay in the air. The flower and the surrounding foliage feature so many cool parts to create something out of this world! Bionicle masks give the translucent green plants and blue flowers cool shapes and textures. Speaking of Bionicle masks, they’re also used for the creature’s sides, but that’s not the coolest bit of parts usage for this build. The creature’s body is a fun use of a torso piece from the Galidor toy line, produced by LEGO in 2002 for the sci-fi kids show by the same name.
Streaking though the sky comes the latest LEGO creation from French builder F@bz! Clean lines and great parts usage are present throughout this flying ship. The angles on the wings use a wonderful old slope brick with studs on the slope. The splash of purple and yellow really pop and the light blueish gray of the engines give great contrast to the deep black of the wings. I particularly like the use of the large rotor blade running down the center of the fuselage.
Two peers, brothers in spirit, pitched against each other above the flowing, roiling lava of a devastated planet. This climactic battle is full of intense moments between these iconic characters, such as the one captured here in diorama form by TheCreatorr. Moments before Obi-wan defeats Anakin, they balanced atop shielded platforms and hovering droids battling for their fates. The lava swelling below them is brilliantly built with various gradients while black patches of burnt materials rise to the top.
I’m a huge Batman fan, be it comics, cartoons, films or brick. In LEGO form, I’m always looking for something unique that’s perhaps not black (or very very dark grey!) and along comes DekuScrub72 with this fantastic build, lifted straight from the classic ’60s series! The vignette recreates the famous scene of the dynamic duo moving past an open window and meeting a local with a hint of the Gotham skyline beyond with Trans-Brown plates adding subtle detail as windows on the city block beyond and the Unikitty stand as clouds. And, just like the way the show was filmed, the scene is tilted 90 degrees!
If for some reason you were disappointed by the recent Super Robot Creator set, have no fear! Nobu Tary has constructed this large-scale version of the mech model. The build features more exaggerated proportions than the original, while maintaining a similar colour scheme. The head has a sharp pointed form, with the horns tucked in and represented by rounded tiles . The chunky boots even have hints of yellow, as seen in the Creator set, and spoiler pieces portray neat-looking ankle guards at the feet. Unfortunately, you can’t build this mech using just the parts found in the original set, but hopefully it will inspire fellow fans to recreate official sets in fun and interesting ways.
It has been almost seven years since the last line was released but diehard fans of Bionicle do their part to keep the Great Spirit alive. For this inspiring model, builder Patrick Biggs looked back twenty-one years to when this new line helped bring life to the struggling LEGO Group. Originally a convention trophy concept, this model resembles an incense burner with smoke rising through the Toa of Fire’s resting mask. The wistful, rising smoke soon branches out into a delicate, birch-like bonsai tree with bright, lush foliage. A pink frog hangs out on the lowest branch both as a nod to the 10281 Bonsai Tree (which came with over a hundred of them) and to the fandom’s obsession with LEGO frogs (thanks to the influence of LEGO designer Nick Vás). The delicate trunk of this towering tree magically spirals upward towards the sky, becoming denser and branching outward just as LEGO continues to grow and thrive.
