Tag Archives: Bob DeQuatre

An elegant spaceship for a more civilized age

You’d be forgiven if you couldn’t quite place where you’ve seen this distinctive vessel before. If you never played the Star Wars: The Old Republic massively multiplayer online roleplaying game or missed the official LEGO Star Wars version of the ship in 2013, you might not even recognize the hammerhead profile of a Defender-class light corvette. But it doesn’t take any familiarity with the source material to look at BobDeQuatre’s impressive model and hear a John Williams track or two in your head. The smooth hull, bold red-and-white color scheme, visible laser cannons, and subtle greebling at the equator are more than enough to evoke that quintessential Star Wars-ness that accompanies all the coolest spaceships.

UCS Jedi Defender Class Light Corvette

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Raising up a classic from the depths of 1996

It was a different time in 1996. Prince Charles and Lady Di call it quits just as Mad Cow Disease hits the UK. Coincidence? Nearly everything topping the music charts was vapid tunes we’d much rather forget but LEGO was doing some fun things. Among them was the 6190 Shark’s Crystal Cave from the Aquazone theme and famed builder Bob DeQuarte gives it a modern makeover.

#6190 Shark's Crystal Cave

I particularly like the plate-stacked ocean floor in dazzling colors and the crystal cave and aquatic plant life are not without their charms. But the real star of the show is most certainly that shark submarine staying true to its original color scheme and play features with the added inclusion of dark blue, which didn’t exist back then. There’s been a resurgence of awesome Aquazone and Rock Raiders set redos from 1996 and 1999 lately which, in my opinion, is far better than revisiting “The Macarena” or Cher’s “Believe”, respectively.

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It’s time to raid some rocks with a revamped Loader-Dozer

Much like Aquazone, I’ve always viewed Rock Raiders as “even more LEGO Space.” And there was never anything wrong with more sci-fi sets, in the opinion of 12-year-old Kyle. These are the kinds of fond memories triggered by this wonderful recreation of 4950 The Loader-Dozer by Bob DeQuatre. Without using any parts that are distinctly from either of the mining-heavy themes, Bob captures the essence of this powerful equipment perfectly. The choice of scoop at this scale is dead-on, and the move from black to dark gray feels more in keeping with the rest of the design. I just can’t get over the stellar use of spinner bases from this Ninjago set for the hubcaps of its mighty wheels. It’s as if that was their intended purpose all along!

#4950 The Loader-Dozer

And please take a minute to admire the craftsmanship that went into an accurate rendition of the accompanying Rock Raiders’ antagonist: the fearsome rock monster. This posable version feels so much more play-friendly than the single-molded version from ’99.

#4950 The Loader-Dozer

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All aboard the nostalgia submarine

People are suckers for nostalgia. This is a well-known fact that even the LEGO company has been tapping into lately. It is no wonder that this creation by Bob DeQuatre is hitting all the sweet spots. It is a rebuild of the 6175 Crystal Explorer Sub from the Aquanauts theme. This version is quite a bit larger than the original. The cockpit manages to fit 3 seats and a hatch to access the ocean. I am not sure, as it is not mentioned by Bob, but I can imagine quite well that the big trans purple windscreen from the Pop-up Party Bus was the starting point of this amazing build. To top it all off it even has working lights.

#6175 Crystal Explorer Sub

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LEGO Creation of the Week (#7): CS Star Explorer by BobDeQuatre

Every week readers of the The Brothers Brick Telegram channel choose the Creation of the Week: one project that impressed all of us the most. Our most recent winner is Bob DeQuarte with his stunning LEGO Classic Space spaceship. You just can’t go wrong with a classic, right?

Meanwhile, the new vote is already on! Join our Telegram channel to follow all the best LEGO creations, latest news, and, of course, vote for your favorites. See you there!

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V is for Classic Space! Wait, what?

Sometimes it takes several tries to come up with a clever name for an article and boy did I miss the mark with that one! That’s OK, famed LEGO builder Bob DeQuarte tells us this was his first time building a Classic Space spaceship and he struggled quite a bit, especially with the engine design. It took a few tries, experimenting with different engine sizes and placements but we think the end result was well worth the effort. Check out why we think building in the Classic Space style is well worth the effort and, while you’re at it, please let me know in the comments what a clever-er title for this article could have been had I have not half-assed it like a total schmuck.

