We get an early look at a set from the new wave of Technic sets for the second half of 2021 with a Ford collaboration. The 42126 Techni Ford F-150 Raptor is listed on Walmart and retailing for USD 99 with 1379 Pieces. There is no indication of when the set will be available for order.
This snow-covered tower from Louis of Nutwood was an entry for a contest on EuroBricks.com. For a scene that could be very typical, there are some fun and creative touches here, like the textured gray walls and archway on the lower right. One detail I didn’t notice right away is the use of green and yellow minifigure arms for the flag on top of the tower.
Build aside, it’s great seeing people who take pride in crafting a story that ties in. Here’s an excerpt from the Flickr description:
Before reaching the arch of stone that divided the two worlds, he looked over his shoulder, beyond the path that brought him thus far. He glared beyond the mountaintops and the grey sky.
One of the joys of building with LEGO is working with lots of shapes in order to create new ones. Clever builders will use parts with a particular origin and morph them into something with an entirely new purpose. Like shields for leaves or balloon panels for a vase base, or shoulder armor for petals. This expertly crafted render by _Regn takes it further by creating a particularly complex shape: a hyperboloid. Essentially, if you twist a cylinder at its center, you create an hourglass-shaped design. It makes for a gorgeous centerpiece!
Unfortunately, there are elements of this artwork that would likely be too difficult or impossible to build in real life. Those shields, for example, don’t come in green. And the connections would be very precarious. Still, it’s certainly beautiful to look at, and a superb bit of rendering!
If you’d like to see more flower-based creations, check out the exquisite new LEGO Botanical Collection and other custom flower builds in our archives. Oh, and if renders are your thing, we have plenty of those too!
The chance to pre-order and get the project of your choice in the Bricklink Designer Program, formerly known as the AFOL Designer Program, starts tomorrow on 1st July 8:00 am Pacific / 5:00pm CET. There are 7 projects to choose from in the first round of crowdfunding. Fans can pre-order their favorite project (or projects) between July 1st and August 10th, 2021.
Sometimes we get commissioned to do what we love. That is exactly what happened with Jake Sadovich and his amazing LEGO Dauntless 34′ Patrol Boat. Whoever commissioned Jake must be mighty pleased with the level of detail he has achieved here. The complex curve of the bow, the guardrails, the armament, the electronic gear on the mast, even the handsome stand makes this a stunning model to behold.
Click here to climb aboard and discover more!
Is it a kaiju? A demon? Something from another planet? Whatever the answer, the Protoweapon XV1 – “Nightcrawler” – by Andrew Steele is certainly a threat to us all. With a form that’s an unholy fusion of mech and organic, this spikey beast is coming for us, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Personally, I hope I get done in by the clawed hands and not the yellowing clown grin.
Click here to see the monster up close.
This colorful LEGO sculpture by Shannon Sproule is a pretty darn accurate recreation of a northern cassowary. It checks all the boxes in terms of color, shaping, and even size. In real life, this bird is mostly black aside from the head and it lives in New Guinea, northeast Australia, and surrounding islands. But one of the most notable things about it is that it’s giant and formidable. Its size and weight are comparable to the emu, although the emus have nothing on these guys when it comes to battle. Cassowaries are considered one of the most dangerous birds in the world.
These birds are actually pretty shy and try to avoid humans, but if threatened, they’re not afraid to attack. They can kick like a kangaroo and their dinosaur-like feet have terrifying raptor-esque claws. In particular, one toe has a straight spike that can get as long as a human hand. Yikes!
One of my favorite parts of this build is how well it’s photographed. Sometimes the right lighting can really make a build, and in this case the bird comes to life with that little bit of shine on the radar dish that is used for the eye. While you’re here, check out TBB’s other articles featuring animals. Shannon’s sci-fi/space builds have also been featured on our site.
Online fan conventions have moved to live streaming shows with no thanks to the pandemic. The adoption of this new format was forced upon us to ensure continuity of annual traditions. LEGO announcing a convention for the first time ever, and not having a LEGO CON prior to the pandemic is seen as an opportunity to test waters since everyone else is doing it. It’s also a much more affordable time to jump on the streaming CON bandwagon instead of a physical event, so why not? How did it fare? Read on to find out my personal thoughts and opinion.
Well, okay, there’s that pesky mushroom cloud off in the distance. But that’s not going to put a damper on our day, is it gang? Paul Hetherington has delivered a payload of nostalgia with this look at idyllic family life in an era when the worry of nuclear annihilation was as ever-present a threat as a neighborhood HOA violation. Paul says he was inspired for this LEGO creation by the style magazine Atomic Ranch, which focuses on Mid-Century style. And it shows. From the car in the driveway, to the architecture of the home, and even the furnishings inside, Paul has captured a snapshot of the era beautifully.
Click here to take a closer look!
We’ve been seeing some fantastic builds from this year’s Biocup recently, and here’s another one by Djokson. The model takes inspiration from comic book artist Ashley Woods and his Pet Metal paintings. The muscular robot has a military aesthetic and looks to have been repurposed by its new master. Kylo Ren’s mask is used backwards to create the helmet of the robot. There’s a great use of circles on this build; mainly in the form of tyre parts which really encourages you to stare into the robot’s glaring eye created by a golden ring piece. The hair piece for the woman is a really old part first featured back in the 70’s. It’s quite easy to imagine this pair trundling through the wastelands, maybe looking for a better pair of legs for the robot. You can see some more great articles about Biocup entries here.
Fans of Ben 10 may recognize this Earth-68 version of the conflicted Doctor Animo, a genius in mutagenic effects and subsequently frequent bad guy. This build by The Underscored Double is an awesome representation of the character. The modeling and color-blocking hit on key points of his design, like the tech strapped to his chest or the exposed brain, antennae, and goggles. The claws are also a perfect match with the lime green accents. In addition to this villain, we’re also given a great version of an alien on Ben’s Omnitrix, the Stinkfly. The ghostly green color palette, as well as the translucent green head, compliment the wealth of interesting Bionicle and Galidor pieces used by the builder to mold this complicated character.
If you enjoy builds like this, check out some more characters. If you’d like to see more by this builder, you can find them on Flickr or Instagram (@theunderscoreddouble).
The first thing that caught my eye when I saw this pair of birds was the use of the multiple Technic pin/axle combos. That’s a piece that doesn’t get a lot of use on the outside of a build. But closer inspection reveals that builder Seth Peacock has used all kinds of interesting pieces and techniques for the plumage of these two birds. Those are baby minifigure heads, for crying out loud. Seth says these birds were inspired by the work of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Sunflowers series, and he’s definitely captured the swirl and motion of the line work in those pieces. To quote one famous critic, “I don’t know if it’s art, but I like it.”
