Don’t you just hate it when you paint a pixel-perfect mural of the LEGO logo and then a work crew drops a bucket of refined coal tar across it? Douglas Hughes created this humorous scene of a corner LEGO shop, a hardware store, and the aftermath of an industrial chemical spill. It is truly impressive how well Douglas was able to make the black tiles look so fluid. Eagle-eyed viewers will note lots of fun details sprinkled around, like the green Simpsons Squishee cup sitting on the ledge.
Those of us of a certain age remember going to Blockbuster on a Friday night to pick out movies to watch over the weekend. LEGO legend Nathan Proudlove is clearly of that age. I know this because he’s my buddy and we have some history, he and I. It’s good to see that while he may be getting older, (aren’t we all?) he’s still finding clever ways to wow us with bricks. This time he hits us in the nostalgic feels with the iconic video cassette case from the now-defunct Blockbuster Video. I’m loving the blocky yellow font against the bright blue field. Even the little round semi-circular notch brings back fond memories of a bygone era.
Care to see what’s inside the case? It’s not exactly what you’d think!
We’re halfway through FebRovery and the models keep coming. Stand-outs can be hard to find but LEGO builder Julius Kanand has provided us with a near-future gem worth gushing about. A collection of old and new parts, the builder certainly had fun figuring out the finer details in this model. The suspension, which looks a lot like a Coilover suspension in each arm, is full of functioning parts, including the spring suspensions used near the central body. This is a pretty smart way to usefully integrate the suspension so that the body stays relatively still as the arms move up and down to respond to the terrain. Those big, classic wheels provide plenty of clearance under the body along a retro-future vibe to match the Classic Space planet logo used in the tailpiece. There is a ton of nice parts usage in this build, including the skateboard communications array, along with the storable helper bot that the green spacemen must be unloading here.
This LEGO creation by Omar R Ovalle is not the first we’ve seen from The Book of Boba Fett lately. Not by a long shot. Unless you’ve been slowly digesting in a Sarlacс pit these past couple of months you’d know the pivotal series on Disney+ is one of the most talked about streaming shows currently. (You were hot, Bridgerton, but not Boba Fett hot!) Anyway, the point I was trying to make is we’ve seen plenty of Fett stuff but rarely do we see anything in this scale. Omar has taken the official Boba Fett Buildable Figure set but customized it to fit the series in which Boba combines his old armor with garb given to him by Tusken Raiders. Beside him is a very convincing Fennec Shand whom I think (but don’t quote me) is a repurposed Rey figure. The throne in which they sit and the arch behind them is nothing short of brilliant.
Jonas Kramm has been doing a series of vignette builds to commemorate the induvial episodes of The Book of Boba Fett. His latest features Boba Fett and Din Djarin teaming up in the final episode’s climatic end battle. Rocketing upwards in their jetpacks, Boba and Din have gained the high ground in their battle against the Pyke Syndicate. Jonas’s vignette perfectly captures the feel of the architecture in the city of Mos Espa, from the arched doorway to the well-greebled moisture vaporator. And the angle of the photo makes it feel like the two Mandalorians are hanging in the air like magic. But, if this build is for the last episode, does it mean no more vignettes are coming our way? Fear not. You can relive the best parts of the show through builds from Jonas and more right here.
Builder grubaluk is hitting all my nostalgia buttons with this wonderful Calvin and Hobbes model. The boy and his tiger are recreated perfectly and filled with life and personality. I am especially fond of the treatment of hair and fur here, from Calvin’s bangs to Hobbes’ ruffled chest fur and whiskers. But the fun doesn’t stop there. This model is motorized using a LEGO Powered Up hub, a few L motors and some clever programming in the Powered Up app. Be sure to check out the video after the break where the builder explains his process and shows how the magic is created.
Read on to check out this model in action
Usually the little bricks we all love are solid and sturdy. LEGO builder hotdog_waffles, or Dano, thought he would remind us that isn’t true for bricks of every color. Fun fact, a classic 2×2 Brick can withstand over 4,000 Newtons of force. For those non-physicists out there, that’s like a horse putting all of its weight on one of your toes. Not a good day. But if that 2×2 brick (or practically any other) is made of this specific brown, that integrity goes down the drain. Most builders are quite familiar with the Curse of Reddish Brown and the pieces’ tendency to break. And they won’t just break, they shatter under the most common of circumstances. So since teal and red got their turn as buildable bricks, Dano thought it apt to give reddish brown a turn using all of their broken pieces. After all, this is most likely how it would turn out if LEGO had done this in the past.
There are plenty of ways to integrate these broken pieces into your own builds. Whether they’re “legal” or not depends on your opinion, really. Mostly, they’re great for texture or effects like this. Honestly, going with the buildable brick was probably the best way to highlight the tragic story of reddish brown pieces. One day, perhaps, it will not forsake us so. In fact, LEGO has acknowledged the reddish brown issue publicly and says they’ve fixed it. So maybe one day we’ll get a whole series of buildable bricks!
This morning LEGO has taken the wraps off a set hailing from an unexpected franchise, the Horizon series, with 76989 Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck. Horizon Forbidden West is the sequel to the tremendously popular 2017 Horizon Zero Dawn, and the new game releases Feb. 18 for PS4 and PS5, with a PC releasing following in about a year. LEGO’s new set captures one of the most iconic machines in the game, the mighty Tallneck, with a model that stands 13.5 inches tall. The 1,222-piece set also features a small diorama for a stand with the series’ protagonist, Aloy, as well as a Watcher. The set will be available starting May 1, 2022, and will retail for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99.
Check out more info and pictures of the set below, and don’t miss the other new LEGO sets for Spring 2022:
There is much more to this stunning model than just a pretty tree. Tim Goddard creates a stark focal point using color for the tree but many neutral shades for the rest of the scene. One of the subtle details that struck me right away was the use of dark gray ingot pieces in the structure just next to the right robot arm, which provides a distinct shadow texture. The nearly completely recessed ladders lining the gently curving back wall are another. Framing the tree with the robot arms and including the many tubes bringing what is likely water and nutrients re-inforces the extreme value of this tree as part of a larger untold story.
Just yesterday we got our first look at one of the upcoming LEGO Star Wars sets from The Book of Boba Fett with 75326 Boba Fett’s Throne Room, and today we’re already getting a look at another. 75325 The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter has been revealed thanks to Amazon, and features the silver-clad warrior’s new matching ship, along with Grogu, Peli Motto, and a BD Droid. The set will include 412 pieces and is available to pre-order now for US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £54.99, with a release date of June 1.
Check out more info on the set below, and don’t miss the other new LEGO sets for Spring 2022:
At first glance, it might be easy to miss the scale of this cutting edge bot by alex_ mocs, but take a closer look, and you’ll notice the large Technic panels used for shielding on the arms. While the saw-hands are certainly the most dangerous part of this bot, The ball-grabbing parts used for the upper legs are one of the coolest parts used, in my opinion. Heck, pretty much every part used on the legs of this beast contributes to a very practical structure, like the various small connectors used to create pistons along the back of each leg.
Galerie d’Antha has built these beautiful book ends, featuring two characters engaging in the joy of reading. The tan colour scheme of the figures is most likely applied to suggest that the book ends would be constructed out of wood. Small hints of plant life, sprouting up from the ground, add to the relaxing aesthetic of the builds. The books also have some nice details such as ridged bricks representing the pages. These would look great on any shelf, not only to keep books in place but also as eye-catching display pieces.