CS Star Explorer

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Verdant dragon may cause a brushfire

Mythical dragons are no stranger to the LEGO medium, especially those of the elemental variety. But BobDeQuatre has provided us a nature-themed version as rare as a four-leafed clover. Two gorgeous, leafy wings spring up from the dragon’s wooden back, adorned with the occasional pink flower. A line of vines lead up to the beast’s rooted face, providing the same angular features as its scaled, traditional brethren. But the real success here is the design of the dragon’s arms and legs. Formed of rock, they blend into the build’s setting, leaving me to wonder where the landscape ends and the mythical wonder’s body begins.

Protector of the Vale

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Can’t make space wine without water

Building a colony on another world won’t be easy. It’ll require tons of resources that you better hope are available on the planet and that you can build close enough to them. Builder Bob DeQuatre is certainly aware of the issues that go along with settling new worlds. As a precious and necessary resource, water is certainly worth a hike to retrieve. This nuclear-powered, armored water tank, dubbed the Dionysus, was designed by the Mars Corporation to quickly transport water from remote extraction sites to the main outpost. Massive wheels and an armored body ensure that every drop makes it back safely. All while looking absolutely gorgeous with that white and red color scheme and interesting angles around that elevated cabin.

Dionysus

Continue reading →

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Remember to stay hydrated, even when exploring Mars

How many glasses of water have you had today? I bet, fewer than you you should! Instead of yet another boring reminder, I’d rather share with you this fantastic water extractor built by BobDeQuatre. Named Poseidon, this machine is much more advanced than your ordinary LEGO rover. According to the description, this thing can melt extraterrestrial ice and lift water up to the surface. I cannot confirm if this is true, but I can totally confirm some great part usage in the rover’s design. The cockpit reminds me about the 31107 Space Rover Explorer set which uses the same combination of pieces; although, the Poseidon is much more massive and impressive. Now, go and get yourself another glass of water..!

Poseidon

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In space no one can hear you hiss

Do you know what’s scary? Velociraptors. While the Tyrannosaurus is all teeth and ignorant brawn, the Velociraptor is a smaller, nimble and cunning creature capable of working together to hunt down kids in a laboratory. At least that’s what Jurassic Park has led us to believe anyway. Bob DeQuatre takes the already scary raptor and puts it in a spacesuit; one with opposable claw finger technology. You may as well just kiss your tookus goodbye by this point. Not only are the kids toast but the director and camera crew won’t be around to make the slew of blockbuster sequels. It’s a bummer, really. But all kidding aside this is a really cool idea. I particularly like the expression of the raptor’s face under the protective space dome.

SSP wants you to join

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Mars: Bringer of War...and also color coordination

I think I’m not alone in assuming, as a child, that we’d have Mars colonization by the time I was grown. Well, we haven’t even sent manned missions out there yet. But when we get there we’ll inevitably need to shoot stuff. Bob DeQuatre shows us what that could look like with this impressive LEGO Mars Corporation Ares Long-Range Artillery Platform. As you may know, Ares is the Greek god of war and Bob tells us this is Mars Corporation’s deadliest vehicle. He could have called it by its Roman mythological name but that would have been…uh…redundant.

Ares

Proving he’s no slouch, Bob also built this Hermes Mobile Command Center in the same striking red and white color scheme. Designed for long-range missions, this vehicle can hold up to six passengers as well as the driver and gunner. This makes sense considering Hermes was the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves,…and travel. Phew, that’s a lot of jobs! We can only assume all those other things are going on onboard as well.

Hermes

We’re kind of really into Bob’s stuff. Here’s the proof.

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Shrine on you crazy diamond

LEGO models with smooth curves and bright colors – they’re just a joy to behold. But there’s more than colors and curves to like about this build by BobnDeQuatre. In Takoizukame – The Shrine Keeper, those qualities are combined with some sweet part usage. Take, for example, the hubcaps in the upper arms. Or the Chima flywheels in the feet. And is that a Ninjago Spinner at the center of the mech’s chest? *Chef’s kiss*

Takoizukame - The Shrine Keeper

The rearview also showcases some great building techniques. Check out how the 5×5 arch bricks switch orientation and mix and match with the quarter-circle tiles to create smooth transitions and complex shapes.

Takoizukame - The Shrine Keeper

At the end of the day, though, it’s probably the fact that the colors remind me of the Downtown Diner that makes this mech near and dear to my heart. Retro-Town-Ninjago is a popular sub-theme, right?

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