Sometimes constraints can inspire creativity, and limiting yourself to 101 pieces is certainly an interesting challenge. We’ve featured a few 101-piece LEGO challenge builds recently, and this cute wizard built with 101 parts by Syrdarian really makes me smile. The big round eyes and small smile, made from a single rounded tile, give major Adventure Time vibes. The staff that is almost as tall as him is also a great touch, and that little bookmark ribbon poking out the top is just magical.
Every LEGO builder has a signature style. Some are more subtle than others, but everyone’s got one. In Matt (Classic Brix)’s case, his LEGO Star Wars creations often feature some nostalgic minifigures from the early years of the theme. Don’t let that retro snowtrooper fool you, though: this Hoth AT-ST uses thoroughly modern parts and techniques. Most obviously, you have the 2×3 curved wedge slopes, which are a perfect match for this walker’s feet. But there’s a delicious touch of irony in that printed part between the ‘eyes’. It is contemporary with the snowtrooper, and from a set featuring an AT-ST… But it sided with a miniature snowspeeder instead!
Here’s a hot take: the Jurassic Park scientists had it all wrong. No, not the whole could they/should they thing – that’s covered in the movies. No, they were just barking up the wrong prehistoric tree: why go through all that trouble reviving dinosaurs, when you can just create robotic ones instead? I mean, the tech is already there! And I propose that LEGO builder Mitsuru Nikaido should be the chief scientist on this project. After all, he’s got years of experience mechanising animals in the brick. Heck, he’d already made one dinosaur before this Ankylosaurus. And it would’ve made the Jurassic Park much safer. Dinos on the rampage? Just hit the power button!
Outside of Otakudom, Yotsuba might not be as familiar as Calvin and Hobbes or Dennis the Menace, but this genki girl from the long-running manga offers a similar authentic and charming child’s view of the world. To celebrate a new volume, Ids de Jong builds Yotsuba in LEGO, along with her cardboard companion Danbo. Yotsuba is posed among sunflowers, a motif used on the book covers. Ids uses bright green bricks for the hair, a color that is quite scarce, and even pick-a-brick has limits of 10 for some parts, but the results are spot on.
Ids previously made a Hatsune Miku character that is equally kawaii.
When I’m feeling weary and small, sometimes all it takes is seeing bricks laid down to ease my mind. And what’s more comforting than a bridge over troubled tranquil waters in the countryside? As chairman of the Zbudujmy.to! (Polish for Let’sBuild.It!) LEGO community, Paweł Michalak (aka Kris Kelvin) has contributed to and coordinated many amazing and immersive builds that celebrate the buildings and landscape of Poland. Paweł’s latest piece features a bridge, but it’s the scenery that sweeps you away. The weeping willow, made from dozens of green whips, is a clever design that transports you right to the riverbank. The three swans, gracefully swooping under the bridge, let the scene soar.
Where are the swans headed? Probably one of the builder’s scene castles, gardens, or hobbit holes!
Does anyone remember the LSB contests? For the uninitiated, LSB stands for LEGO Speeder Bikes. These days, it’s primarily a group over on Flickr full of wonderful speeder creations. But as Charlie Jones reminds us, there were a handful of contests run through said group, too. Charlie has been busy building a handful of speeders to remember them by – and we’re particularly taken by the Carmine Shard here!
Seeing it in such a dynamic pose is cool, but even members of the Guavian Death Gang need a rest now and then. And this shot gives us an insight into how this build started, too. It seems that a minifigure cleaver can slot through a minifigure’s legs and double as a speeder saddle! An ingenious connection, which is sure to be a boon for LSB builders everywhere. On which note – I’m going to see if I’ve got any cleavers myself…
The year was 2006. The inception of the Ninjago theme was still five years distant, LEGO set numbers had 4 digits, and the Exo-Force theme debuted as LEGO’s first foray into the already vast arena of anime-inspired mecha models. TBB Alum Carter Baldwin pays tribute to the too-short-lived theme with this dazzling LEGO mech inspired by set 8106 Aero Booster. Carter drew the color scheme and overall shape from the original set, but “changed the mission profile to a ground-based heavy shield mech” – a choice which I heartily applaud. I absolutely love how the curve of those transparent leaf parts suggests a larger spherical shield being projected that remains invisible until hit.
