Anyone up for a burger and a milkshake? That’s what you’ll surely be asking after studying this fun LEGO diner build by Maxx Davidson. It’s a simple build, but it’s instantly recognizable. And let’s talk about the great parts usage: Wolverine claws for French fries, candles for condiment bottles, and baseball bats for the base of the stools. Enjoy! Just make sure to use the 1×2 tile napkin to clean up after yourself. We don’t bus your tables around here.
When I first saw Eli Willsea‘s epic LEGO diorama “Into Dungeon Depths,” it took my breath away. The epic vertical scale, the mix of colors and form, and the aura of foreboding make this one of the most striking works from one of our favorite builders. The cross section of the burrowing wyrm skeleton is the star attraction; the way its snaking body weaves around stones and intersects with the geometric stairs must have been an incredible building challenge, but the results are magical. Eli does impressive work with the lighting as well, both through the color gradation of bricks as the stairs descend, and through an ominous red glow coming from the dungeon floor. What will the three minifig adventurers find at the end of their descent, I wonder…?
“Into Dungeon Depths” is Eli’s entry into the Stairway Stories category of the Summer Joust contest. See why we loved his previous entry too.
While not all LEGO fans have embraced Bionicle, there’s no denying that for a generation of builders, Bionicle was a gateway to both a world of construction and deep lore. For a recent collaboration between top Bionicle builders in the community, participants re-imagined characters from Bionicle Generation 2 utilizing the latest constraction techniques. We were especially struck by the pair of Ekimu and Makuta, The Mask Makers, as designed by Toni A.
Toni cites Dark Souls and H.R. Giger as influences, which might seem an aesthetic jump for Bionicle, but perfectly fits the lore of these bio-machine gods. Ekimu, wearing the Mask of Creation, is the culmination of 3 years of iteration from Toni and the effort shows with some of the most impressive dark fantasy sculpting I’ve ever seen in a character. Makuta, wearing the Mask of Control (inverted), came together quicker and perfectly compliments his brother with a devilish Victorian aesthetic.
The term “shrimp” doesn’t typically evoke an image of a fearsome creature, but what if you combined the obscure and dangerous Peacock Mantis Shrimp with a Dragon? Lego builder, and imaginative creator, Joss Ivanwood, who takes pride in designing and building “dragons, robots, monsters, and more,” has merged the otherworldly mantis shrimp with a dragon. The use of bright colors, combined with what can only be assumed is an expert-level application of LEGO Technic joints, transforms a fish’s nightmare into a vibrant and imaginative reality.
Construction vehicle kingpin Beat Felber is on a roll with functional LEGO models of the heaviest of heavy equipment. Riding right behind his impressive Terex Unit Rig comes another massive earthmover, the Champion 100-T Grader at 1/28.5 scale. The largest vehicle of its type to see general production, only 10 of these 100-ton machines were made by the Canadian manufacturer.
As with most of Beat’s builds, this model utilizes a suite of power functions to mirror the functionality of the real machine. Five motors control the blade alone, ensuring a clean shave grade. The rear bogies and front axles oscillate independently guaranteeing all 6 wheels maintain ground contact.
Here at The Brothers Brick we always admire builders who can fuse a personal passion with the possibility of LEGO, and once again Beat Felber has pushed LEGO potential with a scale model that achieves photo-accurate looks without skimping on functionality.
Nostalgia bomb, incoming. This delightful build from Jonah Schultz is three things in one: a tribute to timeless preschool toys, an homage to the ubiquitous I Spy puzzle books from the ’90s and a showcase of an Iron Builder‘s ingenuity with LEGO bricks. There are so many details to love, from the perfectly proportioned BRIO trains in primary colors to the wonderful debossed lettering on the alphabet blocks, to the judicious use of specialized elements like the Bellville teddy bear, Duplo balls, and Race Car Guy accessory to complement the studs-free build. The most impressive feat of all is how the seed part – baseball bat in silver – is incorporated into the build as train axles, domino pips, and a camera button. And it’s a hidden object puzzle! Can you spy all of the secrets hidden in the picture?
