My birthday falls in May and this year was particularly special thanks to my good friend Michael, who asked me what I wanted for my birthday. We’ve taken to crafting each other’s gifts lately and he recently started building BrickHeadz as Capn Brickard on Instagram. With this in mind, I thought it would be awesome to have BrickHeadz for one of my favorite science fiction series, Stargate: SG-1. He gladly accepted the task and I eagerly awaited the results. So, in addition to becoming a contributor for The Brothers Brick in May, I was gifted these designs that I immediately wanted to share with TBB’s readers! Since they’re particularly special to me and I know the builder personally and could get some behind-the-scenes info, I want to go into a little more detail than our typical articles. Plus I want to geek out about Stargate a little, if you’ll indulge me.
Category Archives: Models
This boisterous beast shows off some spiky details
This beast looks ready to pounce! Joss Woodyard has created a cheeky-looking creature that sports an interesting colour scheme. Throughout the design, dark red is contrasted with azure blue providing the model with an eye-catching appearance. Spiky armour parts make up the mane and the protruding jaw has only been used in one Ninjago set so far. Exo force arms form its stomach and also hold unicorn drills, adding to the model’s prickly aesthetic. It is easy to imagine this creature in a fantasy setting, bouncing around and causing mayhem.
This Once-ler House LEGO creation is a whimsical homage to Dr. Seuss
Inspired by the 2012 film adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, this LEGO creation by Pieter Dennison is a whimsical homage. Right away we’re drawn to the top of the Once-ler House with expertly placed shingles; they’re made from complementary colors and placed in a way to give it a slightly off-kilter, dilapidated effect. The choice to use a more muted green for the base works and brown Technic axle connectors for the tree stumps works well for this build.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – The Once-ler.
I’ll build my own LEGO Bender! With blackjack and hookers!
Futurama? In LEGO? Shut up and take my money! LEGOfolk built everyone’s favourite potty-mouth robot, Bender Bending Rodríguez! The simple and elegant grey build perfectly conveys Bender’s physique along with iconic, instantly recognisable head. In other words, LEGOfolk really nailed Bender’s “shiny metal ass!” But my favourite aspect is how Doc Ock’s new tentacles in the Daily Bugle set inspired the arms and legs. Such a simple combination of LEGO elements really allow for great poseability! I certainly can see this technique becoming the norm for appendages of this style!
Check out more Futurama creations here!
We got your wagon covered.
We like supercars as much as anyone else, but there’s something equally cool about vintage rides like this Volvo 240 estate by Jonathan Elliott (JE Brickworks). I mean, you’re in for a world of hurt if you try and move a couch on the roof of your Lamborghini. A model that deserves a closer look, this blue beauty has a tilted minifigure ice skate for the Volvo logo and particularly clever use of steering wheels for wheel rims.
If you prefer your Volvos to be a bit more “heavy duty”, then check out our review of the LEGO Technic 42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler or this amazing fan-built, radio-controlled 1/20-scale Volvo FH.
In space, no one can hear crickets chirping
As a builder, I always strive to push the limits of LEGO building, with techniques and parts usage. Combined with my arts and design training, I’ve spent years studying elements and how they fit together. Despite my self-declared expertise, there will always be creations that just stump me. Especially small ones. Especially small ones built by my friend Tom Loftus (Inthert).
I first saw this spindly teal-and-white spaceship in person when we displayed creations together at the last English LEGO exhibitions before the COVID shit hit the fan. He explained to me in great detail how he built this small ship. He even took it apart and showed me an in-depth breakdown of how he built it. I didn’t understand a single thing. It’s like his builds have an IQ-lowering effect on me. Even two years later, after more and more breakdowns via calls and messages, I still don’t understand it. Do you though? I’m not sure, your mind may be just as blown as mine.
Check out more mind-blowing builds by Tom here!
Hold up! We want to talk to you about your wagon’s extended warranty!
It wasn’t always dysentery that did you in on the Oregon trail. Dmitry has created a microscale wonder in “The Road To The West”, a build full of great details and part usage. A few that caught my eye right away were the use of hubcaps for the spoked wagon wheels and the really clever combination of small parts in the horses. I also adore the slight gaps between the sections of the coach’s cover. Those allow for a wind-swept look that enhances the scene’s already great sense of motion.
