Tag Archives: Animals

Gelada? Does that come in Rocky Road flavor?

Don’t ask how I know this but when dealing with a gelada it is best to not make eye contact, don’t bare your teeth and for the love of God, don’t ever look at his butt. Nevermind the series of unfortunate events that may or may not have occurred to make me privy to this information, just heed my warning and don’t ask questions. With that said, I’d like you to take an indirect glance at this awesome LEGO gelada built by Andrew Steele. With some clever parts usage, this model possesses the correct stance and facial gestures of a real gelada about to attack. (Not that I would know.) This build is so clever you may want to smile, but I would advise against it. In fact, you ought to just move on and check out the other toothy beasts Andrew has built.

Safer still, you might like to peruse our animal archives. I’m sure they’re not all dangerous and someone had to have built an adorable puppy at some point.

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Came in like a lion, went out...also like a lion

There’s plenty to love about this LEGO lion built by Djokson. His black color and tan mane are both visually striking and a refreshing change from the usual animal fare. This gives him an otherworldly quality that I’m quite fond of. As if that wasn’t endearing enough, this is a dedication to a creation that Patrick Biggs built seven years ago. A group of friends has also dedicated a bunch of builds for Patrick’s birthday. I can see why so many other builders would gravitate to him. He seems to be a swell guy. We’ve featured Patrick plenty of times before and while we’re at it, Djokson is no slouch either.

We’re gonna need one helluva scratching post!

Leave it to Joss Woodyard (Jayfa) to build something so alien yet we can still recognise it as a feline. That is a testament to this builder’s excellent choice of color, shaping, and pose-ability. The pneumatic T-bar as his nose and the Hero Factory armor as the mane are stellar parts usage. This is one cat I’d not want to meet in a dark alley or even a well-lit alley for that matter.

This satiated pose makes me feel slightly better but still.

I advise you to give this cat some catnip and tuck into Jayfa’s archive to see the other times we were totally wooed by his stuff.

The sad story of how a LEGO hedgehog came to be

Every LEGO build probably has a backstory that may or not be expressed explicitly by the builder. There’s ideation, inspiration and “Eureka!” moments that happen. This build of a hedgehog has a slighly sad note behind it. It was created as a lovely memoriam by Vincent Kiew upon hearing about a pet hedgehog’s passing, built as a gift for a bereaved friend halfway across the globe.

The hedgehog has tiny claws very much like the actual little spiny mammal and looks just as cute sitting cupped in Vincent’s palm.

Make no bones about it

LEGO builder Mitsuru Nikaido is back with another one of his animal mechs and this time he’s left off the protective exoskeleton. Instead, you have a fish that has a…regular skeleton. This fishy mech follows the same white and gray color scheme that his other animal mechs have so it makes for a great new addition to the line. As always, Mitsuru has demonstrated some very nice parts usage. I’m particularly fond of the repeated use of these handlebars along its backbone. I advise you clear your schedule, settle in, and check out these mechs by Mitsuru and others.

Doggone adorable prairie dogs [Video]

These little LEGO fellers are cute as all heck! In true JK Brickworks fashion, builder duo Jason Allemann and Kristal give us not one, or two, but four critters with entirely different movements. It’s a bit maddening that they make it look so gosh darn easy. These simple mechanisms come together in a fun and unique display of kinetic magic.

Of course, standing still in the picture above doesn’t do them justice. But as soon as you see them move, you’ll be captivated. Click the link below to watch the full video!

Click to see how it works!

A pretty pair of parakeets

Ah, love is in the air! In India, it’s the tail end of the breeding season for the ring-necked parakeets. These sweet birds are busy raising this year’s youngsters, and looking good while doing it! Leave it to Felix Jaensch to immortalize a pair in LEGO. Many times over, we’ve seen gorgeous animals from Felix, but they continue to impress us. For me, I think I’m most appreciative of the fact that he can show us the same bird in twenty different poses, and they’ll all look great. The realism is exceptional.

