I’m a fan of brick engineer Gerald Cacas, especially when he uses his magic sci-fi shrink ray gun. This time the target of his genius skills is none other than the latest Technic Bugatti Chiron. Shrinking it down to a 7-stud configuration while keeping all the details intact is what we all need to complete as a companion to the Speed Champions series.
See all the working features of this tiny Bugatti
Initiated by the National Heritage Board (NHB) of Singapore working with local brick artists, a recent project has recreated eight historically significant buildings in Singapore to showcase and remind people of the hidden gems amongst the modern city landscape. The eight showcases were built by Xylvie Wong, Eugene Tan, and Andy Goh and was part of the recent team from UNESCO Piece of Peace brick exhibition.
The Brothers Brick had a chance to speak to the trio, and let them share some insights on their journey and what goes on inside of a builder’s mind while recreating impressive large-scale structures like these.
From left are Andy Goh, Xylvie Wong, and Eugene Tan.
The original breakthrough that probably made everyone sit up and take notice that a costumed hero could not only make it to the big screen but make it great is Tim Burton’s 1989 film simply titled Batman. The sleek Art Deco-styled car was built with two Chevrolet Impala spliced together and powered with a Chevy V8. Popular Mechanics called this beast the Stealth Bomber with a ’68 Chevy combo. This LEGO built version by Dave Slater is my favourite representation the vehicle that made everyone believe that Michael Keaton could be Batman. It captures all the perfect angles and that sleek look, down to the turbine exhausts and the Rolls Royce Turbine hub front center.
The devil’s in the details of this remarkable LEGO creation by Barthezz Brick. Pulled straight from season three of Game of Thrones, this ramshackle pile of stones is Harrenhal, the cursed fortress that was once the largest castle in all of Westeros. Barthezz captured the eerie atmosphere of this ruin through the use of crumbling, mossy stonework, dilapidated wooden structures, and a muted color palette. The overall effect is magnificent.
Barthezz used approximately 20,000 bricks to recreate the scene where Brienne of Tarth is forced to fight a bear using only a fake wooden sword. Look closely and you’ll find countless wonderful details, like realistic trees and vines, House Bolton banners (featuring the flayed man), and even a mud-spattered Jamie Lannister (with his severed hand tied around his neck).
This LEGO Harrenhal looks great from all angles and the custom minifigures (complete with adorable, tiny fur capes) really bring this scene to life. Check out all the great details for yourself below.
See more pictures of this incredible castle
I’ve fallen in love with Camaro muscle cars ever since I first saw the updated version of the Transformer Bumblebee was brought to the big screen. This one’s not a mechanical life-form in disguise, but builder hachiroku24 has done quite good with the limited scale of this a red-hot car, and has even provided instructions. It will definitely be one to add to your car brick garage if you can gather the pieces to put it together.
Click to see the parts list and instruction video
Builder Eero Okkonen is a master of bringing characters to life in brick form. This construct is of Do-It-Yourself-Seraph, a character from the Magic: The Gathering game. I must admit the concept of having a Cyborg Angel as a gameplay character is quite an appealing combination. I love the technique of the windswept hair and downcast gaze giving the character a solemn and thoughtful appearance. Builders who choose to work with only LEGO elements have their challenges, especially for creating unusual characters like this, but it’s always helpful to be able to reach into Technic and Bionicle as Eero has done. If those wings look familiar to you, that’s because the came off a set from The Lord of the Rings theme, Pirate Ship Ambush (79008).
LEGO Technic cars like this Honda CRZ by Lachlan Cameron never cease to amaze me with their complexity. The build is chock full of excellent techniques, my favorite of which must be the headlights, which are accomplished using transparent black vehicle windscreens with chrome 2×2 dishes inside as the individual light reflectors.
Eagle-eyed viewers may notice what looks like red tape covering the roof and the hood of the car. This is likely because the technic panels used on these parts of the car were never produced in red, so red tape had to be used to make black ones match the overall color scheme–a simple and smart solution to the problem of part availability.
It’s always fun when we find builds that come with a little bit of a story. This scene, “Alliance Against the Invader,” by Jon Stead, is one of those builds. According to Jon, the year is 1178 and a medieval kingdom has been rocked by an object falling from the sky. A flaming saucer smashes into the forest and the alien invader it contains is ready to kill. Now it’s time for warring factions to come together to fight the beast and save the kingdom!
Click to see more of this war of worlds
This sleek craft by CK-MCMLXXXI is a study in symmetry. Not only left to right along the central axis, as is more common in spaceship design, but also top to bottom. It feels like that solid white canopy at the front, combined with that 45-degree wedge plate was the central element to inspire this design. Regardless of where the idea came from, this craft is jammed with great greebly bits in a variety of colors, some really nice connections, and plenty of curved elements that give the vessel a refined, yet functional look.
When it comes to Japanese art, one of the most iconic pieces produced during the late Edo period was Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” This masterpiece helped to inspire the character of Hatsusika Hokusai, found in the free-to-play role-playing-game (RPG) Fate/Grand Order. Mike Dung has made two versions of this character, including a cute chibi figure. In the chibi-build, Mike’s brick-built wave is instantly recognizable and beautiful representation of Hokusai’s artwork. The wave in the other model is cleverly built with several trans-light blue garage door pieces.
![[Fate Grand Order] Hatsusika Hokusai](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/28661791918_883c782a7a_b.jpg)
A marriage signifies two people coming together to build a shared future, and what better metaphor than building that future with LEGO bricks! After the rings and vows have been exchanged, it’s time for the couple to drive off into the sunset. Why not end the momentous occasion by getting behind the wheel of a luxurious antique car made by Pixeljunkie?
Pixeljunkie has made some wonderful cars in the past, but this one is probably my favorite. Elegant curves, custom chromed elements, and the white body feel inspired by a classic Rolls-Royce. For me, the icing on the cake includes the whitewall tires, velvet red interior upholstery, and the bugle elements as car horns. You can almost hear them let out a piercing “Ahoogah!”
In the West, the process of getting married is sometimes known as “getting hitched.” In Pixeljunkie’s case, his minfig couple and car are both getting hitched. In this case, it is the car getting hitched to a cute little trailer. Sounds like the honeymoon consists of some serious camping. Thankfully, the bride’s veil probably also doubles as a mosquito net.
Sometimes, a relatively simple build can have a big impact. This scene built by Lennart C and inspired by nature is a great example. This black widow spider looking to make a meal of a nearby fly is both beautiful and terrifyingly realistic, which is no easy accomplishment considering how few parts are involved. One of my favorite details is the simple choice of using that longer arm piece for the two back legs, giving the body a more pronounced slope. And speaking of the fly, only six parts are used, but the effect is perfect.
Just one warning. I wouldn’t stomp on this spider if I were you, it would probably hurt you more than the spider.