World War I vehicles are a source of inspiration for lots of LEGO builders. Maybe it’s the challenge of the many unique shapes these vehicles use. Whatever the reason, this model of the German Fokker D.VII by Wesley does a top-notch job of capturing the look of this fighter plane, from the cross built into the tailfin to the engine with wooden propeller, to the wheel structure. Even the camouflage pattern under the wings (while not official LEGO) is quite a nice detail.
When the sci-fi shooter Star Wars Battlefront 2 launched in the fall of 2017, fans around the world were finally allowed to live out life-long fantasies of fighting pivotal battles from all eras of the galaxy far, far away. One of these classic locales was Yavin 4, the site of ancient Massassi temple ruins used by the Rebels during the Galactic Civil War. In this scene by First Order Lego the heavily overgrown ruins are captured in amazing detail.
The scene depicts the Empire’s attempt to sabotage the Rebel’s defensive turbolasers, while defenders attempt to disarm the explosives. The model features some fantastic vegetation and the crumbling walls make great use of a variety of earth tones to give the structure a weathered look.
This close-up shows a clever use of Technic part as paving stones.
What’s a city layout without the staple vehicles: police, fire, ambulance, bus, delivery, mail, garbage? You gotta have them all! LEGO has released a few generic garbage/recycling trucks, but none of them are this cool. At first glance this build by Scott Hasse looks a bit like an average set. But up close it’s pretty nifty. Rather than the typical manual dump action displayed in the City line, you get a truck that works much more like the ones you see on the street in real life.
A simple turn of the knobs not only grabs and dumps the bins, but also compacts the refuse into the dump collection in the back. The whole thing is really smooth and works like a charm! An if you had a fleet, you could put tiles on the sides to indicate garbage vs. recycling or compost. Would anyone else besides me get hours of entertainment from playing with this thing? My next step would be to motorize it!
This could become a real set one day, you never know. But in the meantime, you can use some simple instructions to build your own little garbage truck.
Inspired. That’s all I can say about how I feel every time I see one of Jason Allemann‘s new creations. And maybe a little jealous at how talented he is. Recently, we wrote and article about his update to the LEGO Forma mechanics with a custom shark. This time he has taken a recently released official set, LEGO Creator 31088 Deep Sea Creatures, and brought it to life. It’s done so well that you would think the set was always intended for this purpose.
With the turn of the crank or an attached motor, the drive mechanism of this build gives the shark an appearance of organically gliding through water. The most impressive part (as always with Jason’s builds) is how smooth and seamless the motions are. Truly fluid! And as a bonus, this creation isn’t just for admiring from afar! He has kindly shared these (and many other) instructions on his website so that others can build it too!
31088 Deep Sea Creatures is actually on sale at Amazon right now, along with LEGO Ideas 21315 Pop-Up Book, the official set that both Jason and Grant Davis collaborated to design!
As you sit there musing on your vast Star Wars knowledge, do you ever ask yourself WWBFD? That is, what would Boba Fett drive? Well, according to LEGO builder brickcitywhips, the answer is a Ferrari F40. And I have to say, they make a compelling argument with this wicked overhaul of the official LEGO Ferrari F40 Creator Expert set. Sure, it’s just a color swap (which is actually not even close to easy), but it’s also super sweet and absolutely makes me want to build some character-inspired vehicles of my own. Maybe an R2-D2 Volkswagen Camper Van?
In case you didn’t know, today is International Women’s Day! As tribute and in celebration of all the wonderful women in the LEGO community, HispaBrick’s latest issue showcases articles and interviews featuring incredible female builders and designers from all over the world.
Guys and gals alike will appreciate this issue. I’ve had a chance to read it myself, and as a female builder, it makes me proud of how much we bring to the table in a community somewhat dominated by the guys. But genders aside, the current issue is something everyone can learn and benefit from. Particularly intriguing is the interview with a few of the designers who are responsible for your favorite Collectible Minifigures. Best of all, the magazine is completely free to download.
Here’s Hispabrick’s press release:
Today is International Women’s Day, and the HispaBrick Magazine team has worked hard to create aspecial themed issue to participate in this celebration. HispaBrick Magazine 032 celebrates the Female Fan of LEGO (FFOL) in many different ways. The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 is #BalanceForBetter. To promote this theme we have invited Regina Mateos Rodilla to write an editorial as well as an article about what being a fan of LEGO means to her. We have also included interviews with female builders like Sachiko Akinaga, Mariann Asunama, Alice Finch and Jessica Farrell. Karine Linder from Stuck in Plastic has provided us with some insights from photographers like @by_a.n.n.a and @lady_brick. We interviewed Tara Wike and Austin Carlson who work for LEGO on the collectible minifigures series, and Asha Seshan and Anika Brandsma talk about their passion for LEGO Robotics. Patricia Tsoiasue talks about 2×4 Day, and Evelyn gives us an insider look into how some kids live their LEGO passion. This and much more makes for another issue full of different and engaging LEGO-related content. To underscore this celebration, we have decided to make this a free issue (like all the previous issues), so come over and download it from our website at no cost whatsoever. Spread the word: it’s free!!
