LEGO’s 1×1 tiles with rounded corners, which can be found in the Mixels series 7 sets, look like one of this year’s most interesting new parts. And Takamichi Irie has devised the most hilarious way to introduce them. Here’s a diagram of the rules of the legendary game Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock as presented by Sheldon Cooper in popular American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. These nails look both cartoonish and realistic at the same time. I can’t wait to see tons of different uses of “nail” tiles in upcoming models.
Category Archives: Models
It needs suspension work and shocks, brakes, brake pads, lining ...
Back in 2013, quite a while before the LEGO Cuusoo/Ideas Ecto-1 was unveiled, I built my own version of this movie classic. For many LEGO builders, including yours truly, a model is never quite finished. I am happy with it when I build it, but if the model is still around a few years later, my fingers sometimes start to itch to make a few improvements. LEGO keep making new and useful parts and I may pick up a few new tricks along the way. My Ecto-1 looked as though it could do with a bit of work.
This turned out to be pretty extensive. The roof, some of the interior equipment and the rear end are mostly unchanged, but everything else is new. I was never too happy that the sides of the car from the Ideas set had a nicer shape than those on my model, but using cheese slopes and various brackets, I was able to make them much more rounded. This meant rebuilding the chassis and fitting new door handles and involved a lot of tinkering to ensure that the red from the fins continues along the bottom of the windows. The front was completely overhauled, with new 1×2 curved slopes used for the edge of the hood and a completely rebuilt radiator, with new jumper plates, that allow a stud to be stuck in the middle from below, used for the half-stud offsets. The windows have been partially tinted and I’ve even fitted new hubcaps.
Good to go for another few years!
The Goblin King: It’s only forever, not long at all
The latest creation by builder Centuri is Jareth the Goblin King from the fantasy movie Labyrinth. Labyrinth was released in 1986 but lives on with cult status amongst its fans. It tells the story of a selfish 16-year old girl who is given 13 hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King.
David Bowie played the part of the dangerous yet charismatic main antagonist. Centuri cleverly captures Bowies’ big 80s hair and quirky eye-shadow in this LEGO version. The Goblin King’s high collared, wide shouldered jacket is perfect and little details like the brass buckle help complete the look.
With the recent death of David Bowie, Labyrinth was shown in some cinemas in the UK to raise money for cancer research. In addition, it has been reported that Hollywood is planning a sequel, although in my eyes the role Jareth the Goblin King will always belong to Bowie.
Newag 15D/16D cargo locomotive rides the Eastern European rails
According to Polish builder Mateusz Waldowski, the Newag 15D/16D is a broad-guauge diesel locomotive that’s a heavily modernized Polish version of the Soviet-era TEM2. With excellent color blocking and a couple of custom stickers, Mateusz has built a stunning LEGO version in PKP Cargo livery. I especially like Mateusz’s use of corner panels for the steps, and the angled cab windows.
See more photos of Mateusz’s locomotive in his album on Flickr.
Sunset slumber
Ever since Tyler and Nannan built their masterful floating island collaboration called Aurora, other builders have taken up this beautiful and unique genre both individually and in groups. One of the regulars in the new unexplored theme is Brother Steven. His latest build is a sight to behold!
Built as part of the Isles of Aura, the combination of a quaint well-balanced creation and an excellent edit job makes this quite a stunning picture. I hope we see more floating islands in future!
An electric blast from an alternate past
Captain Smog is one of my favourite steampunk builders. His models always provide classy and colorful relief from the endless sea of brown and grey creations which can sometimes fill up the LEGO Steampunk Group on Flickr. I’ve been guilty of “brownification” myself in past clanky creations, but I’m now firmly of the opinion we steampunk builders should get our act together and start using some of our more colorful bricks more often.
Anyway, enough ranting and back to this model. It’s a cracker, a lurching mechanical beast of an electrical cannon, WITH A LOVELY COLOR SCHEME THAT IS NOT MOSTLY BROWN.
Click through for more photos of this mechanical marvel!
Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base in LEGO (Warning: Choking hazard!)
One of the best Saturday Night Live sketches of the season so far was in last week’s episode guest-starring Adam Driver, who reprised his role as the very emo Kylo Ren as he went undercover to mingle among his employees on Starkiller Base. Chris McVeigh has recreated the hilarious opening scene when “Matt” asks First Order staff in the cafeteria whether they like their jobs.
Click through to watch the video if you haven’t seen it
Brush up on your building skills with this LEGO toothbrush
Time to clean those pearly whites! And if you’re a diehard LEGO fan, you just might be willing to try this toothbrush and toothpaste from nobu_tary. The Unikitty tail works so well as a toothpaste swish it seems made for it.
An impressive tribute to a legendary rally team
I bet you’ve heard about the Kamaz Master Rally Team, especially in connection with the globally known Paris–Dakar Rally. The team retained the title for the last four years straight. Unfortunately, this year the international crew of Iveco PowerStar was a little bit more skillful and lucky. Still, that doesn’t hold Silva Vasil back from praising the Russian team and their outstanding results.
Silva, being a professional graphic designer, focused not only on the bodywork of the truck, but also on the chassis — and he absolutely nailed it. It’s quite hard to believe, but the truck is fully motorized, driven by 1, 2 or even 4 Power Functions motors depending on the type of chassis. No wonder the whole project took the builder about a year to complete. Go and take a look from various angles – it’s absolutely worth it.
Mister Sandman, build me a mech...
Pascal is a prolific builder, and a master of microscale mechs, managing to pack heaps of character into a tiny handful of bricks. His latest creation, the Sandman, is a typical example of his signature style – a delicious combination of whimsy and menace…
The body of this small model is pretty simple – nowhere near the realism and complexity of the awesome heavy robot Andrew blogged recently. However, there’s a nice level of detail with that green “eye” and the gun barrel striping providing welcome splashes of color against the tan and grey. What makes the model for me is the smart parts usage around the head, creating a sensor array with a real air of functionality. Couple all that with some sharp macro photography and you end up with one of my favourite microscale models so far this year.
Scaling up the reFX01
Robots happen to be my favourite type of LEGO creation. There’s mechs, drones, hardsuits, powersuits and everything in between. What you don’t often see is a bust of a custom robot. Lu Sim gives us what we never knew we wanted in this highly-detailed creation inspired by his own work-in-progress.
If you want more of this robo-appendage, the builder’s personal blog has both a step-by-step build process as well as a 360° video for your non-bionic eyes to soak in.
Comfy getaway
This elegant interior built by Laura Jenkins is a prime example of simplicity at its finest. Using a main color scheme of white, tan, and the always gorgeous sand blue, Laura has designed a cozy living room that evokes an inviting beachfront. From the potted plants to the pair of chairs that utilize life preserver pieces, this is truly one place anyone would love to spend a vacation.