LEGO Ambassador Chiukeung won the Hong Kong Scene Building contest with his lighted model of Hong Kong’s Clock Tower and Cultural Centre. The entire scene measures 3’x3’x2′ and is wired with colorful lights. So what does the builder receive for his hard work and creativity? Two roundtrip tickets to LEGOLAND Billund. Enjoy your trip Chiukeung!
As a continuation to his tea house, Nathan has posted a lovely Zen garden.
The beauty of the leaning tree is likely to distract those seeking to clear their minds, while the perfect torii evokes thoughts of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism — but we won’t go there. ;-)
And now for something completely different. A Wells, Fargo & Co. overland express and assay office:
20+ years ago in Japan, my brother and I stared in amazement every time we saw a dekotora (from “decorated truck”). Of course, like their teamsters brethren here in the States, the Japanese truckers who drove these “art trucks” weren’t always the most savory of characters. Today, dekotora are apparently more popular than ever. There’s even a video game for Nintendo Wii.
Nathan Proudlove‘s entry for the LUGNuts Haulin’ Ass build challenge is an amazingly accurate LEGO rendition of these trucks from my childhood:
Like the trucks that inspired him, Nathan’s truck also looks great all lit up in the dark:
With cherry blossoms, a waterfall, serene pond, and simple, elegant architecture, Nathan‘s Japanese tea house is an excellent example of the Japanese aesthetic ideal:
The tea house also has a lovely interior:
Nelson Yrizarry‘s Chinese Lion from the culture classic lion dance is easily recognizable as an iconic symbol of the Chinese culture. But I have to say that it look rather cute in its LEGO version and resembles candy, mmm sweet.
I must be feeling homesick for the land of my childhood tonight. I’ll wrap up this round of Japanese-themed posts with this great troll swordsman by Hamilton Scott:
And in case you haven’t been paying attention, LEGO trolls are the new cave racer.
Jordan Schwartz is one of those builders we’d like to blog more often, but with new creations just about every day, we’re not quite ready to turn The Brothers Brick into the Sir Nadroj Show. ;-)
Jordan’s latest is an adorable Fabuland scene (aren’t they all?) depicting a pair of Fabuland characters squaring off in a sumo ring:
Minifigs.net member ArzLan is a customizer I hadn’t encountered until I saw this gorgeous samurai on Brickshelf:
Poking around, I found even more great custom samurai minifigs:
Don’t miss lots of other great creations in ArzLan’s Brickshelf gallery.
I know this because I’ve chatted with Nelson about sushi over instant messaging several times. And also because he’s posted this wonderful platter of LEGO sushi:
If you frequently browse Brickshelf, then you’ve probably seen the works of Tiger (tiger0207). To those who only know him by his works, Tiger is reputed as a LEGO comic artist who is skilled in producing comics and artistic LEGO graphics in Chinese. Those who’ve inquired a bit further into his works may have stumbled upon one of his three blogs. Now through a brief inside look at this visionary from the East, provided by TWLUG member CVSPIS_CELIDVS, we gain a glimpse of the profound builder known as Tiger and his unique works.
“Tiger, in playing LEGO, belongs to a league of his own, who is not only a custom artist but also a philosopher. He operates three blogs of different topics showing his techniques, imagination, and philosophy of life.
His first blog called Tiger’s Style expresses the builder’s thoughts and ideas about playing LEGO and likewise his minifig customization and scene designs. He uses not only official LEGO parts but also those of other competitive brands, commercial custom parts (e.g. BrickArms & BrickForge), and even those made from simple materials by himself.
Tiger’s second blog, LEGO in Tiger’s Mind at Night, records his thoughts on ordinary life when the builder plays LEGO on quiet nights. Through the Chinese language and LEGO creations, Tiger depicts themes from diverse aspects including movies, traditional Chinese literature, poetry, women, love, and life.
His blog LEGO Martial Arts Heroes primarily shows historical oriental heroes and fictional knights-errant from Tiger’s imagination channeled through building, photography, and image-design. Martial arts fantasy, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms“, and “Journey to the West” are his favorite stories frequently told, of course, through LEGO.
Tiger’s most recent work, “Journey to the West,” is recreated from a classic and famous Chinese folk novel, also the prototype of the manga/anime “Dragon Ball” created by Akira Toriyama. Another recent work, “Spirit War,” found its inspiration through the Six realms of the Buddhist cosmology. As a storyteller, Tiger masterfully conducts the scenes as comics made from LEGO.”
-CVSPIS CELIDVS ECO SVM
Harrison, aka “Corran101”, recently posted a sweet vignette, depicting Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay as they reach the summit of Mt. Everest. This deceptively simple scene is packed with details. The figs are pretty awesome, but that rope makes this perfect.
Long before the Power Rangers leapt across the Pacific onto American TV screens, Japanese TV was dominated by series after series of superhero shows, not least of which was Kamen (Masked) Rider.
Moko goes retro with his latest creation, an homage to the very first Kamen Rider:
From 1971 through today, Kamen Rider, his motorcycles, and the monsters he fights have been an integral part of the childhood of every child who grew up in Japan. That includes me, and this large-scale figure brings back a lot of great memories.