There’s nothing like a stiff breeze in your sails and a bit of steampunkery to make the workday fly. This rickety windmill by Martin Harris hits all the right notes with its exposed framework, abundance of gears, and plethora of thingamabobs that are the hallmarks of the aesthetic. The LEGO ship rigging elements pull double-duty here as framework, with Martin even taking advantage of their flexibility to bend them into place. Now the real question is: what does it power?
The battlefield just became deadlier with this highly capable armored platform by master mecha builder, Moko. When it comes to an attention to detail, the builder has spared no expense. Moko’s piloted mecha is named after the wolf Fenrir of Norse mythology, and it looks ready to dish out some serious pain. Form and function are expertly fused together in a mech that not only takes down enemies, but looks good doing it.
There are plenty of crafty techniques, such as using an old school Bionicle head for the visor and printed elements as the rifle’s forearm. (Those pieces are from last year’s Mack Anthem set.) The design also allows for some intimidating poses.
Just like its ferocious namesake, this heavily armed and armored warrior is unlikely to allow itself to be easily restrained.
Inspired by the new LEGO Batman sets Batsub and the Underwater Clash and Batman Mech vs. Poison Ivy Mech, Elvis Lawrey has added his own spin on cartoon-like super hero vehicles. Embracing the chibi aesthetic, he’s rolled out a clutch of cute, fun, and playable vehicles for the Dark Knight to test-drive.
See more on these quirky Batman vehicles
With the Chinese New Year less than a week away, we’re seeing a number of creations inaugurating the Year of the Pig and a new calendar for over 20 percent of the planet. Joseph Zawada provided a detail-filled scene of how the Lunar New Year is likely to be enjoyed next month in San Francisco, California. Held since the 1860s to celebrate Chinese culture in the United States, this parade draws in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is the largest Lunar New Year event outside of Asia. The builder recreated a lively portion of the parade in front of the Dragon Gate in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The scene features a ton of popular references to the Lunar New Year, such as dancing dragons and children carrying red envelops containing gifts of money (hóngbāo). There’s even a C-pop float to round off the sensory experience.
As a quick note, Joseph states he recently worked with LEGO China’s Integration and Engagement team and fifteen other builders to highlight the Lunar New Year in LEGO form (including the Nian beast we recently featured). We’re hoping to see many more creations in the days ahead. We wish our readers great happiness and prosperity for the year ahead!
For many Star Wars fans, the jury is still out on where the prequels stand. However, it’s likely that few would argue with the quality of their vehicle designs. I’d agree with Thomas Jenkins, who considers the ARC-170 Starfighter to be one of the franchise’s best ships. It’s also woefully underrepresented in LEGO, which makes his latest creation such a treat.
It’s a clean, compact build with carefully modeled lines. Positioning the ship into its attack configuration reveals grey and white colour blocking on the inner foils, which I find particularly pleasing. Overall, it brilliantly captures the ship’s unique proto-X-wing theme and reminds us just how talented those prequel designers were.
Do-it-yourself projects are more fun in LEGO-form, such as this detailed painting-themed render by _spacehopper_. The cabinetry, refrigerator, and sink look attractive in this kitchen, complete with a mouth-watering turkey. (Who makes a turkey and paints the kitchen at the same time?) Someone has been busy painting but is noticeably absent. A ladder sits to the side, and the fan is running to help with ventilation. Meanwhile, the paint roller sits abandoned on the counter top, dripping white paint on the floor. No drop cloths or trays are there to catch anything. Perhaps our missing painter is a novice, realized he was in-over-his-head, and drove to the hardware store for the missing supplies.
Fresh from the Disney town of Duckburg, here’s Little Helper, built from bricks by Oliver Becker. Eccentric inventor Gyro Gearloose’s automaton assistant makes for a delightful LEGO character — using ribbed metallic hoses for limbs is a perfect choice, and cockpit parts for the robot’s lightbulb head are simple yet effective. I find it wonderful how such a model, put together from relatively few pieces, can embody so much character. It’s down, in no small part, to the care taken in posing the model for photography, getting the curves of the back and limbs just right. The dangling feet are spot-on, as is the thoughtful angle of that transparent cranium. Lovely.
Do you call the University of Colorado Boulder (UC) your alma mater? If so, you might recognize this LEGO version of the Koenig Alumni Center, built by Imagine Rigney as a permanent display at the center. The Alumni Center hosts events like graduation ceremonies, weddings, retreats, and memorial services. Imagine Rigney did extensive research, using original photographs and blueprints to guide his build. The finished product looks both lively and colorful, packed full of fun details for CU alumni to enjoy.
See more details of this LEGO model of the Koenig Alumni Center
Sometimes I wish I could water my LEGO collection, give it some sunlight, and watch it grow. After harvesting the bricks, I would build this beautiful garden centre designed and rendered by Bricked1980. It fits right in with the LEGO Group’s existing series of modular buildings. The builder has made excellent use of color, with vibrant green vines and shrubbery set against the architecture’s earth tones and white trim. I particularly like the sunflower hanging above the entrance, as well as the use of lime green minifigure afro hair for topiary bushes
Click to see more details about Bricks & Blooms
What is serenity? One definition — perfection of form, coupled with a strong and simple colour scheme. That’s exactly what we’ve got in this temple building by jaapxaap. The standout feature is the purple and gold roof, adorned with beautifully shaped corners and nicely offset tiling. Don’t miss how the shaping flows perfectly around the golden decorative elements, almost as if they were designed to fit the spaces, rather than the other way around. The stark grey structure is striking and forms a robust backdrop to the ornate roofing. There’s nice landscaping and foliage, along with some minifigures, placed around the model, but the colour choices are perfect — complementing, never distracting, from the model’s central subject.
When you think of the classic American car there’s a good chance you’ll be dreaming about the Series 62 Cadillac. This large scale LEGO version built by Robson M is a brick-perfect rendition of an automobile icon. As in real life it’s all about the lines, which have been perfectly formed here, with special attention being given to the emblematic fins.
Incorporating full interior, opening doors and trunk, the model is a love letter to vintage Americana, and one of the finest LEGO Cadillacs I’ve seen.
ALF, short for Alien Life Form, was a sitcom that ran in the ‘80s for almost 100 episodes. ALF comes from the planet Melmac, and throughout the series, he longs for the taste of savoring the family cat as a meal, since cats are the equivalents of our cattle in his home planet. The instantly recognizable ALF is covered with brown fur and has a rippled snout, which means being built with LEGO bricks is not an easy feat to pull off, but it’s executed nicely by Marcel V for this scene. The core and atmosphere from the series are captured quite nicely with the familiar pastel-themed walls and TV stage prop windows with horizontal shutters in the foreground and part of a refrigerator at the back.