Tokyo-3, an alternate history version of the metropolis, is defended from attacking monstrosities called Angels by giant mechs with a single pilot. Marco De Bon enjoys building LEGO scenes including these mechs with sections of the fortified city. We previously featured two other Neon Genesis Evangelion blocks showcasing unit-00 and unit-01. But now unit-02 joins the line-up! The mech is skillfully built to hide any obvious LEGO joints. He straddles a highway that uses transparent blue window panes for force fields. Gold stud-shooters make the perfect rooftop machinery in the foreground.
“In a mystical chamber adorned with an array of glass jars, bubbling potions, ancient scrolls, tomes, and exotic flora, the air is thick with the scent of arcane knowledge and potent enchantments.” So begins Syrdarian‘s description of their spellbinding LEGO herbalist’s workspace. Everything you need to cast a spell or heal a malady is right here in piles and stacks, from the crystals on the floor to the jars on the shelves and the cut flowers on the worktable. Boxes and baskets of berries and flowers sit next to the staircase, while tomes of arcane lore rest where they can be readily perused.
The herbalist’s hobbies clearly range beyond plant lore, judging by the lute carefully placed against the wall and the pie and sweets tucked away on a shelf. Joining the herbalist are three different frogs, a rubber ducky, and a hungry mouse. The plates and brick elements in the wall (along with wands for the spindly table legs) give the dwelling a lived-in, ramshackle appearance. And lastly, we can’t fail to remark upon the clever way the windowpanes are formed—minifig hands in several colors.
While you can’t buy buy buy official Deadpool & Wolverine Brickheadz from the LEGO group, mutant and merc fan Shipmaster steps up with fan variants that are too perfect to be pruned by the TVA. The headlining movie heroes are joined by lesser known fan favorite Gwenpool, who shares Deadpool’s meta superpowers (if not his penchant for blood and vulgarity). Shipmaster does a stellar job matching the characters’ comics appearances without skimping on LEGO skill. Binoculars make for the perfect ammo belt around Wade’s waist, and Wolverine’s “ears” nail the X-Men ’97 costume look, but my favorite technique is the log on Logan’s display stand.
No boat has stirred a nation’s pride like Canada’s Bluenose. Built in 1921, the Nova Scotia-based fishing and racing schooner won the International Fisherman’s Cup in its maiden year, and 17 years later came out of retirement to win its last-ever competition in a nailbiter of a grudge match. Builder Moptoptrevpays tribute with a detailed model in LEGO of the ship, or rather its replica successor, the Bluenose II, which sails to this day as Nova Scotia’s ambassador of the seas. moptoptrev does a great job shaping the schooner’s hull in dark red and matching the original’s rigging.
It’s a lovely ship – no wonder it inspired “Canada’s finest stamp” — also commemorated in LEGO!
To say that this year’s release of LEGO Ideas 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale has had an impact on the LEGO fan community might be the understatement of the year. D&D remains as popular as ever in the role-playing game community, and the joining of a custom-made game with custom-made LEGO models delights all kinds of builders. One of those builders, Luis Saladrigas of LEGO Masters US Season 4, has gone above and beyond with an epic creation depicting a fantasy campaign. Check out the whole thing below, but be sure to read on for tons of details as well.
Check out more details in this massive creation below!
The Albatross multi-atmospheric carrier ship is a brutalist beast of aerospace engineering dreamed up by concept artist Theo Stylianides and recreated here in LEGO by Vitus Barth. The massive dual-colored wings look incredible and pose quite a structural challenge for the builder. Vitus does a great job matching the form of his inspiration while making some creative choices with color that enhance the build as a LEGO model, such as making the top of the craft in tan and using black for the impressive “orbit breaker” thrusters and intakes.
We first featured Vitus’ work back in 2007 and it’s great to see he’s still creating and sharing amazing sci-fi builds.