Thanks to Hachiroku24, instead of just dreaming of a Dodge Challenger R/T, you can now build your very own American muscle car. Gotta love how that set of binoculars seem to fit perfectly as the signature recessed headlights that one can instantly recognise from afar.
Here are the parts that you’ll need:
And here are the build instructions in this video:
In 2015 the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens offered us a first glimpse of a somewhat familiar X-Wing doing unfamiliar things — skimming across water and even leaving a rooster tail in its wake. This was exciting stuff! Spine tingling, even. If the prequel movies lacked nostalgia and thus failed to rope in adult Star Wars fans, the newer set of films made up for it in spades with upgraded designs that changed things up enough to keep us interested but still stayed true to its inspiration. The trailer and later the movie had us all clamoring to buy the Resistance X-Wing LEGO set but a builder who goes by the name of Aniomylone had a different idea.
Enter the roughly 2000-piece, UCS-scale T-70 Resistance X-Wing Fighter. One obvious difference from the classic X-wing design is the light gray and blue color scheme that has me wondering if any of the designers at Star Wars were fans of LEGO Classic Space. The streamlined intakes are captured nicely using curved windscreens and seems to be the logical progression from the old design. In closed mode the wings boast a slim, one stud wide, leading edge but in “X” mode it is made clear that the Resistance X-Wing differs from its predecessor by splitting the wing in half, rather than stacking two wings atop one another.
If detailed UCS scale models of Star Wars craft is your thing, then I would strongly advise a perusal of the rest of this builder’s material. Go ahead, I’ll wait. See what I mean?
Marin Stipkovic brings us a mech with a lot of personality as part of the year long Mech Monday project. Inspired by the art of Taylor Schmidt, King Aku is a LEGO creation that has the feel of a tiki idol brought to life. It features tons of articulation, an expressive tiki idol face, and bold colors highlighted by the shine of gold. Another nice detail is how Marin didn’t just repeat the use of 1×1 round plate for all the teeth. He’s added visual interest by mixing in inverted 1×5 Technic plates. Partially obscured by the black brick of the mouth, those 1×5 plates take on the look of a brand new part. (I mistook them for Sweet Mayhem’s legs at first.)
Marin has also shared a short video that shows off the range of motion of this mech as well as its cool play feature. (Spoiler alert: Light and sound!)
If you’re thinking of running a red light around Ganymede, or maybe breaking the warp limit off Titan, you’d best look out. The LEGO Space Police just got themselves a new Galactic Interceptor, courtesy of F@bz. The unusual curved black carapace might catch your eye, but you’ll linger on the details of this lovely spaceship. There’s lots of clever parts usage on display here, providing cracking little touches all over the model. The sensor-studded front end is a particular delight, nicely balancing the grey engine fins at the rear. However, the sweetest detail has to be the red rubber band placed around the Space Police logo and a black shield — it provides a wonderful highlight in a smaller resolution than is usually possible in a LEGO creation.
Dave Slater has an amazing talent for recreating vehicles with an utmost level of accuracy that just makes my jaw drop not once but repeatedly. His previous build of the 1989 Tim Burton Batmobile was a huge hit with the LEGO community, and now he’s back with the sleek modified DeLorean from Back to the Future II.
Click to see more of this futuristic time machine
I met Javier Soravilla at Japan Brickfest in Kobe a couple of weeks ago, and I swore to him that if he ever looked the other way even for a minute, I’d steal his Queen of Hearts away from him. This lovely character was one of my favourite builds on the floor. It looks so perfect with that solemn pose, graceful stance, and beautifully shaped back bow down to the rubber belts for the sandals.
I’m also heartbroken to say that though I did make a proposal, she did find her way back to Javier in the end.
At first glance, it is easy to mistake these two boats by ER0L as wooden or plastic models, rather than LEGO creations. In part, this is due to the impressively constructed curved hulls, which is not the easiest thing to do. However, building a memorable LEGO boat is about more than just smooth curves. The smallest detail can make a big impact. One such detail on the larger Sirius is the white rubber band used as a hatch seal. With the smaller Mona, the use of some older hinge plates to line the inside of the rear compartment is genius.
