Tag Archives: Armor

An Astounding LEGO Aegis of an Aureate Aesthetic

I have a bit of a weakness for life-size recreations in LEGO form, so this beautiful green and gold shield by Peter Ilmrud most certainly caught my eye. The odd angles of the outer gold band are mesmerizing in this blocky medium, creating a non-standard yet fitting silhouette for the creation. And the stripes of sand and dark green composing the interior fill color, again set at an atypical angle, pair nicely with the pearl gold trim. But the 3-D dragon head at the center is the real all-star here. Utilizing both Technic and System pieces, the sculpture incorporates some notoriously-difficult-to-use pieces into the fierce visage. Any knight would surely think twice before attacking a knight wielding this beauty.

Avalonian Heraldic Shield

Dress to impress with this LEGO shogun armor

The balance of LEGO Technic and System parts in this ornate shogun design by Mohamed Marei shows some excellent prowess with the brick. Each piece seems to be specifically chosen to replicate the plated nature of ancient Japanese armor. The use of tread pieces here (large and small) is divine, both around the arms above the elbows and as the base of the warrior’s kusazuri (the plates draping over his thighs). And Mohamed has used nearly every type of gold 1×1 round plate in this build. There’s even one that isn’t actually a part, but a sprue for Ninjago weapons. It’s an ingenious choice, adding even more variety to the fairly monochromatic armor.

The Great Shogun (Samurai MOC 2022)

And I haven’t even started talking about my favorite part of the build: the kabuto, or helmet. If you haven’t been able to tell from my previous posts on here, I’m a sucker for a great brick-built face. And this mask, with the intricate details around the eyes and mouth, is truly exceptional! On the sides of the kabuto, you’ll find what has to be the best parts usage in the whole build. Those curves are made by an upside-down fairing from this Chima Speedorz set. You can better see how the part’s used in the side-view below.

The Great Shogun (Samurai MOC 2022)

Axonn, Axe Off

It has been twenty years since Bionicle came to the LEGO scene, and even after all that time it still inspires some amazing creations — this new take on Axonn by Toddrick is no exception! This fierce warrior brings to mind images of a Roman centurion with its red highlights at the wrists and knees and the crimson cloth in the torso, while the crested helm hearkens to the galea helmet. The notes of gold in the helmet, along with the axe handle’s plumage and ring of gold, add a sense of prestige to the figure. My favorite parts usage is the chest and shoulder pieces. These Hero Factory parts add a sense of legacy to the build, as the Hero Factory toy line succeeded the Bionicle line.

Axonn

It was a very small box of scraps

Way back in May of 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with Iron Man. Now, a mere 12 years later, Josephine Monterosso pays tribute with an amazing microscale rendition of the Mark I armor. As you’d expect at this tiny size, there’s a lot of meaning packed into each and every piece. The legs, made of robot claws add some weight to the hips, and the connection grooves on the minifigure hands that make the arms manage to suggest elbow joints. The round helmet (looks like the base of a lever to me) conveys the right shaping. But the real star is the torso – made from a single roller skate. Not only does that part provide all the necessary attachment points, it also transforms the central LEGO stud into a perfect ARC reactor. It’s amazing how much information you can get from just six tiny LEGO elements.

Micro Iron Man Mk1

As impressive as the armor is, it’s also important to call out the setting Josephine built for it. Without this jagged rock backdrop, you might have mistaken the figure for a robot or even a sci-fi spacesuit. It may be a “simple” build of slopes and plates, but it adds great depth and context to the scene. Makes me wonder what other Marvel Moments might be possible at this scale. It’d make for a great, space-efficient diorama!

Armor up for your holiday shopping

We all know that shopping for that perfect gift can be a real nightmare. Sure, shopping online has made things a lot nicer. But sometimes you still have to go out into the crowds and fight hand-to-hand for those discounted LEGO sets that you a loved one really wants. It can be hazardous, particularly if someone else tries to shove you out of the way. So why not take some precautions? For example, you could don the wearable Roman Centurion armor that Amado Canlas Pinlac created.
Built from an interlocking mesh of ball-jointed plates, it’s the rich colors and decoration that really make this a stand-out piece of art. Dark red 2×2 tiles resonate well with a myriad of gold elements. There are plant stems, rounded tiles, and even carriage wheels.
Roman Centurion Armor
Repeated blocks of curved slopes feature heavily on the shoulders and back. Golden window lattices and minifigure weapons help define geometric patterns on the rear as well.
Roman Centurion Armor
Okay, maybe this isn’t something that would be super-practical to wear while fighting for bargains. But I bet if you did, it would be a huge distraction to the other shoppers. And while they’re asking “how long did it take you to make that?” you can make off with all the best sets. Victory is assured!

You can read our interview with Amado here.

“It’s a grave error to think the Way of the Samurai consists of nothing but a show of strength.”

Since it’s just the two of us, constant reader, let’s jump into the way-back machine again and set the dial for 2011. Even though the build can’t be considered new, the builder (LEGO Suzuki) is new to me and perhaps to many of you too. The reason for all this fussy time-travel is to show you Suzuki’s outstanding Samurai battle gear display set, which is detailed enough to make Miyamoto Musashi proud.

LEGO Samurai battle gear display set 03

Custom Roundup: Crazy Arms, Brickarms, Brickforge & BrickWarriors.

There have been so many new custom items coming out recently, it is almost overwhelming. I’ve been meaning to highlight several of these items and more of them keep coming out!

First on the list is Guy Himber’s Crazy Arms. Guy sent me some of these awhile back but I never got pictures uploaded because my camera was on the fritz and then I forgot. But luckily he has restocked them and they are a lot of fun! They replace the existing minifig arm, allow other “crazy” poses and are currently available in black, brown and white.

CRAZY ARMS info from V&A Steamworks

Brickarms released their Xperimental weapons in October and they look good. I don’t own any but I got to look at a few of them at BrickCon. They definitely live up the standards that Brickarms fans have come to expect. On a side note, Brickarms has reached an agreement with the makers of Offensive Combat. Brickarms will be releasing weapons from the game and some of the Brickarms product line will be appearing in the finished game. I did get some of the prototypes of these weapons and they are fantastic.

By Request, the eXperimental Series

Brickforge has been busy as well, releasing new Shock Trooper armor, Camo patterns and baseball bats in the last couple of months. I haven’t seen the Camo and baseball bats in person, but I got a set of Doomsday Shock Trooper armor in my swag bag at BrickCon and it was pretty cool!

Peek-a-boo!

Lastly, BrickWarriors has been heating up their molds with all sort of new products, including Androids, Demon Armor, Two-Headed Ogres, new plumes and RPGs, among other things. I haven’t picked up any of these yet, but I have been impressed by the number of items they have been putting out lately. I see that some of the items are already sold out, but hopefully they will be restocked soon. Also, BrickWarriors is donating a percentage of each order to Toys for Tots through December 1st.

November 2012 - Dragon Wings, Tail, Lance, and Plumes!

That is all for now, but I will be doing another Custom Roundup this weekend. There was just too much for one post!