Tag Archives: Animals

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.

LEGO-Mecha-Skeleton-fish-05

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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.

Prairie Dogs

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!

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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.

Ring-Necked Parakeets

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).

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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?

DOGOD_Urban_panda_s01

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

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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.

Bull

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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.

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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!

Remote controlled walking Lego Triceratops

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.

 

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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.

Equestrian

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A mother’s loving touch

When I was younger, my mom gave me a framed poster of a mother giraffe with her lips pressed against the head of her newborn calf. The title read, “The First Kiss” and while it always meant a lot to me, it means even more now that she has passed away. Needless to say, this lovely LEGO sculpture by Joe Perez has a special place in my heart. And as a model, it is very well done. I’m constantly saying organic shapes are not easy, and the body of a giraffe has to be one of the hardest. I love their positioning, the clips for the mother’s mane, and the brooms for both their tails.

Nurture

If you’re interested in seeing more of Joe’s lovely builds, take a look at his majestic stag.  Or perhaps you’ll find these beautiful birds of prey inspiring. And maybe if you want to get wacky, check out his prehistoric squirrel in this previous exhibition. (While not his, the sabre tooth cat is my favorite contribution.)

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People don’t come to see the tigers; they come to see me

I’ve seen a lot of LEGO models, but I must admit that I never thought I would see one of a gay, polyamorous, gun toting redneck who keeps large tigers, but here we are. We were barely a week into our quarantine when a virus of another sort started invading the world’s TVs. Netflix’s Tiger King became an instant sensation as people lost themselves in a story about the goings on in the little known world of Joe Exotic aka The Tiger King. Add equally engaging side characters, large cats and a big dose of crazy and you have a hit on your hands. Joe Exotic minifigs have been popping up right and left, but this excellent brick built LEGO figure by SuckMyBrick deserves special notice.

Tiger King

This is such a fun grouping of figures, full of character and humor. The Joe Exotic figure captures him perfectly with his blonde mullet and cane. The giant eyes are hilarious and somehow fitting here and the gold earring is a great little touch. There is some great parts usage in the tiger’s face including the white croissant mouth and the minifigure pith helmets creating eyelids that give him some serious side-eye. It has a wonderfully crafted pose and a very telling facial expression. You can almost hear what he’s thinking. Seems to me this would make great fodder for a caption contest. Anyone want to give it a go?

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Leave it to the beaver

I grew up in the state of Oregon, USA, where the beaver is our state animal. I also attended Oregon State University, where Benny the Beaver is our school mascot. So I guess I have a bias for these buck-toothed builders. When I saw this cute little guy, built by Miro Dudas, I had to write about it. Now, it’s not just because this animal is significant for me; it’s nicely done. The aspen tree looks great and using legs for paws gives it organic character. The most clever part: using leg hips for teeth!

Beaver

Miro does a great job with LEGO wildlife, like this quiet fox, a curious bear cub, and a gorgeous stag.

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Surrealism and LEGO are a match made in elephants

The mustachioed surrealist artist Salvador Dali inspired this stunningly spindly pachydermal presentation from Dutch builder Jaap Bijl. This was an entry for Innovalug’s ongoing Style It Up! LEGO building contest. This category restricted creations to maintaining 4 studs’ worth of contact with the display surface. Dali’s “Les Elephants” features just the sort of delicately balanced build many of us actively try to avoid. Thanks to the plethora of newer curved slope pieces over the last few years the Daliphant’s shape is well represented, and I’d almost wager it took longer to get the thing to safely stand in place than it did to build.

Need more LEGO Dali in your life? We’ve featured a few creations in the past, including Lin Kei’s own “Les Elephants” take which earned him a spot in the LEGO House’s Masterpiece Gallery.

The elephants - Style it up! cat.3 Inspirational build

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