Tag Archives: Boats

Majestic microscale mansion in the sky

There is something magical about a floating castle. Not just the unanswered question of how and why it drifts among the clouds, but also the exotic promise of breathtaking views from pretty much any vantage point. In this microscale castle by Dr. Zarkow, I am left wondering where all that water is coming from. One of my favorite details has to be the small green gears used for leafy trees. The new wand from the Wizarding World makes the perfect prow for the floating ship, and don’t miss the use of a white car tire beneath the dome.

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A fishing boat that’s making waves as a great catch

You can find plenty of good seafood in Vietnam, but you need a way to catch your meal. What better way to do so than on the deck of this colorful squid fishing boat built by Hoang Dang? Practicality meets beauty thanks to the body’s bold blue, yellow and red color scheme, and additional ornamentation like lanterns and rigging used as clotheslines suggest this is a lively vessel.

Take a closer look at this colorful fishing vessel

A hull of a pair of pleasure boats

At first glance, it is easy to mistake these two boats by ER0L as wooden or plastic models, rather than LEGO creations. In part, this is due to the impressively constructed curved hulls, which is not the easiest thing to do. However, building a memorable LEGO boat is about more than just smooth curves. The smallest detail can make a big impact. One such detail on the larger Sirius is the white rubber band used as a hatch seal. With the smaller Mona, the use of some older hinge plates to line the inside of the rear compartment is genius.

Leave your troubles on the shore and glide above the sea

It’s certainly not summer yet, even in southern California where it’s still cloudy and stormy. Models like Ted Andes’ streamlined sailboat called the Rhapsody make me yearn for the season’s arrival even more. Although at first glance you might think it’s just your average high-end sailboat, Ted has actually built a futuristic vessel that hovers above the water, almost like a hydrofoil with its white fin-like appendages sticking out from the bottom of the hull.

Close inspection reveals that the hull and sails are constructed almost entirely from assorted Technic panels, allowing the builder to achieve the sweeping curves of the vessel and the cloth-like appearance of the sails. Let’s also not overlook the expertly constructed wooden deck and classic white coloring with blue and red accents. This boat is sure to awe onlookers on any expedition into the bay, whether it’s hovering or not.

I’m on a boat!

Are you aware that a hedge fund has nothing to do with shrubbery? Do you use the word “summer” as a verb? Have you ever summered in the French Riviera? Do you lack the ability and the know-how to change the channel on your theater sized TV because you have people do that for you? Does your walk-in closet have a heated swimming pool? Then you, my new friend, are a billionaire and you might be quite familiar with the super yacht. You know, for when a regular yacht just won’t do! I don’t know if Arjan Oude Kotte has a super yacht in real life, but it is a sure bet that he, if nothing else, has a massive LEGO collection. This model of an M/Y Scout Super Yacht is more than 48 inches long (123cm) and is built from roughly 14,000 pieces.

Here is a video of the undertaking. My favorite detail is this handsome minifigure enjoying a beverage on the aft deck proving, once and for all, that rich people do it better. All kidding aside, I strongly encourage you to check out the rest of Arjan’s work, as he is no stranger to building intricately detailed models of ships and boats. Now where did I leave my Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne?

More LEGO Friends Summer 2019 sets revealed featuring an ocean of new cute animals, a lighthouse and more [News]

We revealed the first half of the upcoming LEGO Friends Summer 2019 wave yesterday, and today we have four more upcoming Friends sets showcasing an ocean theme packed with new animals like seahorses, baby turtles, fish and even a narwhal. Standouts sets in the Friends Ocean wave include a lighthouse, lifeboat and and a seabed floor full of life.

The sets were revealed by Dutch retailer MisterBricks. As with some of the other recently revealed sets, we don’t have the exact release date for these, but we are able to provide approximate US prices thanks to the Euro prices listed by the retailer.

