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!
As a clarification, I should mention that this is not a bust of a revolutionary, but of one who busts revolutionaries: Inspector Javert from the musical Les Miserables. The builder, W. Navarre, has been making Les Miserables-themed LEGO creations since the start of this year, with this bust being one of the best so far, and the first that was not a minifig-scaled vignette or diorama.
The build is quite experimental, with many complicated techniques to achieve all sorts of shapes and textures, as is expected of Mr. Navarre. This does come at a cost, because experimental means some things work and others do not. So it is that the hat and the collar work really well, just as the mouth and sideburns, but the head seems to me to be somewhat short and the nose a bit too blocky.
Seen at any angle, this moment in time captured by Eero Okkonen is astonishing! Eero is known for his character builds, but takes it a step further by embodying them in a scene where tension between two swordsmen is captured in time.
See more of these remarkable LEGO characters
There was a (perhaps deservedly?) forgotten LEGO Castle theme from the early 2000s called Knight’s Kingdom with large figures, which introduced many specialized parts that appear to be hard to use other than for their apparently intended purpouse. You would expect me to reveal a surprisingly innovative use of such elements in the newest creation by Russian LEGO builder Red, but the real surprise is how elegantly the builder used the said pieces simply for their intended purpose, which is often a risky move among highly critical LEGO builders. On the other hand, there are many imaginative techniques throughout the build, which reward a viewer inspecting it closely. The best part, however, must be the figure’s menacing general shape, which gives a strong impression of a very muscular man in impenetrable armor, and yet keeping a strange sense of elegance – a perfect combination for a knight.
Thanks to this LEGO tribute to the legendary rock group Queen by Krzysztof J, I’m singing softly to myself, affirming my role as a champion and contemplating Galileo. Tiny Freddy is resplendent in his iconic yellow jacket, rocking that mic like no other, hand raised. The suave hairstyle is genius, much like the inspiring persona. And Brian? That hair. Positioning all of those 1×1 round plates must have been mind-numbing, but the end result is spectacular. His guitar is perfect. It’s a little detail, but man: those bases are lovely. I would love to see LEGO’s BrickHeadz line use those!
Perennial TBB favorite Moko has given us a great blessing: Greek god Zeus in BIONICLE. Somehow I suspect the real Zeus would be jealous as this model is more fabulous than he is. There are a lot of things to comment on here, so let’s dive in.
The shields are perfectly sized and shaped to give Zeus the buff body that everyone, human or otherwise, seems to favor. The use of the gold mask as the shoulder gives great shaping – and check out those biceps! Appropriately, he is haloed by blades, adding to his intimidating stance. I particularly love his hair. That’s not a color you see often, if at all, and it makes this model stand out.
Newlywed LEGO fans have been putting LEGO toppers on their wedding cakes for ages, but to date these have been either minifigs or miniland scale figures. But now Ben Fong has switched things up with this adorable BrickHeadz style bride and groom. The builder does not mention who’s nuptials these were built for, but they also come with a matching brick-built jewelry box complete with miniature LEGO engagement ring. I particularly like the groom’s slightly comical expression, and the use of those increasingly ubiquitous balloon pieces for the bride’s veil.
Brick Brickolson has created a beautiful monstrosity in “Captain Bashface”, a mutant Mr. Potato Head pirate look-alike. The asymetry in this build is superb, with no two limbs matching with the main body itself being lopsided. While all the eyes, tentacles, and robot arms are great, my favourite part is that simple but effective belt buckle and the belt build itself. It draws the eye to that wonderful, grotesque mouth.
Strider0630 has created a fantastic LEGO model of Overwatch’s Pharah, photographing her twice: using her ultimate weapon, and but also this little scene of her using her ultimate. Parts of the armor open up to release missiles; the clever use of transparent elements and smoke make this a perfect display piece that we’re sure many fans would pay to have on their desks.
Builder LegoWyrm takes inspiration from Hatsune Miku, a humaniod anime persona. LegoWyrm gives it a Spanish flavour with a red themed outfit, and upped the cutness factor by shrinking the character to a chibi sized version. It works gleefully well, with the dress piece arrangement and the pose held together by the unique use of elements for the feet.
