You would have to have a heart colder than Elsa’s Ice palace to not get a serious case of warm feelings from this adorable Pokemon by Mike Nieves. Mike makes great use of a few of the new 1×1 quarter tiles. And the clever construction of so many curved and angled details in the face, collar, and wings left me scratching my head about just how the builder put this cote Piplup together. The gentle curves and slopes used for the ice chunk and the blue water are a very nice touch.
LEGO has explored underwater themes a few times over the years. In particular, I have a fondness for the mid-1990’s Aquazone line. It featured bright yellow colors, exploration-based vehicles, and some pretty cool builds. Finnish builder Tino Poutiainen has also taken the yellow submarine concept to heart with Expedition into the kelp forest. This classy undersea build features a vessel with some very good natural camouflage. That is, assuming fish don’t have a particularly good sense of scale. Based on the image description, the divers are looking for the “incredibly rare yellow-finned bladderwrack fish.” It doesn’t seem like they’re looking too carefully, though, as I think I spotted a couple on my own.
I like how the sub isn’t the usual short-and-flat glider style you often see in craft like this. Instead we have a tall and narrow vessel, complete with impressive vertical fins sloped at interesting angles. The mimicry between the sub and the sea-life makes this little scene one you can quickly tell your own fish stories around. (You should hear about the one that got away.)
As the population of LEGO Gingerbread Land grows, it’s important for all gingerbread people to know they have options when it comes to gingerbread transportation. If every seat on the Gingerbread Railroad is booked, hop on board CTR69 Bartosz’s delicious-looking Gingerbread Man Christmas Vehicle.
This 10,000 reindeer power hybrid snowmobile-train can haul gingerbread people, supernatural beings, and cargo with ease. Icing drifts are no match for this ride – the giant wheels and treads pack enough power and traction to plow right through anything that comes in its way. But even with all that power and speed, the ride will still be smooth enough to not put out the flame on your giant candle. Don’t hesitate, book your trip to Gingerbread Land today.
Time and again, Markus Rollbühler continues to amaze me with his attention to detail, and the “oohs” and “aahs” continue with his latest build — a charming farmhouse. In addition to having excellent composition, the scene also features some excellent use of parts. The thatched roof effect is achieved with dozens of claws, the smoke billowing out the chimney is actually a rat flipped upside-down, and the cork in the wine pitcher is represented by a microphone. The greenery is also enjoyable, especially the effect produced by placing 3-leafed plant elements atop the stems of bushes.
Be sure to also browse our archives to discover more of Markus Rollbühler’s LEGO models featured on the Brothers Brick.
LEGO replicas of real-world objects are a challenging subject to work in. Finding the right scale for your creation is a large part of that effort, but builder Letranger Absurde seems to have found a sweet spot in Little Desk. This model isn’t sized for minifigures or humans, but rather just big enough for the LEGO elements to really reproduce the lines and shapes of the objects presented. Of particular note is the sealed letter, using a 2×2 round tile with a flame pattern for the sealing wax. The clock, chest, and wax seal stamp are all well built and instantly recognizable.
What really caught my eye, though, was the melted wax on the candle. It took me a while to figure out what part was used at the bottom of the dribble…it’s a baby rabbit. Now that’s some clever parts usage.
You’ve heard of concept cars, but how about concept construction vehicles? Builder Pierre E Fieschi built just that with his slick, orange Liebherr Tunnelier. This tunneling powerhouse looks capable of boring some serious holes, perfect for starting your own subway system or mineral excavation. I love the modern look of Pierre’s model, which features tread links around each individual wheel as opposed to a continuous tread along each side. If this isn’t enough Liebherr for you, be sure to read our review of the LEGO Technic Liebherr R 9800 Excavator!
