Something’s not right in this LEGO scene by Jonah Schultz. Maybe it’s the fact that these zoo animals should be in their enclosures. Maybe it’s that evil look we’re getting from the giraffe. But most likely, it’s the baseball bats that have been fashioned into a wonderful turnstile. Jonah pushed the limits of that part thanks to the ongoing Iron Builder competition between himself and Maxx Davidson.
This excellent LEGO build by Legonerdphotos! steals and borrows pieces from a powerful array of Bionicle heroes and villains! Its head is made from the all-mighty Mask of Life, while its shoulders and tail fins are made from the head-pieces of the great Bohrok-Kal. The little bundle of seaweed the manatee is carrying is a hairpiece from a single minifigure from the Hidden Side line. Speaking of vegetation, the grass at the front to either side of the scene comes from spines of the Barraki lord Ehlek. Further back, the tall fronds are from this year’s Dreamzzz Cat-Owl and the vast field in the middle is made from Gresh’s shoulder guards. All-in-all Legonerdphotos has put together a lovely diorama that shows it’s better down where it’s wetter; take it from manat-me!
Long-time TBB readers will know that our unofficial mascot is a lemur. Why? Well, not only is A. Lemur our resident dogsbody, he’s also the cutest* member of the TBB team, and therefore best suited to the role. Don’t tell him, obviously – he’ll ask for a snack raise, and he already pretends to be the boss when Andrew isn’t looking. In all seriousness, we should count ourselves lucky; we could have ended up with something creepier, like Velocijacktor‘s aye-aye. Now these little primates can be pretty un-nerving in the flesh, at least if Google Images is anything to go by. But rendered in Bionicle pieces, and eyeing up that poor little beetle, suddenly it looks like an other-wordly horror. Yep, we can be content that we just have to contend with our lemu-hey! No! For the last time, the server cables are not for eating!
*relatively speaking, of course
LEGO pets don’t shed, smell, or trigger allergies, so its only natural that more and more households will replace living pets with brick-build friends, just as we have with our botanicals. Hot on the heels of the LEGO Tuxedo Cat, builder LEGO 7 offers up a feline pair who purr-fectly capture the housecat’s ability to assume liquid form. While small and stylized these cats punch above their weight in personality.
Meanwhile, Ian Hou (DOGOD Brick Design) makes fetch happen with a a dynamic doggo in motion. I can practically smell the drool on that tennis ball. Ian is a prolific animal builder who again manages to model realistic anatomy while keeping the charm of the LEGO brick front and center.
Whether you’re a dog person or a cat fancier, we’re all winners today!
Some of the magic of Dicken Liu’s LEGO work is his ability to capture speed even when his creation is standing still. This is the case with this biomechanical leopard; the tail, the curvature of the back, and the purposeful gaze all leads me to believe that some serious business is about to go down. Someone or something is about to be destroyed and maybe even made into lunch. Do biomechanical animals eat? It’s a question I’d rather not find out, thank you very much!
Ever thought your botanical collection could use a cat to knock the plant pots off the mantlepiece? Well, today is your lucky day! LEGO has just unveiled the latest set in the Ideas line of fan-submitted creations: 21349 Tuxedo Cat. Originally entered by user The Yellow Brick (AKA Damian Andres), this furry feline reached the 10,000 supporters threshold in November 2022, with LEGO’s stamp of approval being given in May of last year. Its 1,710 pieces include interchangeable eye colours and, as the set name suggests, a smart black-and-white fur coat. When it hits shelves this June 1st, it will retail for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.
Take a closer look at this cool cat after the jump
For your daily dose of serenity, you should check out this LEGO temple by Andreas Lenander! There’s lots to love in this elegant and refreshing build. For starters, there are a host of animals that call this temple home; panthers, chameleons, birds, and goats oh my! In the pond on the right, Andreas has notably placed his water lilies upside down (using the power of gravity!) to mount blossoms on the stems, while the elegant temple itself is made from a selection light and dark tan bricks. I sure hope that panther is just passing through!
These days, the only place I really seem to see Kung-Fu Panda material is in poorly-cut Instagram reels. Admittedly, that probably says more about more about my social media habits than the film – and to be fair, it is a great film. Thankfully, Jannis Mavrostomos has freshened up my feed with this great LEGO rendition of the main cast! Each one features some great building. An orange leaf looks great for Tigress’ outstretched palm; Crane’s wings look great, as do the rounded features of Monkey’s head and, er, Po’s belly; and I love Viper’s cherry eyestalks. But the best bit is surely the comically small Mantis. What do you mean, where’s Mantis? He’s right there on the right hand side – represented by a single plant stalk!
F. S. Leinad is up to his usual LEGO-building antics again. This is a creation that he tells us he’s been antsy to share, inspired by one single part. Who could have anticipated that Garmadon’s helmet would make such a great nose for this bug? Not me! He’s upped the ante on this one. And while I could antagonize you all with some more ant-related puns, they might be getting a bit antiquated already. Let’s just file this build into the NPU anthology and be done with it.
Occasionally, an excellent example of great parts usage shows up online. One of the most recent such examples is this Colorful Owl by Nikita Filatov! This artist has done a splendid job of repurposing parts from the Wildflower Bouquet to create this adorable little friend of an owl. The dark purple bicorn hats make up the fluffy plumage of the owl’s wings, while the belly feathers are made of magenta paddles, and the eyebrows, which add so much character to the little bird, are made of wavy swords. If you, like me, didn’t recognize the disks that make up the whites of its eyes, have no fear; in that tan color, they are from the Wildflower Bouquet – and the part was made originally for the wheels of the James Bond Aston Martin. I’m looking forward to seeing more builds from NikiFilik. This one has been a (wait for it…) hoot!
With all of the excitement for the new official kingfisher LEGO set, it’s no wonder other builders – like Ryan Van Duzor – are giving us their own unique take on the subject. This LEGO model captures a kingfisher in its most exciting moment as it just hits the water and drops in on those unsuspecting fish. If you’re like me and didn’t recognize those fish right away, don’t feel too bad; those are Duplo fish that were discontinued in 2018. The air-water boundary in this scene is skillfully held together by transparent slide shoes and the kingfisher is crowned with feathers from the Chima line. While this bird may not make a splash, I think the build will!
Check out this LEGO dragon Joss Woodyard has built. Cute, isn’t he? His name is Pit, and I love his flowery tail and scaly body made from pink rock pieces. But he’s more than just a loveable li’l guy! (Pit, that is – though I’m sure Joss is lovely too!). The reason he’s called Pit is he’s named after the pitaya fruit, which is also a source of design cues. Those black dots on his white underbelly? That’s the seeds you find in these fruits! The green dorsal fins? They’re the leaves! It’s a really clever way of taking inspiration from something completely unrelated. Unrelated? Well, not quite – the other name for a pitaya is a dragon fruit. What a great idea!
In this year of the dragon, Joss is building one of these each month – and if his previous creature creations are anything to go by, he’ll definitely be featuring on our pages again!