If you have stayed up to date with The Brothers Brick the past few days, you may have noticed we have featured quite a lot of mecha recently. But if you thought you’d seen it all, I have news for you, because what we have here is the largest dose of mecha you have probably ever gotten in one go. Taking inspiration from the videogame Walking War Robots, iomedes! creates the most iconic mech available in the game in LEGO at a mind-boggling scale, standing nearly five feet tall at the tips of its guns.
All the conventional techniques and rules of mecha building go out the window at a scale like this. Joints which would mostly be a few pieces allowing for articulation and covered by a panel or two simply would not cut it in this creation and are rather replaced with complex brick-built domes and arches. Continue reading
New Zealand has some of the most interesting fauna in the world, with many of their animals not found anywhere else in the world. While on holiday there, Patrick B. was so enamored by the birds that he decided to recreate them in LEGO. The results are lovely! This collection showcases the Kea, Pukeko, Kakapo, and the iconic Kiwi. I have to say, that last one is pretty adorable in LEGO form. Here in Seattle where I live, we have a pair of gorgeous Keas at Woodland Park Zoo. These endangered mountainous creatures are quite intelligent and always busy. They’re one of my favorite birds, and nicely done here.
Back in 2013, Thomas Poulsom also did a couple of these New Zealand birds (and a badger). And a bit more recently, we’ve featured an article about another LEGO build of the critically endangered Kakapo. It’s a parrot unlike any other in the world! Check it out, and then learn more about what you can do to help them.
Calling all Marvel fans! The US market will finally be able to obtain the cancelled Toys R Us Bricktober exclusive that was available internationally last year. The LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Minifigure Pack (5005256) is available as a gift with purchase from the LEGO Shop Online and LEGO retail stores with purchases of at least $75. The limited edition minifigure collection will be available through 11:59 pm EST on March 10th or whenever supplies run out.
The Marvel minifigure pack features characters from the Avengers: Infinity War movie and includes War Machine, Doctor Strange’s companion Wong (in minifigure form for the first time), Tony Stark in his nanobot tracksuit, and Bucky Barnes, AKA The Winter Soldier.
If you grew up in the 90s watching European television, there’s a good chance you love Pingu. The stop-motion animated adventures of the adorable little penguin ran for over 15 years starting in 1990. Builder Johan Alexanderson has made four tiny LEGO scenes of an ordinary day in the life of Pingu as he putters about his nicely furnished Antarctic igloo. The penguins are an adorable mix of minifigure elements and bricks with a little customization for the eyes. Noot noot!
Pingu has appeared on TBB a few times in the past, including a previous scene by Johan where Pingu meets a walrus. We also highlighted a cute larger-scale Pingu.
In recent weeks we have seen quite a few worthy LEGO mechs, almost as if creators around the world have received special orders (or inspiration) to focus their creativity towards building a mecha horde to fight a common foe. This armed and armored mech by Lu Sim is one of my favorites. Built using mostly light gray, it looks grounded in modern technology, particularly the shield, with its small window looking right out of Call of Duty.
Another thoughtful design is the missile racks on each shoulder, complete with access panels that close, to conceal this extra armament. From the back, we see an ammo feed for the Gatling gun, and a number of thruster jets to help this bad boy gain the higher ground.
Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things may be an unlikely candidate for a LEGO model, but builder Andrea Lattanzio is making it look amazing. This secluded cabin is the perfect safehouse for Eleven, and the shack’s dilapidated homeliness comes shining through in this recreation, which features perfect architectural details like uneven shingles and board siding (in some places made of sideways masonry bricks).
Of course, it wouldn’t truly be complete without Chief Hopper and his 1980 Chevrolet Blazer. Andrea is a master of realistic LEGO vehicles, and the classic truck’s boxy style works perfectly in LEGO, and tan and dark tan give an authentic paint job for the small-town police department.
Unlikely though it may be, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Stranger Things LEGO creations. We’ve previously featured the various heroes in three different scales: minifigures, BrickHeadz, and miniland-scale characters.