You may have seen our ongoing advent calendar features where we reveal the contents of official LEGO advent calendars day-by-day and chime in with our witty commentary. Traditionally with advent calendars, you can expect to reveal a small nominal gift in the twenty-four days before Christmas. However, Simon Hundsbichler had something different in mind. Every day in December, Simon is unveiling a new intricate Lord of the Rings diorama that takes inspiration from the books and not the movies. On December first, he showcased this stunning scene depicting Gandalf arriving in Hobbiton. The quality of the work doesn’t waver, in fact it gets better from here.
Give Eero Okkonen a challenge and he delivers. In a New Elementary competition, builders were tasked with using the latest marine-life parts to create something interesting. He definitely didn’t disappoint with this lovely character. She’s a fan for another of his figures, a speederbike rider. The coral creatures adorn multiple areas of her costume, but the best parts usage might be the clever placement of shark surfboards to create a skirt!
Eero also recently created an entirely different character with a hockey stick beard. And perhaps one of my favorites is his version of the extraordinary Captain Nemo.
Episode 5 of The Mandalorian has hit Disney+, and “Baby Yoda” continues to melt viewers’ hearts like a bowl of ice cream under the hot summer sun. What would melt your heart even more? How about hachiroku24’s adorable LEGO rendition of the little guy in his floating bassinet? Just look at that face! The cloth wrapped around Baby Yoda is in fact the large cape from LEGO’s Obi-Wan Kenobi constraction figure (2015).
If you feel like you need this much cuteness in your life, hachiroku24 has provided video instructions on how to build the model. For another rendition of the character, be sure to also check out Miro Dudas’ Baby Yoda we featured in November.
Now, what have we here? Far from its habitat in Mecha Antarctica, Mitsuru Nikaido’s Mecha Penguin is here. But why is it here? Well, from a distance we can’t really tell now can we? Is it here to destroy its enemies? Or perhaps it wants to endear us for treats of little robotic pilchards. The way I see it, all evidence seems to indicate the former. Observe the creature’s razor-sharp beak and wings. Not something you’d quite want to cuddle up with. The glowing eyes may also be a clue to his intentions. Whatever the case, I think it best to keep our distance and hope he doesn’t see us.
Do you love the X-Wing but think those round engines have a bit too much sass for your parochial, straight-laced sensibilities? Do you fancy yourself as a square peg trying to fit in an increasingly round world? Then consider yourself and my odd premise vindicated, Jeb! Your day of reckoning has come because Sam K Bricks has answered your prayers and outfitted this X-Wing with honest to goodness squared-off engines a Shaker could have designed. In the Star Wars universe many ships, Rebel ones in particular, were pieced together from whatever they could find so it would make sense someone would customize their X-Wing in this manner. I bet the pilot is a real straight-shooter with a name like Rusty or Dwight who loves his mama and apple pie but probably wouldn’t try anything weird like focaccia bread. Even the Astromech droid has a head as straight and flat as an Illinois wheat field.
I really like the flashes of sand green and marigold yellow but I am someone who stays up past sundown listening to that rock and/or roll the kids like so much so you should probably take my opinions with a grain of salt.
Every year in November, talented builders turn out spaceships with a very particular style as a friendly themed challenge. Unlike SHIPtember, when the goal is to build a huge spaceship, Novvember is all about the Vic Viper, a style of racing spaceship made popular in several video games. Tino Poutiainen brings a lovely addition to the fleet of Vipers with this clean and elegant model. It is microscale, with some Apollo astronauts at the helm, which is surprising but cool, and I can count all of four visible studs on the whole darn thing. That’s impressive given the angles involved. And the color blocking is perfect. The black stand gives it a display presence that sets it apart from the pack, too.
Looking at the ship, there are two pieces that jump out to me right away. The first is the old Blacktron II jet pack, one of my favorite childhood accessories, tucked seamlessly between the cockpit and the tail. The second is the cockpit itself, a Ninjago spinner dome; that’s a part that I’ve always wanted to use but have yet to find a good way to integrate it. The rest is just so smooth and refined that nothing leaps out. It makes me wonder how it all holds together, which is a great puzzle to have when looking at a build. Novvember might be come and gone, but we can still enjoy spaceships.