Soviet engineers were people with great imagination. Of course, at that time they didn’t have access to LEGO bricks, but even today their peculiar projects look awesome in plastic. Polish builder Ciamosław Ciamek presents Ushakov’s Flying Submarine — a hybrid of a military airplane and a submarine. Not only does it sound cool, it also looks cool. It’s gray, cold and bizarre even for an ambitious Soviet project.
Lee Young has nailed it with these super-cute chibi Mobile Police Patlabor mecha models. Despite the dinky scale and super-deformed proportions, these guys still have an impressive chunky heft about them. They look like they’d just relish the opportunity to suppress your street protest.
Lee has been building a few mecha figures at this scale recently. Check out this pretty damn awesome rendition of Optimus Prime using your local downtown for cover…
I’ve been inspired lately to build some near-future space vehicles, and so I’ve got at least a couple of vessels in the works. But the first step of space travel is always getting off the planet. This space shuttle, the Indefatigable, is designed to carry payloads to orbit, where they can be assembled into a much larger craft. The shuttle is designed for undergoing the rigors of liftoff, while a vessel capable of interplanetary travel may not be.
I generally avoid using stickers, often not even applying them to official models. However, this model really needed a tiny detail for the cockpit, and there’s no way to achieve that with bricks, since the area is just too small. So, a few carefully cut official LEGO stickers work well to mimic cockpit windows.
…Unless a vintage tractor is a supercar for you. DB_Kit Fisto entered the latest Build the Porsche of your Dreams contest not at full speed, but definitely with class. His massive tractor is a scaled replica of the Porsche Super from 1960s. That was the time of truly beautiful agricultural machinery, much more elegant than the modern!
The design of this vehicle is simply fantastic thanks to amazing combinations and connections of System and Technic pieces. My favorite part is that small technic corner panel above the front axle placed right among regular plates and slopes. This is how you build a Super tractor!
If Carl Sandberg had lived to see the skyscrapers of modern Chicago, I’m sure he would have been no less proud of his city than he was when he wrote his poem “Chicago” more than a hundred years ago. Rocco Buttliere has captured the Chicago skyline in LEGO with this substantial group of microscale buildings, including the John Hancock Center. The looming, iconic buildings certainly dominate the skyline, but I love the smaller buildings and landscaping that Rocco has included, like the Lookinglass Theatre building and the Seneca Playlot Park. My favorite LEGO building, though, is 900 North Michigan with lovely green glass.
As fantastic as the buildings look in the photo above, I love this top-down look — as though you’re flying over in a helicopter.
See lots more photos in Rocco’s photostream on Flickr.
It’s a question for the ages: which yellow cartoon character do you side with? Wise-cracking SpongeBob Squarepants, the most anthropomorphic sponge to live under the sea? One of Gru’s Minions, an adorable comedy sideshow who manages to steal the limelight? Or Pikachu, the elusive and beloved Pokemon? Takamichi irie decided to build all three, so you can see how the LEGO versions stack up. Cast your votes in the comments!
Some talented folks over at Forest Fire Films decided to recreate the Suicide Squad teaser trailer in LEGO, and it’s great — though if the early reviews are anything to go by, it may even be better than the actual film! Jared Leto’s deranged Joker is even more creepy as a minifigure, but it’s doubtful we’ll ever see any official LEGO Super Heroes sets based on the film, which opens today.
Kids, the key to a really great photo-realistic mosaic is to build big, using simple colors. Oh, and make sure you choose an extremely cool character. Let me tell you, nobody is cooler than Sir Michael Caine. If you only know him as Alfred in the Nolan Batman trilogy, or as Austin Powers’ “fahjah,” you are missing out on one of the hippest cats in the history of British cinema. David Hughes has captured an iconic photograph from 1965, 5 years before Caine finally quit smoking.
My office at work looks across Lake Washington toward Seattle, and I spent much of the morning and afternoon distracted by F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets of the US Navy Blue Angels acrobatic team as they roared past my window. When I saw the predominantly blue and yellow color scheme of this excellent X-shaped fighter plane by Thomas W., I was immediately reminded of the Blue Angels. But with the double gull wings and large propellor, the real-world US Navy fighter that Thomas’s design truly evokes is the Vought F4U Corsair from World War II — one of my favorite aircraft of all time. The yellow stripe on the leading edge of the wings is lovely, and the white accents give the whole plane a more modern look for some reason.
Semi trucks are quite fascinating, really. These modern day work horses are integral to global infrastructure. We share the road with them every day. They’re huge!
Chris Rozek gives us this fantastic truck and trailer, in bright red.
Great, isn’t it? Let’s take another look:
This tiny hauler is an excellent example of a micro-esque scale vehicle. It’s very well done and deceptive with scale, until you have something to compare it to.
Finally! After seeing others build Batman a LEGO batcave and Joker a LEGO funhouse, someone finally built Catwoman a secret home to call her very own. That someone is Jenn Lee and her kitty-friendly creation is purrfect! After all, what Catwoman lair would be complete without a 70s-style Catwoman costume, an entire wardrobe of sparkly capes, wigs, and handbags, and, of course, a boiling pit of lava to dispose of your enemies? I’m not sure if Batman and Robin were invited or decided to pop by unannounced for a visit, but either way, it seems they’ve overstayed their welcome.
Rarely does one think of smooth curves when discussing Lego. While the 2×4 red brick may be the most famous piece, its the new age parts that are turning the corner on what Lego can become. Utilizing parts from the Bionicle and Constraction lines, designer Tremah has sculpted Lego for the future in the form AD.AM, an awe inspiring robotic being. Sleek, form fitted, and futuristic white coloring, AD.AM is surely ready to become the prime example of what Lego bots have and will become. The future is now people!
