While Gundam mechs (LEGO or otherwise) aren’t exactly known for their bulkyness, this creation by
Andrea Chiapella is exquisitely thin while still looking powerful. This particular build is based on the Gundam GN001 Exia which has some decidedly complex angles to pull off. I think you’ll agree that justice was more than done here.
I hope we get a view of the back, as the Exia has an equally complex look there.
Ryan Olsen has a whole fleet’s worth of space navy goodness standing by to defend the planet. These spacecraft have an impressive sense of scale despite the tiny size of the models, a trick accomplished by the extensive use of textured bricks, grilles and hollow studs. There’s good use of hinges and minifig “hose handles” to create cannons for the smallest of the ships.
The colors look realistic (if that’s even remotely sensible to talk about in terms of a space navy!) and the implementation of the scheme across the assorted craft looks great. Overall, these are nicely-built models coupled with classy photo-editing. Good stuff all round.
The truest test of popularity is whether or not someone can recognize your costume after 50 years. That’s no doubt the case with this famous monster-bashing Japanese television icon, Ultraman. Built by Jan Lego, this ultra-pose-able figure is actually based on the more recent manga series design, but he nonetheless kicks just as much monster-butt with more style to boot.
Packed with detail, Jan’s Ultraman is a prime example of a well built brick figure utilizing form and shaping to its fullest advantage. If you want to see dozens more views of this beauty, head over to Jan’s Ultraman album–you won’t be disappointed, although overconfident kaiju may be.
Jonas has found his sea-legs and built a glorious tall ship named Taurus. There are no biblical flood warnings ahead as this ship was built to sail the LEGO seas only. Who could predict the ship would encounter a sea monster, perhaps even the Kraken herself, from the depths of the beautifully sculpted trans-clear waves.
As well as the fantastic sea monster and brick-built icy sea, Jonas has added some great details to Taurus. I particularly love the anchor (why use a LEGO anchor when you can build your own?), the ship’s bell at the front and the cute little cannons that might as well be tooth picks facing up against the Kraken.
Jonas’ ship is not the first to encounter a Kraken or sea monster during a voyage, it seems to be a recurrent issue for LEGO ships:
If you love cars, you can’t go wrong with taking a stroll through Calin‘s photostream. Doing so will lead you to models such as these two below — a low-riding VW Beetle with superb engine detailing called “Salty Bug”…
And something that looks more like a Hot Wheels (but it’s LEGO, so it’s much better)…
Seeing these really makes me happy that you can get yourself a similar build in an official set. 75875 Ford F-150 Raptor & Ford Model A Hot Rod comes with a modified Ford Model A (say that 10 times fast) that not only looks the part, but has printed door pieces ablaze with flames. I imagine this set is going to be very desirable for that alone.
Castleheads born in the 80s are very likely to have drooled over the conflict between the Black Knights and the Wolfpack. I was an avid supporter of the Black Knights as they occupied large castles and had massive firepower including a ship. Wolfpack renegades were just the icing on the cake.
But every faction requires a challenge so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I rebuilt the poor old 6075 Wolfpack Tower into a stronghold and added a little bit of a fantasy twist. I hope you enjoy the result!
There is definitely no proven recipe for an awesome starship. Sometimes it’s all about huge size and sometimes the color scheme is what amazes people the most. But the latest NovaFire by TBB alum .Tromas somehow achieves a brilliant result by just putting the right pieces in the right places — otherwise, I can’t tell why this ship looks so cool.
![NovaFire [modified Seinar-FS SL-75e Logistics Mule]](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/24859220750_1e8ccac8d9_z.png)
The modified Sienar-FS SL-75e Logistics Mule (as TR calls it) looks pretty heavy, but not overladen. This balance is particularly hard to maintain, and this time deserves applause.
Moreover, NovaFire includes a cargo pod which was modified to become a prison cell. This playability feature makes the model even more nifty. And I already know which minifigs I’d put inside to help them escape!
![NovaFire [modified Seinar-FS SL-75e Logistics Mule]](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/24528062453_895da532bd_z.png)
We’re pleased to bring you our second LEGO Elves Dragons review! Last week, we reviewed 41176 The Secret Marketplace. This week, I am reviewing 41172 The Water Dragon Adventure, provided by LEGO. This set has 212 pieces and is expected to retail for $19.99 when it debuts in March.
Hachiroku24 has built a cracking recreation of an iconic Star Wars scene – the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Executor.
The details are spot-on, with Imperial officers just visible in the sunken-floor control areas, but it’s the lighting setup for the photo which really sets this model apart. Also, the reflections (normally the bane of a LEGO builder’s life when it comes to taking photos) are used to excellent effect. Great stuff.
In the frozen lands of Ebar Stream, warg riders of Mitgardia have found a way to heat the Frost Spear. This snowy landscape created by established builder Tirrel Brown has amazing terrain work including a small spring which pipes hot steam into the old stable and tower. The creation also comes with an impressive background story, which you can check out for yourself on his Flickr account!
Thomas W. has built a ship; and not just any ship, but a heavily armed scouting ship called New Horizon. Thomas tells us that it is designed for long distance flights, so it has lots of propulsive power. But let’s not forget the importance of weapons to protect it from any naughty people. New Horizon has a nice, aggressively angled cockpit and a host of lovely details across the ship’s body work.
Thomas’ use of stickers is spot on, with just enough to give it identity markings but without distracting from the lovely shaping and greebles. It is definitely worth taking a look at the rear view to see the ‘horsepower’ behind this ship …deliciously ‘thrusty’ for such a compact design.
I’m just not sure where the lavatory is located for those essential breaks during long distance flights…
The annual Kockice Brickstory Contest attracted a lot of talented builders this year including jaapxaap’s Hanging Gardens of Babylon that we posted on Wednesday, but Simon Schweyer‘s Greek Polis is the most massive entry I’ve seen so far.
There is so much to take in! Four unique homes, an amphitheater filled with tiny citizens, a vineyard, a goat herder, a temple, an Oracle inspired by the one in Delphi, and even a man-powered war galley.
You can check out even more details on Flickr.