Tag Archives: Cats

LEGO big cats take Broadway

I’ve seen practical, dramatical, pragmatical, and fanatical cats take the stage. Gumbie cats and railway cats. But until this day I’ve never seen LEGO cats give ’em the old razzle-dazzle. This is actually an encore scene from Caleb Huet assembling a trio of big cats in top hats to command the stage. First built on a whim five years ago, Caleb revisits the concept to show how he’s grown as a builder. The voluminous curtains look great, and the plush chairs look like a cozy place to book a seat. There is an undeniably theatrical flare to the big cat figures standing up, with those outstretched arms making jazz paws. True Jellicles.

Cats in Hats Revisited

The purr-fect tactic for defeating ancient Egyptians

Builders like Hunter Erickson are a gift, using their talent for creating compelling LEGO scenes to share another passion in a way that makes learning fun. For Hunter, that passion is history, especially obscure military history from both the ancient and modern worlds. In his latest scene, Hunter takes us back to Ancient Egypt with a rendition of The Battle of Pelusium from 525 BCE. Persian king Cambyses II overcame the much larger Egyptian army thanks to a clever bit of psychological warfare: they brought cats to the front lines, knowing the Egyptians would be afraid of hurting the sacred animal.

The Battle of Pelusium, 525 B.C.

Aside from his knack for mustering ancient minifig armies, Hunter is wonderful as usual in the presentation, staging the scene with a framed brick-built sky and a lovely patch of terrain, as we appreciated in his LEGO tribute to the Hundred Years’ War.

Cats vs dog in a LEGO competition of cuteness

LEGO pets don’t shed, smell, or trigger allergies, so its only natural that more and more households will replace living pets with brick-build friends, just as we have with our botanicals. Hot on the heels of the LEGO Tuxedo Cat, builder LEGO 7 offers up a feline pair who purr-fectly capture the housecat’s ability to assume liquid form. While small and stylized these cats punch above their weight in personality.

THE YOGA MASTER

Meanwhile, Ian Hou (DOGOD Brick Design) makes fetch happen with a a dynamic doggo in motion. I can practically smell the drool on that tennis ball. Ian is a prolific animal builder who again manages to model realistic anatomy while keeping the charm of the LEGO brick front and center.

nEO_IMG_DOGOD_Fetch_LEGO_IDEAS_01

Whether you’re a dog person or a cat fancier, we’re all winners today!

Houston, we have a cuteness overload

When we talk about boldly going where no one has gone before, most of us don’t mean in the litterbox. Unless you’re this adorable LEGO feline astronaut by miscellanabuilds, of course. Borrowing its wide blue eyes from LEGO’s official new 21349 Tuxedo Cat, the model is probably the cutest thing you’ll see all day. With those outstretched paws and curly little tail, you’re not sure whether to pet it or cheer it on as it orbits the giant ball of yarn we call Earth.

Ground Control to Major Tomcat

LEGO Ideas 21349 Tuxedo Cat [Review]

Have you ever wanted to own a cat, but didn’t want to clean the litter box or pay for vet visits? The latest set from the LEGO Ideas crowdsourcing platform has got you covered, as 21349 Tuxedo Cat is the perfect feline friend who will always stay where you put it and rarely scratch up your couch. The project was first submitted to Ideas by fan Damian Andres (AKA The Yellow Brick) way back at the end of 2020 as a sculpture of his cat, a Siamese-Birman mix named Miro. The official set shifts the color scheme to a Tuxedo and makes a fair number of changes to the construction, but keeps the overall scale and pose the same as Damian’s submission. The Ideas model boasts 1,710 pieces, and includes pieces to swap out for yellow or blue eyes, along with an alternate lower lip to give the cat a different expression. It will be available starting June 1 for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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LEGO Ideas dresses to impress with the announcement of 21349 Tuxedo Cat [News]

Ever thought your botanical collection could use a cat to knock the plant pots off the mantlepiece? Well, today is your lucky day! LEGO has just unveiled the latest set in the Ideas line of fan-submitted creations: 21349 Tuxedo Cat. Originally entered by user The Yellow Brick (AKA Damian Andres), this furry feline reached the 10,000 supporters threshold in November 2022, with LEGO’s stamp of approval being given in May of last year. Its 1,710 pieces include interchangeable eye colours and, as the set name suggests, a smart black-and-white fur coat. When it hits shelves this June 1st, it will retail for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.

