Tag Archives: Caterpillars

No such thing as an ugly duckling

If you need a little extra cuteness in your day, look no further than this LEGO art piece by Bert Van Raemdonck! I’d argue the strength of this build is all the subtle details. From the single stud for the cygnet’s nostril, the two tiny feathery tufts on its head, to the adorable little nub tail, all these things add up to be greater than the sum of their LEGO parts! Special mention needs to be given to the cygnet’s eye, as Bert has found the perfect piece for the job; a bicorne hat! Finally let’s talk colors. Bert has used light aqua for the swanling’s highlights, while on its other side the colors transition through gray and tan into yellow and bright light orange. With that, its time to wrap this up. I hope this cygnet signals a certain upswing in your day!

[MOC] Cute little swanling

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A hungry LEGO caterpillar with a can-do attitude

If you thought a LEGO watering can wasn’t much use outside of setting a scene in a garden, you have not seen an Iron Builder competition. In the contest, an unusual seed part is used in each build, to challenge the builder to think creatively. gGh0st does not disappoint with this caterpillar, whose many segments use the watering can in lime to great effect. The spout makes the perfect leg, clinging to the branch. But I do wonder what this would look like from any other angle…

Caterpillar

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Massive CAT themed Sloth Walker

Making its way through the canopy, this enormous piece of LEGO equipment keeps a steady grip on the weaving branches of the rainforest canopy. Builder Charlie Jones brings us his second ambling piece of construction equipment with a CAT-themed color scheme. Perhaps suited for traversing the jungles of Pandora from James Cameron’s Avatar, the Sloth Walker’s crew clambers about its hanging body, making their way up its legs to the thick branches to survey the unique biomes and the territory below. The builder spent almost 200 hours working on this beast, along with the branches above, and it surely paid off with an impressive final product. First off, the branches of the tree are ingenious, if not a bit laborious. Time consuming as they may be, their repetition and semi-woven pattern provide a convincing effect on the overall build.

CAT Sloth Walker

The Walker, if you can really even call it that when its making its way upside down like this, is its own masterpiece though. At just under a meter long, every centimeter of this build is detailed and intentional. Using droid bodies and arms on the claws gives a delightful industrial texture, while the pneumatic-like structures in the front arms compliment a convincing design. Of course, I can’t go without mentioning that awesome domed canopy for the pilot, providing a full view around them. Using the frames of Harry Potter’s glasses from the Hogwarts Icons set as the framing for the cockpit was an ingenious move, honestly.

I commend those workers on the outside of the craft. Making my way over the exposed engines, hanging on as the arms and legs move above me, I’d hope to at least be tethered somewhere safe. I wouldn’t want to fall and get caught by the tether only to get crushed by some mechanical components. I leave this part of exploration to this brave crew, I guess, and just move on to commending Mr. Jones for a magnificent build. Keep up the good work, mate!

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A hands-on approach to caterpillars

This huge LEGO caterpillar is constructed with giant minifig hands by builder Dan Ko for an Iron Builder challenge. Dan cleverly uses the bright green hand pieces for the many legs of the towering insect. The caterpillar possesses a wonderful color palette with those pastel pieces at every segment. Red leaves frame the caterpillar’s face, giving it bushy eyebrows and a great beard. The antennae test the air as the caterpillar rears up to intimidate the hunter. Nearby plant life watches the scene indifferently, not really a care in the colorful world. What’s cool about this build is the ingenuity it demonstrates with a part limitation. The giant minifig hands are the parts to work with, and Dan found a creative way of using them. The caterpillar is awesome, and I hope it can be friends with the hunter instead of enemies.

The Hunt Is On

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LEGO Technic 42131 Cat D11 Bulldozer [Review]

Like the latest ridiculously expensive smartphones, LEGO Technic flagship sets make you consider one question: is it worth upgrading? Same prices, same play features, and, maybe, a couple of new tricks to show off. This fall it’s all about the new LEGO Technic 42131 Cat D11 Bulldozer: 3,854 pieces, four motors, a bunch of new pieces, and a price tag of US $449.99 | CAN $549.99 | UK £419.99. Is the set worth upgrading from the reigning king 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator? Let’s build and play with one and see what it has to offer.

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

Read on for the full review

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LEGO Technic 42131 Cat D11 Bulldozer officially unveiled [News]

Today LEGO shared an official promo video for the new ultimate Technic set, 42131 Cat D11 Bulldozer. Rumored for a long time, the new bulldozer full of Powered Up motors and controlled via the Control+ app will be available from October 1.

