Some things in pop culture are so iconic as to be forever ingrained in the collective memory. Builder Martin Redfern brings us a dose of instantly recognizable brick-built nostalgia with the wall-climbing dynamic duo from the 60’s TV Series. While the “na na na na na na na… Batman!!!” themed earworm starts to play in your head, you can almost hear the Boy Wonder whine “Holy predictable moves, Batman! Could we start working on a flight contraption? Let’s call it the Bat Wing perhaps?”
Finnish builder Eero Okkonen is known for his excellent character builds, and his last one stunned us all with an eerily perfect Admiral Ackbar. The character he brings to life in his latest work is Mistral Nereis, the pirate gal from the baking-saturated anime adaptation of PSP SEGA game Shining Hearts.
The details included and techniques used to recreate not only the pose but also bring out the key features of this lovely character are stunning—for instance, the multi-layering and natural flow of her skirt. You can read all about how this build came together on Eero’s blog.
The 101 of making all things cute: stubby limbs, round tummy, huge eyes! If you ever need something huggable, cute and irresistible then stick to these basic rules and you’ll have a winner. Builder Swan Dutchman is on a roll with a series of adorable “cuddly toy” style wildlife creatures made from LEGO that will surely tug your heartstrings. If I had to pick a favourite, it’s got to be that tiger, which reminds me of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. LEGO element nerds will find it amusing how those whiskers were repurposed from minifigure Wolverine’s claws.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me! For those of you who have yearned for new swashbuckling LEGO sets, today is your day. LEGO VIP-card holders both in LEGO stores and on the LEGO Shop Online can now purchase the 71042 Silent Mary as well as the Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Armando Salazar BrickHeadz. The sets are based on the upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
You’ll need to be signed in as a VIP member on the LEGO Shop Online for the sets to show as available to purchase. LEGO’s VIP membership is free, and gives early access to sets like this as well as netting you points on all purchases, redeemable for discounts.
DOOM is still a thing, right?! A couple of years ago I built a Miniland scale diorama of this classic videogame (there’s even a video that will take you right back to 1993). Below is a building guide for the game’s hero, commonly known as “DOOM Guy” (click here for embiggened version). This version is equipped with a basic shotgun. If you wanna kit him out with other hardware, or build him some enemies to blast, I’d suggest using photos of the original DOOM diorama as inspiration.
This week’s Amazon deals include sets from Star Wars, Super Heroes, City, and Trains! Plus, see more of Amazon’s LEGO Sales and Deals for discounts on many other sets and themes. And don’t forget that sets from the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales are now available.
LEGO Star Wars TIE Striker 75154 is 30% off, currently listed at $48.99. See what we thought of this set in our review.
Check out the other highlights from the sale below.
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The original shades of gray used in LEGO sets were phased out in the mid-2000s in favor of bluish grays, making the choice of elements in the original grays limited. However, this limitation can lead to creative uses of those parts, such as in this NATO “Devil” Main Battle Tank built by Carter Baldwin. The angled armor plating on the turret stands out as my favorite detail here, but the whole build has a great flow to it.
I always feel a deep sympathy for moths stuck indoors at night, attempting to flutter straight somewhere but instead circling a nearby electric light they mistake for the far-off moon or stars. LEGO lepidoptery enthusiast Revan has constructed a gorgeous white moth alighting on a patch of ground, complete with sprigs of grass enlarged to great proportions. Revan has captured the big black eyes and stubby little legs of these adorable fuzzy night-time creatures.
Next time you see a moth trapped indoors, be gentle and help it, won’t you?
Through decades of planning and cultivation, Singapore has earned the name of a “Garden City”. Within 277 square miles a population of 5.7 million resides, one of the top 3 major global financial centers. Singaporean local Gavin Foo showcases the core of this economic hub with a skyline built entirely from LEGO bricks. This jungle of towering concrete structures hosts the banking and finance industry, whilst along the Singapore river is the place to head for a cold beer at the end of a hard day’s work.
For anybody who’s wanted to have one of the planets or moons in the Star Wars universe to decorate their home or garden — because, who doesn’t want a patch of Nar Shaddaa, am I right? — Kit Bricksto has solved the problem with an ingenious little build. Available to galactic residents everywhere from Corellia to Ryloth*, the Grow Your Own Planet line of celestial objects in garden pots brings you a little piece of a planet (or moon) far, far away. The Rebel trooper minifig with a dripping watering can is a lovely touch, as is the pair of life-size pruning scissors lying nearby, but my favorite detail is the waterfall flowing from the larger pot into the smaller pot.
* Product not available on Alderaan, Jedha, Scarif, or the Hosnian System. Not recommended for residents of Mustafar.
Character builds are one of the hardest to accomplish with bricks and it’s likely the reason you don’t see Billund doing much of these aside from the Constraction series. Builder Roy of Floremheim
does a pretty cool Batman with the parts at his disposal and with clever use of elements. While you’ve got to love that 6-pack, my favourite use of parts are the reversed Minifiigure flippers representing the bat insignia.
Last month we revealed the two new BrickHeadz characters from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Captain Jack Sparrow (41593), and a new character, Captain Armando Salazar (41594). TBB has already exclusively reviewed Salazar’s enormous ghost ship 71042 Silent Mary and now we’re taking a look at the movie tie-in BrickHeadz characters.
Like all the BrickHeadz, Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Armando Salazar will retail for $9.99 USD/£9.99/9,99 €. They have 109 and 118 pieces respectively, and will be available March 17 for LEGO VIP-card holders both in LEGO stores and from the LEGO Shop Online.
