Modelling human proportions and shapes in LEGO can be very challenging, but Umamen does a fantastic job with this brick-built Spiderman figure. The model captures Spiderman’s lean-yet-muscular build we have seen in comics since his creation. I particularly like the use of an actual LEGO spider as the logo on the chest. It just goes to show that sometimes NPU (“nice parts usage”) can mean using a spider as… well… a spider!
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And don’t miss the model’s extreme poseability:
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With his philosophical proposal “Cogito ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”), French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist René Descartes may have had a clever way with words. But I think Popeye summed it up admirably with “I yam what I yam and tha’s all what I yam”. Like many of us here at TBB, Oliver Becker is old enough to remember this underdog with bulging forearms, a mean uppercut, and a love of canned spinach.
I love how he has managed to capture everything about this famous star of comic strip and screen; it’s almost as though he’s about to bust out with that classic line “I oughta busk you right in the mush”. As the star of his own comic strips and animated series, on both the small and big screens, Popeye became quickly ingrained in American culture, and today remains one of the most recognizable pop-culture icons in the world.
Fans continue to create their own versions of BrickHeadz for the community to enjoy, and tankm brings us RoboCop and the Terminator (who have shared a crossover comic book series, for those who didn’t know). RoboCop wins my vote — I prefer his overall design. But the Terminator is packed with nice details such as the subtle sloping around the nose area, great greebling in the head, and smart use of hinge pieces for the “teeth”.
Your mileage may vary when it comes to LEGO’s Bionicle-style “constraction” figures. However, even the most militant “bricks-or-nothing” builders should recognise excellent construction skills, regardless of where some of the parts come from. Kelvin Low has simply smashed it with this stunning large-scale Skull Knight figure.
Kelvin has made smart choices with the large armour pieces — couple those with some beautiful greebling details between the plates, and a stylish splash of colour in the cape’s trim, and you’ve got a great piece of work. I love the sense of heft and power in this model. You get the impression the Skull Knight would stomp you into dust as soon as look at you…
Dwalin Forkbeard shows his love for the fantasy worlds of Warhammer with a 52cm tall LEGO Dwarf Thane full of character. The subtle contours of the armor plating suggest the Thane’s battle-hardened stance. The shaping of the face mask and helmet are excellent, especially around the eye holes, allowing for a rather impressive beard to extend downward.
Love or hate Brickheadz, seeing the community create their own versions of characters has been a treat (see our recent roundup of some recent good ones). And now builder tommilorenzo has given the blocky treatment to Thor. Although, this is the more classical version of Thor, and not the more recent Marvel incarnation you’ve seen in the newest Ragnarok trailer.
This is one of my creations that has been waiting for a few months to be uploaded, for many irrelevant reasons. I think this one takes a bit of insight to be appreciated fully. While my build (on the left) is a servicable mechanical build on its own, its true strengths can only be appreciated if compared to the original LEGO Bionicle 8532 Onua set on the right, as this is a piece-by-piece LEGO System recreation of the classic first generation Toa Onua set. My version is completely unstable and unplayable, but visually comes close enough to the official version that it passes my personal quality standard.
This was a somewhat quick build, but I was so inspired by the idea that it completely took over my life for a few days. It strikes me that Bionicle (or as the cool kids call it these days, “bonkle”) is quite similar to classic space in a way – while classic space is the most popular nostalgic theme for many older LEGO fans, Bionicle is the go-to nostalgia trip for ones growing up in the early 2000s, which makes it surprising how rare reproductions are. There are few even in the actual Bionicle building genre, but besides my build, I have only seen one other example of systemized Toa, but even that was just the builder taking his own spin on the concept.
Now, I have indeed built Toa Onua (because this one is the easiest to build due to wide selection of parts in both of his primary colours, black and very dark grey), and I see myself being able to build Toa Kopaka, but for any other ones my selection of parts just can not do. So here is a challenge to any builder brave enough and equipped for it: I would love to see more of the first generation Bionicle characters (or later ones?) made out of system parts!
The BrickHeadz character style has firmly taken root amongst the builder community, as evidenced by an ever-growing collection of fan-created BrickHeadz models that frequently exhibit more creativity, fun and ingenuity than some of the heavily printing reliant exclusives that LEGO is making convention-goers stand in sweaty lines for hours to acquire. Taking inspiration from some memorable movie characters, here are a few excellent examples that came across our desk recently:
Maleficent and the Wicked Witch of the West by tankm
Holtzmann and Slimer by James zhan
Russell and Carl from UP by JAE WON LEE
Until discovering this Asterix-like, mono-visioned, Eynar – Fear Of the Northern Seas – who looks like the winner in a madman competition – I had never heard of the old French comic Red Corsair. Oliver Becker found himself a little inspired, creating his interpretation of the Barbe Rouge.
I love his huge mustache and matted dreads with the Technic bush ends. The single eye, shapely nose and impressive set of teeth make this guy look like a fearsome creature. His Obelix-esque striped pants with complimenting shield and sword are fantastic. This one-eyed warrior certainly looks like the wrong guy to be charging towards in a fierce battle.
Some creations rely on complicated techniques and difficult shapes to impress the viewer, while others make the connection by emotion. The strength of Tinkerbell in a lantern waiting for Peter by Jae Won Lee lies in the expressive posing of Tinkerbell in the center. The lantern’s details reward closer inspection, like the golden decorations or the seams between 1x6x5 window panels to look like wire mesh.
Brickheadz builds never fail to impress me — just when you think there’s only so many ways you can represent characters, along comes another that blows your mind yet again. Julius Caeser’s embodiment built by John Cheng together with the backdrop is almost a perfect tabletop display for an inspiring corporate dictator.
No general is complete without his loyal soldier, which is a great companion build to conquer Rome.
Even if you’re not a Snapchat user, you’ve probably been exposed to the latest Internet sensation that is the Snapchat dancing hotdog. The popular mobile chat tool recent added this seemingly harmless augmented reality feature, only for it to instantly balloon into possibly the biggest meme of 2017. Of course, not wanting to miss this latest pop culture bandwagon, I have crafted a LEGO version of this adorable sausage for your enjoyment and/or annoyance. Because let’s be frank, the weiner takes it all – and I’m on a roll!