This scene feels like a small part of a larger story. What happens next? Maybe Dmitry will share another build in the future that fills us in. Otherwise we’ll just have to look at some other great Western-inspired creations and make up our own legends.
This ship is barrels of fun!
While classic greys have their place, I’m a sucker for a vibrant color scheme on my spaceships. The Blue Barrel by David Roberts certainly doesn’t disappoint in that arena, with a checkerboard pattern of red and orange that really offsets the blue bodywork to make this vessel stand out. I love the smooth lines and the Technic gears in the nose.
The real treat, though, is when this baby comes in for a landing. Dave’s focus on this build was the development of hinged hatches and extendable landing gear. Fingertip pressure is all it takes to pop open the landing struts, but apparently, you’ll “need some fingernails to get at the legs and pull them out!” Truly, one of more obvious-but-still-clever uses of Technic rods I’ve seen in a while. Also be sure to spend a moment or two examining that innovative ladder. It doesn’t use standard stud attachments to hook onto the ship but rather uses 1×1 Tooth plate to hang on the cockpit rim.
Did this whet your appetite for more space-y goodness? Take a stroll through our archives for even more great featured builds!
Undead Cowboy Nightmare
This spooky fellow has a bone to pick. Revan New’s Prairie King has a haunting form thanks to the creative use of pieces which make up the skull. Minifigure arms and Exo Force arms shape the model’s striking cheeking bones. Clip pieces clasp claw parts, portraying realistic looking teeth at the front. To top that off, the hat appears to be a wheel with the tyre inversed around its centre spoke. The grey coat also has some nice angling created by a variation of slope pieces. As you finally gaze into the soulless eyes, you might spot some harry potter wands used for pupils. The end result is a beautifully sculpted model which has a creepy appearance, ready for Halloween.
A small truck for mammoth tasks
Like many men my age, at heart, I don’t necessarily feel all that different from when I was six years old and playing with my LEGO train. Besides LEGO and trains, as a boy, I liked fire engines, diggers and trucks, preferably with lots of lights. My latest build still fits that pattern. It is a Mercedes Actros truck with a stepframe trailer, as operated by the Dutch company Mammoet, which is Dutch for mammoth.
They specialize in heavy lifting and transport of oversized and heavy objects. So, by their standards, this truck is actually quite small. Their vehicles have an attractive and distinctive color scheme. It uses a lot of red, but the vehicles’ cabs are usually black. The trailer, built by the Dutch company Nooteboom, has a yellow edge for increased visibility. When I started building the truck, I wasn’t sure what load I’d put on the trailer, except that I wanted it to be predominantly yellow. Ultimately I picked a Liebherr wheel-loader with nicely chunky wheels. As a display base for some future LEGO event, I also built part of a road, which I decorated with some flowers and two road signs, both of which (would you believe it?) I already had as a six-year-old.
Jazz to your next trip to the bank
This latest creation by Andrew Tate brings some 1920s style to a staple modular of any LEGO city. Standing at four stories tall and topped with a clock tower, Andrew’s Art Deco bank has both the perfect color scheme and expertly designed architectural details. The light bluish gray concrete facade flaunts a variety of textures and geometric patterns, ranging from your standard 1×2 grille and log bricks to 1×1 pyramids and angled tiles. The use of SNOT with tiles achieves a sturdy look fit for a bank, while techniques like the slightly offset dark green cheese slope detailing and gold accents around the windows break that monotony.
Click here to see get a closer look at the details of this Art Deco beauty
“Elf on the Hunt” by a raging waterfall in this lush build
Paul Rizzi‘s latest LEGO creation is a lush build, focusing on a lone elf hunting a stag in the forest. The bulk of the works appears to be have put in the textured cliffs and the translucent waterfall; I especially appreciate the implied motion of the water as it rolls over the rocks on the bottom. The trees use different shades of green to add some dimensionality, and we have a mixture of brown and white bases to change things up.