When it comes to life-size prop recreations built from LEGO, Nick Jensen might be the reigning champion. His latest work is the revolver wielded by Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. This is the perfect weapon for going bat hunting, with a movable trigger and a perfectly purple grip. But my favorite part is the “Bang” flag coming out of the barrel. Thanks to a clever sandwiching of a LEGO net between some tiles and plates, the flag can actually wave. As in, wave bye-bye to the Batman…
Nick Jensen, formerly of these pastures, builds life-size LEGO props in ways that us mere mortals can only dream of. Speaking of dreams, that’s a tangential link to his latest effort, depicting the so-called PASIV Device from the Inception film. This is the device used to administer Somnacin, which induces lucid dreaming and dream sharing of the sort seen in the movie. The gadgetry present in the case looks fantastic, and the Dots bracelets are such a perfect fit it makes you wonder if the whole thing was built around them. And if, like yours truly, you didn’t recognise the case at first, then the accessories in front of it help to drive home this mad machine’s provenance!
LEGO builder Hannes Tscharner (aka Marshal Banana) has reminded me of one of the hottest debates in sci-fi fandom, that being; what the heck is up with E.T.’s finger? I mean, seriously is it a Slim Jim with a lightbulb on the end or what? Also, having nothing to do with nerdy fanboys debating online is this awesome Star Wars replica of Han Solo’s blaster. The handsome DL-44 borrows design DNA from the Mauser C96 but added a scope and a bunch of other greebly bits including the “mystery disk”. What does the mystery disk do? It shoots mouthy Rodian bounty hunters right in the aedeagus, that’s what! This movie-accurate replica is 1:1 so you can hold it and practice your lovable scoundrel smile in the mirror. Isn’t that what we all do when not debating E.T.’s dubious finger?
Until 3 years ago, it would have been hard to predict just how ubiquitous an item the soap dispenser has become. So much so that they now pop up in LEGO models, like this one by Pedro Sequiera. It’s a neat model, very nicely presented – it looks worthy of being a still-life piece regardless of its brick-built nature! It’s spring-loaded, so it has some built-in functionality to it. But the best detail might actually be the labeling on the side. A selection of printed tiles make up the typical warnings you might expect to see on soap bottles. Mainly these are re-purposed number plates, but the use of piano tiles for a barcode is so clean!
While I’m certainly not familiar with Louis Vuitton’s line of products, I adore the life-size recreation of household objects in LEGO. And qian yj once again hits it out of the park with this highly-detailed makeup case. Each piece in this kit is expertly crafted to match the original, be it an eyeliner pencil or palette of blush. And the case itself is a work of art, checkered in white and light gray bricks with medium nougat along the edges. The use of the 1×2 jumper plate to add some texture to the leather trim is a pro move. And the detailing on the clasps, both for the main case and the interior tan box, is unbelievably impressive! If I squint, it’s hard to tell that this isn’t the real thing.
And if all of the above wasn’t impressive enough, the fully-detailed interior of the case is designed to hold all the displayed contents. It even has the reverse side of the main clasp visible, showing the attachments where the buckle is fastened to the “fabric” of the outer box. For me, that’s what sets a great part apart from a good build: when a model still remains accurate to its subject, regardless of how it’s viewed. LEGO and LV, if you two want to start working together, it’s time to take some notes!
Some people have a special talent for cooking, crafting, music making, and what have you. Esteemed LEGO builder Sean Mayo’s special talent lies in…well LEGO building but also mixing in other nerdy hobbies and making them super cool. I mean, take this treasure chest chock full of neat little Dungeons & Dragons doodads, for example. It includes a collectible silver figure, dice storage complete with dice and bag, a vertical holder for a notepad and D&D spell cards, and a gold coin. Sean tells us he has taken the classic Castle LEGO dragon of yore and combined it with the D&D logo to make the graphic. Clever!
