If Batman builds in black and sometimes very dark grey, Christian Lintan is the exact opposite – he only builds in white and no other shades. We recently featured his ghostly X-wing and TIE fighter, and now he’s back with an original design of two mechs sparring. Building in a single color is a limiting factor as it takes away an artist’s palette for distinguishing different parts of a build, but Christian uses great lighting and distinct shapes to bring out the best in his builds.
It’s easy to default to the same adjectives whenever one of Tyler’s builds shows up — amazing, epic, awesome, stunning, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, etc. I’m at a typical loss for words with his latest, this sweet glow-in-the-dark speeder.
Tyler is one of those rare builders who can turn any pile of parts — like some black and a handful of actual glow-in-the-dark elements — into something really special. Flawless photography and editing doesn’t hurt either. Overall, this is a cool design, well-presented.
LEGO Space is a much-loved theme and builders continue to create new interpretations in what is commonly referred to as “Neo-Classic Space”. Rob Damiano has built a fantastic Rover Utility Vehicle — part of his wider Nova Team adventures. Apparently the R.U.V. is the “golf cart” of the Federation — just big enough for one occupant, with a tool box in the rear compartment.
The rover and fuel tanker are both great little builds, but it’s the overall scene and photography which makes this really impressive. I love the lighting and the sense of distance created by the backdrop.
LEGO’s new Brickheadz line has prompted a few fan-built creations using the same chunky feel. This robot by Luigi Priori was inspired by the official line, but rises above aping the style to be a great model in its own right. Here the chibi look enhances the creation, whereas recently I’ve seen a lot of Brickheadz-style figures where the blockiness has felt a little forced. Luigi’s Mr Robot may look terribly sad, but he’s nicely put together — the over-sized limbs work well with the cubist feel of the torso, creating a super-deformed super-cute robot with a real sense of character.
As the Febrovery event comes to its conclusion, I couldn’t resist featuring one more ‘rover’ – although a Spacehog is more of a bike than a rover. With an extra long front fork and a laid back riding position, Brian Grissom has definitely captured the feel of a Harley Davison motorbike or “Hog”. I imagine this Spacehog will be an altogether quieter ride in the vacuum of space, compared to the thundering roar of a Harley down here on Earth!
I’m not sure how practical this particular vehicle would be on the tough terrain encountered in space, but Benny seems to be loving every second of his ride. Fan’s of Classic Space will recognise the nod to those classic “bumble-bee” stripes cleverly included in the central portion on the frame.
Sometimes amazing LEGO creations are elevated to outright works of art. All it takes is a stunning background and immaculate lighting. This photo of Tim Goddard‘s simple little blue shuttle and his not-so-simple “Nexagon” launch platform looks like it could find a ready home in a museum.
Tim built this creation for the NEXOGON, a parts festival hosted by New Elementary for the new NEXO Knight combo power shield. It’s a strange new piece that probably has more uses than we might expect. Tim used the part as the center of his landing pad, resulting in a cool triangular shape.
Every artist will at some point find themselves facing a blank page, blank canvas, or empty table, and gazing out the window wondering “What Now?”. Based on that familiar feeling, Chris Maddison has staged the perfect scene for his final contribution to the Iron Builder competition. The seed piece has been brilliantly put to use as the type hammers inside a beautiful vintage typewriter. Sitting on the desk next to it is what can only be a dictionary or thesaurus, while his mantra and inspiration adorn the shelf above.
Everything in this scene is made from LEGO. My favorite feature is the depth of field Chris has created out the window. In Chris’s own words: “We are creators. To make art, to convey an idea or emotion, to play well… it’s in our blood. Tell your story, whatever it may be”.
The Brothers Brick gives you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our Weekly Brick Report for the first week of March.
TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: This week was light on news, but we still have a new Ideas set on its way, an interview with a Swedish superbuilder and a review of some sweet rides. Happy reading!
OTHER NEWS: There was a little LEGO news from other places around the web this week. Here are a few items we noticed and thought you might enjoy.
There is much to love in this scene by BobDeQuatre. Of course, the cute space boxes are nice and the tiled floor catches the eye, but we all know the star of the show is the Space Mariner Powerlifter monowheel suit. While it uses interesting building techniques and resembles Peter Reid’s Ideas Exo-suit, the real reason I find it so attractive is the effort the builder had to go through to have it stand. This difficult equilibrium makes it look like there is a real working gyroscope in the mech, rendering the build very realistic (for a sci-fi mech).
LEGO themes vary across time and this is one that probably deserves a revisit. The Egyptian-themed release under the banner of Adventurers in 1998 featured exploration of iconic structures in ancient Egypt, and the treasures they contained. Builder Zed reimagines what could have been a set release with a build of a towering Anubis, the god of mummification and afterlife, chasing after an explorer! Unlucky fellow, for I can’t see anything of worth that he’s got to run for except his life!
Cement mixers are probably not the most evocative of heavy commercial vehicles, but that might change after you see this gorgeous 1:25 scale LEGO recreation of a MAN TGS 8×4 by Lasse Deleuran:
There’s just so much to love here, from the extremely accurate cab detailing to the mixing drum, which actually rotates (check out the video). I also love flashy lights, and this truck has plenty. The use of plates to get the swirling pattern on the drum is particularly cool. I’d be silly not to share this awesome still shot of the drum rotating, which also shows off the nicely detailed hopper and discharge chute:
There are so many details to appreciate in this exquisite and unique vehicle. So, while laying cement may not be the most exciting profession, the builder shows us you can at least do it in style.
With the rise of high-powered pocket computers (also known as smartphones), listening to music has become very clinical and almost too easy. It is just not quite as rewarding to listen to your favourite song if you don’t need to put in the effort of carrying a large, clumsy box around everywhere. This retro 80’s radio by Chris McVeight captures that long-gone era well, with multiple realistic functions like a flip-up handle and exchangable cassettes with a working ejecting mechanism. There are some non-functional elements here that make for great details too; most notably the seamless speakers and the great tuning display.
While non-LEGO elements are generally a detrement to a LEGO photo, 1:1 scale creations are an exception to that rule. Chris’ addition of 80’s-looking background and table decoration really makes you take a second look to be sure this is in fact a LEGO creation.