The guys over at BrotherhoodWorkshop are getting into the Halloween spirit by sharing another installment of their hilarious Lord of the Rings and Hobbit short films, all animated in LEGO. It should come as no surprise that a certain pair of Hobbits would play a few pranks on Halloween, but just wait ’till the end…
As always, BrotherhoodWorkshop’s stop-motion animation is smooth, with delightfully funny writing and excellent parody voice acting for each of the characters.
A new super-ship by Pierre is a tough act to follow, but here goes anyway!
I find it incredibly challenging both to build on a deadline and to build within someone else’s aesthetic — I’ve managed to avoid both over the years. I’d admired LEGO creations inspired by Maschinen Krieger for a long time, and I’m reasonably sure I ran across the original Kow Yokoyama kits in hobby shops back in Japan in the 80’s, but I’d never tried my hand at the theme.
At the end of September, I decided it was time to seek my fortune in greener pastures (yup, I’m available!), taking a few weeks off to look for a new gig. Thus, with more “LEGO time” than I normally have, the Ma.Ktoberfest build challenge organized by TR and Pascal seemed like the perfect opportunity to participate.
Faced with a big pile of curvy bricks, I got into the Ma.K spirit by pumping out a few variations on TR’s wonderful SAFS (Super Armored Fighting Suit) design. As much as I love all the hyper-detailed suits at larger scales, I think TR’s design is absolutely perfect for minifig-scale.
This “Wolverine” anti-air unit is based on an original design by B. Kreuger of Maschinen Krueger, where I found quite a lot of inspiration and reference.
But building a few small hardsuits wasn’t what I set out to do; reproducing one of Maschinen Krieger originator Kow Yokoyama’s designs was high on my list of Ma.Ktoberfest priorities. Perhaps a big curvy hovertank might’ve been simpler than the fiddly bits in this automated reconnaissance robot, but I’m fairly pleased with my “Neuspotter”.
Ultimately though, I wanted to create an original design of my own that still felt like it could be from the Maschinen Krieger universe. My “Kookaburra” incorporates pneumatic tanks underneath a sand-green cowling. Oddly, I’m proudest of the detailed base and crew…
Here’s the Kookaburra on patrol with another variation on TR’s SAFS design, a space-based electronic warfare version I’m calling the Growler.
You can see all of my Ma.Ktoberfest contributions in my photoset on Flickr.
So, having overcome two of my building blocks — deadlines & others’ aesthetics — I think it’s time to treat myself to that Ma.Ktoberfest T-shirt that TR designed!
I think the first comment on Pierre E Fieschi’s latest photo sums up how most of us feel about him. I can honestly say that I am absolutely blown away by every build that he posts. His ability to create incredibly complex, yet truly fun, spacey creations is second to none.
There are a lot of builders out there I would love to meet; Pierre is most certainly one of them. Maybe one day I will get the chance to sit down with him, eat some Haribo candies, and just talk LEGO…but in the mean time I will be happy in just basking in the glory that is the ‘TESSERACT’ SUPER CAPITAL SHIPYARD.
I also think it is worth noting that Pierre has been featured and/or mentioned in, going on 18 posts now, here on The Brothers Brick. He should be an honourary Brother at this point I am thinkin’…or at least win a t-shirt or something :D
Well I think Sean & Steph Mayo (Siercon and Coral) win the prize for making me laugh the hardest at any LEGO model! I love a good play on words at the best of times, but you mix that with Maschinen Krieger during Ma.Ktoberfest…and you know I am gonna like it :D
And you simply must watch the commercial!
Well played guys, very well played!!
I would link to the Creations for Charity site for those that may be interested in buying this glorious creation…but too late, I already bought it for myself!
Anupehr has been creating some incredible LEGO versions of famous landmarks from around the world. One of her most recent, the Rialto bridge, won ‘Best Architectural Style’ at BrickCon earlier this month. This is one builder to keep an eye on. She has managed to fly under the radar for some time but she has some incredible skills.
Check out the whole set of pictures for more details.
The participants in Iron Builder 3.0 are turning out some very nice creations. This leaky faucet by Bruce Lowell oozes charm. Not only is the faucet itself a beautiful build, the use of the seed part is inspired.
