With the resurgent interest in the Classic Space theme thanks to The LEGO Movie 2’s new range of retro sets, it only seems fitting that we celebrate these intrepid astronauts’ achievements. Builder Frost’s luminous mosaic is the perfect tribute, capturing the moment the LEGO flag is planted on alien soil.
However, there’s another side to this build. Take a look at the image from the side and it reveals another world. Continue reading
Before there was the Game Boy, Nintendo was making Game & Watch devices. It is said that back in 1979, the inventor was on a bullet train watching a bored businessman playing with his calculator, which inspired him to create an LCD gaming device to kill time. From then on and right through the ’80s this silhouette of Mr. Game & Watch has been embedded into many of our brain cells. This 2D silhouette made by Logan W with various LEGO elements may not be perfect, but it definitely is close enough to transport us back in time.
While they sometimes get a bad rap, vultures are incredible animals. These threatened and endangered birds hold a very important place in the ecosystem. They help to prevent the spread of disease as they scavenge for carcasses. Their heads are bald because it’s actually a cleaner way to eat. This build by Jens Ohrndorf caught my eye because of the way he used the parts to create that iconic vulture look. The elbow pieces and Technic gears that make up their necks are perfect. Altogether with the skeleton, it’s a really cute little build.
Another fun fact: vultures don’t necessarily circle because they see a dead or dying animal below. They’re pretty big and heavy as far as birds go, and it takes a lot of energy to flap around long enough to spot food. So they use their massive wingspan to their advantage by letting circular warm air currents carry them up as high as they can get, and then gently soar back down. Very little energy wasted. Efficient, eh?
If you like this build, you should check out Jens’ entire collection of animals, including his rhino, mole, and bison.
Skyrim players the world over know the joy of a well-timed FUS RO DAH! The iconic shouted spell will blast your enemies, and if you time it just right, as in this scene by Victor, the results can be spectacular. This also happens to be the perfect use for LEGO’s new power burst elements from various Superhero sets, showing the blastwave emanating from the Dragonborn. Also not to be missed is the use of the tree-costume element as the tree’s trunk. Despite the obvious application, this is actually the first time I’ve seen a good tree made with that element.
It seems as though building a scene set in the year 2049 is the thing to do these days, no doubt in part because of the new Bladerunner film. However, this scene by Eddy Plu depicting Tokyo in the year 2049 has some great elements that set it apart from the crowd. Usually when building LEGO scenes, builders tend to focus on the background, and rarely is there anything in the foreground. But here, the Eddy has added some leaves and other objects to the foreground, giving the scene a higher degree of depth and making it much more interesting to admire.
Also, don’t overlook the cracked and uneven street, which makes it seem like either an explosion or an earthquake has happened in the future, and the nice curve the sidewalk and buildings situated on it seems to follow suit in looking precarious.
This green monster by Mitch Phillips look tough enough to tackle anything, thanks to a heavy layer of armor plating. It’s a fitting LEGO element to use as armor, since that was its original purpose. However, it was originally designed to clad two-legged characters rather than creatures like this. Look closely at the upper legs, too, for they’re actually sea monster heads from the oft-overlooked Alpha Agents theme.
Builder W. Navarre takes us to a Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy world with this lovely vignette of a royal apartment. What’s striking as much as the excellent agglomeration of official LEGO stickers is the use of worn, dirty bricks to lend an ancient, chiseled look to the walls. Most builders eschew such bricks except as hidden filler, but scenes like this remind us that there’s a use for nearly anything if you’re clever enough.
The cube is one of the most basic 3D shapes and the building block (pun intended) of many LEGO models. Two different creators have recently drawn inspiration from the cube with wonderfully diverse results. The first model is a plucky little robot by Markus Rollbühler which combines teal and dark red elements in stark contrast. There are two nice parts used in the arms: a minifig torso armor part, and the torso of a B1 battle droid for the hand. The new printed eye tile from the recent LEGO Harry Potter 75950 – Aragog’s Lair gives the eye an unexpected look.
The next model is this floating star-fighter (coincidentally, also with one eye) by Anthony Wilson and was created for a building competition called Space Jam. But there is more to this model than meets the eye. This star-fighter transforms with a flip of the black guns on either side of the ship.
This fanciful LEGO creation by Martin Redfern was inspired by the concept art of Ian McQue. I like how the front hook seems to be holding the truck aloft (although the delightful greebles in the back are more likely culprits for the vehicle’s propulsion system). The grays and browns give this build a lived-in vibe, but they are nicely balanced by the vibrant red.
Originally built in 2016, this model was one of the inaugural models displayed in the Masterpiece Gallery of the LEGO House. We’re glad to see it back together again after a rough return flight.
Are you ready for The LEGO Movie 2? We know builder yu chris is, because he’s already built an amazing spaceship for Emmet, and has captured the spirit of the master builder perfectly. Seriously, if someone had told me this model were actually the main spaceship in the movie, I’d believe it. It’s made of five smaller ships from their own themes which come together to form the letter E.
The smaller ships are, clockwise from the left, Metalbeard’s Seacow 2.0, Emmet’s Construction Ship, Unikitty & Lucy’s Aircraft, Benny’s Spaceship, and Batman’s Batwing. Each ship is invested with its pilot’s aesthetic, but can pull together like Voltron and form a super ship to fight the powers of Duplo. Side note: check out that awesome backdrop.
When we think of medieval LEGO creations, we most often see grand castles of all shapes and sizes. And I’m not complaining per se, but I do love it when someone brings us a more uncommon scene. Wine is a classic medieval beverage for kings, queens, and knights alike, and thanks to Guido Martin-Brandis we can see winemaking in the brick. The builder has incorporated almost every stage of winemaking into this single build. The process of planting and growing the grape vines, and the ripening of the grapes themselves is shown in full, with the grapes represented by different colored cherry pieces on the vines. Behind the vineyards you can spot a bare-legged peasent having a grand old time crushing the grapes with his feet, which I certainly hope he washed before he started.
Around the back of the aging house (with its thatched roof made with minifigure hands) we can see the bottles and barrels of aged wine being shipped off to market via horse carriage, the ending to the story depicted by this excellent diorama.
Long before they became fashionable manors for showy wealth, a castle was a stronghold that needed to withstand sieges and bombardment. So it helps that this 21,000-piece LEGO castle by Corvus Auriac MOCs is located on an island and bespeckled with the hallmarks of defensive works. There’s a gatehouse over the entry that’s just perfect for pouring hot oil on unwanted guests, and tall towers with archery loopholes for snipers. And even though the castle is flecked with bricks of varying textures and colors, it comes together visually to give a unified appearance. The dark brick corners and black roofs lend an ominous air, and the smoke rising from the chimney makes me uneasy to learn who the inhabitants are of this seemingly deserted fortress.
