If you are going to build a giant bubble gum-coloured leviathan, you absolutely want to showcase its serpentine movement. This was builder Jayfa’s intention when designing this mythical beast, which is its second iteration in a quest for greater poseability. Abandoning Bionicle connections for more traditional LEGO bricks and ratchet joints he has created a more substantial looking, fully posable monster that twists and turns without additional support. Add to this some neat part use in the form of the threaded bricks to create its flexed tail, and conical Ninjago hats to suggest cheeks for its maw, and you have a perfectly realised beast.
Now that is just showing off!
Category Archives: Models
Would you dare to join this den of dino-riders?
Some of my fondest childhood memories revolved around dreaming about dinosaurs. In the late 1980s, Tyco indulged me with prehistoric playthings in the form of Dino-Riders, and I pined for a world where I too could ride a triceratops. These memories came flooding back when I saw Jme Wheeler’s series of builds depicting his own dino-riding universe. Jme brings each setting to life with some excellent scenery, but he has also gone one step further by creating backstories for each scene. This particular build depicts the relationship between Gunther the fisherman and Cornelius the Carnosaurus, who was rescued by as a juvenile by a once-lonely Gunther. What’s particularly excellent is how Jme used brick-built water to make it look like Cornelius is drinking water, although I would imagine his presence sends fish into a frenzy.
Click to see the rest of the dino scenes
Run silent, run deep
Digital LEGO models can be a polarising topic — many people would say it’s not “real building”. Strictly-speaking, they’re correct, but occasionally a CGI image comes along which demands attention for its imaginative construction without being a wish-list model of unavailable pieces in rare colours. This stylish and minimalist vision of submarine warfare by Mark B. is a cracker, rendered or not. The microscale ship and submarine models are nicely put together, but it’s the colour choices that set the tone and make this look so cool. I’d love to have this hanging on my wall as an art piece.
The lovely architecture of a quiet manor
It almost sounds like a realty listing, but this is indeed a fine bit of LEGO architecture. In real life, it seems they don’t make houses (or manors) like this anymore. The creator, Tammo S., is an impressive builder with a lot of specialization in nifty parts usage. While he often uses his skill to create gorgeous lines on his many spaceships, he also has a keen eye for architecture.
Some of my favorite areas are the accents and trim around the door and windows, as well as that thick trim around the top. Oh, and don’t forget those flower pots overflowing with unique plants. Truly lovely work. I can’t wait for a tour inside!
Antonov An 225 confirmed for landing
Sometimes we get so caught up with focusing on what complicated LEGO techniques and original ideas our next build will have, that we forget the most important things, like building something that simply looks good. And “simply” is the key word here. Jussi Koskinen‘s sunset landing and all its main components are mostly simple in their design, but come together as a breathtaking picture.
The landscaping is very nice, with different layers creating a forced perspective, which is really solidified by the frontmost layer. The plane has some really clever solutions, especially the inverted convex tiles (boat studs) to make the wingtips as elegant as possible. The real magic is in the lighting though, setting the serene evening feeling of coming back home from a business trip or a vacation.
Atmospheric recreation of Lady Proxima’s lair from Solo: A Star Wars Story
Builder Nooroyd demonstrates an exquisite cinematic approach in their take on Han Solo’s meeting with Lady Proxima from Disney’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. The creation’s photography captures the film’s beautiful blue-tinted realization of the planet Corellia, so well in fact, that on first inspection you might be fooled into thinking it a piece of lost concept art. However, look closer and you begin to see fantastic LEGO details like the fanned brick built entrance to the tunnel to the left of the picture, or the cleverly selected brick separator and Technic steering rack elements on the back wall.
Imprisoned in dreams of terrors
This Medusa-like character is eerie and sinister while at the same time beautiful and terrifying. One can only wonder what would inspire Timofey Tkachev to build such an unsettling mythical creature. The curvature on the female form and its detailing through the careful parts usages for the eyes and lips amplifies the realism. What draws the viewer to the scene subconsciously is the impressive effort of tessellation with steering wheels that complements the scene.