We don’t often feature alternate builds here (that is, creations made entirely from the pieces of one particular set) because often they’re just not that interesting. That’s not the case with flickr user lk.lkaz, though, who has made this hilarious rabbit with 8677 Ultimate Build Mater. I love this sort of creativity!
The Star Wars Advent Calendar, featuring the adorable Santa Maul, is currently 20% off at Lego.com
. I have no idea how long this is going to last so you had better grab one quick before they are gone. Also, don’t forget that you get double VIP points through the end of October and free shipping on orders of $99 or more until December 18th.
So maybe I am a leg man…at least when it comes to ficticious 28th century machines.
Today’s feature is all about delicious stompy goodness. And since Hallowe’en is just around the corner it is rather convenient that in the Ma.K world these also tend to be creepy as well :D
Chris Maddison goes old school with a pod…that just so happens to have a nice sprinkling of Maschinen Krieger thrown in!
The legs go ALL the way up on artpants’ Sandpiper! And at the top is a fantastic pile of parts combinations!
Bartosz superbly puts his unique style on the Raubtier, which is nicely balanced between comical and mildly creepy.
Now the next three are all great examples of the creative twist you can put on a common source material.
Keith Goldman not only provided the official quote of the Ma.K bricks group, but he also built this awesome HAF Ausfseher.
![HAF Aufseher [1/3]](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/8061419591_a17489297a.jpg)
A Yates has been producing a tonne of great stuff, but his Nacht-Kafer really stands out for me. The shapes achieved are just fantastic!
![[Ma.K] Nacht-Käfer](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/8061006489_c51d9c15e3.jpg)
Fateheart FINALLY builds some Maschinen Krieger stuff…and I knew he would do it gloriously…his HAFS Super Gladiator doesn’t disappoint…unless of course you are the one that is being shot at :)
As Ma.Ktober has progressed, the most wonderous thing has happened…builders from all over have been creating Maschinen Krieger hardsuits of all shapes, sizes and colours. Considering that the hardsuits are the most prominent piece of hardware within the universe, it really isn’t surprising that there have been so many this month. But the quality and creative twists taken is certainly a nice surprise. Here are some of my favourites.
Will Page uses the Rebel Vanguard helmets to brilliant effect on his space-based suit.
_Tiler’s Fatboy is wonderfully adorable, I just want to rub it’s little belly. The fact that it is so shiny helps too :)
Tim Zarki goes to a larger scale to achieve a fantastically accurate representation of the bad to the bone SAFS Snake Eye.
D-Town Cracka also utilizes the Vanguard helmets, as well as, one of my favourite elements (the Bionicle mask/visor thingamajig) to create this AFS Skinhead…wouldn’t want to face this guy in a snowball fight!
Vincent also goes to a larger scale to build one of my favourite Ma.K suits, the Kauz. The slightly odd colourscheme looks fantastic…and I can’t get enough of hearts!!
And last but not least, Nate Decastro produced an awesomely creative design in his SAFS Shogun…and presented it in a very Maschinen Kriegery way…
I really wish I could feature all the fantastic creations being submitted, but that would possibly be the longest blog post ever. So I will instead urge you all to peruse the brilliance in the Ma.K Bricks pool
I sadly have not had the time to neither participate in Ma.Ktoberfest as I had hoped, nor to blog the awesome creations from everyone else. So over the final week of the festivities I will try and make more of an effort to at least rectify the latter by featuring some of my favourites.
First up is LEGOLIZE IT MAN, who has been churning out some absolutely brilliant designs for the build challenge. Both the quality of the models, and the style of presentation have put a huge smile on my face everytime he posts something new.
His latest, the AZ ULF – Moon Bull is wonderfully hulking creation that bristles with a glorious combination of smooth curves and mechanical detail! Delicious stuff!
His Svend Repair Mech is a perfectly haphazard design with some great angles going on.
And lastly, his Moon-Squito has to be one of my favourite models posted this year. It just captures the Maschinen Krieger aesthetic so perfectly!
Please be sure to click through his Ma.Ktoberfest 2012 set to see his other great creations, and alternate views
