A beautifully-lit space corridor scene? Yes please. SweStar is the builder behind this great little model, and they’ve done an excellent job of creating a whole galaxy’s worth of atmosphere in a tight space. There’s a genuine sense of tension and impending trouble here. I want to know what’s going to happen next.
Building a good-looking model mecha is no mean feat, but building one that can transform is a whole other ballgame; one in which Joe Perez (MortalSwordsman) just scored big with his excellent transforming rendition of Soundwave.
Megatron’s faithful Communications Officer doesn’t just transform from boombox to robot mode, but also comes with three of his own sidekicks: the transforming cassettes Laserbeak, Ravage and Frenzy.
Can you think of a cooler piece of Eighties nostalgia?
We covered the announcement of these sets earlier in the year in our extensive LEGO coverage from New York Toy Fair, but official pictures have recently been spotted on Amazon UK. The six sets are listed with a June 1st release date.
The highlight of the bunch is surely 75148 Encounter On Jakku, with its delightful blue Luggabeast…
However, if you’ve never built a LEGO X-Wing set, then the sleek lines and cool color-scheme of 75139 Resistance X-Wing Fighter are going to be hard to resist…
Vitroleum is a master of the “character” style of LEGO building, creating larger-scale figures imbued with heaps of personality. This model is no exception — a delightful pirate captain carrying a whole boat-load of panache. What’s not to love about this cheeky rogue?
All too often, LEGO space models can be a sea of light gray. This cracking little creation from Chris Perron breaks the mould with a wonderful splash of color.
The mech obviously features a bold color scheme, but there’s some great parts usage on show too — check out the use of the alien legs as feet. And I’m enjoying the metallic silver pieces, particularly the figure’s staff which I think adds a nice little touch of fantasy to this sci-fi scene.
Chris says this was inspired by another builder’s model in a very different genre. I think it’s cool when builders link to their inspiration like this, it shows how ideas travel and change from person to person.
Aureliusz Falowski took the already expensive UCS Millenium Falcon model and replaced all the light gray parts with custom metallic silver ones to create an eye-dazzling pimped out ride for the galaxy’s most dazzling smuggler. Where did he get all those shiny parts you ask? It helps that he owns the store that makes them. Check out more detail shots on Flickr.
Did you have a tree house as a child? jsnyder would have been very disappointed by my basic tree house if his LEGO tree fort reflects his idea of one. This creation is on three levels with a swing bridge that spans across two huge trees. There is a look out at the top of the largest tree with a telescope to keep an eye out for potential attack (or parents looking for you at bedtime). The trees themselves are well shaped and I love the mix of studs on show and tiles to add texture.
The details are really adorable in this build, for example the tyre swing and rope pulley system to allow a crate of resupplies (perhaps more ice lollies) to be lifted high up into the tree.
You can see more detailed views of the tree fort on his Billy’s Tree Fort album on Flickr.
I’ve always been a Batman fan, and Joker has always been my favourite of his adversaries. However, until very recently I have never possessed a Joker minifig. As soon as I got my grubby hands on one, I knew I had to have a go at building something appropriate…
The model was designed to sit in a basin of water and I used an ultrasound fog generator to create the mist effect. It’s a bit splashy, hence some of the water droplets on the model, but I figured it looked like rain and I could get away with it. A couple of people have asked how I did the lighting. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t do anything fancy. I cheated and did all the tinting digitally in GIMP.
I’m slightly obsessed with Ace Chemicals — it’s such a cool Gotham location, and its factory and pipework elements make it ripe for reinterpretation. As well as the minifig-scale version, I recently had a go at something a little smaller…
Alanboar Cheung, a talented builder from Hong Kong, has recreated the iconic 1977 movie poster from Star Wars: A New Hope and it’s got everything! Check out the spot-on details like the X-wings, wind-blown clothing, C3P0’s exposed wiring, and even moisture vaporators! To top it all off, Cheung added seven vignette scenes, one from each movie, to complete his Star Wars triptych.
Each of the seven scenes represent a pivotal and memorable moment from the Star Wars film franchise. Overall, Cheung’s build captures the emotion and excitement of the movies, making me feel nostalgic and impatient for Episode VIII. You can check out more photos on Flickr.
We’ve featured a couple of justin_m_winn‘s scenes of everyday life in the future previously. His models just keep getting better. This latest creation has a strong sense of being part of a greater world — the control room seems an island of activity in some kind of vast hangar. There’s a good use of lighting too. Sometimes nice interior touches in models are lost in photographs, but not here. Check out those classic printed control panel slopes…
Gerald Cacas says this is his first motorbike model. Let’s hope he builds more, because his recreation of a Ducati 1199 Panigale is stunning. Normally the bike would have moulded cover over this chassis, but stripped back to the barer machine, this looks mean and old-school. I want one.
The greebling work and detailing around the engine are fantastic, and the use of LEGO string as brake cables is spot-on. However, the standout piece of building for me is the front headlight – cunningly shaped from an inside-out tyre. Well played.
A group of LEGO fans from Poland decided to build the hugest Fallout diorama ever, and Bartłomiej Huetter has already built the first part of the project. Kombinat features a derelict factory that’s been turned into a refuge for survivors in the wasteland. Despite all the chaos, people seem to find entertainment in this messy living space. A brewery, an arcade saloon, a dance club and a couple doing not so safe for work activities. I guess we can’t expect more fun out of this apocalyptic world!
Usually it’s quite hard to build a large scale diorama but sometimes they are also full of details that it’s harder to absorb everything at once. Luckily, Bartłomiej has created a huge album on Flickr which displays many details including stickers and digital designs of the early model. Make sure you don’t miss anything. The vehicles and minifigures are astonishing!