The whole shebang can be stored neatly inside the box. What Dungeon Master wouldn’t want this at their next gaming event? If this wasn’t enough to warrant a full-on nerdgasm, then you may also be thrilled to learn that the outer panels are easily interchangeable to instead reflect a pirate theme or whatever else you’d like. What a special talent indeed! My special talent? I’m glad you asked! I write sensitive poetry about the man from Nantucket. While you’re mulling that over, check out some other Dungeons & Dragons-themed creations from other people around the world who also have special talents.
Set your phasers to positively delighted because LEGO builder Kevin J. Walter has a duo of 1:1 scale Trek tech for you to dork out over. First up is a Tricorder used to sense data, record data, and analyze said data. Star Trek medics use special Tricorders to help diagnose diseases and collect bodily information about a patient while the engineering Tricorder is used for…well, engineering purposes. Captain Kirk mostly used his to categorize hot space babes that he made out with. I like the attention to detail here and it looks as if you can fold it up and stow it in your Star Trek uniform that somehow had no pockets.
Next is a Type II Phaser for shooting space baddies who were not cool with Captain Kirk or anyone else (especially Kirk) making out with their babes. Unless you count a smartphone and a taser, we have to wait a couple of centuries until we can have such cool tech. In the meantime, check out why Kevin J. Walter continues to impress us dorks with his masterful LEGO work.
Martin Gebert has served up some delicious looking brick-built creations that would make even the most seasoned pastry chefs drool with envy. The four-tiered cake, with its layers that get darker the higher you go, is decorated with a generous serving of minifigures beards. And this fruit tart is sure to delight even the most discerning of sweet tooths. Be careful, those reddish-brown plates have a tendency to snap, and the fragments can get caught in your teeth.
This pair of brilliant binoculars by Tom de Kesel takes standard tires and treads and gives them new life. The treads obviously form the neck strap, but it turns out that rubber tires turned inside out produce perfect lens casings. One remaining tire does duty as the focus wheel to add the finishing touch to this perfectly rendered prop replica.
I’ve never played Overwatch 2, but I’m willing to bet that no weapon in the game is branded with the LEGO logo. That doesn’t stop this build by Simon Liu from being any less impressive. The numerous angles and the rounded shaping are executed to a precision that would make any future gunsmith envious. My favorite detail is putting the oft-unseen reverse side of the masonry brick to use in a sci-fi build.
LEGO has released a lot of 1:1 real-world items lately, and if you’re willing to collect them all, you’re well on your way back to a vintage workspace. You’ve got a typewriter and a globe, and even a lunchbox if you’re so inclined. But you’re still on your own if you want to keep working after dark. Builder Castor Troy, in collaboration with builder Max Brich, have found a solution, though. This art-deco inspired lamp is wired with LED lights to shine through that Tiffany-style lampshade. The solid base has just enough detailing to suggest metalwork, which carries up nicely into the delicate curves formed from LEGO plant elements and tubing in the lamp stand proper. It certainly fooled me into thinking this was an antique at first glance, anyway.
Sadly, this is only an idea at present, as those stained glass bits consist of parts LEGO hasn’t released in transparent colors. But, in the meantime, we can take our inspiration and make our own forays into custom building. In fact, we’ve got a lot to offer in our archives if Art Deco is your thing.
Felix Jaensch has used about 14,500 LEGO pieces to build this rather unflattering fellow and now I wonder if he has caught a glimpse of me checking the mail. Paunchy, check. balding, check. Coffee stains, socks, and sandals, disheveled appearance, surly attitude; check, check, check and check. I don’t recall giving you permission to build me in LEGO, you jerk! Upon closer inspection though, Felix tells us this figure is 175 cm tall, which is slightly taller than I am, so we can now add short to my list of qualifications as a slovenly malcontent. At least he didn’t swipe my total likeness after all. This dude bears a close resemblance to Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force but it isn’t quite him. Felix doesn’t state a specific person in his write-up but he’s a fairly average representation of what a lot of us are like.
See him in his full, coffee-stained, grumpy, socks and Adiletten-wearing glory.
Building life-sized sculptures are pretty much Felix’s thing. Check out our Felix Jaensch archives to see what I mean. Now get off my lawn, you ingrates!