Continue reading

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Hornworm

I could write a whole feature about this hornworm by Moko to tell you all about how magnificently they used the Crane Grab Jaw with Axle and Pin Hole. That the axle looks just like little caterpillar legs. I could tell you that the use of the sport helmet for a little nose is cute as a button. Hedwig’s eyes work perfectly for this little fellow as well. And that it is really nice to see the binoculars and the horn in orange make an excellent mouth while continuing the colour pattern. I could do all that, but I am not going to. I am just here to point out that Moko used not one, not two but three types animals on in the twig the caterpillar is walking on. It is a frog, a rat and a dog. And to me that is just golden.

Hornworm

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There once was an impatient caterpillar

This adorable LEGO caterpillar built by Jens Ohrndorf is the perfect illustration for a children’s storybook. Just the critter alone is cute, from his paint-roller antennae to his “fuzzy” body and flower-stem spines. But when you add those balloons, it’s magic. It really does give the illusion of this fellow’s body being lifted up. He didn’t quite use enough, though! Don’t worry little buddy! Be patient and someday soon you’ll be a beautiful butterfly!

Jens is great at giving his builds life and that spark of character. Just check out this fun cactus!

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Shazam’s Mister Mind

Tim Lydy surprises us with his LEGO Mister Mind build. Not being familiar with the source material, I thought at first it was just a cute little caterpillar. But I was sadly misinformed, this is none other than DC’s most evil and devious villain Mister Mind, an alien worm and the nemesis to Shazam. I was drawn to this creation because I really enjoy it when something really small gets turned into an upscaled LEGO model. (Keep in mind, I still thought this was just a mere caterpillar.) The body is made of a bunch of projectile disks on what I presume is a piece of flex tubing. The head is made of the insect cap headgear and the butt is a sport helmet with vent holes. The eyes are quite cleverly made of two minidoll necklaces. Did you spot the paperclip on the floor?

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Cat with a big dumper

When LEGO came out with these massive tires a few years back vehicle builders rejoiced, but sometimes you need something more for building large tractors, monster trucks, post-apocalyptic mono-wheels, or other things needing outrageous tires. A builder who goes by the name of Sariel found some amazing non-LEGO tires that fit LEGO hubs perfectly, and used them on this legendary Caterpillar 797F Dump Truck. The real thing is 25 feet (7.7m) high to the canopy, 49 ft 6 in (15.1 m) long and weighs in at a staggering 624 tons when empty. This model is considerably smaller but no less impressive and, as LEGO vehicles go, it is a force to be reckoned with.

Caterpillar 979F Dump Truck

With its rugged stance and attention to detail, I would have been impressed enough if this were a stagnant model. However, as this image illustrates, it is jam-packed with Power Functions and a robotic Mindstorms EV3 unit to give it that extra push of awesomeness. I can see myself playing with this big Cat for hours all the while making truck noises like a six-year-old. It doesn’t take much for me to revert back to a six-year-old but, given this post’s title, you would have guessed that already.

Caterpillar 979F Dump Truck

In fact, you can even see it in action in Sariel’s video!

[Update: an earlier version of this article mistakenly identified the tires as LEGO elements. We regret this error.]

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Here’s a cool CAT everyone can dig.

When it comes to earthmoving equipment, the Caterpillar brand stands out as a time-honored tradition. The company’s 320 Hydraulic Excavator packs some serious digging power, and looks amazing as this 1:30 scale LEGO model built by Sheo. It looks accurate to the original, right down to the tracks and hydraulic digging system. The driver’s cab is particularly impressive, expertly formed with rigid tubing, clip, hinge, and bar elements. Other inspired details include black whips for handrails and studs-not-on-top building to form the shape of the CAT logos on the vehicle’s body.

Caterpillar 320 Excavator

Sheo. even used his tractor to recreate an action-packed scene from the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall.

Skyfall: Catching the Train

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“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar

A contrarian caterpillar makes for a fine bit of building, as seen in this lovely setting by Markus Rollbühler. Alice in Wonderland is a common subject for LEGO creations, no doubt because its whimsical caricatures allow builders to flex their muscles a bit and try out lots of fascinating new techniques. The two techniques I’m most drawn to in Markus’ version are in the flowering plant at the center, with yawning leaves made of upturned dragon heads, and a bright light orange flower made of hand mixers and shoulders.

Alice in Wonderland – The Caterpillar

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