With the creation of the new settlement of Queenston, Ayrlego has begun to populate the site with all sorts of colonial LEGO constructions. The latest of these additions is the East Terran Trade Company office and warehouse, and boy does it look spiffy! First, there’s that palette heavy in tans, browns, and greens, which do so much in conveying the area’s affluence, resources, and even climate. Vegetation plays a key role here as well. With the unkempt wilds right next to the building, Queenston must still be coming together. Yet the climbing vines along the walls of the structure give the building age, showing that it was likely repurposed from some other intent. Finally, Ayrlego never skimps on the structural detailing, like the bare wood beams and that perfect ceramic roof. But the high point of the build for me has got to be the two-piece bell in the top of the white tower.
Category Archives: LEGO
Awesome Akira-inspired alternate LEGO build of 10298 Vespa 125
My childhood consisted heavily of trying to create the alternate set builds on the back of the LEGO box. But builder Gerald Cacas must’ve been watching the anime Akira when he created this excellent alt-build using the parts from 10298 Vespa 125. While not in the same color as Kaneda’s red bike, this is still a beautiful recreation in baby blue, heavily relying on all the curved slopes from the Vespa model. The way in which the bike wraps around both wheels is astounding given the part limitation! All that’s missing is a brick-built Shōtarō for this thing to start zipping around Neo-Tokyo.
From this angle, you can really get a sense of how detailed the console is, as well as the engine located just in front of the back wheel. Both are absolutely marvelous, feeling futuristic and modern despite lacking that specific parts palette. It’s amazing that this pop culture touchstone is so easy to communicate with hardly a printed or textured piece!
Hide your cows and protect your nether bits, here comes UFOSIX!
If you’re seeing some weirdness over the horizon that might be Fedde Barendrecht. Or rather his LEGO creation called UFOSIX, not Fedde. Although, while I’ve never met him in person, judging from the stuff he builds, I wouldn’t be too surprised if he is a tad weird. There’s nothing wrong with that, really. He seems to be the type of guy I’d love to have a beer with. Or a vacuum bag full of cat hair; whatever weirdness he might be into. Anyway, this snazzy unidentified far-fetched object has an uncanny Alien Conquest feel which, like the Kindle Fire and the end of Charlie Sheen’s career, takes us back to 2011.
Grown-up furniture built from kids’ toys.
I’m still writing on the same desk I bought in college and have been meaning to upgrade for some time now. Thankfully, Pan Noda has crafted an industrial desk and chair set that is just my style. The use of various tans and browns creates a realistic wood grain texture that pairs perfectly with the ample use of black bar elements to suggest rugged, pipe style fixtures. And details like the minifigure ice skates as drawer handles and the chair’s lift lever elevate this furniture to top tier décor.
Send the dozer on over
If you have some dirt that needs moving, some land that needs flattening, or just some noisy activity to upset the neighbors, then look no further than this awesome Dressta TD-25M series-1. Bricksley is so good at building that it doesn’t even look like LEGO. They tell us that this 1:18 scale model is fully motorized with four PU L motors (drive, pneumatic system), two LED lights, and sounds (backup alarm & horn) controlled by an Xbox One X pad via Mindstorms Robot Inventor Hub.
Care to see the whole shebang in action? You betcha! Check out the video then.
When prior “train”-ing pays off
I (and TBB) admittedly missed the first version of this gorgeous LEGO loco by Mateusz Waldowski when it was posted last year. But the newest iteration, sporting a vivid, green-striped color scheme, is definitely the one I choo-choo-choose! In the limited palette of dark green, Mateusz creates some superb angles, sculpting the front of the train perfectly, and showing extensive knowledge of geometry. The black underside definitely feels mechanical, but also clean and orderly, as if designed by an engineer’s engineer. And I absolutely love the seamless inclusion of this 1×2 slope with grill along the sides of the train. From personal experience, it’s not easy to get a slope like that to sit flush with a wall, but the builder shows he’s on the right track with this one!
And in case you wanted to see the old color scheme from last October, featuring sand green, and yellow coloration and a different bogie design, here you go.
