Hide your droids! Hide your ship! Or else the crew of this massive LEGO Sandcrawler built by Walter Whiteside will scrap and sell them in exchange for breakfast, maybe a nice mudhorn egg. As always, it is great to see a mashup between Star Wars and LEGO’s Classic Space theme. This time rather than a flying vehicle we have a brilliant blue Sandcrawler, but given its classic space look, I could see this mobile fortress making its way across a sandy and cratered moon.
We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re on lunch break at your office where you don’t usually build LEGO. Or maybe you are like me and your brick separators can be in any one out of a number of tin boxes. Luckily Allyson Gail shows us how we can prepare for such disasters in her build – a twist on the old classic “break glass in case of emergency”.
The composition of this build is quite simple – mostly red LEGO bricks and some tiling at the top with large clear translucent windows to create the glass portion. Gail even includes a much needed brick-built hammer hanging off of a long chain element – to break the glass of course. Inside is the coveted original bluish-grey brick separator, the preferred separator of some builders and all the more reason why it should be tucked away safely for emergency use only! Thanks to Gail’s inspirational model, now you too can be prepared for a potential brick separating emergency.
The infamous Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978 ranks as the low-point of the Star Wars franchise for many fans, and for most of my lifetime Lucasfilm essentially refused to acknowledge its existence. But in recent years the made-for-TV special’s epic terribleness has gained it a cult notoriety, and Disney is ready to embrace it by reviving the Holiday Special in conjunction with LEGO, according to an announcement on Starwars.com. A new animated special is set to stream on Disney+ starting Nov. 17.
Staring Rey and BB-8 and set after The Rise of Skywalker, LEGO Star Wars characters from across all three trilogies of the Skywalker saga will gather to celebrate Life Day in an “endearingly irreverent way.” According to the press release, the 2020 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar (75279) that was announced earlier this summer will feature some of the holiday-themed characters from the special. The special will also undoubtedly serve as a promotion for the upcoming LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga videogame that was announced last year. No official release has been given for the game yet, though it is still slated to be released this year.
Bionicle Day, 8/10 (810nicle), is behind us, and we’re catching up by celebrating some builds that incorporate the popular buildable figure elements from LEGO’s past. Blake Foster found inspiration to use Bionicle elements such as Macku‘s helmet and Hero Factory feet (ball and socket configuration) for the side of the hull. The standard blue LEGO Classic Space hue is an obvious homage to the 1986 LEGO Cosmic Fleet Voyager. Just don’t expect to see Benny fit into this space fighter, because it is micro-scale. After some quick research on novae, I get why Blake Foster named it “Nova Class.” It is akin to nova, the astronomical event where new stars form and explode, shining bright and slowly fading, just as Blake described how the build constantly came apart during its construction. For now, bask in its glow.
If you are from Europe and between 30 to 50 years old then this LEGO creation must be instantly recognisable for you. I am talking about Rickard Stensby’s Mr. Owl from the Daily Fable (Fabeltjeskrant in the original Dutch). Every day the wise owl would read from his local newspaper while perched up in his tree. He would tell the kids wonderful stories about the events taking place in Fableland, and especially the mishaps, quarrels, experiences and emotions of its furry and feathered animal inhabitants.
Fablernas managed to capture the essence of Mr. Owl perfectly with his wise but gentle facial expression and his noble composure. The plumage is especially well done and resembles the source material perfectly. The original puppets were made from fabric.
Also check out another LEGO owl we featured yesterday, though of the more wild variety.
As a response to the new methods of remote work and learning that many of us are experiencing from the global pandemic, CDW-G, Intel Corporation, and the LEGO Foundation are collaborating with the nonprofit organization First Book to start the Creating Learning Connections Grant (CLC). The grant will fund new learning methods for several thousand students and families in Title I schools in the United States impacted by the pandemic. LEGO says the students will receive critical at-home and in–the-classroom learning resources, including internet connectivity, technology devices, and hands-on STEAM learning solutions.
Click to read more about the initiative
Anyone who has met me knows that I am a sucker for the colour teal. Some even joke that I disregard anything LEGO which does not include teal. In which case, the talented Simon Liu has earned my respect with his small cyberpunk robot. Not only do I approve of the gorgeous colour scheme, but also the ingenious usage of my favourite elements throughout. For example, the “espresso handle” in the knee and elbow joints and the Overwatch gun in the lower legs. The robot clips make for strong shoulder and hip joints, and the round 1×1 plate with hollow stud is very useful when attaching these to a proper LEGO stud connection. Last but not least, let’s not forget about a fairly new part: Monkie Kid’s headphones as shoulder armour.
By adding a neon gridded base and dynamic pose, this small build became Simon’s homage to another similar pink-haired cyberpunk robot that we have previously featured.
If you ever find yourself wandering through the lush tropical forests of Lanyu Island, off the coast of Taiwan, you may come face to face with a Lanyu Horned Owl. But don’t be frightened! The Lanyu Horned Owl’s piercing yellow eyes and pointed ear tufts are just for show and it’s probably only looking for a nice midnight rodent snack. Our nocturnal friend comes in peace, as we find it calmly perched as Ian Hou’s latest LEGO bird creation. Ian uses a combination of curved sloped bricks for the owl’s wings and staggered wedge plates to render the plumage on its face and backside. Dark tan shell pieces form most of the owl’s chest feathers. The result is a wonderfully realistic build, shaped in all the right ways.
Batman’s watercraft mostly played second fiddle to his main vehicles in The LEGO Batman Movie. It would have been great to see a submarine from his fleet explore the deep seas of Gotham City. Stevenpavan created the BATSUB, modeled after the Yellow Submarine, with some major upgrades, and of course in black. The BATSUB’s specs are imagined with the type of realism you’d expect from some tinkering by Lucius Fox. According to the builder, it’s armed with electromagnetic harpoons (on its sides) and EMP blasts (not visible). We’re just happy to see that it has dual propellers and a removable roof to place a few minifigures in the cabin.
The latest LEGO set to be released under the Adult Portfolio theme (previously known as the Creator Expert line) is the Crocodile Locomotive. LEGO has been making trains and locomotives all the way back from 1965 and since then it has given life to die-hard fans that gather around communities and clubs that that focus on this single theme. Trains and locomotives, without a doubt, is an evergreen theme that has evolved in many forms and I dare say that its featured every single year since the beginning of its first introduction regardless the sub-theme it may appear in, from the tiniest polybag to the generic City sets, or even tie-ins from the Harry Potter franchise. After a 7-year hiatus of a serious train release, we take a look and share our thoughts on the latest Crocodile Locomotive theme consisting of 1271 pieces and priced at US $99.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £89.99
Street Fighter II in an arcade cabinet is the ultimate trap. Once you get your hands on it, you’re hooked. Now, Capcom’s iconic fighter video game from 1991, known for attracting crowds from pizzerias to amusement parks, now exists in miniature LEGO form thanks to _pixeljunkie_. The cabinet looks close to the height of the 8-bit mini arcades by Basic Fun, but _pixeljunkie_ recreated Street Fighter II‘s key gameplay through minifigures of Ryu and Ken.
Click here to see the fighters in action
At first glance, I thought this was just another lovely LEGO microscale train. I do love a good micro-train, being a seasoned microscale builder myself. But taking a closer look at the lower-left area of this delightful creation by brickleas, what do my eyes behold, but a tiny flying Ford Anglia nearly splatting the ground, which would have put a rather inglorious ending to our heroes. The rocky landscape is well crafted, and the minimal parts used for each passenger car is impressive, but my favorite detail is the lever handles used as both the main driving wheels and the spokes that drive them.
