Many people build animals out of LEGO, but mostly they call them something general, like “fish” or “bird”. But every now and then there is a creation like this rainbow trout by Lino Martins, which is very much specific. While the construction is simple for the most part, the trout has all the details that it needs. I knew exactly what it was just from the thumbnail, so that has to stand for something!
What better way to explore the lunar surface than in a LEGO version of TinTin’s moon tank? Stefan Johansson has nailed Herge’s classic design, notable for its twin bubble cockpits upfront. The tank’s blue and grey colour scheme is accurate, and it’s making we wonder if the original comic strip from the 50s provided any inspiration for LEGO’s original Space theme? Stefan has included figures of Professor Calculus, the Thompson Twins, Captain Haddock, and TinTin himself, all clad in fetching orange spacesuits. All that’s missing is Snowy the dog popping his head up under one of the domes.
The LEGO watchmen stalk the streets, keeping their eye on a wary citizenry. Dwalin Forkbeard‘s sinister steam-driven sentinel would like to remind you that if you’re behaving in accordance with the law then you have nothing to fear from their oversight. This is great steampunk/clockpunk building. I love the use of the welding mask, the twin-barrel blasters as control sticks, and of course, the design of those fabulous spindly legs. But the highlight of this model for me is the wonderful streetlight.
Dwalin says he took inspiration from the Tallboys of the Dishonered videogame. I recognise this in some of the elements, but I also think this has a nice clanky style all of its own.
Great LEGO building isn’t all spaceships and robots and Star Wars you know. Josiah N. cooks us up a beautiful domestic kitchen scene, which includes some excellent little touches. The rolling pin on the worktop, the white croissant as a curl of stray icing oozing from the pipe, and the classic design of the radio — all great. But the undoubted main attraction here is that mixer, and the clever use of an inverted knight’s helmet as the mixing bowl. Not just imaginative parts usage, it fits perfectly into the scene and looks fabulous.
I’m fairly sure this LEGO “Martian Outpost” is a human outpost on Mars rather than a place for Martians to hang out. The dark orange-red environment in this diorama by KW Vauban certainly looks like Mars to me, and there’s a lot of action despite the microscale size of the build. Centrally, a railed transport vehicle approaches a shelter — suggesting we are seeing only a small portion of a much larger habitat. My favourite part? The sliding doors closing behind the ‘space saucer’ that has just left an underground area. I want to peek inside those doors to see what’s down below!
There’s a whole story in this microscale diorama, but the builder hasn’t given us any extra information — just this smart little snapshot in time.
These cute incarnations of famous fast food characters by Eric Mok in LEGO Brickheadz fashion are a tasty treat. Ronald Mcdonald’s hairdo is spot-on, as are his clothes, right down to his collars. Eric has managed to sneak in the signature arches on Birdie’s outfit, and Hamburglar’s tie even spots a burger-like printed element. And as if the figures weren’t enough, the base stands are shaped like mouth-watering cheeseburgers.
If I was in McDonalds marketing, I’d be trying to figure out how to mass-produce these for a Happy Meal giveaway promo.
Mini Modular’s are brilliant when you can’t afford the full-sized thing. Clearly inspired by the new LEGO House under construction in Billund, Chris Wight has created a perfect addition with his LEGO House 2. I love the blocky layered design and the brilliant choice of colors. Little details like the air-conditioning unit on the roof and the simple tiled sidewalk with perfect mini trees all serve to round out the creation and give it a lived-in feel.
It looks great sitting between the Mini Modular Fire Station and Cafe Corner:
Taiwanese builder Mike Dung has a singular talent for recreating the elaborate costumes of female characters from the rich world of Far Eastern animation and videogames. But the addition of a background in his latest work is an additional treat. Despite her innocent appearance, Yuyuko is actually the final boss monster in the game Perfect Cherry Blossom from the Touhou Project series. When she casts a spell, a colorful fan appears behind her, which Mike decided to recreate as a mosaic utilizing the rich palette of LEGO hues at his disposal.
It’s not exactly the Ant-Man we know from the movies or comics, but Daniel Huang still captures the essence of this superhero. With the perfect shiny red and grey color scheme and parts to pull off a great build with enough articulation to give it great flexibility for poses. I actually like how his Imperial army issued boots have their tongues sticking out to give them that Converse look.
The torso is made from a combination of technic parts and ball joints combined with Bionicle armor plates from the Star Wars action figure series. The red shoulders blend in nicely and seem inspired by the mech from the new 76077 Iron Man Detroit Steel Strikes set.
For the final round of The Tourney medieval building contest on MOCpages, W. Navarre has given his all in this intense diorama. Whether you like the controlled chaos or not, it is impossible to deny the intricacy and detail at work here. An epic fight of the last two competitors ensues as the Forsaken Abyss mine burns beneath them. One can almost hear those cliched words: “You are going down… Or both of us are going down!”
At first sight I thought this build was a recreation of the climax action scene from the Mask of Zorro film – and I was only halfway wrong. It was indeed inspired by it, although the builder adds that he has in fact never actually seen the movie.
This beautiful recreation of a 1940’s New Jersey commuter train is simply breathtaking with the effort to the details put into it. It was carefully researched by Cale Leiphart who eventually fell in love with what he calls the “Jersey Girl” and set his heart on building it, and the result is astounding.
The locomotive was built with a LEGO Power Functions motor tucked inside the engine. The luxurious looking coach was built soon after, using a local New Jersey coach from the early 1920s as reference.
If ever LEGO was to build an Ultimate Collector Series for trains, this is the level of detail that fans would love to see. Read more about Cale’s journey and inspiration in the documentation of his love story.
If you’ve actually owned all three of these technological evolutions of television as depicted by Didier Burtin then you deserve an accolade! And maybe some help blowing out all the candles on your next birthday cake. The flat screen TV may be the last of its kind, as the only thing that’s growing are its huge cinema-like dimensions, and they make it easier than ever to “cut the cord” and move away from cable or broadcast services. I took the plunge two years ago – technically the only way I consume my media now is via streaming onto my flat screen. I’m willing to bet the next step are your tablet or mobile devices, with the ubiquitous TV set slowly going the way of the dodo. There’s no going back!