Build small, think big
Since being introduced with the LEGO Collectible Minifigure Series 2 back in 2010, the so-called trophy figure has been a boon for microscale and nanoscale builders. Sometimes this means creations at a truly colossal scale (relatively speaking), but Caleb Huet shows us that smaller, more introspective builds can be just as good. In this case, our nano-fig is walking through the desert. I’m not sure whether this takes place in the past or future though. At first, I thought the setting was some Egyptian ruins, but with the markings on the floor I’m not so sure. Did the Egyptians have floor lighting? That seems something more in line with extra-terrestrial civilisations. But the pyramids… What if the ancient Egyptians had help with their superstructures? Did the aliens take the floor lighting back with them? Is our intrepid nano-fig having the same epiphany?
See, small builds really make you think. Even if they’re not particularly sensible thoughts.
What’s in a spaceship?
If space travel ever takes off in the way that science fiction imagines, zipping from one corner of the galaxy to the other in anything less than many lifetimes, the technology to power it will surely look quite alien to us. That’s why I love this LEGO spaceship by Tim Goddard, because it’s filled with things that I have no idea about, yet they look undeniably cool. Inspired by the illustrations of thisnorthernboy, this unique spaceship’s color is almost as striking as its shape, with the medium blue and white setting the tone, and the pops of red providing a lot of visual interest to the details.
Beware Captain Kraken! No one is safe from his reach
This LEGO pirate ship build from Julius Kanand brings a whole new level of fear to the phrase “beware the kraken”! Captain Kraken and his roving band of Marauding Mollusks aren’t taking guff from anyone. They roam the seas, hunting for unfortunate ships to prey upon. Even those who think there’s a path to escape lose hope and limb to the terrible tentacles of Kraken’s ship. Some say the ship is a living organism, others that it’s just a lot of mechanisms. The truth can be found aboard the ship, but none have returned to speak of it! The skeleton of the ship is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ship the Silent Mary, but the rest of it is from Julius’s mind.
The squid-like shape of the ship is really cool! You’ve got the point of the head with the extension coming off the stern. Then, there’s the bow of the ship where the squid comes to life with big eyes and a bigger maw! Using some technic pieces, the ship’s tentacles reach out and grab the soon-to-be-eaten ships it preys upon. Taking a closer look at the mouth reveals rows and rows of sharp teeth ready to feast! Built in about two months, this ship is mighty impressive. Just, you know, be careful around it or it’ll eat you.
Come fly with MEE, let’s fly, let’s fly away...
A lot of the time when we see mecha here on TBB, they look as though they’re about go to an epic battle with a kaiju. But this one from Dicken Liu seems altogether more peaceful. In fact with what looks like a suitcase next to it, perhaps this is a holiday suit! In truth, Liu describes it as a Mars Exploration Exoskeleton, or MEE. No, not me, MEE! I’m not in there. I wouldn’t mind it though – it’s very stylish, considering it’s for space exploration, which is definitely not where you want form to come over function. The red and white colour blocking is excellent, and I love the use of a dragon head for the back of the helmet. It must be a nightmare when going checking in at the spaceport though. Do they still have luggage weight restrictions for flights to Mars? I’m not sure that case will fit in the overhead lockers. And that plant in its hand is definitely getting flagged up at customs.
Can you smell what Dwayne “The Croc” Johnson is cooking?
There is an app that, if you were inclined to download it, enables you to start your day with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. No matter what time zone he happens to be in, the app will alert you that he has arisen with his own soothing recorded voice. I’m certain your day will then diverge greatly after that. But I’m sure in some alternate universe there is such an app for Dwayne “The Croc” Johnson as seen here built in LEGO by Axelford2. You can wake up to The Croc’s soothing bellowing as he jockeys for the perfect mate. You, on the other hand, may have to employ other methods to find yours. Because crocodiles aren’t scary enough, this one is bipedal and completely jacked with muscles. There really is no chance for mating at the crocodile watering hole when this big brute is around.
Pillaging and plundering your village with a massive grin
Hide your LEGO gold, daughters, and your catnip as Cecilie Fritzvold’s pirate cats are sailing the seven seas looking for treasure or maybe just a little saucer of milk. This motley crew is traveling on their majestic vessel, The Cheshire, looking for the fabled Lucky Cat Island. Led by their brave captain, the crew of brick-built cat pirates appears to include some dodgy characters that each embody what it is like to be a fearsome pirate. I bet these kittens aren’t afraid to get their tails wet!