I have fond memories of (badly) playing games with my best friend as kids. She always beat me, so I didn’t get to play much. When she got the N64, there were more options to play side by side …and I still did quite poorly. However, Old School Brick‘s LEGO Nintendo 64 with controller is executed beautifully. It almost looks like I could pick up the control and key-mash until I manage to not die and find the proximity mines before anyone else.
Russian builder Timofey Tkachev has been on a roll lately with some great creations, but now he follows up his two lighthearted creations of a man working out and a builder’s living room with this discomforting yet enchanting sculpture of a blood fountain, shaped as a girl.
The grace of the figure is both complimented and contrasted by the sinewy and visceral texture of its body, which may symbolize how close we really are to our darkest side. It is important to point out the stone base as well, which completes the creation and gives it a fantasy feel, reminding me of the aesthetic of Blizzard’s Diablo games.
And thanks to the creativity of BrickBro we got this adorable baby giraffe. Just like the proper African giant, this animal is entirely covered in distinctive coat patterns made with bricks, plates and even 1×1 tiles of just two colors, tan and brown. Upon closer inspection it’s easy to see that just like the author’s previous build — an elegant flamingo — this giraffe possesses a couple of unexpected building techniques. For instance, the lower part of its body is built with studs facing down.
There are so many lovely details in Heikki Mattila‘s latest LEGO interior. The exposed brick wall and the painting provide a smart and stylish backdrop, and the glass tables look very classy. However, closer attention is rewarded with some lovely touches — a golden spaceman visor as a designer bowl, Gollum/Frodo’s precious ring adding lustre to the lamp, and Technic half-pins for the little round legs of the IKEA-style sofa. The best detail of all is perhaps a little lost, slightly washed-out in this image — don’t miss the use of grille bricks, partially inset into the floor, to create the effect of the white rug at the room’s centre.
Here are some more examples of stylish modern LEGO interiors by this Finnish builder that we have featured previously here on The Brothers Brick:
Living the high life
Join the famous 800 feet club
Come warm yourself by the LEGO fire
Modern spaces for modern living
Chill out in this beautfully serene LEGO spa
Gerald Cacas brings us a well-shaped LEGO version of the turboprop Fokker 50. There’s a lot of grey going on, but that’s because the build is modelled on the Royal Singapore Air Force version. This old warhorse of an aircraft is still in service with the RSAF in a Utility Transport and Maritime Patrol role. Aside from its realism, the muted tones of the model create an uncluttered feel, really showcasing the builder’s skill.
Nice innovative parts use with the claw element forming the six-bladed propeller on each side. Aviation fans will also notice the attempt to shape the cockpit window as close as possible to the real McCoy.
Our first look at the forthcoming LEGO Ideas Saturn V model prompted a bit of discussion amongst the staffers here at The Brothers Brick. A comparison of the portion of the set revealed thus far with schematics of the original rocket suggests the model is going to stand 3 feet tall. That set me thinking — what size would the astronauts be at this scale? Well, once you have a thought like that in your head, what else can you do but get building?
This started with the little figures and went on from there. Once the Saturn V set is released, I plan on building a launch tower to stand alongside it, with these little guys trooping across the gantry to board their ride. We choose to go to the teensy-weensy moon.
After a 12 year hiatus, the 5th and final season of Samurai Jack is finally here! (…though Cartoon Network has now moved it to their night-time adult swim segment). Based on these stunning LEGO busts, I’d guess Yu Chris has a soft spot for the time-traveling samurai and his diabolical shape-shifting foe Aku.
From their angry expressions to Yu’s color choices, these models capture the cartoon’s unique artistic style. In particular, I love how Yu nailed Jack’s massive square jaw and top knot, and Aku’s iconic silhouette.
A few years ago, I built a microscale version of Tokyo, complete with rampaging kaiju. While Marco Gan‘s microscale Tokyo is considerably less colorful, it accurately captures the view of Neo-Tokyo seen in the 1988 Japanese animated movie Akira (and Katsuhiro Otomo’s original manga version that ran between 1982 and 1990). The monochrome cityscape is built on a simple blue baseplate, but includes a density of detail, from the bridge spanning the two halves of the city to a proliferation of landscape fragments.
To tie his build to its inspiration, Marco also included a small backdrop with brick-built lettering spelling “AKIRA” with pops of red reminiscent of Kaneda’s bike. But it’s not until you view the diorama from a higher angle that you discover Marco has also recreated the distinctive outline of the bay from the original comic, representing a screaming human head.
It’s a bit strange when a LEGO creation is sturdier than the subject it represents. Such is the case with this weathered hut by Grant Davis, which looks like a bunch of bricks were thrown together without proper connections and then collapsed immediately after being photographed.
That is most definetely not the case, as Grant shows in his very informative video, where he even turns the build upside-down — and it remains intact! The ground texture and colours should also be pointed out, as the builder achieves a very realistic effect by using closely related colours in natural looking patterns.
There is a lot going on in this modular-style street scene by Agata Pakita. Apparently we are back in the 1930s, judging by the outfits and car on show. The lower floors of the buildings house an arts and crafts store, a tailor, and a mysterious woman who reads tarot cards and predicts your fate. The colourful architecture is a lovely combination of LEGO’s more muted palette of medium dark flesh, light grey, dark red, and tan. I love the curvaceous greenhouse on the roof of the building, where an older lady and her cat relax away from the bustling street.
See more photos of this beautiful modular building
Builder vir-a-cocha takes the phrase “life inspires art” to a new level with a beautiful, charming, colorful and cute representation of their daughter in LEGO form. The details of the little girl in a polka-dot dress, her mom’s oversized heels, shades and a beach hat nicely captures the essence of a child growing up!
And yet it does not end there, as it’s complemented playfully with a loudspeaker to amplify the microphone. And to save the best for last, a LEGO rock piece which has so few alternate uses in official sets is used for the torso of a huggable teddy bear that’s irresistible. If LEGO had an Oscar for me to recognise a great build and excellent execution, this would be in my list of nominations to win!
I understand that this somewhat technically and conceptually simple sculpture of Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear may not appear terribly innovative, especially having been built by one of the most renowned LEGO builders in the community, Tyler Clites. But context is the key here, as this was made as a live build at a festival, in 10 hours with no planning. I have rushed builds myself before, but never at this level. I think it’s safe to say that not many people are capable of making a creation this impressive in so little time, at least not at the scale of Tyler’s Buzz Lightyear.
