Tag Archives: Animals

Do not be alarmed. This is only a (man)drill.

LEGO builder Dan Ko has been producing a lot of small stuff lately but we’ve clearly been mighty impressed, by golly! He takes a couple of blue bike helmets, a red lightsaber handle, a Minifigure beard and a few other pieces to cleverly construct this mandrill bust. There is so much character and expression for such a small build. It’s part of what makes Dan’s work so impressive. This is only a LEGO mandrill but I’d still advise not to make eye contact, just in case. While trying to keep peace with this primate, you ought to back away (very slowly, and for the love of God, don’t show your teeth!) and check out the myriad of other neat little things Dan Ko has built lately.

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Even reptiles are cute when they’re asking for belly rubs

Occasionally we come across builds on this site that gives us audible reactions, such as a gasp or going ‘wow’. Every now and then though that reaction will be an ‘awww’, as is the case with this adorable gecko by Jesse Åhlgren. Its organic shape makes great use of Bionicle and Hero Factory parts, such as the Rahkshi back covers for the belly.

Reptiles do give me the creeps a bit but there’s just something about geckos that makes them really cute. Perhaps it’s their almost comically-oversized toe pads, recreated here with ball joints. For this build I think it’s the tongue sticking out though. It’s a simple addition – just one part – but it gives this little lizard oodles of character. And if you’re not convinced that geckos are cute, then just look at this last picture of it asking for a tickle!

Itsy bitsy mechano-spider will exterminate all bugs in your home

When it comes to weird mechanical mashups, Caleb Flutur seems to have the market cornered. Fresh off the back of his addition to Sodor’s territorial defense , he has gone in an altogether different direction with this pair of steampunk insects. A lot of steampunk builds like to accentuate the use of, well, steam, but I like the focus on the electromechanical here. After all, that was one of the great advancements of the Victorian era. The clockwork fly makes ingenious use of a pair of window panes as wings. Meanwhile, the spider has a great whopping filament bulb forming its thorax (another Victorian bright idea). I normally think spiders get a bad rap since they eat all sorts of annoying bugs, but this is one arachnid I’d rather not have hanging around my house…

Caleb says this is the first of a few steampunk creatures in the pipeline, so we’ll be keeping a beady eye out for more! In the meantime, why not whet your appetite in our steampunk archives?

These pirates are feeling a little crabby

Behold the mighty Hermit ship, constructed of LEGO by Thomas Jenkins! What happens with a bunch of little crabs team up with a giant hermit crab with a ship for a home? They all turn to pirating the seas, gathering all the goodies they can in their claws and stowing it away in the ship. They make use of the old ship’s stores to outfit themselves, and they roam the ocean floor looking for their next haul. The build before us here is adorable and colorful, giving a sense of whimsical adventure. Good usage of Bionicle and Hero Factory parts give the hermit crab form. The ship makes use of Technic parts for the bowsprit, and some nice slopes for the curving bits of the keel. The crabs make use of pirate tools, though the one atop the forepeak makes use of some scissors to cut opponents down to size.

The biggest issue with stowing loot in a broken ship? The cargo hold doesn’t exactly hold anything, as seen with the treasure chest being left behind. From this angle we can better see the details of the broken ship. Meanwhile, life in the sea continues as the pirates pass by. Fish swim around the coral and another crab goes about its life instead of joining the buccaneering crew.

This bunny burns rubber.

Tim Goddard is known for his marvelous mechs and spectacular spaceships. But it’s important to branch out and flex your creative muscles every so often. That’s why we’re so enamored with this racing rabbit. Tim’s done an amazing job of capturing the animal in motion and creating a sense of speed in this static model.

Raccoon paladins are just as fierce as they are cute

Let’s follow this LEGO raccoon paladin by Miscellanabuilds into a world of fantasy and high adventure! The build comes to life from a roleplaying game campaign where this paladin is Miscellanabuilds’s character. Meet Procyous Loftyre, a Paladin of the World hailing from the Magic Woods. Dressed in green with a satchel and weapon, this paladin is ready for adventures across the land to help as many people as they can. Entwined flex-tubes make up the satchel’s strap, giving it a great woven and organic appearance. Speaking of great organic looks, the shapes of the raccoon paladin are lovely. The soft features of the fur balance the hard look of the paladin’s eyebrows. There’s no question this paladin is someone you want in your adventuring party.

