LEGO has released quite a few renditions of Sandman. All of them have been minifigure scale, which is fine. Sandman can absorb sand in his surroundings and add it to his mass which means he can increase in size tremendously. To this day it still baffles me that LEGO has never created a brick-built Sandman to fight our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Vincent Kiew is here to fill that gap. They created a brick-built Sandman from the waist up. Vincent’s Sandman is equipped with ball joints so you can pose him however you like. He even comes with detachable Schumacher-style nipples. The best thing about this build is that the face looks ever so friendly, something it does not have in common with the actual bad guy it is meant to represent. Thanks to the friendly eyes it kind of reminds me of my significant other trying to fend off a pesky insect and who wouldn’t want a LEGO rendition of that?
Category Archives: LEGO
Bugatti blast from the past
Ye olde barn find has struck gold again! LEGO builder 1corn has discovered an automobile that today would be almost 100 years old: the Bugatti Type 41 Packard Prototype.
Originally built in 1926, this vehicle was a combination of a Bugatti chassis Packard bodywork (with a Bugatti aircraft engine), nearly unheard of for its time. 1corn manages to pull off a close replica with his build here. From the whitewall tires to the curve of the fenders, this car has it all. I can’t help but admire the dark red color scheme. It works so well with the black fenders and tan seating.
1corn is known for many builds that look extremely life-like. If you’d like to see more of his creations, check out another right here on The Brothers Brick.
A LEGO Titanic that won’t break the bank, or your display shelf [Instructions]
When LEGO introduces a big, expensive, and beautiful set like the new Titanic or the Typewriter, it isn’t long before someone in the fan community takes a crack at building a microscale version. The moment I saw this instructions video by A Brick Dreamer I wanted to give it a try since there was no way I was going to be able to buy the official set.
It turned out great. The instructions even include tiny stands. You too can follow along and build the perfect miniature model of the infamous ship that will fit very nicely on your desk, or bookshelf. Check out the video instructions below:
Chilled to the bone
Nope. Absolutely not. If I have to fight the undead in the snow, I’ll gladly take a White Walker over this nightmare fuel. Inspired by a wendigo and his own original sketch, builder Andrew Steele brings us a model to match the season. This skeletal monstrosity is a mix of human, bear, wolf, and moose bones corrupted by evil ice magic. Behold the terrifying Kraatokk.
Much like most of Andrew’s builds, this massive creature makes use of Technic and LEGO System pieces to achieve its size and detail. Though the faux fur isn’t a “legal” LEGO piece, it works well with the character design by framing the wonderfully creepy, fanged skull. The antlers also add that perfect cryptid quality. I love the bits of green stuck to it like moss or vines from the undergrowth.
The back illustrates the length and stature of this spindly beast’s limbs. As large as it is, it requires some help from a stand to stay up. Andrew did well with this, constructing a base to match the model’s mystic, eldritch vibes. The translucent blue carcass at Kraatokk’s feet compliments the blue orb you can see above in his unnatural double rib cage.
If scary is your thing, check out some more horrifying builds. You’re sure to find something creepy to get you in the Halloween spirit.
How low can you go?
Just how tiny a vehicle can you make that completely contains a minifigure and still looks sleek and sci-fi? This little beauty by Inthert has got to be near the limit, and it’s wonderfully slick. The main part of the body is formed by two of those new curved slopes that debuted in the 10295 Creator Expert Porsche 911, and when set at a 90-degree angle to each other they perfectly nestle a bubble canopy—trans dark blue, of course, for Space Police. And don’t miss the fantastic pod-engines with bucket handles on the intakes!
Unwind your day with a wind-up penguin
Weekends are the days that I reserve to unwind from a busy week, and what better way to do it than to let the pressure off and wind up someone, or in this case, a feature of a wind-up penguin. This cute and clever waddling was created by Peter Zieske . It’s always a delight to see how the LEGO curvy shell element is used to shape the belly of this flightless bird.
Watch it in action, and don’t forget to wait to the end for the blooper reel.
Hit Netflix series Squid Game staff get the BrickHeadz treatment
The Netflix show Squid Game, is insanely popular at the moment. In case you haven’t seen it, the show is a strange mix of Hunger Games and playground games, with a pinch of The Prisoner thrown in. The guards are all hidden behind masks bearing geometrical shapes also found on many video game controllers. moco zone has created BrickHeadz style models of these mysterious and somewhat inhuman seeming guards. Similar to the Squid Game players who all wear green tracksuits, the guards all wear pink hooded coveralls, and also like the players, are known only by their numbers, and their rank, as determined by the shape on their masks.
