What has Brothers Brick alumnus Nick Jensen been up to lately? At last check, he was cradling a fat-bottomed old lady in his arms. We’ve all been there, right? Now he has built Viper’s Northstar Titan from Titanfall 2. Viper is one of the bosses fought in the Titanfall 2 campaign and pilots this Northstar Titan, which has the ability to fly, hover and carry a Plasma Railgun. Transparent Technic beams give the illusion that this model is hovering while also offering it stability.
This charming little cargo hauler by Inthert has so many great parts I’m not sure where to start. Actually, I know exactly where to start. Take a look at the pilot, sitting in the perfect cradle made from two of these shoulder pieces from LEGO 75973 D.Va & Reinhardt from the Overwatch theme put together. Genius! There are also a few of these Technic hinge parts, used on either side of the thruster intakes. Now, moving to the back, the black cargo rig makes perfect use of the little holes at the center of the red turntable bases to secure your deliveries.
Now, witness the awesomeness that is the creation of Rui Miguel Anacleto. Taking inspiration from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, this build is a display of the climactic Battle of Endor, where the Rebel Alliance faced off against the Empire in a do-or-die attempt to destroy a second planet killer.
I can’t help but fawn over the cinematic experience contained in this build. From the Alliance’s Medical Frigate battling Star Destroyers to the Executor crashing into the Death Star, nearly every scene is here. Even Luke, Lando and Wedge flying away from the Death Star is visible, with an excellent use of flame pieces to simulate internal explosions.
Ah, the end of September. It’s the start of autumn, when fall breezes start to blow, leaves are falling, pumpkin-flavored everything is available for consumption, biting insects start to die, and the nights are finally cool enough to be enjoyable. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. It’s not just for the aforementioned reasons, though. It is also because the end of SHIPtember is drawing near, which means that my LEGO feeds will soon be inundated with endless giant spaceships, all over 100 studs long and all comprised of a significant number of parts. Builder Oscar Cederwall got his entry posted a bit earlier than most, and it is a unique shape and configuration for a SHIP (a “Significantly Huge Investment in Parts”), with its 100-stud measurement being vertical rather than the typical horizontal.
The key piece in inspiring the design of Jinx is the catamaran boat hull top, which Oscar has used four times to create the four pointy ends of the craft. Since each of those pieces is 48 studs long, putting two end-to-end almost gives the full minimum SHIP measurement right there! Of course, Oscar did not stop there, but instead added some excellent rear thrusters, some tricked-out weapons arrays, and a cockpit that makes clever use of the train window. I love the way the different angles all come together so smoothly, with no noticeable gaps or awkward areas. Consistent color blocking also makes this SHIP a great start to the season. I can’t wait for more!
This new piece by Grantmasters is not a gargoyle barfing up rainbows as one might initially think. Instead, it is based on the Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week) poster. The builder tells us that up until 2018, New Zealand had only Maori and Sign Language (NZSL) as its two official languages, despite the fact that the vast majority of New Zealanders speak English. It was only acknowledged as an official language in February last year. The title of this little creation is Aroha Nui, which means “lots of love” in Māori. I have to admit I’m feeling aroha nui for the parts use here, especially the LEGO tire bent into the shape of the mouth. See, aren’t you feeling just a little more culturally aware than you did a minute ago? Gargoyle barfing up rainbows; what was I thinking?
It was only seen briefly in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but the sight of the All-Terrain Open Transport lumbering through the forests of Felucia was not one to be forgotten. Builder Mr. Idler went to painstaking length to incorporate every ounce of detail into the clone troopers’ favorite method of transport. Each leg is articulate, with ankle joints and toes adding to the sense of an ancient war elephant.
This is probably the closest LEGO version of the AT-OT that can fit the same amount of clones as shown in the movie. Don’t worry about finding a spare seat: there’s room for everyone!
After wowing us with his circus model, Ian Hoy is back with another incredible scene. This time he’s trading in performing animals for some fun times at a beach fun fair. The scene is filled with little details and it features, among other things, a brick mosaic backdrop and a drop ride with a shark theme. Having spent a lot of time at boardwalk carnivals as a kid, this piece really speaks to me, bringing back fond memories of haunted house rides, rollercoasters and boardwalk french fries cooked in peanut oil. Just looking at it, I can almost smell the salty air and hear the funnel cakes sizzling away in the deep fryer. There is so much great stuff packed in here, it’s hard to know where to begin, so let’s start at the bottom and work our way up, shall we?
