If anyone is suited to a LEGO caricature, it’s Groucho Marx. Paddy Bricksplitter has given us a wonderful portrait of the comedy legend, and there is absolutely no doubt who is staring at you from from the frame. The bushy eyebrows and curly hair are instantly recognizable, and the cigar is perfect.
Back in 2007 we blogged an awesome LEGO creation by the Arvo Brothers which featured a chestburster emerging from some unlucky person, in a recreation of a scene from the classic Sci-Fi horror film Alien. Well not only have the Arvo Brothers now updated their build with a base and some new parts to improve the design, but they have also finally published instructions!
The updated version has a white base similar to the base created for their recent Alien Project and changes to the teeth and nose area. The blood pool also has some fantastic sinewy arterial red parts that add to the horror and seem more anatomically realistic.
The seeping blood spilling from the larger pool, through the base and onto the floor, is undoubtedly my favourite part. I hope this doesn’t reflect any morbid tendencies I may have! Building instructions are available by contacting the Arvo Brothers via email arvo@arvobrothers.com and should be on their website soon.
Finnish builder Eero Okkonen has built a fabulous character model of Excela Noa Aura, an Imperial Princess and Dragon Knight from the roleplaying videogame Shining Resonance. Whilst I don’t know anything about the source material, I know a great LEGO creation when I see one. This model is packed full of nice touches and detail — don’t miss the hinges and arches used on the unmistakably anime hair, the smart use of “big fig” pieces for the rather shapely legs, and the near-genius deployment of a neck ruff from the collectible minifig Shakespeare for the lacy cuffs peeking out of the sleeves.
Neil Blomkamp’s movie Chappie may have had some misteps, but the fantastic effects work in bringing the titular android to life was beyond reproach. Chappie, a disaffected robot in a future South Africa, is one of the more endearing robots to find its ways to cinema screens in recent years, and LEGO builder Pilation Pilation has made this awesome rendition of the wannabe gangster robot, fully poseable to throw some street moves, and he’s even built a great motorcycle for Chappie, which has hints of Bat-bike in it.
Overwatch has spurred builders into a frenzy of creativity, and Tim Schwalfenberg has spent the last couple of weeks building a series of characters from the game to display at his local comic convention. Tim’s character builds include Mercy, Pharah, Reaper, Roadhog, Soldier 76, Tracer and Winston. I’ll start with my favourites: Mercy, a healer and staunch advocate for peace; and Reaper, an extremely volatile mercenary who is a ruthless and remorseless killer. Reaper’s face shaping is spot on and captures this intimidating, cold blooded faceless character to perfection.
This LEGO punk rocker by LegoJalex looks like he can really shred. In addition to the spectacularly clean lines and colorful composition of this build, there are some really great details including a whammy bar and what I can only assume is a wallet chain. I also adore that little green mouse.
Best of all, this LEGO musician is a bobblehead! Check out the video below to see him in action.
If you somehow haven’t heard of Overwatch, it’s a multiplayer first-person shooter video game released in May of this year by Blizzard Entertainment. More importantly for LEGO fans, a host of brilliant depictions of the characters from the game has swiftly followed its release. Simon Lui takes the building-baton and has recreated 20-year-old monk and wanderer Zenyatta, in his typical meditative pose.
I particularly love his torso area made from taps, and the waistband of his orange pants made from mechanical arms. Those shoulders look fab but perhaps not the most robust, so it’s just as well that Zenyatta can attain a transcendent state of immunity to damage!
This LEGO bust of classic supervillain the Joker is pretty amazing, but the fact that it is creator Taylor Walker‘s first attempt at a brick-built character makes all the more so. I’m really looking forward to laying eyes (and paws) on it at the Bricks of Character table at BrickCon next month, where it’s crazy gaze will fit perfectly with this year’s Con theme: Madness!
Mihai Marius Mihu is one of my favorite builders, best known for his beautifully creepy surrealist nightmares, and I’m still not convinced he’s not Guillermo del Toro’s LEGO builder alter ego. However, this latest creation seems to channel a bit of H.R Giger. The alien visage is enshrouded in flowing bands of some unfathomable otherworldly technology, and the the lines transition smoothly from detail to curved plane, stylistically much like Giger’s most famous creation, the Alien.
Bastion is a rather divisive character to fans of Overwatch. While adorable as a character, his charm does not forgive his unstoppable hail of gatling gun bullets. Piggy Brother’s LEGO rendition of Bastion is definitely a showcase of his charm. Not only are the details of his Bastion model nearly spot-on, his pose with the bird Ganymede on his finger is just like Bastion’s concept art. The continuation of the black outline over the blue “eye” using a rubber band is a great detail.
Piggy Brother even constructed his Bastion to transform into sentry mode. A rather impressive touch to his excellent model.
See more photos on the builder’s Flickr.
I am a big Avatar: The Last Airbender fan. Of the three glorious seasons, it’s the final Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula that sticks with me the most. I feel it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of animation I’ve seen, and the music gives me chills. NeverEnoughLEGO built a mini-land scale version of Zuko and Azula, locked in their final battle.
Click through to see more photos of this LEGO Avatar: The Last Airbender model
I never quite understood the appeal of the Smurfs. Growing up in the 80’s surrounded by an entirely different cultural tradition, the poorly animated, cutesy TV show just wasn’t interesting. But the wonderful thing about the world of LEGO is that I can appreciate a fantastic build even if I have negative interest in the subject matter. Koen is taking a break from building a large LEGO spaceship to build something using a bunch of the rare medium blue parts in his collection — from minifig helmets for his nose and tail to a plate for his ear.
I love Koen’s description: “The Smurfs are blue humanoids who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest.” This smurf seems to be as surprised by his own existence as I am.