LEGO Technic 42131 Cat D11 Bulldozer [Review]
Like the latest ridiculously expensive smartphones, LEGO Technic flagship sets make you consider one question: is it worth upgrading? Same prices, same play features, and, maybe, a couple of new tricks to show off. This fall it’s all about the new LEGO Technic 42131 Cat D11 Bulldozer: 3,854 pieces, four motors, a bunch of new pieces, and a price tag of US $449.99 | CAN $549.99 | UK £419.99. Is the set worth upgrading from the reigning king 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator? Let’s build and play with one and see what it has to offer.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
What? I just want to shake your hand!
It was nearly a year ago that Faber Mandragore released the first version of their Jäger Mobilanzug into the wild. Since then there have been some quality design upgrades – this mech suit has been “re-armed” with enormous and hefty claws instead of the previous arm cannon. Range attacks are apparently still possible with that new shoulder-mounted gun, but it’s obvious this mech is now ready for more in-your-face mayhem. I particularly like the use of Technic gears in the shoulder assembly.
The opening cockpit and driver are also worth calling out. The functional feel of this build makes me wish that the smaller LEGO-released Mechs were half as formidable.
Faber isn’t limited to just reimagining old builds, though. Take a stroll through their other featured creations to really get a feel for what this artist is capable of!
The mechanical Huntsman never stops its search for prey
In usual fashion, builder Mitsuru Nikaido is back with another Mechanical Creature. This time it’s a Huntsman spider with some heavy Matrix vibes. This builder always has clever parts usage paired with an iconic color scheme that is simple but recognizable.
This model’s feature part would probably be the skis used in each of the spindly legs. But if you look closely, they’re also in the mouth of this creepy guy. Runner-up for parts usage would be the hinged bar holder, which is used to add some rigidity to the legs as well as to emulate the spider’s eight eyes. That Sentinel-style cephalothorax is a tight build that uses a Hero factory chest plate and hinged panels to hide its inner workings.
The abdomen continues the trend of the hinged panels to capture its curves. I always love how Mitsuru uses hoses and angled tiles in his models.
Hopefully, we never have these running around like the Boston Dynamic Spot bots showing up more prevalently nowadays. I will have no defenses against their terror.
Large-scale LEGO Batmobile is ready to move out
I was given one of the large-scale Batman LED torch figures a few months ago and it planted a dreadful seed in my mind. I don’t know about other LEGO builders, but once I have an interesting idea for a model it haunts me, making me unable to concentrate on building anything else until it is exorcised by an attempt to put it together. After months of experimenting and tweaking (and multiple Bricklink orders), I finally ended up with a Big Ol’ Batmobile — over 10 inches long and 4 inches wide. The trickiest part of the process was embedding the domed canopies neatly within the bodywork, but the worst part was undoubtedly when I discovered late in the build that a key piece was unavailable in the colour I required. Do not be too outraged, dear reader, when I tell you I resorted to spray paint.
I’m not a scale-modeller, I don’t have the patience or toolkit of building techniques for it. So the key for me was capturing the spirit of the original Batmobile — its styling and key elements — without attempting to recreate it perfectly. Identifying those signature elements was the first step — bubble cockpits, red striping, a “bat face” in the front grille, the three rocket pipes, and, of course, prominent fins to the rear (as seen in the image below). I’m pleased with how this model eventually turned out, although in future I won’t underestimate how long it takes to build something to a larger scale than you’re used to.
This Octonauts Octoray is Octonuts
The LEGO fan community goes in deep with giant space vehicles in SHIPtember. Adam Dodge, however, has taken a couple of interesting twists on the theme by going with a ship that’s not only super-wide rather than super-long, but also super-underwater. Based on the adorable animated adventures of the Octonauts, this is one studly tribute to the Octoray craft. The lines are crisp and clean, the wing-based turbines are spot-on, and the transparent cylinders used for the front windows are a really nifty solution. Even better, this Adam build this vehicle as treat for his son. That adds a big dollop of “awww” on top of the “wow”.
Are you looking for more undersea adventures? Check out other featured submarines!