Don’t miss the rest of the LEGO summer 2019 sets reveals, and be sure to check out the new Toy Story 4, Spider-Man, and The LEGO Movie 2 sets that just went sale a few days ago:

LEGO Architecture
LEGO Batman
LEGO City
LEGO City Space
LEGO Creator
LEGO Friends
LEGO Friends Ocean
LEGO Harry Potter
LEGO Jurassic World
LEGO Ninjago
LEGO Star Wars

Click to check out more images of the new Friends ocean-themed sets

Make friends and go on adventures with Theodore Tugboat

Theodore Tugboat was an icon of Canadian children’s television in the late 1990’s. As a Canadian that grew up in the 90s, Julie vanderMeulen LEGO recreation of Theodore hits the nostalgia just right for me. The face and hat are sculpted perfectly to evoke Theodore’s friendly, happy-go-lucky attitude. Looking past the character, this is also an excellent model of a tugboat. All the details, such as railings and spotlights, are present to help make it authentic. Not satisfied to simple mount the tires on the side, Julie has added LEGO string elements to make them look as if they’re actually tied on.

Steamboat Willie and TV Show Friends will be next LEGO Ideas sets, second 2018 Review Results reveal [News]

It’s been a long time since the last LEGO Ideas announcement, so here are LEGO Ideas Second 2018 Review Results! Ten brilliant fan projects competed to become the next official LEGO retail set, and only one idea was approved by the LEGO Ideas team…

Click here to find out the name of the next LEGO Ideas set!

This tug is very uplifting

This McQue-inspired salvage tug by Martin Redfern is a plucky little workhorse on its way back to the yard with a fresh haul of parts. One of the reasons I find the floating boats and other vehicles from Ian McQue’s concept art so interesting is that they seemingly float out of the sea and defy gravity without any explanation. It’s as if these worlds simply don’t have the same laws of physics as our own.

If this theme looks familiar, we recently featured another of Martin’s floating vehicles inspired by the same source.

Sail away in this Seanchan Greatship

The Wheel of Time is a classic series of Fantasy novels by Robert Jordan, first published in 1990. One of the empires in the Wheel of Time universe is known as Seanchan, and it inspired Douglas Hughes to build a LEGO version of a Seanchan Greatship. According to the builder, the Seanchan style is a fusion of medieval European and Asian influences. For example, the figurehead is European while the trio of ribbed sails are reminiscent of Chinese junks. I love the sculpting of the bow and the ornate detailing running the entire length of the ship. The golden hawk figurehead looks stunning and doubles as a reference to Artur Hawkwing, one of the Seanchan empire’s earlier leaders.

“Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and minifigurekind the vessel.”

Before Star Wars, pirates were among the original rogues. The LEGO community of RogueBricks decided to do a pirate-themed collaborative build for German fan event, Bricking Bavaria 2018. Builder markus19840420 answered the call with this prodigious pirate ship. His ship is dressed to impress, thanks to the curvature of the hull and custom rigging and sails.

See more views of this fantastically detailed sailing ship

Cumulonimbus dead ahead! The “unsinkable” Skytantic

One of the most gorgeous airships to grace the skies has finally emerged from the distant clouds. This is the long-awaited Skytanic, built by Markus Ronge and alluded to in his equally epic-looking Maersk Pier, featured on The Brothers Brick last week. In Markus’ steampunk universe, the airship’s massive size was made possible thanks in part to the ultra-light steel used in its construction. When it comes to the characters involved in the ship’s construction, Markus once again gives them clever names. Hiram Lever is the designer behind Skytanic, which is in turn piloted by Captain Ulysses Wheeler.

From bow to stern, Skytantic looks phenomenal. The red, black and white hull is reminiscent of the ill-fated Titanic, while the gold trim helps give the finished model that steampunk vibe. According to Markus, the ship stands a whopping five stories tall, and each level looks distinct. The top level features a lively looking bar, and the royal cabin is directly below that. If you look carefully enough, you will also find what appears to be a tribute to the Jack and Rose “flying” scene from James Cameron’s hit film, Titanic (1997).

Click to see more of the Skytanic