Tag Archives: brick separator

Like a good bra, this rover lifts and separates

The orange brick separator is so ubiquitous that, as I write this, I’m less than two feet from one now. It keeps staring at me like it knows I’m writing about it. If you bought a LEGO set of at least $50 or any Ideas set of any price, chances are you have at least one Brick Separator too. Joey Klusnick has upscaled the Brick Separator and made it a feature in this clever rover. If you’re on a wicked cool space journey and suddenly have to pry up some LEGO this rover would suit your needs nicely. Others, including Joey, have used the Brick Separator in their builds. Click the little blue link to see what I mean.

Brick Separover

I don’t mean to pry, but are you separated?

It’s fun when a bit of meta humor slips into a LEGO build. For those in the know, though, the Vic Veparator by Joey Klusnick provides more than just “a bit.” The twin orange forks of this Vic Viper style craft are oversized brick-built Brick Separators.  (You can see a LEGO-issued one in use as the tail fin, if you’re not already aware of them.) The orange color is nicely offset by the yellow accents. I like the use of railings and brace elements here – the Technic bushings and macaroni brick echo the single-element shapes really well. But the best part? When Joey gets tired of this build, all the tools needed to disassemble it will be right at hand.

Vic Veparator

This isn’t the first great creation we’ve featured that use brick separators as a key element, and hopefully it won’t be the last. In the meantime, check our archives for more take-apart goodness!

The stronghold of the separatists

I can only assume that the dark villains who live in this black castle nestled among spiked growths on a lake of lava call themselves the separatists. Why is that? Because the main piece of the castle by Simon Liu is one of the new double-wide brick separators from LEGO’s new mosaics, with a strip of chainlinks down the center to make stairs. But the separator isn’t the only piece that Simon copped from the mosaics, as the front wall of the castle is the Technic panel hangar, with the nail slot making a perfect front gate. Simon built this for our friends over at New Elementary as a way to explore the LEGO Art line.

Dark Fortress

When you have to be separated over the holidays

The holiday season has been a tough one this year. The COVID situation in the US means that I can’t be with all the people I care about, and every wintery milestone goes by with a hefty helping of separation. But, thanks to Allyson Gail I can at least share a wry bit of LEGO creativity that makes a good pun out of the whole deal. She’s once again taken the hard-to-repurpose brick separator and turned it into something special. This time it’s a holiday wreath that could easily go toe-to-toe with LEGO’s own offering.

You’d be forgiven if you thought this was just a clever arrangement of parts on a flat surface. But, if you look closely, you can see that all of the separators are actually connected by a hinge plate. That means that this creation can even go on a wall (if you hang it from a standard over-the-door wreath hook). And let’s also take a moment to enjoy the construction on that bow! The smooth lines and curves really play well with the texture of the separators.

My own collection of green brick separators is too small to duplicate this build myself, but maybe I can find some other holiday creation to reverse engineer. I’ll have some time on my hands, after all…

In case of emergency...

We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re on lunch break at your office where you don’t usually build LEGO. Or maybe you are like me and your brick separators can be in any one out of a number of tin boxes. Luckily Allyson Gail shows us how we can prepare for such disasters in her build – a twist on the old classic “break glass in case of emergency”.

The composition of this build is quite simple – mostly red LEGO bricks and some tiling at the top with large clear translucent windows to create the glass portion. Gail even includes a much needed brick-built hammer hanging off of a long chain element – to break the glass of course. Inside is the coveted original bluish-grey brick separator, the preferred separator of some builders and all the more reason why it should be tucked away safely for emergency use only! Thanks to Gail’s inspirational model, now you too can be prepared for a potential brick separating emergency.

Star Wars Separatist Brick Destroyer Ultimate Collector Series

While fans scream out upon seeing yet another UCS Millennium Falcon (whether it’s in joy or angst is a different discussion altogether), flying right under the radar is the Separatist Brick Destroyer, or SBD, in LEGO Ultimate Series Collector scale. I must say this design by L-DI-EGO is one of the best re-imaginings of the humble LEGO brick separator. The intense greebling makes it all more realistic and I think it definitely needs to be considered for an upcoming Star Wars movie. After all, the Slave 1 reminds me of a household iron, I don’t see why this can’t be part of the lineup.

UCS Separator-class Star Destroyer

Check out the menacing details and raw power of the underside, uh, I mean dark side!

Engines - Separator-class Star Destroyer

You’ll flip for my flippers!

It’s been said that puns are the lowest form of humor and are often a sign of brain damage. Well, call me brain dead because I featured this particular creation based in part on thinking up that title. Not seeing the genius of it? Then I challenge you come up with a better one. While you’re mulling that over, check out this scuba diver by Djokson. His name is Dr. Renaud and he is accompanied by his BUBBLE assistant drone.

Dr.  Renaud

Plenty of creations have featured the ubiquitous and streamlined modern brick separator but few have featured the older bigger, clunkier ones. The former comes with nearly every set nowadays but the latter had to be purchased individually. Djokson managed to get his hands on at least two older ones, and the result proves that they are not only good for prying up those pesky 2×4 plates but you can also use them to propel yourself through water.

While the genius of this post’s title may be a subject of hot debate, the coolness of this builder’s work surely is not. Be sure to check out his previously featured office companion and Umi the Jelly for more whimsy and wonder.

Lean, green and mean.. Built for separating the pack.

Early in May, we showcased Inthert’s previous Speeder, and now barely a month later he shares another great one. His new LEGO Speeder Bike comes with the feeling of a deluxe personal outrigger, capable of some spectacular turns. Impressively bold in colour, Victor-Vine’s Bike looks striking with the simple but well-balanced gradient running through its core. The main body, built from twin green brick separators, gives way to its sleek design and powerful rear end. The steering pinion-shafts lead to the lengthy upper-stock, reaching the nose rudder with ease. It makes me wonder what sort of G’s it would pull taking a tight corner. The front end is held together with a couple of 2×2 white Rubber Bands, giving enough pressure to keep the nose assembly in fine form.

Victor-Vine's Bike

Towards the engines, we see some nice parts usage, tightly constructed and predominantly in black. I was personally pleased to see the white 1/2 Technic Bush and the Modified 1×2 Plate with Ladder. Such a simple element like this ancient ladder plate, tends to be abandoned for the 1×2 – 2×2 Bracket and a couple of 1×2 Grills, so it’s good to see it pop up here.

All orange, all the time

If you have been even a marginal LEGO buyer these past few years, you might be familiar with the ubiquitous Brick Separator. I have dozens of them myself. They come with nearly every set nowadays, mostly in orange, however they have made some rare appearances in green and now in dark turquoise. But what can you use them for besides prying up that pesky 1×4 plate? If you answered “build Torrac’s Race Bike with them”, then you might be a builder who goes by the name Inthert.

Torrac's Race Bike

Every angle of this futuristic hover bike is expertly crafted, proving that with a bit of imagination, you can find inspiration beyond an obvious purpose. Even with the humble Brick Separator.

Torrac's Race Bike