Back in 2001, LEGO released a wonderful Space subtheme called Life on Mars. It featured a colony of Martians along with some Terran space exploration vehicles, and plenty of mechs. Builder Ben Brickson sends us back to the red planet with this glorious space station based on the original theme. Sporting the sand purple coloration of 7317 Aero Tube Hangar and a brilliant dark orange planetary surface dotted with trans-pink ferns, this build very much feels like a worthy modern take.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew just aired its final chapter, bringing to a close one of the most consistently fun adventures to come from a galaxy far, far away. While LEGO supported the show with one deluxe set, 75374 The Onyx Cinder, it has one major omission – there’s no SM-33! The scene-stealing droid with a space rodent living in its empty eye socket might not remember no At-Attin, but he’s loyal to his cap’n. Tim Goddard remedies this omission with a pop-eyed droid that perfectly captures SM-33’s hunch and swagger. A minifig pen works great as a peg leg, and the sliced rubber eyes are brilliant.
SM-33 is another treasure from the master of LEGO droids, like this Imperial medley. Why not delve into our Tim Goddard archives and see why he’s one of our favorite Star Wars LEGO builders in this or any galaxy.
Few bands have an iconic look that can rival electronic duo Daft Punk. And builder Dylan Mievis
captures that look perfectly in LEGO with this pair of instantly-recognizable helmets. The techniques here may seem simple, but these are some really tricky forms to achieve in proper proportion, and Dylan handles them like a pro.
Some sci-fi builds would have us believe that future militaries are full of mechanized robots mass-produced by corporations. And looking at LEGO builder Devid VII‘s grey hardsuit here, you might be forgiven for thinking that’s where this machine comes from. But the forced-perspective backdrop and accessories in the foreground tell an altogether different story. This is no military production line! It’s just a hands-on young man tinkering away in his workshop. He just happens to build hardsuits in his spare time. Think Big Hero 6, but… Er, less cuddly.
A mouse musketeer? Surely there’s a word for that. 21 years ago Mickey, Donald, and Goofy enlisted in Pete’s royal guard to defend Princess Minnie and France in a madcap retelling of The Three Musketeers. Bas van Houwelingen recreates the ensemble (sans Goofy – he overslept!) in LEGO in a tribute full of early aughts cartoon energy. Bas starts with minifig heads for Mickey and friends, but finds creative builds for the bodies. Donald’s oar feet are aces. Brick-built villain Pete strikes a dynamic pose. Forget saving the princess, the real treasure here is Pluto, a pretty rare version from the first Disney sets back in 2000. It’s a delightful ensemble that shows how much creative potential there is even in a molded character head.
We’ve seen some amazing Attack on Titan LEGO creations in the years since the hit anime took off, but this latest take of the Colossal Titan from builder Sakiya Watanabe is hands down the most… sinewy? Amazing parts usage for the muscles is on full display, such as what I believe are Hero Factory fists wrapped in rubber bands for the abs, crowbars for the trapezius, and oh so many tails for the pecs. Bruh is totally ripped. Must be all the protein in Survey Corps soldiers.
Craving more anime builds? We also loved the builder’s amazing LEGO Angel from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
While there might not be any official LEGO sets based on Studio Ghibli films (yet?), the fantastical worlds of Hayao Miyazaki continue to inspire builders witch creations big and small. Today we’re presenting a couple of builds on the small side, like something Arriety might build. First up is a tiny Teto, the fox-squirrel from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, built from around 20 elements from mini character maestro Qin. The mix of parts is ingenious, especially a pair of minidoll belt bags for the face and head.
Next up is a tiny flying ace from a builder known for his larger character builds, Eero Okkonen. This pipsqueak Porco Rosso with a tan binocular nose fits nicely into the cockpit of the Savoia S-21. Eero offers a detailed look at the plane and writes about why Porco Rosso is his favorite film over at Cyclopic Bricks.
Which Miyazaki film is your favorite? Why not have a look at our Miyazaki archive for inspiration!
Wallace and Gromit have tried many business ventures over their storied career. Whether the job calls for trapping rabbits, doling out dough, or wrangling smart gnomes, their trusty Austin A35 van always delivers. Isaac Wilder is something of a madcap genius in his own right, only instead of cracking inventions, Isaac’s specialty is uncannily-accurate vintage cars in LEGO. Here Isaac recreates Wallace’s iconic ride, decked out with decals from the evil inventor’s latest venture from Vengeance Most Foul. Isaac’s attention to detail is admirable, going so far as to offset the wings by half a stud to match the subtle bulge of the original. Isaac pairs the car with a brick-built take on Norbot, the chipper AI-powered garden gnome who definitely couldn’t be hacked for nefarious purposes.
Builder Mihał Ch regularly wows us with epic scenes from fantasy and folklore. Inspired by the “Dwarf Tales” category of this year’s Brickscalibur contest, Mihał crafts a massive 64-stud square slice of a Dwarven fortress under siege from a colorful crew of goblins. While short in statue, these Dwarves put up a mighty fight with cannons and spell blasts echoing through the hall.
Delve deeper for more pics of this epic Dwarven hall under siege
The Iron Builder competition pits a veteran building champion against a challenger in a LEGO twist on the Iron Chef cooking show. But how does one become a challenger? One path is the Iron Forge competition, where everyone is invited to build and share models using the “seed part,” with the pool becoming a bracketed competition until one is chosen. The free-for-all phase just wrapped up, featuring the seed part of “any mudguard with only one wheel arch.” Here are a few that caught our eye.
“Fun at the Fair” by Dominique Boeynaems – 21 mudguards
“Mud-Guarded” by Bousker – 33 mudguards (each of those traps on the wall uses 4!)
Keep on rolling to more creative mudguard builds
Builder Jeunet came to LEGO as an adult in Japan shopping for their child, and in the years since they’ve found ongoing delight through the sharing of builds that combine music, cuteness, and everyday objects. Like this adorable bear playing a music box from a carousel unicorn!
The builder has a knack for finding joy in the mundane, with miniature MOCs that share the spirit of specificity you find from Gashapon machines in Japan. In addition to building, Jeunet also performs the violin music on their channel. Cozy kawaii comfort viewing.
So what’s a GBC, then? It stands for Great Ball Contraption and, despite the cringe-worthy connotations that name implies, GBC is often a crowd pleaser at LEGO conventions. It’s a mechanical means of moving one or many balls from one location to another. This particular GBC by Andreas Lenander is a feat of engineering with an artful approach. The charming dragon makes a wave pattern as orange balls move through the clouds.
It truly is a captivating work of art to behold. I wish there was some kind of way you can see it in motion. It turns out you can with this short video! Stay toward the end to see the inner workings that give this dragon its hypnotic wave motion.