While you’re here, I definitely recommend taking a look at Felix’s other animals. We’ve featured many of his creations, but in the spirit of this avian duo, how about some birds? To list a few, check out a magpie, a blue and gold macaw, a kestrel, and even another parrot with a baby (plus a toucan for good measure).

Pampered Panda

When you think about pandas, what characteristics come to mind? Cute, cuddly, fuzzy, playful, sleepy, chubby? If they could talk, what do think they would say? Seeing as they spend most of their waking hours eating, I’d say it’d involve food. And if a panda was able to operate a phone, he/she would almost certainly order vegetarian takeout ASAP. Ian Hou must feel the same because he built this adorable snacking panda out of LEGO for the world to enjoy. How could you not love that big round belly, sweet face, and adorable bow tie?

Click to see more builds by Ian (AKA DOGOD Brick Design).

You mess with the bull, you get the horns!

Brothers Brick regular Aido K. has built a LEGO mechanical bull but not the kind you ride at your local whiskey bar. In fact, you’d probably want to steer clear of this one. (See what I did there?) Aido has taken an animal that is chock full of rage, muscle and testosterone and mechanized it because apparently that’s what the world needs. All kidding aside, this creation is as magnificent as the real beast. The posturing, the horns, even the flared nostrils are a sight to behold. LEGO chains add texturing to the underbelly and I spy a few tires used in creative ways. My favorite part has got to be the tail comprised of feathered wings. The light brick illuminating the eyes is an added touch of brilliance. This bull joins a long line of mechanized animals we’ve enjoyed featuring over the years.

Sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite

If you don’t really think about it, the nursery rhyme is harmless enough. But if you stop for a second to ponder, or maybe say it in a less sweet, sing-song tone, it becomes the stuff of nightmares. What if they really did come to bite in the middle of the night? And perhaps, as is the case with this poor fellow built by Water Snap, what if the bite mutates you? We’re not talking Spiderman here! I’m thinking more along the lines of The Metamorphosis, which the builder confirms in his description quoting protagonist Gregor Samsa. Yikes… But I digress. This giant LEGO bug employs some nice parts usage, and shaping. I particularly like the way it looks as if it’s sitting up in the bed, observing its altered limbs for the first time.

If you’d like to see more crawly critters, check out our insect archives.

A giant, lumbering herbivore [Video]

As soon as I saw this picture, I knew the build had to be from Dan Schlumpp. There are loads of dino nerds out there, and plenty LEGO dino nerds, but few have tackled movement so well. Dan has created several iterations of these prehistoric animatronic creatures. Each time he continues to perfect his skill. It’s not just the movement, it’s also the complexity of the specific dinosaur he’s trying to emulate. Wrapping organic-looking armored plating around a finite mechanical frame isn’t easy. But I’d have to say this heavy-footed Triceratops is my favorite thus far. That head is excellent!

Of course, you have to watch it walk to appreciate the build fully. The gaps in the body are necessary for the ability to create realistic movement. That movement is what makes the gaps forgivable, though, because that hip and tail swing is awesome! They really bring this creature to life.

We’ve had the pleasure of covering Dan’s previous iterations, including one of his initial dino skeletons, as well as more recent Stegosaurus.

LEGO horse puts on a show

Using LEGO bricks to capture the organic curves of a well-known animal is no mean feat. It’s all too easy for observers to spot when the proportions of a limb or torso are incorrect. They might not be able to articulate exactly what’s wrong, but they’ll know something is just a little “off” about the whole thing. Vincent Kiew‘s showjumping horse, however, is spot-on — a triumph of poseability and shaping. The mane and tail, the ears, the curves outlining the horse’s musculature, are all excellent. But to deliver this in a model which looks good in so many different poses is testament to the builder’s skill. The jockey is as well put together as her mount, and looks comfortable in the saddle whether trotting, galloping, or jumping — the pair are putting on quite a show, as is Vincent.