Petuna the candy-crushing pixie
Cute and deadly: Djokson’s Petunia the Pummeler Pixie ticks both boxes. This little creation reveals some inspirational part usage, particularly in the way it reimagines the old banded cones, often used as wind socks in LEGO airport sets, as the pixie’s striped stockings. Piling on more kawaii details in the form of a sweet LEGO Friends bow on her top and a Clikits heart in her pigtails completes the wonderfully destructive candy aesthetic.
Deep in the forest, a magical and mysterious abode awaits...
A fantastic piece of fantasy just popped up in the form of the home of the white lotus priestess by jaapxaap. Jaapxaap’s use of a wide variety of angles and bright colors help create a building that feels both wonderfully organic and magical. I wouldn’t have thought of doing a purple roof, but it works really well here and compliments the orange and brown hues of the surrounding terrain. A number of fun little details can be spotted in this build, including wild looking toadstools, a brilliant brick-built stork, and plenty examples of the priestess’ signature flower. You will even find a small porch with a telescope, perfect for any astrologer.
A mini sci-fi city that’s a step above the rest
I have a bit of a soft spot for builders that really build a bit of everything. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with building only spaceships, or trains, or architecture, I enjoy building in many themes/styles. I’m not always great at it, but I like being versatile, and it’s cool to see the work of others who do it really well. Micah Beideman is one of them. You may recognize the name from another recent and completely different creation we covered.
The unique sci-fi city is a mass of intriguing buildings. The architecture is designed with a clever use of a very wide range of parts, including several minifig accessories. It’s definitely one you have to zoom in on to really see and appreciate every detail. The most impressive aspect is the layering of tightly bound treads that make up the floating, stair-step groundwork for the city.
Having fun for charity at Bricktastic Manchester 2018 [News]
Little more than a week ago, I had the pleasure of attending Bricktastic, in Manchester, England. It is a somewhat different kind of event than ones I’ve attended before: not organised by a regular LEGO Users Group or with a commercial goal, but run by and on behalf of Fairy Bricks. This is a UK Charity that donates LEGO to children in hospitals.
Bricktastic was a two-day public event, that attracted LEGO builders from all over the UK, as well as sizeable contingent from Ireland and small numbers of builders from other countries, including Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands. UK professional LEGO building company Bright Bricks are one of the sponsors of the event and they brought along a collection of “Mythical Beasts” including a stunning seven-headed hydra built using roughly 200,000 bricks, that greeted visitors near the entrance and surely was one of the highlights of the show. During set-up I got to whack some bits of the hydra into place with a mallet, which is certainly not a sentence I ever expected to write.
A 200,000 brick model of a hydra built by Bright Bricks
Bricktastic ticked all the boxes. The quality of the models on display was fantastic. Noteworthy is also that the exhibition room, at Manchester Central, was very nice: it was carpeted and surrounded by curtains. Because of this, the atmosphere was a lot cosier and quieter than is common in exhibition halls. Such a detail may seem unimportant, but imagine spending two days in a bare concrete box with harsh strip lighting and hundreds of excited children. That’s what you normally get an an exhibition hall. The public were wonderful. We didn’t even need barriers to protect the displays, which meant that everybody got a good view of the models and which made it easier to talk to people. The children could get creative themselves using large play areas. Fairy Bricks arranged the hotel for the exhibitors and organised a social program for both the Friday and Saturday evenings. Everyone seemed to have a great time and the proceedings went to a good cause. What more could you want?
See a few highlights and our extensive gallery
This prehistoric Polacanthus is dino-mite!
Dinosaurs are the name of the game today at TBB, so let’s take a trip to Western Europe and turn our clocks back to the Cretaceous period, because we’re going on a prehistoric safari to find Polacanthus! Polacanthus is Greek for “many thorns.” Vlad Lisin’s version of the herbivorous dinosaur lives up to its name because it looks quite sharp indeed. A mix of LEGO system and constraction elements are used to achieve a wonderfully organic looking dino. Polancanthus’ head is particularly stunning, thanks in part to a realistic-looking mouth achieved through the use of a battle droid torso and Ninjago snake skull helmet. This behemoth looks prepared to graze through some serious vegetation.
As you explore prehistoric past, don’t miss the fearsome Carnotaurus by Nathan Haseth.