Take a closer look at this cool cat after the jump

Flexigon cat and mouse games

I tend to love LEGO creations that have a lot of different little parts used to create the most intricate details. This creation by Michael Kanemoto does not fit that brief at all. If my count is correct, they feature no more than 20 different pieces. Most of these pieces were only used several times.

Flexigon Cat and Mouse

Michael uses two of these pieces in abundance — the leaves and carrot tops. These two hero ingredients get used to create the main body of the cat and the mouse. The leaves do a wonderful job mimicking the texture of fur on both animals. Although the cat is truly amazing, the mouse is what really gets me going. It is so cute, so small and yet so detailed. I wouldn’t mind having this one on display for a really long time. Just look at those whiskers and those cute beady eyes!

Flexigon Mouse

Plunder Cats, Plunder Cats, (yo ho) ho!

Ever wonder what your cats do while you’re away? If this fun LEGO diorama built by Okay Yaramanoglu is to be believed then they’re out plundering the neighborhood for catnip in a box hideout. I had my suspicions that was the case! In Okay’s words; “PlunderCats are a band of ferocious feline pirates lead by the fearsome Captain Fluffybeard. Their ship is basically just a box with sails since the cats are usually more interested in the crate that the pirate ship parts arrive in than the actual ship itself. Their hideout is located in the middle of the Catribbean on Cat Skull Island (which used to be inhabited by Mouselanders) and is essentially a big cat tree. This is where they are keeping their enemy, the scurvy dog Admiral Barkington, hostage and where they are hiding their most prized treasure, the Golden Cheezburger.”

PlunderCats

That explains much of the tomfoolery going on around here, actually. In case your tuna supply has run low in your neighborhood as well here are a lineup of the usual suspects.

PlunderCats Crew

Pillaging and plundering your village with a massive grin

Hide your LEGO gold, daughters, and your catnip as Cecilie Fritzvold’s pirate cats are sailing the seven seas looking for treasure or maybe just a little saucer of milk. This motley crew is traveling on their majestic vessel, The Cheshire, looking for the fabled Lucky Cat Island. Led by their brave captain, the crew of brick-built cat pirates appears to include some dodgy characters that each embody what it is like to be a fearsome pirate. I bet these kittens aren’t afraid to get their tails wet!

PiCats of the Catibbean seas

Cats are royalty, no matter where you are

This LEGO build by Vohdoff of a laborer ferrying a whimsical feline beast shows that even in a fantasy realm, cats are still royalty. I suspect the cat in question here may draw some of its inspiration from Japanese Kitsune with their many tails. Whatever its origins, though, this creature is gorgeously sculpted from mostly Bionicle elements. Meanwhile, the servant also has an otherworldly visage, and a magnificent gold collar to match the cat’s eyes.

The Arduous Carrier

The next generation of mosaic builders

There were a whole lot of amazing LEGO mosaic artworks at Brickworld Chicago in 2022, and one in particular that seemed extra special to me. Say hello to Carmen, a crowd favorite build by Lydia. Beyond being an adorable image of the family pet, what makes this art impressive is the age of the builder. She was nine. (Well, 11 now, but pandemic-related show delays are a thing.) It’s good to know that the future of the LEGO art world is already in capable hands.

Would you like to meow more?

Kitty wants to go outside.

This isn’t the first time Tom Loftus (Inthert) was inspired by the art of Spacegoose to create an adorable Cat-stronaut figure. While the previous feline (The aptly named Space Cat) was all about  journeying into mystery, Astra is already there. The amazing part usage of metallic black beehives for limbs is a standout feature, but it’s the eyes that really do it for me. Those Mixel 1×1 round eye tiles give this critter the same Crazy-Zoom look that I remember seeing just before a pet tore through the house at Warp 10.

Astra

From the rear, you can see that Tom paid equal attention to the stylish and functional-looking backpack. There’s a joke here about “the cat’s pajamas” but I can’t quite make it work. Let’s just pretend it did and share a brief chuckle.

Astra (2)

There are a lot of things that can happen in the world of LEGO space. Why not check out our archives for more of them?