Hot dog! These are some good sausage dogs

As much as I consider myself a dog person, I do think there’s a certain size of dog that is a bit too small for me. Nothing against them (or their owners) – it’s just personal preference. We all know that all doggos are good doggos, after all. That said, I do have two exceptions: puppies (because, you know, puppies!) and sausage dogs, or Dachsunds. In particular, these delightful Dachsunds built by daisy brick. The smooth-haired variant on the left was actually built some four months ago, with the long-haired companion the most recent addition to the family. They are a perfect complement to each other! Despite their similarities, Daisy has done a great job at differentiating the two breeds by switching up the way the fur is built. And do I spy some poseability in those little legs? Perhaps they can recreate the adorable waddle of their real-world counterparts!

Got your goat right here

LEGO has released a lot of great minifigure-scaled animals over the years, but one of the rarest is the humble goat. Released in only one set, 2011’s 7189 Mill Village Raid, it currently commands an aftermarket price that is frankly kind of silly. Richard Young (IamKritch) has a suggestion – why pay high prices for a single piece when you can make a giant brick-built version for a fraction of the cost? Built for the “Going Big” category of the Summer Joust competition, this oversized darling makes great use of curved slopes to accurately mimic shaping of its smaller counterparts. We just hope it’s friendly.

Want more goats? Sure, we all do. No kidding, go check our archives. Or maybe opt for a recently released set with slightly smaller brick-built alternatives.

You dirty swine, I’ll have you sweating like a pig!

Sometimes you come across a LEGO build and it hits everything you look for in a build; fun, story, and some great part usage. Here, MySnailEatsPizza has put together a fantastic vignette of a lie detector test, except with Pigs as the characters in this amusing scene. Injecting a spot of the absurd into the scene and why not? The characterization and emotion in this scene are told through the fantastic positioning of four half-eye tiles capturing so much through nothing more than perfect placement.

There’s some excellent detail that has been added to this build from the lie detector to the pig’s wonderful construction and the subjects sweat evident around his chair.
I could wax lyrical all day about this build but sometimes you just need to pull up a chair and enjoy the scene (but maybe not these chairs!)

Parts of a feather will flock together

I’m sure I read a piece of wisdom on this website a few years ago that read: “for a great LEGO creation, you don’t need a lot of pieces – you just need a lot of one piece”. Having had a look through Azurekingfisher‘s photostream, I wonder if they might have said it themselves. They are clearly a big fan of the classic leaf element, which sees a lot of use in their collection. It’s done everything from mosaics to planets. Another frequent use is as avian feathers, often with spectacular results – none more so than this stunning bird! I love creations like this that use the inherent mechanical properties of LEGO parts to creative effect. Since the plastic is quite thin in places on this bit of foliage, it can be gently flexed into a curve, at odds with LEGO’s inherent grid-based nature. In this case, the part repetition also makes it visually appealing. Especially in pink! I’m not sure if it’s based on a particular type of bird – to me, it’s reminiscent of a phoenix. Which, for a build this majestic, is entirely appropriate!

Ask and you shall receive a hedgehog

Not too long ago, LEGO builder Hejjo Demkowicz asked his Instagram friends to come up with ideas for him to build. Soon after they suggested a hedgehog and now we’re all better off for it. I mean, who can resist that cute little face? Asking friends for creative suggestions is such a neat thing as people (who are not your own self) will think of the darndest things. It’s a test of your meddle to successfully come up with what they suggest. Sometimes they can be doozies! This looks to be the start of what might be a long string of suggestions from Hejjo’s friends. With ideas this good, we look forward to whatever else Hejjo might have in store.

Oh man, what a mandrill!

The talented Sandro Quattrini returns with another fascinating creation, this time in the form of a humanoid primate. The mandril is bursting with personality through its eye-catching colour scheme and stocky proportions. Within the face is a fantastic variation of parts; blue flippers are placed along the nose, headdresses represent ears, and a wig (used on the revolutionary soldier minifigure) portrays the white beard at the chin. The binoculars almost look real with a microphone holding the optical instrument together. Buttons of the walkie-talkie are created by placing rollerskates sideways and the stylish boots feature fur lined hood pieces as the main toe sections. But beware, it appears as though this mandrill could be quite the hunter, as the creature comes armed with a deadly-looking rifle.

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