Today LEGO has revealed the latest entry to the Build Your Own Adventure book series by publisher DK, featuring Green Lantern and his fellow DC Superheroes. The 80-page hardcover volume includes a Green Lantern minifigure and a small selection of bricks, and is filled with building tips and more than 50 small models for inspiration designed by TBB’s own, editor Rod Gilles. The book is due out in August, and is currently available for preorder from Amazon for $16.50 USD or £17.99 in the UK. Rod is a veteran of the Build Your Own Adventure Series, having previously built models for the Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure book and the LEGO City Build Your Own Adventure Book.
Category Archives: LEGO
Oh, wicked, bad, naughty Zoot!
She has been setting alight to our beacon, which, I just remembered, is grail-shaped. The beacon appears to have drawn in Letranger Absurde, who has commemorated the occasion with this fantastic rendition of the Wicked Zoot Abbey from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The scale is deceptive here; I daresay it’s microscale of a very large abbey. He’s made excellent use of SNOT techniques, using new corner tiles to give texture to the walls of the building. Take a peak at the spire in the back – it’s not often you see a string reel drum used without string, or the complete assembly!
If you haven’t already done so, check out our interview we did with him earlier this year to gain excellent insight into his creative process.
They’re good builds, Brent
Let’s face facts: cats no longer rule the Internet. Nowadays the web belongs to the man’s best friend, dogs. And Korean builder Amida Na presents us with this digitally constructed pack of LEGO woofers big enough that anybody can find the perfect companion. Personally, I would totally go with the goofy Samoyed, whose tail is incredibly fluffy despite being built with just a handful of inverted slopes and plates.
Registration now open for Brick Fiesta 2017
Brick Fiesta is an annual Lego convention taking place in cities throughout Texas since 2010. This year’s event is happening in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex from June 29 – July 2 at the Mesquite Convention Center. The theme is Automation, featuring Great Ball Contraptions and motorized gizmos at the center of display amidst over 35,000 sq. ft. of convention floor space. Register early by May 31 for $55 or thereafter for $65. Visit the convention’s website for more info.
If this is your first time attending a fan event, please check out our Attending LEGO fan conventions series!
Merry Christmas, Mr Bean
Mr Bean, the comedic character both created and played by Rowan Atkinson, is a firm favourite all over the world. He has a tendency to get into all sorts of trouble while attempting to achieve relatively mundane tasks, but the comedy value often relates to his innovative solutions to any problems he encounters. Patrick B has built a LEGO version of Mr Bean’s house with lots of details that relate to the Christmas special episode Merry Christmas, Mr Bean.
I am a huge fan of Mr Bean and recognised so many of the little details in this fun creation, from the mouse hole and ingenious LEGO mousetrap (mouse gets a piece of cheese in his Christmas stocking and it is ‘served’ on the mouse trap), the stocking hanging on the fireplace, the stolen Christmas tree, and the infamous turkey that awaits Mr Bean’s attentions later in the episode.
When Mr Bean finds that the television shows are less than ideal, he hears the sounds of carol-singers outside. The alternative view below shows that this detail has also been captured with a couple of young singers in the background ready to lull Mr Bean into an deep oblivious sleep.
Fans of Mr Bean may also like my LEGO version of Mr Bean’s mini, complete with instructions.
Druid’s perch defies gravity and housing codes
I can only assume the druid who lives here has both excellent balance and doesn’t tend to stomp around. The Maestro gives us this updated version of an older creation, showing significant growth in their building style. This version features excellent rock-work and a very precariously perched cottage. I’m frankly impressed this stayed upright long enough to photograph it. The wall texture is particularly lovely, using a combination of hinged plates and 1×1 round plates creating a pock-marked, uneven surface giving this little cottage plenty of character.
Arcade classic Bubble Bobble in perfect LEGO form
The Arvo Brothers are best known for their amazing builds, including iconic Alien characters and Kaneda’s bike. But things have taken a turn for the cute now, with Bub and Bob from the classic game Bubble Bobble. The two bubble dragons are small, making their flawless design and naturally bulbous shape even more impressive. These are packed with amazing details and excellent part usage, like the car hood used to shape the head, and the ridge down the dragons’ backs. The bubbles being LEGO too is just icing on the cake.
These designs are significantly updated from the versions that the Arvo Brothers built ten years ago, thanks to all the new colors and parts that LEGO has introduced since then. Good news is that the Brothers will be posting buildings instructions for these models soon, so keep an eye out!
Rogue group, use your harpoons and tow cables – go for the legs!
What’s not to love about this action-filled nano-scale diorama of the Battle of Hoth by Belgian builder GolPlaysWithLego. The AT-AT is built with almost no visible studs and a perfectly shaped body section, and a clever use of the signal paddle element for the head mounted blasters. Two T-47 Snowspeeders swing into action, just as the AT-AT is about to be brought to its knees.
The DF.9 turret (looking a tad bit helpless but ready for action) and the 1.4 FD P-Tower complete this throwback to one of the most iconic scenes from The Empire Strikes Back.
A bridge too far for the T-1000
We’re looking forward to Arnie’s classic Terminator 2: Judgement Day returning to cinemas later this year. What better way to whet your appetite for it than with jp_velociraptor‘s LEGO version of the famous truck chase?
Check out the use of transparent bars and supports to depict the flying masonry as the truck bursts through the bridge parapet. Explosive action like this is often difficult to convey with bricks — but it’s certainly accomplished here.
The flood-channel diorama is nicely done, but the truck is a smart little model itself. Here’s a closer look, along with a suitably serious-looking T1000…
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 in Speed Champions scale [Instructions]
Love or hate LEGO’s Speed Champions line, it’s inspired a new genre of fan builds in this scale, along with all the great new pieces it has introduced. Builder hachiroku24 has utilized these to make a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that does the real car great justice.
But instead of just admiring this build, you can make one yourself without trying to reverse engineer it! You’ll need these pieces and the instructional video below.
LEGO Cassini Huygens is a dead ringer
The unmanned Cassini-Huygens spacecraft has been in the headlines recently as she sends back “swan song” images of Saturn’s rings after a mission lasting over 19 years. Strictly speaking, only the Cassini orbiter portion continues to travel, as the Huygens lander successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan back in 2005. Chilean builder Luis Peña has built a LEGO version of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, seen here superimposed over an actual Cassini image. This is a pre-2005 version of the craft with the orange Huygens lander clearly visible, and I love the technique used to build the low gain antenna at the font.
A look at the other side of Luis’ LEGO version shows considerable attention to detail – this is very much a 3d model of Cassini-Huygens. The two 445 Newton engines are depicted using ice cream cone parts, while a pair of Technic gears depict the three radioisotope thermoelectric generators.
Due to a dwindling fuel supply, the spacecraft has entered the Grand Finale phase of its mission before a kamikaze pass through he gap between Saturn and its inner ring, before its intentional self destruction within Saturn’s atmosphere on September 15, 2017.
Happy Star Wars Day from the REJECTZ!
Unless you’ve been living in a Dolovite mining colony on the Outer Rim for the past five years, you’ll be aware that today – May 4th – is Star Wars Day! To mark this most made-up of holidays, I decided to go for the throat with my latest batch of REJECTZ, the adorably ugly characters that aren’t Brickheads and that you hate to hate but have to hate because no-one messes with Star Wars except George Lucas.
Check out the Flickr album for more photos and a little Star Wars Day themed LEGO humor.
