Shannon Sproule takes us to the rubble left behind on a crumbling planet, as we are safely ensconced within an all-terrain surveying vehicle, capable of plowing over even the largest piece of scrap. I love how the arms on the front give the vehicle a submarine aesthetic, perfect for the caustic environs of a ruined world.
Builder extraordinaire Nick Trotta is famous for building highly complex spacecraft and polishing them to perfection, and that reputation is well-deserved as evidenced by the Atomium. Not only has Nick built a stunning model, but he’s rebuilt and redesigned it enough times that he can build it completely from scratch in one sitting, as if he were following (his own) instructions. This works out great for us, though, as we get to see exactly how everything fits together, thanks to a nifty time-lapse video of Nick building the model start to finish.
And if one isn’t enough, his previous model, which is also lovely but has a more industrial workhorse feel, also features a complete construction video so we can learn a few pointers.
MikMikEternity gives us this wonderful custom Groot minifigure. The detail and sculpting are impressive. He says he sculpted the additional pieces and painted by hand. I love the weathered, wooden look and the subtle greenery all over Groot. There is so much character.
I think it’s high time for some castle-type-builds on here. What do you think? I present The Hunter’s Lair, built by W. Navarre. The build has a lot of features common-place for current castle builds, including a non-traditional base (tan! nice touch), detailed stonework, and a nice curved-looking roof. I like the mossy, dilapidated look this build has, and I’m going to suggest NOT standing near the chimney.
I grew up with Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. hI got my copy when I was very small, and that Christmas I got one of the Wild Things, too. The one with the long red hair. It was an amazing Christmas. This book has SUCH a place in my childhood, and was one of my favorites.
Max Pointner gives us this wonderful tribute to such an amazing book, right from its pages.
via Bricknerd
There are many similarities between Europe and the United States, but yet I never feel quite as European as when I’m on the other side of the Atlantic. US car culture, for instance, is completely different from what I’m used to. Even a fairly standard American tow truck, full of little lights and chrome, can look pretty garish to me. Fellow Dutchman Dennis Glaasker (bricksonwheels), however, is totally down with US car culture. His latest creation, a pimped-out lowrider Cadillac, is downright vulgar.
I mean, just look at it! The are chromed parts all over it, it has custom printed parts, horrible gold-coloured rims and a totally chintzy white interior. The ride height is completely messed up too. Even the name is cheesy: the Fleetwood Le Cabriolet, as though using some French can save it from being tacky as hell. In other words: it’s perfect!
If scale models of real-world vehicles (from gaudy to utilitarian) interest you, the upcoming book Dennis has written for No Starch Press, together with Dennis Bosman (Legotrucks), may be just your thing. It is titled The Art of LEGO Scale Modeling and highlights models built by some of the best LEGO scale modellers from all over the world. It will be released in September and we will be reviewing it then, but you can pre-order it now.
“Almost there … almost there…”
This sweet diorama of the infamous Death Star run (famously modelled after WWII dogfighting movies) has loads of detail, as we’ve come to expect from Korean professional building team OliveSeon.
Click more to see the amazing details from all angles
This Juggernaut by Tim Clark has an immense, weighty industrial aesthetic, and I love it. This looks like the sort of spacecraft capable of carrying its crew to the very brink of human survivability, and coming back intact.
Tristan made this beautiful scene as a tribute to two friends who recently passed away. I was struck by the realism of the sun’s burning disk and the great use of forced perspective, and I think it makes a lovely memorial.
Burglarhobbit built this 1982 Star Wars video game complete with a television and Atari 2600. Adding Star Wars minifigures playing the game on the “planet” Hoth makes it much cooler.
On the last rock in the south, there lies a great fortress. Bustling with Imperial Guards and fortified against bloodthirsty pirates, this fortress by Greg Dix stands a monument to the Imperial might flexing its power across the globe.
Actually, I don’t know what empire LEGO’s Imperial Guards are meant to represent. I’ve always thought of them as the plastic manifestation of Britain’s colonial-era power, but I’ve seen some evidence that the line grew out of LEGO’s attempt to create a Napoleonic theme, so they may be French. Greg’s title implies the setting for this bastion is Portugal, so perhaps they are Portuguese here. Provenance aside, the fort has working winches and is rigged to light up. Greg built this in March, and I’m not sure how we missed it before, but I’m happy I stumbled upon it today, because it’s lovely.
Danny Benedettelli builds robots using Mindstorms, and has been doing it for quite some time. He contributed models for EV3, when that was released, including this playable electric guitar. Today, we’re focusing on his robot Cyclops.
Now, granted, it looks like Cyclops has been around for a while, but it’s new to us, and I’ll hazard a guess it’s new for a lot of you, too.
Let’s introduce you to Cyclops:
And how Cyclops is able to move:
Since you can’t have a robot revolution without improving on previous designs, Danny also brings us Cyclops mk III:
via Nerdist