How many of you have had that dream where you’re a muscular and shirtless demon-lord clad in black leather pants and sitting atop a throne of skulls of all the souls you have vanquished? You know….the one where you’re in a hellish, burning landscape and the sky rains kerosene while Motorhead or Mastodon blares at ear-splitting volume from some unknown source. Wait, none of you? Wow, you people are weird! That is like my most recurring dream, besides the one where I’m taking final exams only to find that everyone else is naked except me. I’m sure Cid Hsiao likely knows what I’m talking about as evidenced by this recent creation.
Devilman is a Japanese manga series, first written and illustrated by Go Nagai in 1972. The dark storyline made it stand apart from other manga of the time. Here we see Akira/Devilman stepping on the skull of a three-eyed hell-beast. There are multiple horns and sets of bat wings adorning this model but the most impressive by far are the dark red folding dragon wings found only in the Hobbit LEGO set 79018 The Lonely Mountain. While Cid’s days may or may not be fueled by heavy metal music, you should check out the rest of his creations as they are still worthy of my darkest and weirdest dreams.
G. K. Chesterton was a prolific English man of letters from the early 20th century, writing countless articles, editorials, letters, non-fiction books, short stories, novels, and even epic poems. One of his most beloved and recognizable characters is the crime-solving priest, Father Brown. Father Brown could rival the more famous Sherlock Holmes in his ability to unravel any mystery by using his powers of observation and deduction. Brought to life in LEGO form by prolific Finnish man of bricks Eero Okkonen, this Father Brown is modeled after the character as played by Mark Williams on the BBC show. The eyes are hidden behind round glasses, and the shoulders are slightly hunched over. The black cassock, the clerical garb worn by the priest in his exploits, is well done, even including a slight bulge for the rounded belly that the unassuming Father Brown had acquired over the years.
A round wheel well in white makes for a lovely clerical collar, and a tire holds on the hat, allowing for a more natural angle. A Technic connector allows a subtle curve for the chin. The studs on the cassock were inevitable, as covering them would have ruined the otherwise flowing lines of the fabric, and they don’t detract from the final appearance. To distinguish between the studs and the buttons, 1×1 round tiles have been used. The base adds a nice touch, with a small splash of color against all the black, with the vaguely gothic architecture recalling the English countryside where the priest did most of his sleuthing. My favorite detail, however, is the umbrella that the crime-solving cleric carried everywhere he went.
Everyone has their favorite season, and mine is definitely winter. But looking at this magnificent vignettes by Markus Rollbühler, I think I have to reconsider this. Studying these vignettes is the opposite of putting together a jigsaw puzzle; instead of searching a correct place for a small piece, Markus invites us to find all the tiniest details in his assembled dioramas. I shall not spoil fun of discovering all the brilliant ideas hidden around the seasons, but I can’t help admiring a genius reindeer built of visor goggles and a stud shooter trigger!
LEGO has produced a few brilliant sets representing London Architecture in its Creator Expert line, such as Big Ben and the Tower Bridge. Hyungmin Park has added to this, with renditions of Nelson’s Column and King’s Cross Station. Laid out smartly with the predesigned sets in the background and fan creation in the front, the spaces between are filled in with details of typical London scenes.
The Hogwarts Express popping out of the train station is an easy one to see, and in my mind is the first thing I think of when I hear “King’s Cross”.
My favourite Easter Eggs though, are the more subtle ones such as the Star Wars Royal Guard mixed in with the British Royal Guards, and the cat with the Mohawk, which has always reminded me of a feline British punk rocker.
Legendary car builder George Panteleon tells us that one of the most iconic and beautiful generation of Porsche 911 is the 1973 Carrera RSR. I consulted the records of all things beautiful and iconic and that statement checks out. He started with the yellow one about a year ago but has not photographed it until recently. Later he wanted another with a more striking color scheme so he went with the white with blue and red racing stripes.
Each consists of 779 pieces and features a fully detailed interior and opening trunk, hood and doors.
George’s prowess with car building doesn’t end with this perfect pair of Porsches so be sure to check out his other automotive wonders on his photostream. If you are inclined to build a few dream cars of your own, his book How to Build Dream Cars with LEGO Bricks may help with that.