It’s rare that I find LEGO Halo builds which deliberately stray from an exact replica of the source material. That’s one reason why I like what Stephan Niehoff created with his mash-up of Halo’s iconic Scorpion tank and LEGO’s own Blacktron II theme. Another reason: the mash-up works beautifully.
Stephan has also been working other Blacktron II creations, such as this great spaceship landing pad. See his Blacktron II series and more pictures of Scorpion II in this album.
Having been around for almost two decades and being one of the most popular LEGO themes means there’s no shortage of walkers stumbling around…Star Wars ones that is. Blacktron however, which debuted 29 years ago, is just stomping in now–and the wait was well worth it:
The BT-HIW, Blacktron Heavy Invasion Walker, is a glorious black and transparent-yellow sight to behold. Built by Rat Dude, this impressive walker manages to balance not only itself, but that classic space feel many builders strive for.
This beauty right here hails from the frozen north. Gerard Joosten (Elephant Knight) has created this lovely Blacktron ship, and it’s a sight to behold. This thing is massive.
Taking over two months to construct, this ship is full of great details. You can stroll through his flickr stream to really get a good inside peak at the galley, the bridge, and other sweet details. I keep seeing something new every time I look at it.
Sometimes Pierre E. Fieschi makes it too easy to blog his LEGO models. Not only does he offer quirky but lovely models, but he presents them beautifully as well.
Halfbeak has offered to ‘shop my Aldrin Mars Cycler onto a lovely spacey background, so it only seems fair that I highlight some of his great presentation work while I wait. He uses both a schematic and an edited background to showcase his latest LEGO model.
The model itself is a fun little build with lots of cool details (like the cockpit that splits open), but what really sets it apart is these two complementary presentations of the model.
This impressive Blacktron spaceship by Vid Legradic hearkens back to the nostalgic themes of the early 90’s. It looks delightfully swooshable, and makes me want to create a huge space-battle against the Space Police, just like when I was a kid. Not to be overlooked, though, is the ship’s great design with a unique shape and the integration of that odd transparent panel.
For reasons lost in the mists of time, my brother and I split LEGO themes growing up, resulting in no Futuron for him and no Blacktron for me. But I still appreciate a great LEGO model in the Blacktron theme, like this formidable tank by Evan B. (Lego Junkie).
Though a bit on the slow side, the tank moves under its own power and the turret spins.
Creature creator Tim Goddard (roguebantha_1138) demonstrates that Blacktron are non-discriminatory employers. Which is nice to know.
This Blacktron base by Michael Lehmann (Chiefrocker9000) looks like it would fit right in on the dark side of an alien moon, lurking in the inky blackness.
As a semi-related side note, did you know there’s a whole blog about Blacktron? There is — Color it Blacktron. Nice.
This new ship by Stuart (OptimalControl) brings Neo Blacktron to a cool new level. The unconventional shape really makes an impact.
I also like that there is so much black against black surface detail, it really makes the few spots of color pop out, especially the cockpit. Speaking of the cockpit, it’s fantastic, it’s set at an angle we don’t see often, one that I’m sure took a lot of effort to achieve.
There is one type of space building that has eluded me, it is micro-scale. I’m frequently impressed by the ability of builders to put parts to use representing larger structures and details. This compression of scale can produce very interesting results. I’ve gathered a few interesting recently posted micro space creations below.
First is the hangar scene above, by Peter Reid. He’s built some really interesting structures here, like the gantry on the right side. Although it’s something simple, I also really enjoy the small treaded vehicles.
Next is this cool micro scale battle by Andrew Lee. Andrew has done an absolutely fantastic job creating damaged areas on the top of the big ship under attack from Neo Blacktron forces. I also love the escape pods being ejected from the ship, they add a great sense of life and action.
Carter Baldwin built The Montero, a ship inspired by the Sulaco from Halo Aliens. Carter has made great use of the seams in between parts to give a purposeful paneled look.
Those of you who’ve built the LEGO Space Police sets will have noticed a number of subtle Easter eggs the LEGO designers included for long-time LEGO fans, including “Blacktron” spray-painted on the side of 5972 Space Truck Getaway.
Less subtle a reference but no less awesome, LEGO Designer Mark Stafford has built a Blacktron version of 5973 Hyperspeed Pursuit:
See more photos on MOCpages.