The beach area is populated by a variety of beach goers engaged in the many activities. I love that the word “ocean” not only tells you where we are, but is incorporated into the overall design by having it being created as a sand sculpture by a bathing suit-clad minifigure. I also enjoyed checking out some of the smaller details like the treasure chest buried underground and the baby sea turtle and mini sandcastle by the shore. Continue reading
Builder Cindy Su invites us to find out more about Chinese myths with this wonderful little figural model of Zhongli Quan. Chinese mythology is rife with humans turned immortal, but perhaps the most famous among these is The 8 Immortals. Dating back to the Jin dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries, the 8 mystical figures are part of the Taoist pantheon. They have been a subject of Chinese art and mythologies for centuries and are still popular today.
The subject of this particular build is Zhongli Quan. He is pictured here carrying his traditional large fan, imbued with the power to turn rocks into precious gold or silver and even resurrect the dead. The sculpting of his body shows off his rotund shape and the use of satellite dishes is perfect for his exposed chest and belly. His hairstyle, utilizing round balls gives the whole thing some wonderful shapes and texture. The hot dog buns as his ears is a particularly clever use of parts.
On her Flickr page, Cindy notes this figure as 1 of 8. I look forward to seeing her depictions of the other 7 immortals and their journey across the East Sea.
One of my favorite creators of LEGO modern architecture, Sarah Beyer, is equally skilled at both minifig scale and microscale, as evident in her latest tiny model, Whitesalt Villa. This modern structure is defined by the unusual use of an arch piece, which has some very interesting circles on the underside. Sarah continues this visual theme with a single brick with technic pin hole over the entrance. The angled placement of the building and the water feature have a very tranquil effect.
I’m afraid I missed out on Bionicle almost entirely, as it started getting big right as I faded into my dark ages, and was mostly gone when I came back out of them. It’s a shame, really, since they had some incredible parts and a wide range of colors for those parts. That being said, I have always been a classic LEGO System guy, largely eschewing Technic and the ball-joint-based Constraction style for the old-fashioned stud connections. I usually scroll through photos of LEGO creations and skip past anything Bionicle-related, in fact. But sometimes a creation of that sort is so good, so perfectly balanced and detailed, that I cannot help but admire it. Such is this Toa by Anthony Wilson. The colors pop with the trans-pink in both the crystalline base and the accents of the figure, and the pose as she strides across the base exudes confidence and swagger.
Sweet Mayhem’s starship’s windscreen makes for an excellent shield, ready to deflect any attacks from an enemy. The glinting pink eyes shine out from behind the Matatu mask in a menacing manner that befits her name, Tuyet the Tyrant. The textures of the base, with the spaced-out 2×2 tiles and the greebles beneath, complements the presentation perfectly, but the highlight of the whole build for me is the midriff, so sleekly captured with the shoulder armor piece. It evokes the exposed stomach of so many heroines of nerdy fantasy games and comic books, yet in a way that still says that she’d kill you without a second thought, and easily, too.
Mech Monday is often one of the best things about the start of another work week, and today is no exception. With this colorful mech by Markus Rollbühler, we see one of the most interesting parts uses I have seen in a while. Minifigure legs are used here to form the center of this medical mech’s charming face. And what better place for legs, than in a saddle? In this case, this saddle with stirrups from the LEGO Friends theme forms the rest of the mech’s head.
There are so many other great part uses worth mentioning, like the fenders from the Disney/Pixar Cars franchise used on the thighs. And how about those window screens, snapped to either side of the forearms? One more great detail to call out is the big hand part used for the heel.
Some people gripe about Christmas decorations going up in stores too early. (Full disclosure: I’m one of them.) On the other hand, I don’t hear many folks complain about a bit of early spooky cheer for Halloween. Corvus Auriac is one of those ready for the festivities to start, based on Creepy Pumpkin. Made up of only 82 pieces, this Jack-o-lantern has nice curves and an expressive face. And check out that great part usage! The stem is made up of a frog and a Ninjago scarf – truly a combination of elements I never expected to write about.
If you’d like to make one for yourself, keep an eye on Corvus’ Instagram, as they’ve promised to share a tutorial soon!