With the release of the new Star Wars 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon it seems like everyone just lost their minds and interstellar space is now cluttered up with countless falcons. Miro Dudas makes a good point: why falcons and not a fox? Fox makes just as much sense as a falcon in intergalactic travel! So, why would you fly a piece of garbage when you can choose this fluffy orange beast?
It’s easy for LEGO builders to focus on the happy, shiny world of little plastic people surrounded by fake plastic trees, but builder Emil Lidé doesn’t shy away from making a powerful statement with his latest LEGO creation. Did you know that every piece of plastic ever produced (yes, including all the ABS that LEGO is made from) will continue to exist indefinitely in the environment? That there is a floating patch of trash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean hundreds of thousands of square kilometers in size? Emil uses LEGO as a medium to remind us of the impact that our modern lives have on the planet we live on.
As much as I love the message that Emil’s creation conveys, it’s also an excellent LEGO build on its own merits. The tranquil beach scene above the water contrasts harshly with the waste beneath the waves, from the usual tires and barrels to bicycles and even a washing machine.
Most people may not think so, but LEGO builders really are artists in their own right. The medium that they choose to express themselves in is simply tiny bricks instead of the traditional tools of oil and canvas that we see more often. The traditional approach of interlocking these bricks is the expected aspect of it, but a more unusual approach is the loose placement of bricks, such as this spread by city son.
This design is a breath of fresh air to the overdose that the Millennium Falcon is getting recently due to the largest set ever being released by the folks over at Billund (plus a couple of major contests inspired by the venerable freighter). What stands out with this piece of art is the colorful, celebratory effect showcasing the Falcon in flight. It almost looks like a splash of rainbow paint in pop-art style.
YouTuber Nico71 presents a LEGO Technic model of the iconic Warthog light recon vehicle from the Halo games. With working quad-wheel steering, RC controlled driving, rotating machine gun turret barrels, and suspension, his Hog truly is beauty and the beast. Watch these and many more impressive functions in the video below.
Nico’s Warthog is discussed in detail, with building instructions, on his blog.
YT-1740 is designed to be a fast and agile light freighter, only half the size of the Millennium Falcon and shaped like an arrowhead. Builder ZiO Chao has supplied her with three powerful engines and two pairs of long-range antenna on its sides. The builder points out that you may recognise features from other ships in the Star Wars franchise: The Defender-class light corvette from the Old Republic era, the Ghost from Rebels, and also Kylo Ren’s command shuttle from Episode VII. The red string pattern is a nod to Homeworld, and the shape of engine comes from the battleship of Gundam.
The detailed minifigure-scale interior has everything you could wish for — a medical room in case of inter-galactic mishaps, a meeting table for planning those all important missions and a crew resting area for a cold beer and a laugh about the latest crisis. The builder has put a handy label on the locations so that we don’t get lost finding the way to the bathroom at night.
While many lament the fact that LEGO no longer holds the SpongeBob SquarePants licence, it does open the door for builders to make up the difference. George Panteleon has done just that with a rather unusual build. Not only has the tiny character of Plankton been blown up into a much larger build, but there’s something strange going on if you zoom in.
Yes this Plankton is made up of 143 smaller Planktons, those being the official printed 1X1 cylinder bricks. There’s also good use of the Yavin 4 pieces from the Star Wars planet set.
There are times when a LEGO creation is futuristic because it is a spaceship, robot or another sci-fi element. There are other times, when the build itself is futuristic in its construction techniques and concepts. This spaceship by Nick Trotta is one of the cases when these two aspects intersect. LEGO creations keep evolving and advancing with time and this one is at the cutting edge for sure.
From complicated angles to unique solutions for round shapes, there is a lot to see on this little spacecraft. The best and most progressive parts, though, are the technical details like hoses and gears, carefully enclosed by surrounding panels. So many different colours would not look good in most cases, but Nick has balanced them into a pleasing colour scheme.
For more inquiring readers, the builder has a video showcasing his creation in detail.
Vince_Toulouse is a master at creating LEGO vehicles that combine an old-timey look with a futuristic style. The builder’s newest creation, the “Meteor 3x”, has a couple of great quirks. It’s inspired by an imaginary vehicle, the “Sonic Yellow,” and it makes use of a large Duplo part for the end of the smoke coming out of the pipes. Aside from that, the shaping of the main body is brilliantly smooth and the two-tone colour scheme really makes it stand out.
Kirill Mazurov has no mercy when it comes to motorization of his own builds. The latest Merlo ROTO Telehandler is just about 80 cm/31 inches long, but is fully packed with 14 Power Functions motors. There is literary nothing this monster isn’t capable of, not to mention his formidable telescopic hand which reaches the height of 83 cm/32 inches once fully extended.
It’s not hard to guess the major donor of pieces for this monstrosity was the glorious 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The fresh-looking curved 3 x 13 panels at the back of the body create very smooth curves, which can hardly be expected in such a heavy machine.
They say great minds think alike, but I’m sure it is much better when great minds think together. Last month Josh DaVid shared a mesmerising lawn mower kinetic sculpture. And now JK Brickworks gets into a game by upgrading Josh’s work with a figure from one of his own masterpieces, Sisyphus kinetic sculpture. The result is a very witty sketch of a modern day Sisyphus. Times has changes, so have the instruments, but not the human’s nature.
The video shared on Youtube is just 4:30 minutes long, but, no doubt, one can spend a whole day just watching this endless battle between the human and the nature.
This looks like it could have come straight from The LEGO Ninjago Movie. Titled “Master Wu’s Secret Hideout,” this temple-like structure by Lysander Chau is comprised of a nice mix of future Zen-type designs on the bottom third of the build and the remaining two floors are very classical Ninjago-ish themes. What makes it stand out a little more is its use of gold adornments — just enough to make it feel grand but at the same time homely. I’m beginning to wonder if Master Wu has a second job in order to afford such a luxurious abode.
There were a couple of things about Plants vs Zombies that kept me hooked to the game a little longer than it was probably supposed to – the mesmerizing and never-ending melody and seeing this particular reference to Michael Jackson in zombie form! Builder Hsinwei Chi beautifully captures the in-game version of Michael in full detail, including his signature one-handed white glove. The power of pop culture just makes me want to whip out my mobile device and take it for another spin!
Hit more to see a couple extra iconic poses!