![[EXO] Shield Booster](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54491309041_39a82e92fa_b.jpg)
It’s a remarkable build, but also an incredibly dynamic scene. From the kinetic action and sheer mass of the mech captured in the pose, to the debris flying out from underfoot, to the way that multi-barreled cannon is slung under the right arm – being readied to swing around and return fire at an unseen assailant. Truly inspired work!
The EVA mechs of Neon Genesis Evangelion are perennial subjects for LEGO builders, and as big fans of the show, we never get tired of seeing new takes. Joe Lam has the Nerv(e) to build all three units in his signature spindly style. These little guys are so tiny, I hope they don’t face any Angels bigger than a cherub. Unit-01 trades purple for blue and sports a scredriver for its signature horn and holds an impressively pointy Spear of Longinus. What’s fun about this scale of bot is how common the parts are and how accessible it is for new MOC builders to figure out the steps to make copies of their own.
Joe previously made bloody good LEGO Chainsaw Man and Katana Man at this scale.
As any experienced LEGO builder will tell you, the inspiration for an original creation can come from just about anywhere… Looking at LEGO element in a new way. Seeing a LEGO part in the shape of an everyday object. Or perhaps just from the imagery suggested by a single word. Built as an entry to the 2025 Rogue Olympics, this creation, titled Charred, is Marion Weintraut’s answer to the theme “Temperature.” Just looking at this creation, I can practically smell the burnt toast. Or maybe I’m just having a seizure.
Feast your eyes on the Minifigure shovel used as the toaster’s control lever, or better yet the Baggage Tag lending its unmistakable shape to those delicious-looking cutting boards… A delicious part (usage) of this complete breakfast!
In Revenge of the Sith, we witness the twilight of the Jedi in the glow of lasers, lightsabers, and lava. Sam (dewback_bricks) brings cinematic lighting to Anakin’s fall in a LEGO diorama that infuses excellent brickwork with a powerful air of tragedy. The floor design is brilliantly done, as is the forced perspective through the tall window. (And no doubt many builders are envious of those sand red columns!)
Thanks to LED lighting and a few minor changes, the scene transforms as the Dark Side rises.
As George Lucas famously said about the prequels, “It’s like poetry. It rhymes.”
Mitch Phillips isn’t just a phenomenal LEGO character builder – he’s also a great teacher at how to break free from the LEGO grid and create impossible shapes full of personality. His latest creation is the hero Ekko from Arcane, the animated series based on League of Legends. The build started with Ekko’s face and iconic hourglass face paint (the hero’s powers involve time manipulation), and an afro made from twisted rubber bands.The mix of curves and angles is a perfect match for the animated series’s signature style.
Mitch breaks it all down in his video walkthrough, which is an essential watch if you’re curious about techniques that push LEGO elements to their limits. Not visible in the photograph is the most insane parts usage – the hoverboard’s rotor is made from a ring of Clone Trooper visors using a connection I’ve never seen before.
The name Ekko also suggests a mash-up of Eero Okkonen, another character builder whose creations some of Mitch’s design invokes. Coincidence…?
For some people, there are two Star Wars days. Yeah, yeah, we all know about May the Fourth be with you – but don’t forget Revenge of the Fifth (of May)! This year, it’s even more pertinent than ever, as Revenge of the Sith has enjoyed a mighty-successful 20th anniversary re-release. It’s also getting a re-run in our LEGO feeds, too, thanks to builders like Nicholas Goodman. I haven’t seen the re-release of Episode III, but I hear that seeing Order 66 on the big screen really hits different. I’m more than happy to settle for brick-built dioramas such as this, though. The Jedi Archives look resplendent made up of various shades of trans-blue tiles!
Hey, we’ve got some archives of our own too! Why not look through them to see what else 20 years of Episode III LEGO builds has brought us?
