Not content with wowing us with his LEGO versions of Discworld characters, Eero Okkonen recently knocked us sideways with this excellent Samurai figure. The helmet armor’s “face” is particularly good, as is that awesome bird device on the chest. Magic stuff — now I want to see an opponent built for an epic shogun showdown.
Rick Bewier has built a fantastic LEGO brewery scene, complete with an old-school dray lorry picking up its next delivery. The truck itself is a nice little model, but what makes the scene for me is the excellent use of color in the building itself, and things like the sliding warehouse doors and the lights.
I work for a brewery “in real life” and so I appreciated the other touches Patrick has added. The roof is obviously pretty cool, but what I particularly liked was the chimney — a spot-on detail for a compelling recreation of a classic redbrick Victorian-era brewery.
Check out this fantastic Jungle Guardian Bionicle creation from Victor. I’m not normally much of a fan of Bionicle — I generally prefer my LEGO in the blockier variety. However, this is the sort of build which challenges my notions of what a “proper” LEGO model is made of. I love the sense of character and menace this bad boy carries alongside that sweet mace…
French builder Eric Druon‘s nostalgia for old toys has been featured here before, with his LEGO versions of such classics as GI Joe and Adventure 2000. This time though he’s really cranked things up a notch with this huge Star Wars themed LEGO play set inspired by the Kenner series of Death Star toys released back in 1982.
In many ways I think this makes for a better play set than LEGO’s official Death Star set, with it’s labyrinthine arrangement of platforms and corridors, and perfect reinterpretation of the Death Star’s interior design. Many memorable scenes from the original Star Wars movie are in there, plus a few easter eggs too. See if you can spot them all!
Like the original system, Eric’s version is comprised of three separate components that can be pushed together to form one giant play space: Battle Station Escape, Battle Station Compactor and Battle Station Throne Room. He’s even provided downloadable instructions on his website, for anyone that wants to recreate all this with their own bricks. You’ll also find lots more closeup photos of the play sets over there too. And for context, here is one of the original toys that Eric was inspired by:
And now Pigs in Space starring the ever handsome Link Hogwash, the illustrious first mate Miss Piggy, and scientist Dr Jullius Strangepork. Our story begins when German builder Andreas Weissenburg follows up his LEGO versions of muppets The Electric Mayhem, Waldorf and Statler, and the Swedish Chef with this fully built-out set of the USS Swinetrek and its incompetent crew. Andreas has even recreated the cheap viewscreen ‘effect’ featuring the mysterious space villain Dearth Nadir.
The Master Chef himself, known to most as Simply Bricking It, has been on a roll lately, creating awesome build after awesome build. His disheveled desert scene is quite eye-catching and utilizes some uncommon LEGO pieces and colors. The scene immediately made me think of the builder’s “Blacktronalds” build (that helped him earn the title of Master Chef) as both feature dual-pillared, tan-colored structures with splashes of rare LEGO colors in the same unique style.
The military use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, popularly known as drones, goes back to WW2. As long ago as the Vietnam War, the USAF used versions of the Firebee UAV for dangerous reconnaissance missions over the North. In recent years, military drones have been used for surveillance as well as for controversial targeted killings, typically with relatively slow and high-flying machines against adversaries that don’t have meaningful air defences. These machines are not yet a viable replacement for a full blown jet fighter. The Peregrine, built by Stijn van der Laan (Red Spacecat), offers a glimpse of what a future unmanned combat aircraft may look like, if done up in a particularly snazzy colour scheme.
The way the wings and canard foreplanes are angled makes the model look super sleek and I love how the wedges used to build the engine nacelles and the forward fuselage interlock. More angles can be seen in Stijn’s flickr Album.
I watch a lot of movies. Hell, I even review them occasionally as part of my job. Unfortunately, I still miss a few important titles. The Princess Bride was one such movie, until a few days ago when I found myself with a copy of it and a couple of free hours. It seems serendipitous then, that W. Navarre has created a LEGO version of the infamous “Machine” from the torture scenes in the movie:
Be sure to check out the builder’s photostream for detailed shots as well as a full build of the Pit of Despair. And if you need more Princess Bride, I highly suggest a video by CineFix that studies the differences between the movie and the real life book.
Finnish builder Eero Okkonen does it again with this latest addition to his collection of Discworld characters. With donut in hand, Sergeant Colon looks like the Roman equivalent of a modern American cop (famous for their infinite love for this kind of pastry). Chain mail armor and caligae boots are perfectly captured in such a small scale, and those chubby cheeks look fantastic! Corporal Nobbs on the other hand is instantly recognizable with his big nose and cigarette. Despite the smaller scale, Eero’s attention to detail results in another two magnificent micro-sculptures.
While LEGO creations seem to get the most recognition when they’re insanely huge, I prefer smaller creations, especially mechs. Don’t get me wrong, Gundam-esque / skyscraper robot suits will always be cool, but I like my mechs just big enough to fit minifigs, so they could feasibly slip into a City scale town. In that vein, Hoon Kim brings us these twin mechs. To fully appreciate these builds, be sure to check out one of the cockpit shots to see how snug those pilots are.
I’m a bit taken aback by this car, called “Soapbox” by builder Vince Toulouse. Although known to be a talented builder (check out past builds featured on The Brothers Brick), this one is most definitely my favourite.
From the tubular main body, to the spindly pinions and the elongated exhaust pipes, it’s flawless on a macro level. As you zoom in you notice great little touches like the plume hood ornament, and the interior is just as pretty.
Fans of LEGO Classic Space (a term that refers to Space set that were released before 1987) will love this collection of space vehicles by billyburg. The Lunar Exploration Geological Outpost set includes a larger Galaxy Patroller space ship, a six-wheeled Lunar Utility Vehicle, a Lunar Surface Skimmer for mapping the lunar surface and those all important utility bots for making sandwiches and beeping adorably.
