Admittedly, I’ve never seen a Yigg before now, and can’t confirm that they exist outside of the LEGO hobby. But I do know an excellent Bionicle creation when I see one, and I trust Jarek Książczyk (jerac) when it comes to questions of cryptozoology. With an array of bright colors and a trisected mandible, the Yigg looks to be a mighty beast of the land… or sea… or maybe skies?
In the world of Pokémon, there are few stories as sad as that of Cubone. And LEGO builder Redverse has poured all that lonely energy into a beautiful build of this pocket monster. Sporting a helm of bone, and a club of the same, Cubone is ready to unleash its infamous Bone Club attack. The Magnemite of Route 10 had better watch out!
For a planet best known for its hives of scum and villainy and unforgiving climate, Tatooine boasts a remarkable variety of large animal life, from humble Womp Rats (not much bigger than two meters), to enormous and deadly Krayt Dragons. Builder Maximillian Bricks has recreated several of Tatooine’s charismatic megafauna in LEGO and the results are adorable. For instance, this pair of mounts from Disney Plus outings shows Obi-Wan and his Eopie, plus Boba Fett riding a Bantha as an honorary Sandperson. Flatulence and blue milk, not included.
I write this from my hotel room, having just packed up all my LEGO builds at BrickCon 2024 this past weekend. Of the many highlights this year was the headlining presence of longtime attendee and TBB alum Simon Liu. As per usual, a contingent of plastic frogs tend to follow Simon wherever he travels. And this year, an army of his robotic hoppers arrived in this beautiful carrier on the convention floor. There were so many that a miniature version of this robo-amphibian jumped right into my crate as I was packing up my creations (as also happened to may other BrickCon attendees). Thank you very much, Simon!
The 2024 Olympics brought many of the best b-boys and b-girls to Paris for the sport’s inaugural games, but it was Australia’s Rachael “Raygun” Gunn who captured the internet’s attention with her unconventional breaks. Rickard Stensby captures Raygun’s signature kangaroo hop in LEGO. Building tube-limbed dancers in kinetic poses is something of a specialty with Rickard, so even if Raygun’s breaks aren’t jam, you’ll find plenty of LEGO dancers in other styles in his feed.
Such is the size and scope of the cyberpunk New Hashima collaborative project, we’re still seeing new LEGO builds from it that pop up several months after it made its debut. Gus (Faëbricks) showed off a little Octan fuel truck back in spring that caught my eye. And now, it comes with a helping hand in the form of this neat hoverbarge! It reminds me of chain ferries that you might find linking two sides of a river or harbour. And that in itself is no mean feat: balancing the recognisable features of contemporary life with sci-fi elements, while its purpose remains clear. The same could be said for the truck, for that matter. Masterful design, Gus!
If you need a place to say a prayer to the ghost in the shell or the god in the machine, look no further than this LEGO cyber-punk temple by Liu Di Kai! This holy site borrows pieces from a bunch of different LEGO action product lines. The building on the right is decorated with the heads of the Hero Factory villain Xplode, the swords higher up on that tower have been a staple of Ninjago since 2021, and the swords above the statue are from Monkie Kid 2023. Speaking of the statue, this one is modeled after Avalokiteśvara who was given eleven heads by Amitābha – in this case borrowed from C-3PO. What would you pray for at this statue? A sword? Cyber-shoes? I’d want some extra arms to play drums with!
Like moths to a flame, many LEGO builders are drawn to the fresnel lens glow of lighthouses for inspiration. Hugo Huang answered the foghorn’s siren call and recreated a historic Lighthouse found on a tiny island outside Tsingtao (Qingdao) Harbor. First established by the Germans in 1900, the lighthouse was destroyed and rebuilt by the Japanese 14 years later during the Siege of Tsingtao. If you know Tsingtao as a beer, it was those Germans who founded the brewery there back in 1903, who then sold it to the Japanese post-siege, who in turn transferred ownership to the Chinese after WWII. Oops, I got stuck in the history rabbit hole. Back to LEGO! The octagonal tower is flanked by residence buildings with red clay rooftops recreated with cheese slopes. Hugo puts a vintage LEGO pirate ship mast to great use as a flagpole. Hugo pairs the building with a lightship, a vessel equipped with a lighthouse-style lantern used when a land-based lighthouse wasn’t an option.
If you too want to marry be a LEGO lighthouse keeper and live by the side of a sea, the official Motorized Lighthouse is charming, or you can take Hugo’s approach and bring a bit of history to life in bricks.
Mushrooms seem so small and innocent when they pop up on the forest floor, but down in the soil, their mycelium roots make up a vast network that connects plants and fungus in ways that humans are just starting to understand. Builder Margit explores the secret life of mycelium in LEGO form with a dramatic interpretation of this subterranean world where a forest spirit sacrifices its body to connect mushrooms and tree roots. Margit’s staging is quite striking, using clear supports to suspend the model and let the roots and network shine. The mycelium spirit is beautifully shaped, especially its rounded belly and haunting face.
One thing you should know about the LEGO community is that certain animals have something of a cult following in brick form. The crab craze has been well-documented in our TBB archives, for instance. But another favourite is the humble frog. This one comes in all shapes and sizes, from the little green frog piece to more life-sized models like Áron Gerencsér‘s latest amphibian. Áron is a bit of a don when it comes to Bionicle and other ‘constraction’ figure pieces, so it’s little surprise to see them used to such good effect here. The blending of organic shapes is practically seamless. This li’l guy looks about ready to jump off the screen!
And yes – the frogs, too, have their own Brothers Brick archive. Hop on over to have a look!
We’ve seen a lot of impressive LEGO takes on the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered one as perfect at minifig scale as this take from twin brothers Brandon and Taylor. The micro model packs in 41 LEGO elements and manages to capture the biomechanical menace of Giger’s design despite being smaller than a juvenile newt. The designers were generous enough to share the instructions so that you too can dabble in creating the perfect organism.
Click to see the instructions!
Walls were an essential part of medieval life. You could send your protagonist there to defend from the coming winter, you can blow raspberries and throw chickens from them, and they offered great views of the moat. In a pinch, they could even hold off invading armies. This LEGO medieval wall from builder n.o.l.d.o.r is a beautiful bit of brickwork, it would be a shame to see it besieged. I’m in awe of the subtle textures on the brickwork, where slightly recessed sections of wall allow SNOT tiles to stay flush. The tall wooden parapets are gorgeous. Even the patch of landscaping is a masterclass on subtle shaping.
n.o.l.d.o.r continues the wall’s story on the other side, with even more impressive brickwork. The green and black banner again uses the trick of recessed bricks to create the illusion of a thin surface. The mix of minifigs adds drama and hints at a larger fantasy world of goblins and elves co-existing with humans. Those halberds with ice skates as axe blades are truly wicked designs.
