A little photo editing has been used to great effect in this bustling scene by legomeee, making the saxophonist stand out against the washed out surroundings. It creates the feeling that the busker is bringing vibrancy and color to an otherwise drab and dour market scene. The builder has chosen the perfect expression for the musician’s face as he plays his sax, and the motion blur of the people in the foreground helps complete the illusion of a lively flea market.
Out with the Brickheadz and in with the BB-8’s? Apparently everything can be BB-8-ified, from other Star Wars characters, to DC or Marvel superheroes, and even the Sanrio franchise! I’m impressed by the way Handoko Setyawan has taken a simple spherical shape, and with clever interchange of colors and perhaps a distinguishing feature or two, transformed it into a range of familiar characters.
Two of my favourite spherical charms are those spikes of Darth Maul and Hello Kitty’s ribbon bow. Check out his Flickr album for a closer look at the rest of this ball-tastic invasion! And if you think you’re up to creating your own BB-8 inspired build, Handoko’s even provided an instruction guide to help you build one.
Today we have not one, but two versions of the cartoon character Droopy created by American animator Frederick Bean “Tex” Avery. Droopy was created in 1943 during the Golden Age of American Animation, and was known for being a rather lethargic, slow character with a monotone voice and deadpan humour. The first LEGO version of this character is by Jimmy Fortel. With those hanging jowls, drooping eyelids, and characteristic paunch, there’s no doubt about the name of this dog.
74louloute has not just stopped at Droopy, but included LEGO versions of the Wolf and the Red Hot Riding Hood. This second build is a smaller-scale version of Droopy, with good use of the droopy eye 2×2 tile and some nice shaping around the muzzle. I had to smile at Wolf’s classic ‘eye on stalks’ pose when he spots Red Hot Riding Hood — those red helmets are certainly protecting her assets!
There’s nothing great about morning commutes, but they might a bit more tolerable if you have access to the Floo Network, like Ron Weasley’s father, Arthur. He uses it daily to commute to the Ministry, and this fantastic LEGO vignette of Arthur stepping out of the Network by Eero Okkonen is perfect.
The green flames licking Arthur’s legs are actually Duplo grass elements, a piece we’ve been seeing a lot of lately, as it’s the mandatory element in the latest round of Iron Builder. Yesterday we featured a lovely sitting room using the element, and we’ve previously seen it as a flying carpet, a hut’s roof, a cyborg dinosaur, and a very clever medical device.
OK, so this LEGO green room may not be the waiting area for celebrities, but chances are it’s also a lot homier. This modest den accentuated with emerald tapestries is yet another of Jonas Kramm‘s fantastic uses for the Duplo grass element. Look closely, and you’ll spy the unwieldy element in two distinct applications, but don’t miss all the other wonderful details while you’re searching, from the bearskin rug to the agave plant made of alligator tails.
Jonas built this lovely den for the Iron Builder contest, where he continues to make excellent work of the Duplo seed element, having previously used it as a flying carpet and the roof of whimsical huts.
This week we headed up to our great neighbor to the north to track down Tim Schwalfenberg. Tim lives in Canada, is 21 years old and is currently studying Materials Engineering at his local university. He also likes to publicly smash his LEGO builds too, but more about that later.
TBB: Hi Tim! Can you tell us a little about yourself and your relationship with the Brick?
Tim: Sure! I have found LEGO to be a great creative outlet when I need a break from all my calculus or physics courses. While I’ve been building almost as long as I can remember, it wasn’t until my first year of university that I started to look at LEGO with the intention of making anything beyond the rainbow-warrior spaceships of my earlier years. Through a combination of some inspiring creations I stumbled upon through MOCpages and finding myself with too much free time on my hands, I decided that to try out this LEGO thing more seriously. Thousands of pieces and hundreds of creations later the LEGO hobby has become an incredibly important part of my life. The itch to build has become a constant companion that is easily rewarded by long hours tinkering away on a table-scrap covered table.
We all know Batman only builds in black, and sometimes in very, very dark grey. But it seems like he’s made an exception to his rule, and it turned out pretty sweet. We have to thank Lucas for giving the Batmobile from Dawn of Justice a new shade — even if the light grey sees it remains at the darker end of the spectrum. A little something special for Comish Gordon too — a redesigned Bat-Signal in the same hue.
Remember that feeling when you open a brand new box of fresh chocolates and you can’t decide which one to try first? That was exactly my first impression when I came across John Snyder‘s box of LEGO sweets. Glossy tiles and dishes are coupled with thick white rubber bands, and the results really look like actual chocolate — from milk chocolate (in tan) through to rich dark bitter morsels (in dark brown). And best of all, the model has fabulous presentation — capturing the box on a dinner table with some sweets in a glass bowl.
A flying cement truck doesn’t sound like a great idea, yet Damien Labrousse has used LEGO’s concrete mixer parts to great effect in his Basking Shark Fighter. The gaping air intakes might grab your initial attention, but you’ll linger over the whip-smart colour scheme, and the wonderful angles of the rest of the fuselage.
The angular styling reminds me of the funky geometry of the fictional MiG-31 “Firefox”, from the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name, but it’s those massive engines which lend this little fighter a big character all of its own.
The Beast’s rose by Anonymous Brick is not the first LEGO rose we’ve seen, and with recent release of the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, I’m sure it won’t be the last. The flower’s petals, made from minifigure capes, are excellent and very natural looking, as is the nicely curved stalk. A great detail is the fallen petals, making the rose look unique. My only issue is with the model’s base, which may be a little too simple, but overall this is a beautiful LEGO creation.
Fans of the graphic novels or the AMC show will appreciate these Walking Dead LEGO creations by Jonas Obermaier. The first scene features everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic redneck, Daryl Dixon. Jonas created a sleek motorcycle for Daryl that has just enough detail (look, there’s even some chrome!) to look like a million bucks. He also turned out Daryl’s legs for a more natural pose.
Jonas’s other Walking Dead build is a gruesome scene featuring Negan. There are a lot of interesting building techniques here, but what I love most is the ribbed hose (cut into strips) used to enhance Negan’s bat. And word on the street is that Jonas is working on a larger Walking Dead display for ComicCon Germany, so we should be seeing even more Walking Dead LEGO very soon!
The Brothers Brick gives you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our Weekly Brick Report for the fourth week of March.
TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: Star Wars fans rejoice! This week we learned about the next Star Wars UCS set and took a friend into space.
TBB INTERVIEWS & INSTRUCTIONS: Take a trip back to the eighties with this cute cassette tape build and learn about a builder of tiny trucks.
OTHER NEWS: There was a massive amount of LEGO news from other places around the web this week. Here are a few items we noticed and thought you might enjoy.